It’s that time of year when all of us fantasy football enthusiasts are doing mock draft after mock draft to put together a strategy for the upcoming season. This is especially true for those who play in high-stakes leagues such as those offered by FFPC. This year’s Main Event contest is open for business, and to get you ready, I did a complete, 20-round mock draft with the FFPC settings to see how it plays out.

Naturally, I used the FantasyPros Mock Draft Simulator. If you want to try out your own mock draft, here are the key metrics you will need to use to do the same:

• 12-team full Point Per Reception (PPR) Scoring
• Start 1QB, 2RB, 2WR, 1TE, 2FLEX, 1K, 1DEF with 12 bench spots
• Scoring is 0.5 PPR TE premium, so you’ll need to set the TE positional value at high

While this mock draft was executed with the FFPC Main Event contest in mind, you can also apply this strategy to their Victory Points Cash contests.

• Dynasty Trade Value Chart
• Dynasty Rookie Primers: QB | RB | WR | TE
• Dynasty Rookie Draft Sleepers: QB | RB | WR | TE
• Latest Dynasty Rookie Mock Draft

The Draft

I went into this FFPC mock draft with an open mind and was interested to see how it played out. I was randomly awarded the sixth overall pick for this draft. After the dust settled, I got a B- grade from the expert panel here at FantasyPros, so I will say it was a win. So how did it all play out? Let’s get into it.

Round 1

This mock draft started as you might imagine it would in a 1QB format. Running backs came off the board quickly, which played right into my hand. Travis Kelce fell to me at pick number six, which is precisely what I was hoping for in the TE Premium format. Kelce sees far more passing volume than any other player at the position and is likely to be the top point scorer in your league with this scoring system. Getting him this relatively late in the first round is a great way to set a positive tone out of the gate.

Round 2

Heading into the second round set at TE was a relief. When my pick came up, I saw Bills WR Stefon Diggs sitting right there in front of me, and I couldn’t pass him up. While there are some concerns with how last season ended, the team did little this offseason to address the WR room, and Diggs is in line for another high-volume, high-output season.

Round 3

Now it’s time to get an anchor RB. A few solid options were on the board, including Rachaad White and Dameon Pierce. However, sitting there right in front of me like a present under a Christmas tree was Green Bay’s own Aaron Jones. I know he’s not Saquon Barkley or Christian McCaffery, but there’s still plenty left in Jones’ tank. Furthermore, with QB Jordan Love now behind center for the Packers, this team will be running the ball as much, if not more, than they did in 2022. Sure, A.J. Dillon will also get a significant workload, but Jones adds the pass-catching upside you want when taking an anchor RB in the third round.

Round 4

I couldn’t have been happier to see Patrick Mahomes still on the board in the fourth round. When I took Kelce in RD1, I hoped this would happen, but I wasn’t optimistic. So it was a no-brainer to complete the stack and bring Mahomes home where he belongs: on my FFPC roster.

Rounds 5 & 6

Now that the core of my roster is settled, the draft is all about building around them. I am a proponent of drafting heavily at WR at this stage of drafts, and this draft was no different. With my fifth-round pick, I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to roster Seahawks WR Tyler Lockett. The perenially underrated fantasy asset might be 30 years old, but there are no signs of him slowing down, even if the team did draft Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

Then, in Round 6, Terry McLaurin caught my eye. He had his best fantasy season in 2022, and even if second-year QB Sam Howell is under center, McLaurin will be the focal point of the Commanders’ passing attack next season. It felt like I was stealing candy from a baby, getting him this far down in the draft.

Rounds 7, 8 & 9

While I would take another WR in Round 7 in most cases, I couldn’t pass up Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco with this pick. I understand the concerns, given his seventh-round draft capital, but Kansas City appears to be set to roll into 2023 with Pacheco as the lead RB, and we all saw how that panned out in the last half of 2022. It was excellent.

Now in Round 8, it’s back to drafting a WR. I couldn’t pass up Baltimore’s Rashod Bateman, who will play in the electric Todd Monken offense in 2023. Yes, the team brought in competition for the oft-injured Bateman, but the reward outweighs the risk in this situation.

I wasn’t planning on returning to the RB position in the ninth round, but here we are. Jamaal Williams stared me straight in the face, and I couldn’t pass on his undeniable goalline upside. While he may not be in Detroit anymore, he is with a Saints team that likely won’t have Alvin Kamara for at least the first half of the season. Even if they do, Kamara has been on the decline in recent years, and Williams will be the bruiser at the goalline with massive TD upside.

Rounds 10 & 11

Here’s where I like to start taking some chances in drafts. We’re halfway through, and I want to chase upside, especially at WR. That’s why I couldn’t pass on an opportunity to grab Quentin Johnston in Round 10. With fellow Chargers WRs Mike Williams and Keenan Allen having a hard time staying healthy and getting up there in age, Johnston likely sees a significant amount of volume in an offense that likes to throw the ball.

My next pick just made too much sense. Sure, Bengals WR Tyler Boyd might be the “third wheel” in a loaded Bengals pass-catching room. However, he’s the best third wheel in the league with an elite QB in Joe Burrow. Boyd provides depth for this roster at the position and is also valued as a consistent flex play in most match-ups.

Rounds 12 & 13

When drafting a fourth RB, I always look for potential upside in a favorable situation. The Carolina Panthers will be rolling out rookie QB Bryce Young in 2023, so RB Chuba Hubbard provides just that. While the team signed RB Miles Sanders this offseason, Hubbard proved he was a reliable RB2 option in the second half of 2022. As a result, I was pleased to have him land in my lap with my Round 12 pick.

Now, here’s a dart throw with potential league-winning upside I love. My Round 13 pick is none other than Patriots TE Mike Gesicki. Yes, his 2022 season was a huge disappointment. However, now in New England, with far less competition for targets, I expect big things from Gesicki. He should see decent enough volume to make him a reliable flex play all season.

Rounds 14, 15 & 16

When you get this deep into a draft, nearly every pick is on a wing and a prayer. These are guys with a capped ceiling based on situation and talent. You’re hoping to get players with a few clear-cut weeks where production is imminent.

This is the case with my Round 14 selection, Joshua Palmer. He is slotted in as the WR4 for the Chargers behind Allen, Williams, and Johnston and will need an injury or massive underperformance to be more than a bit part. However, with the fragility of Allen and Williams, he has a good shot at being relevant for a least a few weeks in 2023.

The same goes for my Round 15 selection, Baltimore RB Gus Edwards. He will see change-of-pace carries behind J.K. Dobbins and could be a factor in the Ravens’ passing attack. However, for him to be more than an occasional dart in the flex slot, Dobbins would have to vastly underperform expectations or miss time due to injury.

Heading into Round 16, I wasn’t sure who would still be on the board worth a look, but I was pleased to see Giants WR Isaiah Hodgins still hanging around. He is currently slotted in as the team’s WR2 behind Parris Campbell (we’ll get to him later) and showed last season that QB Daniel Jones can trust him. Not a bad grab in the back quarter of the draft.

Rounds 17 & 18

Heading into Round 17, I realized I needed some insurance at RB. With options at the position dwindling, I decided to take a chance on Jacksonville rookie Tank Bigsby. It seems counterintuitive to roster the assumed backup to Travis Etienne Jr., but Bigsby is a much different style of runner who could see a more significant workload in the red zone. As the season progresses, we could see him become the Jamaal Williams for the Jaguars.

When my pick came up in Round 18, I couldn’t believe my eyes. How was Giants WR Parris Campbell still on the board? Well, no point in questioning it. Campbell will be the WR1 in New York. While the team did bring in TE Darren Waller, who is essentially a WR, Campbell will still see enough volume to possibly finish 2023 in the WR1 tier. This was the steal of the draft.

Rounds 19 & 20

This is where most drafters would take their kicker and team defense. Not this guy. Kickers and defenses provide minimal value, and you’ll likely be better off streaming both positions throughout the season. My strategy here is to take a chance on a couple of deeper players who could end up going off in 2023. My Round 19 pick went to a quarterback who, to be fair, we haven’t seen enough of to know if he’s any good. Packers QB Jordan Love is inheriting a Green Bay offense formerly piloted by Aaron Rodgers, and he has weapons. He also has a coaching staff that believes he’s the guy, and that’s enough for me to grab him with my second-to-last pick.

Given the TE premium format, I was surprised to see Seahawks TE Noah Fant still floating around on the draft board. While I already have two TEs on my team, since you can start three in FFPC leagues, I couldn’t pass him up with my Round 20 pick.

FFPC Mock Draft Recap | Grade: B-

This ended up being a very intriguing draft. I earned my B- grade with a savvy approach to loading up at WR and locking down some solid pass-catching RBs. My favorite part of this squad is the Kelce/Mahomes stack I was able to put together, coupled with Pacheco, to complete the Chiefs’ trifecta. I also found stellar late-round value, grabbing Parris Campbell in Round 18 and Noah Fant in Round 20. I would be ecstatic to roll out this line-up in any FFPC contest.

Want to see more on my FFPC Mock Draft? Check it out right here.

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Nate Polvogt is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Nate, check out his archive and follow him @NatePolvogt.