If high-stakes fun is your thing, FantasyPros is back with their Fantasy Football Player’s Championship (FFPC) league for 2023, and it’s a doozie. However, with an entry fee of $350 and a top prize of $1 million, this league isn’t for the faint of heart. Compete to win in the world’s largest fantasy football tournament, with over $6 million in prizes, including a record $1 million grand prize. Join the FantasyPros Championship today!
Your draft strategy will look slightly different from most leagues in this unique format. It is a full point per reception (PPR), 1QB formatted league. Here’s how your starting lineups will look week in and week out.
- 1 QB
- 2 RBs
- 2 WRs
- 1 TE
- 2 FLEX (RB/WR/TE)
- 1 Kicker
- 1 Defense
Yes, you read that correctly. FFPC is still rocking with kickers and team defense. In addition, they’re giving you two flex slots to allow diversity in your starting lineups.
The scoring for the FantasyPros FFPC league is in-line with the standard FFPC scoring. However, for those who need to become more familiar, here are the most important things you need to know.
FantasyPros FFPC Mock Draft (2023 Fantasy Football)
Passing
- 0.05 points per passing yard (350 passing yards = 17.5 fantasy points)
- 4 points per passing TD
Rushing
- 0.1 points per rushing yard (100 yards rushing = 10 fantasy points)
- 6 points per rushing TD
Receiving
- Full Point Per Reception (PPR) scoring for all positions except TE
- 1.5 PPR for the TE position
- 6 points per receiving TD
The key takeaway is that the TE position gets a nice little bump with an additional 0.5 PPR premium.
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 FantasyPros FFPC contest in mind, you can apply this strategy to their Main Event and Victory Points Cash contests.
The Draft
My goal in this draft, as in every draft, is to find late-round value to insulate my early picks. With the 0.5 PPR TE premium, I’m more likely than not to draft TEs heavily. However, That will depend on how other managers in this draft value them. In addition, I plan to employ the Hero-RB strategy and load up on WRs early and often. Let’s get to it!
Round 1
Saquon Barkley was available, but my concern for the developing situation in New York has me scared off of him for the time being, especially with first-round draft capital. While I’m usually a Hero-RB proponent in drafts, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to snag Rams WR Cooper Kupp with the eighth overall pick. This is likely the last hurrah for the duo of Matthew Stafford and Kupp. Because of that, I expect him to have an electric season and a massive target share worthy of a first-round pick.
Round 2
As someone who tends to lean towards a Hero-RB strategy, my goal was to get my anchor ball carrier here since I passed on one for Kupp last round. To my delight, Titans’ RB Derrick Henry was still on the board. While there is some concern with his age, you cannot deny that Henry is a generational player at the position.
The Titans’ added rookie Tyjae Spears in the draft but otherwise seem content to let Henry shoulder the load again in the backfield and for the entire offense. In 2022, Henry’s total touches (402) were more than the team’s total touches (390). If that trend continues, and it appears as though it will) Henry is easily an RB1 in this format.
Round 3
Now it’s time to beef up my WR corps. Ahead of my 3.08 pick, there was a run on pass catchers, with Chris Olave coming off the board a pick ahead of mine. Still on the board, however, were Keenan Allen and D.K. Metcalf. I ultimately ended up going with Metcalf based on a gut feeling that he’ll remain healthier than Allen will over the course of the season.
Round 4
The first QB finally came off the board in RD3, with Patrick Mahomes getting snatched up with the pick before mine. Some might panic and start a QB run, but not this guy. In formats like this, I am OK with punting on QB until the middle rounds and landing a back-end QB1 tier player. I will keep beefing up my receiving corps, but this time is a TE I’m looking at. Given the TE premium format, players in line for more volume are in my sights, which immediately rules out Kyle Pitts. It came down to Dallas Goedert and George Kittle, and I couldn’t pass on Kittle. With the QB situation up in the air in San Francisco, Kittle could be a crutch for whoever ends up starting behind center and a volume hog.
Rounds 5 & 6
My quest to build an elite team continues in RDs 5 and 6, and I had some intriguing options. Just like with TEs, I’m looking for a receiver that is likely to have a high volume of targets come their way.
With my RD5 pick, I went with Commanders’ WR Terry McLaurin, who will lead a young WR corps again. I went a little rogue in RD6, though it’s a gamble I think will pay off, especially given the format. With this pick, I got my guy in Jaguars’ TE Evan Engram.
Rounds 7, 8 & 9
These middle rounds are where you win your leagues. The studs have mostly been drafted, and now it’s all about finding value where you can. There’s plenty to be had, like my RD7 pick, Steelers’ WR George Pickens, who will likely be Pittsburgh’s target leader this season.
In RD8, it felt like the perfect time to start rounding out my RB room, and I did that with Commanders’ RB Antonio Gibson. While he will share time with Brain Robinson, but will be the number one pass-catching option out of the backfield.
Now that I managed to hold off on a QB for the first eight rounds, it’s time to get my captain. I went back and forth between Tua Tagovailoa and Daniel Jones and ultimately decided to shoot for the higher ceiling with Tua.
Rounds 10 & 11
As we turn to the back half of the draft, I’m staring down more options at WR. With my RD10 pick, I went with veteran WR Adam Thielen. While some wonder if he has anything left in the tank, he will likely be the default red zone target for rookie QB Bryce Young, and I like the touchdown upside Thielen provides at this juncture in the draft.
Heading into RD10, receiving options are thin, so I decided to return to the RB well. Devin Singletary, now in Houston, caught my eye, so I pulled the trigger. This is another player in a timeshare situation, but like Gibson, I think Singletary will be the top receiving option out of the backfield for rookie QB C.J. Stroud.
Rounds 12, 13 & 14
As we move into RD12, I have my eye on a specific WR, but I think he’ll make it back to me in RD13, so I went with another TE, Chig Okonkwo, who could lead the Tennessee Titans in targets in 2023.
As it turns out, I was right to wait until RD13 to grab Giants WR Parris Campbell. It might seem like a reach to some, but it’s a risk worth taking. Campbell, an offseason acquisition by New York, is the dark horse to lead the team in receiving this season.
Now in RD14, I couldn’t pass on Carolina RB Chuba Hubbard. Hubbard, who saw an increase in volume at the end of last season, is in line to split time with veteran Miles Sanders. Hubbard could provide a few weeks of RB1 upside if Sanders misses any time.
Rounds 15, 16 & 17
We’ve made it to the last quarter of the draft, and it’s time to start building out the bench. At this point, you’re looking to catch lightning in a bottle, and in RD15, I selected Saints’ WR Rashid Shaheed. Shaheed will be the beneficiary of the departure of WR Marquez Callaway and could slot in as the WR2 in New Orleans if/when Michael Thomas misses time.
I have a similar feeling about Patriots TE Mike Gesicki, which is why he was my RD16 selection. While Gesicki had a down year in 2022, he has a chance to look more like 2021 Gesicki with new/old offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien on the sideline.
Most teams have secured a second QB at this point in the draft. While it’s far less critical to roster a second signal caller in this 1QB format, having options is always nice. For my RD17 pick, I decided to take a shot on Aaron Rodgers‘ successor in Green Bay, Jordan Love. He has the weapons around him to have a shot at sneaking into the QB1 tier this season. With the risk I took on drafting Tua as my QB1, Love provides insurance should that go wrong.
Rounds 18, 19 & 20
The last three rounds of the draft are a great place to throw some darts. You might be tempted to draft a defense or a kicker, but those positions are best left as season-long streamers. I’d rather take a stab at a guy who could have a huge camp and surprise some people. One of those players is Patriots WR DeVante Parker, my RD18 pick. Parker, signed by New England before last season, is amongst a cast of characters in the team’s receiving room and has as good a chance as any at coming out on top.
I couldn’t resist going the handcuff route and decided to make my RD19 pick the Titans rookie RB Hassan Haskins. Should Henry miss any time, which as he gets older seems more and more likely, I’ve got his replacement and won’t have reason to panic.
For my final pick, I’m betting on the Denver Broncos offense being vastly improved under new head coach Sean Payton. I snagged WR Tim Patrick in RD20, hoping he can return to the reliable target he was before tearing his ACL in camp last season.
FFPC Mock Draft Results | Grade: C-
This was one of my more interesting mock draft experiences. The C- grade surprised me, but I believe it’s because I went heavy on TEs because of the 0.5 PP premium for the position. I also took some risks drafting Engram, Pickens, and Gibson as early as I did, but I regret nothing. Parris Campbell was a late-round steal, and I believe Gesicki will surprise many people. Also, I think this lineup could surprise a lot of managers in the FantasyPros Championship.
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.
