One of the most significant changes in fantasy football in recent years is the introduction of Superflex and 2QB leagues. What these styles of leagues bring to the table is the amplification of the quarterback position. Long gone are the days when you play the late-round quarterback. Instead, the first few rounds are filled with the man under center.
In today’s mock, we walk you through a 2QB points-per-reception (PPR) league. Then, we will show you each pick and connect it with our reasoning. Finally, we will explain our player picks and help show you how to play the draft board. Staying fluid when drafting is one of the most significant rules in the game today, and today, we will show you how to draft in the short term while looking through the lens of a long game of the entire draft. And what better way to practice for your drafts than using our FREE mock draft simulator?
We decided to do the third pick out of 12 for this draft. It could be because that will be my pick for the Scott Fish Bowl #SFB13 this year. On the other hand, we can show you a draft where our first pick was a quarterback. Regardless. You’ll see how to handle sitting near the turn, forcing you to pay attention to the average draft position (ADP) and teach you to get your “guys.”
Let’s start with pick 1.03, and we venture close to my home and my heart with the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback, Jalen Hurts.
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Fantasy Football Mock Draft
Jalen Hurts (QB-PHI) Pick 1.03
What can we say about Jalen Hurts that has yet to be said? First, he is the definition of a Konami Code quarterback who gives us points through the air and running; in 2023, no one provides a better running floor than Jalen Hurts. Last season Hurts provided 13 rushing touchdowns to add to a 22:6 TD-to-Int ratio. He sits within the first tier of quarterbacks between Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen, which was a lucky turn that the board started Justin Jefferson and then Patrick Mahomes, leaving us the player who will be in the running for the 2023 MVP.
Trevor Lawrence (QB-JAC) Pick 2.10
Since we used the Superflex PPR format while this round returned to my pick, I preferred to land on a second quarterback or a wide receiver. Thankfully Trevor Lawrence fell to me in the second round. Lawrence is not a Konami Code quarterback, but he can move and provide mobility when needed, adding a few fantasy points in each game.
The beauty of Lawrence lies in the passing game, especially with the Jaguars adding Calvin Ridley to the roster. He is primed to break out this season with his arsenal of weapons, another year with Doug Pederson as his coach, and a schedule that involves the AFC & NFC South. So now that we have figured out our quarterbacks, we slide over in the third to a wide receiver who has a chance to take over the league, especially to start our season.
Amon-Ra St. Brown (WR-DET) Pick 3.03
The turn saw players like Stefon Diggs, A.J. Brown and CeeDee Lamb become drafted to other teams, leaving me a choice between Amon-Ra St. Brown and Nick Chubb, both players I love for 2023. St. Brown became the choice because fantasy managers should play fantasy football in quarters. Although people love to check the schedule for the playoff matchups, you should be playing in quarters (four games at a time).
The Lions face the Kansas City Chief, Seattle Seahawks, Atlanta Falcons and Green Bay Packers to start the season. All four games can provide points for the Lions and, thus, fantasy points for Amon-Ra St. Brown. In addition, the Lions will not have their first-round draft pick for last season, Jameson Williams, as he is suspended for the first six weeks. After Williams, the depth chart for pass catchers is lackluster with a rookie Sam LaPorta (tight ends take some time to develop), a rookie Jahymr Gibbs, and an assortment of mediocre wide receivers. Nevertheless, St. Brown can be hyper-focused to start the season allowing your team to flourish right out of the gate.
Chris Olave (WR-NO) Pick 4.10
Occasionally, a player falls to you in the draft that never should have made it back to you. In this draft, that player is Chris Olave. Olave received an upgrade in a quarterback with Derek Carr while seeing no real advancements around him in the pass-catching options. The only person pushing him for a higher target share is Michael Thomas, and if the last few years are the indicators, Olave will be alone as the alpha wide receiver in New Orleans. Expect him to be hyper-targeted on a team with an easy schedule between the AFC/NFC South.
J.K. Dobbins (RB-BAL) Pick 5.03
With the draft being a PPR draft, we focused on wide receivers. However, when we had a chance at 5.03 to draft DK Metcalf, we decided to go with J.K. Dobbins. Metcalf’s situation with three wide receivers on a team that loves to run was enough for me to pivot to the Baltimore Ravens running back. Dobbins is a whole year removed from his injury, allowing him to recover fully. He was a shell of himself last season, but when he returned at the end of the year, he provided an average of 6.6 yards per carry, 92 rushing yards, and 14 carries per game in five games.
Now Dobbins receives an upgrade in an offensive coordinator who will allow the screen game to flourish, opening up the passing game to J.K. Dobbins‘s fantasy value. Add in the wide receiver upgrades the Ravens received that will allow the box to be lighter, and we will see an outbreak of Dobbins’s fantasy value in 2023.
James Conner (RB-ARI) Pick 6.10
Dallas Goedert (TE-PHI) Pick 7.03
Treylon Burks (WR-TE) Pick 8.10
Now I combine picks so this article doesn’t reach the length of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. We spend the next three picks finding STUDS for your fantasy team and building a stack with the quarterback. This off-season, we have been pushing James Conner over and over again in articles. So here we are again on the Conner train. He is one of the last running backs with the volume on an offense that is looking to slow the pace down with their new coach to hide the issues on defense. For the people that worry about the injury concern, running backs play, on average, 14 games a season, and James Conner has 13 games or more in every season but one; calm your nerves and remember, volume is king.
Dalla Goedert is a simple pick for this team. The Eagle’s offense is one you want to have for fantasy; it helps build a stack, and the way the Eagle’s offense works, they hyper-focus their passing game through three players, one of which being Dallas Goedert.
After Dallas Goedert is off the board, you need to wait until the end of the draft to pick up a tight end because the drop-off is too scary to trust for your fantasy team. Kyle Pitts was still there for the team in this draft, and I have him ranked higher than Goedert. However, the ability to add a stack and receive something we have seen had products in the past instead of leaning on the raw skill and potential took a lot of work to pass up.
For the Treylon Burks picks, there is a rule in fantasy that I abide by every season. The WR1 of the team is a valuable asset for my fantasy team. Especially in a situation where no other talented wide receiver is on the team, and the organization is hoping for a second-year tight end to continue his breakout. Burks has talent, opportunity, and a chance to elevate our flex position for this team.
Mike Evans (WR-TB) Pick 9.03
Antonio Gibson (RB-WAS) Pick 10.10
Trey Lance (QB-SF) Pick 11.03
At this sector of the draft, we are building our bench. One rule I abide by for my bench is to aim for upside players. Drafting for floor-level production here makes no sense if you are chasing a championship. Your team needs someone to hit from here to elevate the team within the league.
Mike Evans gives us a floor play but a chance of blow-up weeks within our season. Yes, it’s Baker Mayfield and not Tom Brady. However, Mike Evans is still tall, strong, and a target down the field. He will provide you with those zero-touchdown weeks and the two touchdown games that win your week. On your bench, Mike Evans is fine to help bolster the lineup.
Antonio Gibson is someone that shocks me falling to the tenth round. Ron Rivera has been pushing him in the media this off-season. We also have Eric Bieniemy as his offensive coordinator. Gibson has a chance to become the pass-catching phenomenon we have waited for since he was drafted a few years ago.
Trey Lance is simple to me in the 11th round. He is a Konami Code quarterback. Lance reminds me of the last few seasons where a later-round Obile quarterback has broken out to lead teams to fantasy championships. During the off-season, he has been working with Patrick Mahomes‘s mechanics’ coach, and with the sunken draft capital into his name, the 49ers would be crazy not to give him every opportunity to lead the way. The good news is that if the 49ers trade him, it will be to a team that needs a starting quarterback after watching their camp battle, and we will have a third quarterback, who is essential within this 2QB setup.
Jerick McKinnon (RB-KC) Pick 12.10
Jeff Wilson Jr. (RB-MIA) Pick 13.03
Chigoziem Okonkwo (TE-TEN) Pick 14.10
In this bundle, we followed another rule of fantasy football that will help you win your league: Drafting running back with your later picks. Off-season and preseason are littered with injuries and running back rooms deal with this fact the most. These two backs, Jerick McKinnon and Jeff Wilson Jr., already have a carved-out section of their respective team’s offense, and if someone else was to miss time, this share would become more significant within a stellar offense and elevates our team to a new level.
For Chigoziem Okonkwo, we are chasing the upside here. We watched the breakout begin in his rookie season. Tight ends breaking out in year one is rare, and we need to keep an eye on it when it happens. The beauty of this pick is we already have Dallas Goedert, so if Okonkwo is a bust, we drop him and add someone else. However, if Okonkwo becomes the real deal, we have a trade asset or the ability to bolster our tight end room for the season. A player with his upside is a win/win this late in the draft for our roster.
Romeo Doubs (WR-GB) Pick 15.03
Gus Edwards (RB-BAL) Pick 16.10
My last two picks in this mock were simple, get people who should provide some value for my team. Doubs has been an integral part of the offense in his rookie season. Edwards is a handcuff to my RB1 for this roster. Both players should have a share of their team’s offense. If they don’t, we just cut bait and move on to the hotness that starts the season on free agency (there is always someone who began the season on fire and went undrafted).
Fantasy Football Mock Draft Recap
That is our team, the draft analyzer grades, projections, and advanced analysis are listed here, but we were graded at a B (86 out of 100). We have strength in QB, SF, and our bench. However, the Analyzer believes we must work on the running back room and flex position. Let us know what you think online. Remember to continue to read all the fantastic work here at FantasyPros. Also, if you need any help, feel free to reach out on Twitter at @jpep20. Good Luck in 2023!
Fantasy Football Mock Draft Results & Big Board
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