It’s 100 degrees outside, making it unpleasant to do anything that doesn’t involve a swimming pool. On the bright side, I don’t feel guilty sitting in the air-conditioning and mock drafting on a Friday afternoon! It doesn’t feel like football season outside, but camps are opening soon, and before we know it, we’ll be knee-deep preparing for the 2023 fantasy football season. There’s no time like the present, so let’s jump into a mock draft to start feeling things out.

Happy mock drafting to all of you. And be sure to mock in minutes to prepare for your draft with our FREE mock draft simulator.

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Fantasy Football Mock Draft: 12-Team Half PPR, Late Pick

In April, before the draft, I mocked a 10-10 point per reception (PPR) league. This time, I decided to look at a 12-teamer using half-point PPR scoring (redraft league). After firing up the FantasyPros Draft Simulator, I put in the following parameters:

• Yahoo! scoring (half PPR) & roster (1 QB, 2 WR, 2 RB, 1 TE, 1 Flex, 1 K, 1 D/ST, 6 bench)
• 12 teams, snake draft, 11th pick (randomized)
• Drafting against FantasyPros experts using Yahoo! average draft position (ADP) & pre-draft rankings
• Normal position values across the board

I thought writing this up as I drafted might be fun — sort of like a live blog. So let’s get to it, starting with my first pick:

Round 1, Pick 11: Derrick Henry (RB – TEN)

The first 10 picks were loaded with RBs, including Jonathan Taylor at five and Bijan Robinson at six, which surprised me a little. Saquon Barkley went 10th, which seems like a dicey proposition given his current hold-out threats. I also felt I should go with an RB, as the position’s depth isn’t great this year, especially in 12-team leagues. Thus, I went with Henry. His age concerns me, but I know he’ll continue to be a workhorse if he can stay healthy.

Round 2, Pick 2: Stefon Diggs (WR – BUF)

Tyreek Hill and Tony Pollard came off the board before my following selection. I didn’t want to go RB-RB, so it came down to Diggs or CeeDee Lamb. Diggs felt like the safer choice despite his minicamp drama.

Round 3, Pick 11: Chris Olave (WR – NO)

Drafting 11th in a 12-teamer means a long time between picks after the two quick ones. This makes adjusting hard, and you must anticipate what may happen in the coming rounds. Mostly RBs and WRs came off the board since my second pick, but so did Patrick Mahomes and two tight ends — T.J. Hockenson and Mark Andrews. I wouldn’t reach for one of those positions with another pick coming around the corner. Olave was the best WR/RB on the board, without a doubt.

Round 4, Pick 2: Kenneth Walker (RB – SEA)

After my Olave selection, Jahmyr Gibbs and Josh Allen came off the board. With Allen gone, Jalen Hurts was the only other premier QB remaining and tempted me. However, I typically prefer to wait a bit longer at quarterback and rolled the dice, thinking someone decent would be available in the next round. Walker has fallen since the Seahawks drafted Zach Charbonnet, but the upside was too tempting to pass on at this point of the draft.

Round 5, Pick 11: Dallas Goedert (TE – PHI)

I knew the guy picking 12th had Josh Allen already, so I waited until after the turn to take Justin Herbert, whom I would have otherwise drafted here. By my next pick, I figured there would be tight end scraps, so it came down to Goedert or Kyle Pitts. I love Pitts’ potential but can’t get past his usage last year, and Bijon Robinson’s presence doesn’t help.

Round 6, Pick 2: Justin Herbert (QB – LAC)

As expected, Herbert survived the corner.

Round 7, Pick 11: Javonte Williams (RB – DEN)

With two RBs, two WRs, a QB and a TE in place, my next several picks revolved around building depth at running back and wide receiver. I have no idea what kind of a season Williams will have coming off his ACL injury, but the reports are good, and the upside is sky-high, so it was worth a gamble. The remaining RBs felt like a significant drop-off, so I went with the ball carrier here instead of a wideout.

Round 8, Pick 2: George Pickens (WR – PIT)

With my eighth pick, I felt it was prudent to go with another WR. The choice came down to Treylon Burks or Pickens, two talented second-year receivers. Burks missed too much time due to injuries during his rookie year, so Pickens got the nod. I like Burks’ potential, but his range of outcomes felt very wide.

Round 9, Pick 11: Samaje Perine (RB – DEN)

Given the uncertainty with Williams, who I took two rounds earlier, Perine felt like the perfect choice. The risk is that they are both healthy and split snaps all season, but how often does that happen?

Round 10, Pick 2: Zach Charbonnet (RB – SEA)

Using the same logic, I snagged Charbonnet three picks later. As I mentioned when I took Kenneth Walker, the Seahawks are high on this kid and invested a second-round pick in him. He’s going to play and is a premier handcuff if something happens to Walker. I felt pretty good about my backfield at this point.

Round 11, Pick 11: Pat Freiermuth (TE – PIT)

I hadn’t planned on drafting another TE, but Freiermuth was inexplicably still on the board despite an expert consensus rating (ECR) of 88. Many teams were waiting on tight ends, and I felt he could be good trade bait. Besides, the remaining choices were becoming dart throws anyway.

Round 12, Pick 2: Donovan Peoples-Jones (WR – CLE)

With only three WRs on my roster, I felt I needed to grab at least one more. I don’t love DPJ, but he was pretty good last season and could continue to improve as Deshaun Watson reaclimates to the NFL.

Round 13, Pick 11: Buffalo Bills D/ST

I had three picks left and needed a D/ST and a kicker. I decided to grab those with my following two choices, as all of the Flex options were similar, and I didn’t plan on drafting a backup QB. Two defenses — the Jets and Niners — came off the board early. The next best were the Cowboys and Bills. I opted for the Bills since they don’t have a bye until Week 13.

Round 14, Pick 2: Justin Tucker (K – BAL)

Tucker also doesn’t have a bye until Week 13, so I figured I wouldn’t have to worry about either of these positions until late in the season.

Round 15, Pick 11: Hunter Renfrow (WR – LV)

With the second to last pick in the draft, the almost Mr. Irrelevant, I figured why not go with a guy who’s done it before? Renfrow was dreadful last season, but the Raiders have a new QB, and Darren Waller is in New York. Jakobi Meyers will likely hold Renfrow back, but you never know. Maybe he only likes odd-numbered seasons…

Recap

The experts didn’t love my draft, grading it a B- with 80 out of 100 points and picking me to finish tenth. Ouch! They were wary of Weeks 5 and 13 when I have several players on bye, but most are bench players or my kicker and D/ST, which I already mentioned. Several suggestions suggested I take Jerry Jeudy with my fifth pick instead of Goedert. As it turns out, that would have worked since so many teams waited on TE. I didn’t know that then, though, and I’m not a massive fan of Jeudy, who’s been so inconsistent in his career.

I liked the draft better than most. I felt the team was deep, with a high floor at almost every position. The one concern in hindsight was the lack of high-ceiling players, however. Other than Diggs, Olave, and perhaps Javonte Williams and Kenneth Walker, there didn’t seem like many on my team who offered tremendous upside.

Oh well, it’s early. There will be plenty more mocks in the weeks to come!

More Fantasy Football Mock Drafts

• PPR: 12-Team, Early Pick (v2, v3)
• PPR: 12-Team, Middle Pick (v2, v3, v4)
• PPR: 12-Team, Late Pick (v2)
• PPR: 12-Team Superflex
• PPR: 10-Team Superflex
• PPR: 12-Team 2QB
• Half-PPR: 12-Team, Superflex
• Half-PPR: 12-Team, Early Pick
• Half-PPR: 12-Team, Middle Pick (v2)
• Standard: 12-Team, Middle Pick
• Standard: 12-Team, Late Pick
• Standard: 10-Team, Middle Pick
• FFPC: Middle Pick
• FFPC: Late Pick
• FFPC Expert Mock Draft
• 2QB Mock Draft

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