It’s officially redraft season! You will start to see a ton of mock drafts over the next few weeks, and fantasy football rankings and average draft position (ADP) will change on every piece of breaking news we get, either from camps or from the preseason. It’s maybe the most fun for fantasy players outside of the actual season and, in some ways, more exciting because your team hasn’t lost any games yet. And mock drafting is the best way for a fantasy football manager to improve before your big draft. And there’s no better way to prepare than using our FREE mock draft simulator. Let’s dive into our latest fantasy football mock draft.

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Mock Drafting From a Late Slot in a 1QB, PPR League

The following mock is a 12-team, 1QB, point per reception (PPR) league, which I drafted from the 12-spot. I like having the back-to-back picks because I can really leverage a position, and, as you will notice in the mock, I like to double-tap positions at the turn. I go RB/RB twice and WR/WR once in this mock, and had things gone a little differently, there could have been some more double tight end premium (TEP) opportunities. Let’s get to it…

Rounds 1 & 2

1.12 Nick Chubb (RB – CLE)

With nine of the top 12 picks being running backs, I knew I would need to grab two back to back here or risk missing out on the top-level talent at the position. The wide receiver position is much deeper, and I felt I could address that position later in the draft. Nick Chubb was an easy choice to make coming off a career season in which he had over 300 carries, over 1,500 rushing yards, and tied his career high with 12 touchdowns.

2.01 Derrick Henry (RB – TEN)

Henry is still the King after a season in which he nearly had 400 total touches (382) and eclipsed 1,500 rushing yards for the third time in his career. The offense should be improved this year by adding DeAndre Hopkins, a healthy Ryan Tannehill, and an expected second-year leap for wide receiver Treylon Burks.

Rounds 3 & 4

3.12 DK Metcalf (WR – SEA)

At the end of the third, I address my WR1 with DK Metcalf. Based on my rankings, he was the only remaining sure-fire WR1 left on the board. Largely labeled a down season in 2022, Metcalf had a career-high in targets and receptions with over 1,000 yards receiving. He was lacking in the touchdown department with only six, but he was third in the NFL in red zone targets (27), first in red zone target share (40.3%), and second in target share inside the 10 — I’d expect his touchdown numbers to regress to the mean in 2023.

4.01 J.K. Dobbins (RB – BAL)

Dobbins has RB1 upside, provided he can stay healthy in 2023. His new offensive coordinator likes to throw the ball a lot more than the previous one, and more importantly, he likes to throw it to running backs. The Ravens have long been known as a team that does not incorporate its backs into the passing game. Some of that can be attributed to having a running quarterback that would prefer to use his legs to gain yards instead of checking down, but some of it was the lack of a screen game in Greg Roman’s offense. Grabbing a potential RB1 in the fourth feels like a steal.

Rounds 5 & 6

5.12 Diontae Johnson (WR – PIT)

At the end of the fifth round, it was time to address my wide receivers again. I’m higher than most on Johnson, largely due to being higher on Kenny Pickett. Johnson broke an NFL record last season with the most targets by a wide receiver without scoring a touchdown. That’s not one of those records you want to hold. Johnson will continue to get a ton of targets, and with my expectations that this offense will be better in 2023, Johnson is bound to find the endzone a few times.

6.01 Brandon Aiyuk (WR – SF)

Rounding out my starting wide receivers is Brandon Aiyuk. We don’t officially know who his quarterback will be in 2023, but I don’t think it matters. The word out of camp is that Aiyuk has been “unguardable.” Yes, I know it’s only practice, and camp news doesn’t mean anything, but we’ve seen Aiyuk get better every year, and I don’t expect this year to be any different. This offense is expected to be high-powered, regardless of who is under center, and Aiyuk has moved up in the pecking order as the No. 1 option in the passing game.

Rounds 7 & 8

7.12 Evan Engram (TE – JAC)

Round seven may be a little earlier than I would want to take my tight end, but I felt it was good value to grab Engram here. He ended the season as the TE5 overall, but if you look at the weeks after his bye (Weeks 12-thru-18), Engram was the TE2, behind only Travis Kelce. Engram is finally starting to show the potential he had after his rookie season, and I expect this Jags offense to be one of the better units in the league, which should lead to more scoring opportunities for Engram.

8.01 Javonte Williams (RB – DEN)

With the recent camp news that Williams avoided the preseason physically unable to perform (PUP) and will be cleared for contact this week, his ADP is going to be much higher than 8.01 by the time you’re doing your real draft. Seeing him here at 8.01 was too tempting to pass up. He has RB1 upside, especially in a Sean Payton offense that has always incorporated the running backs in the passing game.

Round 9

9.12 Tua Tagovailoa (QB – MIA)

I put Tua in his own tier as he rounds out my starting lineup. I’m much higher on him than the industry, and I’m on record saying that Tua will be an MVP candidate — if he can remain healthy. People think of Tua as a check-down QB, but with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle in the mix and head coach Mike McDaniels calling the shots, Tua has been anything but.

Only Josh Allen (31) and Russell Wilson (29) had more deep completions than Tua (28), and of the QBs with 20 or more deep ball completions, only three of them threw few interceptions than Tua’s two; Tom Brady (1), Patrick Mahomes (0) and Joe Burrow (1) — per FTNfantasy.com.

In fact, Tua had the highest average depth of target (aDOT) of any quarterback with at least 400 attempts. That’s right. Not Josh Allen, not Patrick Mahomes, not Jalen Hurts, but Tua “Check Down Charlie” Tagovailoa. Tua for MVP 2023.

Rounds 10-thru-14

• 10.01 Nico Collins (WR – HOU)
• 11.12  Damien Harris (RB – BUF) 
• 12.01  Elijah Mitchell (RB – SF) 
• 13.12  Trey McBride (TE – ARI) 
• 14.01 Russell Wilson (QB – DEN)

As I round out my bench, I aim for productive players with some decent upside. Nico Collins could be the WR1 in Houston, and Damien Harris should be productive in Buffalo with plenty of scoring opportunities in that higher-powered offense.

Elijah Mitchell was much better than people realized when healthy last season — even with Christian McCaffrey in a 49ers uniform. There will be plenty of opportunities for him to touch the ball in this offense, and God forbid McCaffrey goes down; you have a potential top-15 running back.

Trey McBride has been my choice for a late-round breakout tight end in 2023. He was TE10 from Week 14 to the end of the season last year and showed that he could be a decent fantasy tight end. His QB situation is a bit of an issue, but in the 13th round, he was worth the shot.

And rounding out my bench is my bounce-back candidate of the year, Mr. Unlimited himself, Russell Wilson. Sean Payton’s offense will make things easier for Wilson. There will be more opportunities for check-downs to his backs, there will be creatively designed screens to get the ball in the hands of his playmakers, and there will be high-percentage passes designed to move the chains.

All of that spells a huge season for Wilson and a good guy to back up Tua, in case. God forbid he gets hurt again.

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