Joe Pepe | Thu, Aug 10th 2023, 7:28am EDT

Fantasy Football Mock Draft: PPR, 12-Team, Middle Pick (2023)

August is here, and with training camp comes a fantasy footballer’s dream, mock drafts.

This article will walk you through a 12-team PPR draft mock draft. We will explain our picks and break down the board to help you further your research before your fantasy football draft. This mock draft will roster one quarterback, two running backs, three wide receivers, one tight end and a flex. Also, in this draft, we will pick from the sixth overall pick and test a strategy unique to the first round.

Let’s dive into our latest fantasy football mock draft. Practice makes perfect, and the best way to prepare is by using our free Draft Wizard Mock Draft Simulator.

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PPR Mock Draft, Middle Pick (2023 Fantasy Football)

1.06: Travis Kelce (TE – KC)

Yes, we are that guy in this draft. After seeing Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase, Christian McCaffrey, Cooper Kupp and Austin Ekeler taken, we sit here with Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill as our primary options. We decided to go with Kelce for the position advantage he will give us at tight end. As a fantasy football manager, you can’t go wrong with a player like Kelce, who is attached to the best quarterback in the game, Patrick Mahomes.

Kelce has finished TE1 in six of the last seven seasons and sometimes by extensive margins. Kelce has strung together seven consecutive 1,000-yard seasons while averaging 8.4 touchdowns annually. In 2022, he recorded a career-high 110 receptions for 1338 yards with 12 touchdowns. The Kansas City Chiefs won’t change their scheme, so long live the tight-end king Kelce!

2.07: Davante Adams (WR – LV)

Yes, Davanate Adams is old. Age doesn’t mean he has lost any of his talent, though. Adams finished the season with 100 receptions, 1300 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. Now, he has a new quarterback in Jimmy Garoppolo. However, with Darren Waller in New York and Josh Jacobs possibly missing time due to his contract, the Las Vegas Raiders team will have to lean even more on their star wide receiver. Any time you can draft a stud wide receiver with a high target share chance, you do it.

3.06: Chris Olave (WR – NO)

My one rule for fantasy drafting in 2023: If Chris Olave falls to the third round, you grab him. Olave is the new alpha wide receiver in New Orleans. Last season, Olave recorded 72 receptions, with 1,042 in 15 games. He recorded those stats with Andy Dalton mostly at QB, and received an upgrade with Derek Carr in 2023. Expect a breakout year from this second-year wide receiver as he faces one of the easier strengths of schedules this season.

4.07: Amari Cooper (WR – CLE)

Amari Cooper feels like a boring pick. However, Amari Cooper became a high-volume receiver last season when he finished as WR17. Cooper finished the season with a 26.1% target share while finishing as a top-15 player in red zone and deep targets.

5.06: Cam Akers (RB – LAR)

Most people hate selecting a running back in the dead zone. Sometimes the board falls this way, especially when you follow a zero running back setup as we have. When this happens, the main rule is chasing the volume. Sean McVay has already said Cam Akers will be a “central figure” within this offense and a “huge part” in 2023. In the last six weeks of 2022, Akers finished as the RB4. With the lackluster running backs surrounding Akers, we should expect volume to help bolster our fantasy team.

6.07: Alexander Mattison (RB – MIN)

If you are a fan of Alexander Mattison, it has finally become “his time.” Most times when he has been the starting running back, he has put up impressive numbers with significant volume. There should be more where that came from in 2023, as the Minnesota Vikings’ defense will land in the bottom half of the NFL. This defense will force the Vikings’ offense and Mattison to produce numbers and points to keep up.

7.06: James Conner (RB – ARI)

All summer, my articles have been pushing the James Conner hype train. There was no way to pass up a player with his potential volume in the seventh round for players such as George Pickens and D’Andre Swift. With the Arizona Cardinals’ defense struggling to produce, the coach must slow his offense down to keep that lackluster group off the field. Arizona will also have to hide that their franchise quarterback isn’t out there to help produce offense and, therefore, will have to lean on their running backs. With this running back room lacking depth, Conner should receive most of the volume this year.

8.07: Deshaun Watison (QB – CLE)

After hammering home our running back position, we can take a quarterback who can catapult into the top five this season. He also helps complete a stack with Cooper. We know that Deshaun Watson was a top-five quarterback before sitting out in 2021 and the 2022 suspension. We know they have given him a ton of pass-catching talent on the offense. It’s do-or-die time for Watson, and you’ll want a piece of him in 2023 to raise your team’s potential even higher.

9.06: Quentin Johnston (WR – LAC)

Now that we have reached the later rounds, you should start taking shots at players with high ceilings on good offenses. That definition was made to explain Quentin Johnston (QJ). QJ gets an aggressive offensive coordinator, a quarterback who is one of the best in the league and a team that should put points on the board. He has been producing throughout camp with play after play that goes viral. We expect this first-round rookie to light it up this year for fantasy football.

10.07: De’Von Achane (RB – MIA)

We discussed this with our ninth-round draft players with high upside who can elevate your team. De’Von Achane has fantastic speed and gives you those explosive plays off your bench. He also landed in a great offensive scheme in Miami with the Dolphins. In the 10th round, you draft him and prepare for those 20+ yard touchdowns.

11.06: Devin Singletary (RB – HOU)

In the 11th round, we deviate from chasing good offenses with this selection. Dameon Pierce isn’t sharing carries with Rex Burkhead now. Devin Singletary is a talented back in a perfect scheme for running backs, and they paid him money to come here. If Singletary plays more than you expected, it wouldn’t surprise us.

12.07: Michael Gallup (WR – DAL)

12th round, we return to chasing good offenses with Michael Gallup. He is further removed from his injury and even said he didn’t feel 100% in 2022. Gallup will be a weapon that could challenge Brandin Cooks for WR2 on this Dallas Cowboys team.

Also, in the championship week, the Dallas Cowboys face the Detroit Lions, which we expect to be a high-scoring game. This is another reason we want to draft Michael Gallup.

13.06: Kirk Cousins (QB – MIN)

If Deshaun Watson fails, we know what we are getting from Kirk Cousins. A good enough fantasy football quarterback to help provide points to our lineup. Also, remember that we spoke about the weak Vikings’ defense, which will force the offense to put up points. That point means even more when it’s the quarterback.

14.07: Zamir White (RB – LV)

Our final pick is a dart throw. Maybe Jacobs returns, and you drop Zamir White to move on. However, if he sits out, your fantasy team has a starting running back in the NFL for 14th-round capital. It’s low-risk but a high reward and the perfect way to finish our draft.

Fantasy Football Mock Draft Results

The Mock Draft Simulator gave us an A with 93 out of 100 for our final grade. Check it out here to see the advanced stats.

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Joe Pepe is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joe, follow him on Twitter @jpep20.

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