Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Half-PPR, Early Pick (2024)

We’re mock drafting today! I received pick number two in this 12-team, half-PPR fantasy football mock draft using FantasyPros Draft Wizard.

I’m going to outline each fantasy football mock draft pick I make as well as include post-draft analysis. Here’s a link to the draft analyzer and board so you can let me know (@tjhorgantv) where I made questionable decisions and where you agree!

Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Picks & Results

The roster format is standard:

QB
RB
RB
WR
WR
TE
FLX
5x Bench

1.02: CeeDee Lamb (WR – DAL)

Lamb had 228 .5PPR points weeks 9-18 last season. CMC was second with 173.
I know we’re supposed to avoid chasing past performances, but it’s hard to imagine a world where a healthy CeeDee burns us. He’s the alpha WR with a returning quarterback and play-caller.
I considered Bijan Robinson, who is primed for a breakout season with a new quarterback and offensive coordinator.
Tyreek Hill wouldn’t be a bad pick, but the Dolphins have other (and younger) weapons that will demand touches. Lamb is in a league of his own in Dallas.
Justin Jefferson would be getting too cute for me, with rookie J.J. McCarthy expected to be throwing him passes this season.

2.11: Michael Pittman Jr. (WR- IND)

Two things here: Touchdown regression and Anthony Richardson
Pittman Jr. had 1,152 receiving yards last season, with rookie/injured Anthony Richardson or Gardner Minshew throwing passes.
Pittman Jr. just received a healthy contract extension and should continue to be a big part of the offense.
Pittman Jr. posted 2,077 receiving yards over the last two seasons but only 8 total touchdowns.
If Richardson is healthy, his rapport with Pittman Jr. should increase, and we could be in line for some positive touchdown regression.
It’s Head Coach Shane Steichen’s second year. Steichen has proven to deliver value offensively.
I could see Pittman Jr. making a jump the way Amon-Ra St. Brown did last season.

3.02: Isiah Pacheco (RB – KC)

This is a one-flex league. If the value is right, I’d consider another WR in a two-flex league, but it’s tough to do so here.
Pacheco is the guy in KC. Nobody on the depth chart is threatening his role as RB1.
The Super Bowl hangover is usually real, but even if they lose a couple more games, it’s hard to imagine a world where Kansas City’s offense isn’t generally productive.
I feel better about Pacheco as my RB1 than the next-ranked tier of RBs: Devon Achane, Joe Mixon, James Cook, Kenneth Walker, etc.

4.11: Amari Cooper (WR – CLE)

I considered C.J. Stroud, Trey McBride, and Mark Andrews, but given that this isn’t a 2QB or TE-premium league, I’d rather bolster my RB/WR/Flex groups while there’s still some firepower.
Stefon Diggs and Cooper Kupp would be great picks here as well.
I went with Cooper because the Deshaun Watson – Amari Cooper chemistry is real. Cooper Averaged 8 targets and 96 yards per game in Waton’s 5 games last season.

5.02: C.J. Stroud (QB – HOU)

The QB/TEs I was eyeing at 4.11 are still here.
It could be early for a QB, but Stroud’s weapons are undeniable:
Fan-favorite Offensive Coordinator Bobby Slowik returned, which is great news for Stroud stock.
I expect Stroud to have some week-winning games, much like last season.

6.11: Nick Chubb (RB – CLE)

S-T-E-A-L
Chubb’s an RB1 when he’s on the field.
It’s the end of the sixth round, so I’m not worried if he misses a few games to get back to 100%.
I’d be shocked if Chubb’s average draft position doesn’t rise this summer when we inevitably receive a positive health report.

7.02: Kyle Pitts (TE – ATL)

We saw how Kirk Cousins leaned on T.J. Hockenson in Minnesota.
Maybe new Offensive Coordinator Zac Robinson, who previously coached under Sean McVay in Los Angeles, can find ways to generate one of the most intriguing weapons in football some targets.

8.11: Marquise Brown (WR – KC)

Kansas City is returning Rashee Rice and Travis Kelce and added Xavier Worthy in the first round of this year’s draft. Brown’s chances of becoming Patrick Mahomes‘ number-one target are pretty low.
Brown commanded a high target share in Arizona. He could pay dividends if he even comes close to that target share with Mahomes.
Brown is still not even 27 years old, explosive, and signed a one-year deal with the Chiefs.
The one-year, prove-it deal means if he plays well this season, he’s in line to get himself paid next offseason

9.02: Chase Brown (RB – CIN)

From college at Illinois to his rookie year in Cincinnati, Chase Brown has proven he’s explosive.
Now, with Joe Mixon in Houston, Brown has a chance to contend for the lead-back role.

10.11: J.K. Dobbins (RB – LAC)

Now we’re throwing darts at late-round running backs.
Dobbins has much to prove after a largely disappointing start to his career in Baltimore.
He’s easy to IR/drop if he gets injured.

11.02: Keaton Mitchell (RB – BAL)

Mitchell showcased incredible explosiveness in his rookie year.
He’s Derrick Henry‘s handcuff, but he could be more valuable. It might behoove the Ravens to mix in Mitchell to relieve the 30-year-old Henry every now and then, especially on passing downs.

12.11: Jayden Daniels (QB – WAS)

The Commanders are desperately looking for something to be excited about, and Daniels is him right now.
Kyler Murray was the fantasy QB7 in his rookie year under new Commanders’ Offensive Coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.

What if?

The FantasyPros Draft Analyzer hit me with:

“If you’d drafted Derrick Henry (RB) at 2.11 and drafted a WR later, your score would have been 113pts higher.”

This is something to think about, and it could burn me if Derrick Henry cranks out another monster season, which we know he’s capable of.

I’m still cool with Pittman Jr., though. Henry’s 30 years old and sharing a backfield with a generationally talented rushing quarterback. Henry’s rushing yards per game have declined three seasons in a row. I don’t think he’ll be some crazy bust, but Pittman’s floor feels much higher to me.

Steal!

The Analyzer liked my Daniels pick, writing:

“You drafted Jayden Daniels in the 12th round – two rounds later than he’s ranked.”

Hey, thanks.

This underscores just how easy it is to wait on quarterbacks and load up on other positions early. Stroud fell to a spot where I felt he fit my team great, but I love waiting to draft quarterbacks. They’re relatively easy to stream week-to-week, depending on matchups. It’s easy to draft two high-ceiling guys late and see if one hits. I’ll probably be drafting a lot of Daniels this season.

Fantasy Football Mock Draft Board

Mock Drafts NFL CeeDee Lamb (WR – DAL) Bijan Robinson Tyreek Hill Justin Jefferson J.J. McCarthy Michael Pittman Jr. (WR- IND) Anthony Richardson Gardner Minshew Amon-Ra St. Brown Isiah Pacheco (RB – KC) Devon Achane Joe Mixon James Cook Kenneth Walker Amari Cooper (WR – CLE) Stefon Diggs Cooper Kupp Deshaun Watson Amari Cooper C.J. Stroud (QB – HOU) Nico Collins Tank Dell Dalton Schultz Nick Chubb (RB – CLE) Kyle Pitts (TE – ATL) Kirk Cousins T.J. Hockenson Marquise Brown (WR – KC) Rashee Rice Travis Kelce Xavier Worthy Patrick Mahomes Chase Brown (RB – CIN) J.K. Dobbins (RB – LAC) Keaton Mitchell (RB – BAL) Derrick Henry Jayden Daniels (QB – WAS) Kyler Murray Jayden Daniels