Today, we’re diving into another fantasy football mock draft, this time focusing on a 12-team PPR format. I’ll be using the FREE FantasyPros Mock Draft Simulator and drafting from the 1.01 overall. I’ll walk you through my game plan and break down individual picks from the first 10 rounds. As always, the FantasyPros fantasy football mock draft simulator has been an invaluable tool for me over the past two seasons, delivering impressive results in both my season-long and dynasty leagues. If you haven’t signed up for our premium subscription yet, now is the perfect time to do so!
Today, we’re diving into another fantasy football mock draft, this time focusing on a 12-team PPR format. I’ll be using the FREE FantasyPros Mock Draft Simulator and drafting from the 1.01 overall. I’ll walk you through my game plan and break down individual picks from the first 10 rounds. As always, the FantasyPros fantasy football mock draft simulator has been an invaluable tool for me over the past two seasons, delivering impressive results in both my season-long and dynasty leagues. If you haven’t signed up for our premium subscription yet, now is the perfect time to do so!
The strategy for this draft was straightforward: Take McCaffery at the 1.01 and then build around him. Picking early in a PPR draft gives you a big advantage this year because you will have your pick between Christian McCaffrey, CeeDee Lamb and Tyreek Hill. Taking one of those three gives you an anchor to your roster that other teams in your league will have difficulty replicating.
This draft ended up falling in such a way that I locked in two running backs that I project for 240+ touches and Sam LaPorta, who will be in the conversation for the overall TE1. That allowed me to take some shots on high-upside receivers in the middle rounds. If one of them hits, this roster has an easy league-winning ceiling.
The Picks (From the 1 Spot in a 12-team PPR League)
1.01 – Christian McCaffrey (RB – SF)
The easiest pick of a PPR draft is McCaffery at the 1.01. If you take someone else, more power to you but I can’t in good conscience recommend another player here. He has the most bankable workload and expected point total of any player in fantasy.
I want shares of the Miami offense and while there is a slim chance Waddle outproduces Tyreek Hill this year, the Dolphins have one of the most concentrated offenses in the NFL. Miami’s passing game is condensed enough to the point where I believe Waddle will blow past his 2023 target share this year.
If he can get closer to his 2021 target number (140), we will be cooking here. Add in some positive touchdown regression and Waddle is a dark horse to finish as a top-five receiver.
3.01 – Sam LaPorta (TE – DET)
I think it is wheels up in Detroit this year and LaPorta will be a big part of that. He is coming off a season where he was a standout rookie hauling in 86 passes for 889 yards. His 10 touchdowns led the tight end position and there might be a passing of the torch to the new TE1. Having an edge at tight end is one of the few remaining ways to be different in your roster construction and LaPorta can outscore anyone every week.
It is becoming increasingly unlikely that Rice will see any type of suspension in 2024 and his ADP is going to continue to rise in the coming weeks. Rice is arguably the top target in the Kansas City passing game (Travis Kelce notwithstanding), making him someone I want to have plenty of. Pairing him with Waddle gives this roster a nice ceiling/floor combination at receiver to start.
I have been in on Green Bay’s passing game all offseason but this is the first time I have taken Jacobs in a mock draft. Coming off a disappointing 2023 season that was ended by injury, Jacobs should rebound nicely as the feature back for the Packers. He should fit well into the role Aaron Jones had as the primary pass-catching back, although I believe Green Bay is hoping he is more durable. If Jacobs plays 15+ games, 250 touches is almost a guarantee making him a nice compliment to McCaffery.
At this point, my goal was to continue to grab wide receivers who I believe will break out and Smith-Njigba certainly checks that box. While Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf will still garner targets, I expect JSN to surpass Lockett as the #2 option in the Seattle passing game. That would open up the opportunity for a greater ceiling than what he had in 2023 making him an under-the-radar breakout candidate. I would much prefer him in this range to Diontae Johnson or Lockett (who went two picks later).
Murray continues to go off the board around QB10 but there is enough upside here that he might look like a bargain. He averaged over 30 rushing yards per game last year which was mostly on par with his career average, giving him a nice fantasy boost. Murray had three straight seasons of over 4,000 total yards to start his career and now that he is fully recovered from his ACL injury, he looks poised to do that again. That the Cardinals surrounded Murray with arguably the strongest supporting cast he’s ever had suggests he should be among the league’s best fantasy quarterbacks.
It is becoming increasingly clear that Rome Odunze is going to have a major role in Chicago this year. The biggest question is how soon it will happen but the reason for his current ADP has everything to do with his competition for targets. DJ Moore is the top option in Chicago with newly acquired Keenan Allen settled in as the WR2. Ideally, Odunze would surpass Allen and play in two receiver sets which is something I anticipate happening later in the season. In a season-long league, he is someone I want to have on my roster as he can be stashed on the bench for later in the season.
In a PPR league, Warren is my preferred Steelers running back and probably the only piece of that offense I want. Warren had over 1,000 combined rushing and receiving yards last year despite Pittsburgh’s offense being one of the worst in the league. It is pretty clear that if Pittsburgh is going to win this year, they will do so with a strong running game which should prop up Warren’s projected touch total. Najee Harris will still handle early down work but there are rumblings that Arthur Smith prefers Warren and if things go south, he may end up the feature back.
Getting another piece of the Green Bay offense with Doubs, who profiles like a few other receivers on this roster. There is competition for targets but Doubs had a mini-breakout in 2023 and is hopeful to start in the two-receiver formations for the Packers.
The key here will be retaining his Red Zone role from last season while also fending off Christian Watson and, to a lesser degree, Dontayvion Wicks. Watson poses the biggest threat to Doubs’ target share as he has a similar profile as a player and he has flashed big-play ability already in his career. This pick is fragile but at the end of the 10th Round, it is a gamble worth taking.
With each passing day, it looks more and more likely that Rico Dowdle will have a big role in Dallas. He will have to contend with Ezekiel Elliot for touches but will be the primary pass-catching back for the Cowboys. That will play in the 11th Round. The same goes for Allen who is one Breece Hall injury from being a feature back. He’s received rave reviews in camp and he is the perfect handcuff target. Dotson continues the theme of wide receivers who could end up outperforming their ADP but have competition for targets. Playing with Jayden Daniels is enough of an upgrade for me to take a late-round flyer.
