It’s dynasty fantasy football season. I’ve done a few rookie mock drafts over the last few weeks. But if we’re being honest with ourselves, it’s not really rookie draft season. Most dynasty leagues wait until after the actual NFL Draft to make their rookie selections. It’s actually dynasty startup season.
With that in mind, today I’m using FantasyPros’ fantasy football mock draft simulator for a mock startup draft. This will be a 12-team PPR Superflex league. I was randomly assigned the ninth pick. In true dynasty fashion, I’ve set this league up with massive rosters: 11 starting positions and 10 bench spots. Even that is rounding down from most dynasty leagues, but I figure you don’t need to read about me debating between A.T. Perry and Raheem Mostert in the 25th round. Even still, we have 21 rounds to go through, so this will be a long one. Let’s get right into it.
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Superflex Dynasty Startup Mock Draft
1.09: Justin Jefferson (WR – MIN)
Unsurprisingly for a Superflex startup draft, quarterbacks flew off the board. Seven of the first eight picks were quarterbacks, with Ja’Marr Chase the lone exception.
I’m happy to be the second exception and take Justin Jefferson. For my money, the 25-year-old is still the most talented receiver in the league, even above his former LSU teammate.
2.04: Malik Nabers (WR – NYG)
Malik Nabers was an elite prospect. He finished his rookie season as the PPR WR6. His quarterback situation isn’t ideal, but Russell Wilson is at least a short-term upgrade over who Nabers was catching passes from last year. I did heavily debate taking two Lions, Jahmyr Gibbs and Amon-Ra St. Brown, in this spot as well.
All three should be elite producers in 2025, but Nabers is four years younger than St. Brown and plays a more sustainable position than Gibbs. I broke the tie with an eye toward longevity, which ended up being the right decision with how the rest of my draft shook out.
3.09: Drake London (WR – ATL)
This was a very out-of-character pick for me. I don’t consider myself a Drake London “hater,” per se, but I’ve long believed he and the other top members of the 2022 wide receiver class are perennially overrated fantasy assets. Neither Garrett Wilson nor Chris Olave has proved me wrong yet, but London’s 2024 was impressive.
London ranked just ahead of Nabers as the WR5 in total PPR points (although the hater in me wants to point out he was just the WR14 in points per game). London also posted an elite 90.1 Pro Football Focus (PFF) receiving grade last season, by far the best of his career. On top of all that, he doesn’t turn 24 until July. Even if it was reluctantly done, I had to hit the button for him here.
4.04: Trey McBride (TE – ARI)
This was a pick I was much more excited about (in fact, I heavily debated taking Trey McBride over London in the third). McBride is older than you might think (25), but tight end is a position that ages well.
Landing McBride should guarantee an elite producer at one of the most scarce fantasy positions in the league for the foreseeable future.
5.09: Tetairoa McMillan (WR – Arizona)
That’s right, there are rookies in this startup draft. While this might not be the case in all startups this time of year, Draft Wizard’s default setting is to include rookies in dynasty startups. Spoiler alert, but I am going to be taking heavy advantage of this fact going forward.
This pick of Tetairoa McMillan, the consensus top receiver in this year’s draft class, is a good time to take a step back and look at this draft as a whole. As I described in my dynasty startup draft strategy guide last season, I’m a big believer in letting your draft room decide your approach for you.
Through the first four rounds of this mock, I have been breaking ties toward youth and longevity, but all of my picks were productive enough that this team wasn’t locked into any particular strategy. However, in between my selection of McBride in the early fourth and this pick in the late fifth, there was an absurd run on productive running backs: Jonathan Taylor, Kenneth Walker, Omarion Hampton, Kyren Williams, James Cook, Chase Brown, Chuba Hubbard, Christian McCaffrey and Joe Mixon all flew off the board.
I suddenly find myself behind the eight ball in terms of production at both running back and quarterback (18 quarterbacks have gone off the board at this point). Unless I want to load up on vets like Alvin Kamara and Matthew Stafford, my decision has been made for me: This team isn’t competing right away.
With that in mind, McMillan was the obvious choice. A rookie receiver who should see, at worst, mid-first-round draft capital is about as stable of an asset as you can find.
6.04: Trevor Lawrence (QB – JAX)
A few years ago, Trevor Lawrence’s status as a generational quarterback prospect would have landed him in the first round of any Superflex startup. But four straight years of mediocre fantasy production have dulled the shine on the 2021 first-overall pick.
Honestly, I’m not a huge fan of Lawrence myself, as he has yet to display any real fantasy ceiling. But I needed to start building a quarterback room, and Lawrence is still just 25. Hopefully, the arrival of Liam Coen in Jacksonville will unlock another level of production. If not, Lawrence should at least maintain value as a guaranteed starting signal-caller for the foreseeable future.
7.09: Cam Ward (QB – Miami)
Speaking of first-overall picks, it seems more and more likely Cam Ward will be selected first overall in this year’s NFL Draft. Especially on a dynasty team destined for at least one year of rebuilding, I’m a big believer in simply betting on highly drafted quarterbacks.
Like Lawrence, Ward is at risk of potentially settling in as a mid-range QB2, even if he hits as an NFL quarterback. But he does bring some red-zone rushing upside that makes me like this pick just a little bit more.
8.04: Dak Prescott (QB – DAL)
I know, I know. I just talked about how this team isn’t going to be contending right away. Why am I turning around and immediately taking a 31-year-old quarterback? The main reason is simply that this was good value for Dak Prescott. He was a top-three fantasy quarterback in his last healthy season, and we know that top quarterbacks can play deep into their 30s.
Additionally, stacking multiple quarterbacks is a great way to hold value on your dynasty roster while not improving your point-scoring potential. In leagues that base rookie draft order on some sort of performance metrics (usually record or maximum points for), I consider this a legit way to increase your odds at winning the race to the bottom.
9.09: Shedeur Sanders (QB – Colorado)
As I mentioned with Cam Ward, I’m a firm believer in trusting draft capital when it comes to rookie quarterbacks. Forecasting how these guys will translate to the NFL is an impossible task even for professional scouts, and the fantasy community is often overconfident in their predictions.
If you played dynasty two seasons ago, you might remember how no one wanted anything to do with C.J. Stroud, even after he was selected second overall. I made that mistake in a league or two, but I won’t be making it with Shedeur Sanders. Of course, this move could backfire if Sanders ends up slipping in the actual NFL Draft. But if he doesn’t, I’m very happy to roll the dice on him in the ninth round.
10.04: Emeka Egbuka (WR – Ohio State)
Emeka Egbuka isn’t my favorite prospect in this year’s class. He was never the top producer on his team at Ohio State, and there’s a real chance he is pigeon-holed as a slot-only receiver at the next level.
However, Egbuka has a great chance at first-round draft capital and has the skill set to rack up PPR points. That’s enough to add another rookie to my young team.
11.09: Travis Hunter (WR, CB – Colorado)
This is either the best or the worst pick of my draft. Any rookie can bust, but Travis Hunter could be a guaranteed zero before he even steps on the field if the team that drafts him plans to use him only as a cornerback.
On the other hand, if he were guaranteed to be a receiver, Hunter would suddenly be right next to Tetairoa McMillan as arguably the No. 1 WR in this class… and I took McMillan six rounds ago. Given the other players on the board are also capable of going to zero at a moment’s notice (Nick Chubb went two picks after this), this is a gamble worth taking.
Hunter probably would never fall this far in a real draft, as there will be one manager in every league enamored enough with his upside to reach.
12.04: Justin Fields (QB – NYJ)
Although he snaps my streak of three straight rookies, Justin Fields continues my other trend from this draft of taking players I normally avoid. I’m not high on Fields’ chances of ever sticking as an NFL starter, but Fields’ fantasy upside is undeniable when he starts.
Fields also fits my strategy of stacking more quarterbacks than I could ever possibly start. Given his elite rushing upside, Fields takes Lawrence’s spot in my hypothetical Week 1 starting lineup. But if this were a real league, I’d be looking to trade him as soon as the season starts and the points begin rolling in.
13.09: Colston Loveland (TE – Michigan)
After taking a one-pick break, I’m back on the rookie train. Colston Loveland is almost certainly going to be selected in the first round of this year’s NFL Draft.
That alone is enough for me to pick him up here, even if tight end prospects are notorious for struggling to adapt to the NFL.
14.04: Romeo Doubs (WR – GB)
Don’t listen to anyone who tells you they understand the Packers’ receiving room. Between Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Christian Watson and Dontayvion Wicks, Green Bay has four intriguing young receivers.
However, none of those players has truly emerged as a reliable fantasy or real-life option, and there is a solid chance the Packers will add yet another young wideout in this year’s draft. With that said, Doubs was the receiver the Packers’ coaches most consistently trusted in 2024, easily pacing the team with a 77% route participation rate. That’s something to hang our hat on here.
15.09: Christian Watson (WR – GB)
If Romeo Doubs is the boring but reliable pick from the Packers’ receiving room, Christian Watson is the high-upside/low-floor option.
The 34th overall pick in the 2022 draft has struggled to stay healthy, but he has shown flashes of being a truly difference-making option. If one of Watson or Doubs can emerge as a reliable Flex option, I will consider both of these picks a win.
16.04: Jaxson Dart (QB – Ole Miss)
What can go wrong with heavily investing in what is widely considered to be one of the worst quarterback classes we have seen in a long time?
Once again, this pick mostly comes down to chasing draft capital. Jaxson Dart is looking more and more likely to sneak into the first round, and no asset maintains value better in dynasty than rookie quarterbacks, especially those drafted in the first round.
17.09: RJ Harvey (RB – UCF)
Believe it or not, this is the first running back I’ve selected. This is another trick to help win your league’s tankathon. Not having any productive running backs is a great way to guarantee your team is terrible. If the rest of your team comes along faster than expected, you can quickly buy a productive veteran back or two to fill the gap.
Some leagues might frown on this level of commitment to reducing your winning chances, but I’m a believer that roster-construction tanking is fair game, as long as you always start the best lineup available with the players you have. RJ Harvey is older than ideal (24), but he has impressive production and athleticism metrics. He’s one of many running backs in this deep class who could skyrocket in value with a favorable landing spot.
18.04: Jayden Higgins (WR – Iowa State)
Jayden Higgins is massive and fast, having measured in at 6-foot-4 and ran a 4.47 40-yard dash at the combine. He’s another older prospect, but that can easily be overlooked in Round 18. Hopefully, he can land second-round draft capital in April.
19.09: Michael Mayer (TE – LV)
It feels like forever ago now that Brock Bowers landed in Vegas, but Michael Mayer was once a highly touted tight end prospect in his own right. He won’t be fantasy-relevant as long as he is buried behind Bowers, but the Raiders have reportedly engaged in trade talks surrounding the former 35th-overall pick.
If he is moved, Mayer’s value will immediately increase. If not, he’s still an intriguing young player at a position where taking a few years to break out is by no means a death sentence.
20.04: Jalen Milroe (QB – Alabama)
I already have the consensus top three quarterbacks in this draft class, so I might as well chuck in the QB4. Of this quartet of young passers, Jalen Milroe has the most fantasy upside. He’s a true dual-threat quarterback who will rack up points on the ground… if he ever gets a chance to start.
21.09: Khalil Herbert (RB – IND)
I punted running back in this draft, but I didn’t want to finish things with literally no one to fill my RB2 spot. Of the backs remaining on the board, Khalil Herbert was my favorite upside pick. The 27-year-old signed a very small one-year deal with the Colts this offseason.
On the off chance Indianapolis doesn’t select a rookie running back, his only competition to be Jonathan Taylor’s backup will be Tyler Goodson. We know from his time with Chicago that Herbert is a competent runner who can put up RB2 numbers if given the opportunity. When in doubt, stuffing the end of your dynasty roster with any running back on an NFL roster is a good call.
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Ted Chmyz is a fantasy football contributor for FantasyPros.com. Find him on Twitter and Bluesky for more fantasy content or to ask questions.
