The following fantasy football mock draft among staff writers took place at the end of November, last year (which is why Kareem Hunt went so high, for example). This is the first of several mock drafts we will share between now and the start of the 2019 N.F.L. season to help you make your own draft-day decisions.
Note: Comments below were made while the 2018 N.F.L. season was still in progress and statistics cited may not reflect those compiled after the regular season was complete.
Round 1
1.01 — Todd Gurley (Justin Sablich)
1.02 — Alvin Kamara (Nate Davis)
1.03 — Saquon Barkley (Kyle Gahagan)
1.04 — Kareem Hunt (Dereck McCauley)
1.05 — Melvin Gordon (Brandon Craig)
1.06 — James Conner (Joe Buttgereit)
1.07 — Christian McCaffrey (Paul Patterson)
1.08 — Julio Jones (Tyler Wilson)
Todd Gurley (1.01)
In my mind, outside of Barkley, it’s hard to make a good case for choosing anyone but Gurley with the first overall pick next season, even in PPR leagues. As our Ryan Durante recently pointed out, heading into Week 10, when Cooper Kupp went down with his season-ending injury, Gurley had 53 targets (5.3 per game), which was only three less than Cooper Kupp (56). After 13 weeks, among all running backs, his 61 targets are the 11th most, but his yards per reception (10.3) are easily the most of the top 6 fantasy backs (PPR). Most important of all, he’s the leads all backs in PPR fantasy scoring at 27.4 FPPG, and has fallen below 23 fantasy points only twice this season. He’ll only be 25 heading in 2019, playing behind one of the league’s best offensive lines and best overall offenses in the league. — Justin Sablich.
Alvin Kamara (1.02)
This year has cemented in my mind the need to hit on RB in PPR scoring. On any given week, I can find serviceable to good WR on waivers, even in a 12-team league. Good RBs are just hard to find. That’s why I went into this thinking RB/RB the whole way with my first two picks. I went Kamara over Barkley here at No. 2, as I trust the Saints offense more than the Giants moving forward. Kamara should continue to be a monster in New Orleans, no matter who’s under center. — Nate Davis
Melvin Gordon (1.05)
When preparing for this 2019 fantasy football mock draft I made preliminary rankings for the 2019 season. While making the rankings I created a tier of 5 players that I consider elite options in fantasy football. I ranked them as Todd Gurley, Alvin Kamara, Saquon Barkley, Melvin Gordon, and Kareem Hunt (with Christian McCaffrey just a tick behind them).
Therefore, I was thrilled to find out that I had the 5th overall pick in the draft, ensuring that I would be able to select one of these elite players. Gordon has been a fantasy stud for 3 seasons and is just now getting the proper recognition. He is a volume monster in the rush game averaging over 15 rushes per game which provides a solid floor. Additionally, he has stepped up his production in the passing game this season averaging over 4 catches per game which gives him a floor production near most RBs ceiling production.
Austin Ekeler does steal some touches away from Gordon, but most of Ekeler’s touches come in games where the Chargers have a large lead and are simply killing the clock and by that time Gordon has already given solid fantasy production. The Chargers have had an elite offense over the past few seasons and I don’t think that will change in 2019 given the multitude of talent they possess on offense combined with the overall increase of offensive production seen around the league. Phillip Rivers cannot play forever, but the aging of Phillip Rivers will only help the fantasy production of Gordon. Rivers will have to lean more heavily on the run game as his skill set declines with age. Given the rarity of bell cow running backs in the NFL these days, it is essential to lock one up in fantasy whenever you can. With the 5th overall pick, Melvin Gordon was a no brainer for me. — Brandon Craig
Christian McCaffrey (1.07)
I was thrilled that McCaffrey fell to me in Round 1. With early picks, I always prefer consistency and volume over big-play ability, and McCaffrey checks both of those boxes in a major way. Through 11 games this season, McCaffrey is 9th in carries and 1st in running back receptions. CMC is averaging over 20 touches per game, and, given the nature of Norv Turner’s offense, I expect that formula to remain the same entering next season. It is also worth noting that McCaffrey’s worst weekly finish this season was RB20 in Week 1. He has been the RB19 or better in 10 straight games, including five top-10 finishes. — Paul Patterson
Round 2
2.01 — Le’Veon Bell (Wilson)
2.02 — David Johnson (Patterson)
2.03 — Ezekiel Elliott (Buttgereit)
2.04 — Michael Thomas (Craig)
2.05 — Antonio Brown (McCauley)
2.06 — DeAndre Hopkins (Gahagan)
2.07 — Nick Chubb (Davis)
2.08 — Tyreek Hill (Sablich)
Nick Chubb (2.07)
I continued my RB heavy approach at the top of the draft here with Nick Chubb. This might be a bit of a stretch, but everything I’ve seen from the rookie RB this year suggests that he’s going to be an absolute stud moving forward. I wouldn’t be surprised if people are considering Chubb toward the middle of round 1 next year, let alone round 2. I’m very satisfied with my lineup so far. — Nate Davis
Tyreek Hill (2.08)
I had the luxury of picking any two receivers I wanted at the turn. It wasn’t an easy choice, but I can’t complain too much about being able to pair Hill with Davante Adams. I was a Hill skeptic heading into this season, mainly because of the many mouths to feed in Kansas City, but he has certainly proved me wrong. Sure, his targets are lower than some of his elite peers (100), but he’ll surely top his career-high of 105 from last season and his 17.0 yards per reception are the most of any receiver in the PPR top 10 (Hill’s 21.3 FPPG is tied for 3rd best). Next season, Hill (age 25) and the Chiefs should continue to hum behind Patrick Mahomes (age 24), who should only get better (which is a scary thought). — Justin Sablich
Round 3
3.01 — Davante Adams (Sablich)
3.02 — Odell Beckham Jr. (Davis)
3.03 — Adam Thielen (Gahagan)
3.04 — Zach Ertz (McCauley)
3.05 — Leonard Fournette (Craig)
3.06 — A.J. Green (Buttgereit)
3.07 — Brandin Cooks (Patterson)
3.08 — Travis Kelce (Wilson)
Odell Beckham Jr. (3.02)
This pick gave me some pause. I usually like going TE in this range, so I don’t have to worry about the position throughout the year. Kelce and Ertz were on my mind here. I eyed Joe Mixon pretty seriously too. All that being said, if Odell Beckham Jr is still available in the third round of a PPR draft, that’s your pick. No questions asked. OBJ has had a fantastic season so far in 2018, and that’s WITH the 2018 iteration of Eli Manning under center. (AKA, hot garbage). You have to think the Giants move on from Manning next year, and I can’t imagine them doing much worse no matter who they go with. — Nate Davis
Brandin Cooks (3.07)
Despite playing for three different teams in three years, Brandin Cooks is on the brink of his 4th straight 1,000-yard season. Now that Cooks is on a multi-year deal with one of the best offenses in the league, there aren’t any more question marks to temper his value. Cooks is talented, rarely injured, and in a position to succeed with Jared Goff and Sean McVay at the helm. — Paul Patterson
Round 4
4.01 — Patrick Mahomes (Wilson)
4.02 — Keenan Allen (Patterson)
4.03 — Mike Evans (Buttgereit)
4.04 — Joe Mixon (Craig)
4:05 — Dalvin Cook (McCauley)
4.06 — Aaron Jones (Gahagan)
4.07 — Emmanuel Sanders (Davis)
4.08 — JuJu Smith-Schuster (Sablich)
Round 5
5.01 — Kerryon Johnson (Sablich)
5:02 — T.Y. Hilton. (Davis)
5.03 — Sony Michel (Gahagan)
5.04 — Stefon Diggs (McCauley)
5.05 — Rob Gronkowski (Craig)
5.06 — Phillip Lindsay (Buttgereit)
5.07 — Devonta Freeman (Patterson)
5.08 — James White (Wilson)
Rob Gronkowski (5.05)
This has been a disappointing season for the Gronk owners who paid up a top 20 pick to select the tight end. To add insult to injury, the two tight ends who were selected a round or two after Gronk have been absolute studs this season.
Gronkowski is definitely a risky pick given his injury history and the fact that he almost retired last offseason. If the price to obtain Gronkowski was still a top 20 pick I would have no shares of Gronkowski next year. However, his risk concerns are discounting him to a point where I will love to draft him in 2019.
This has been a surprisingly good year for tight ends, which will drive Gronk’s value down even more. Kelce and Ertz have been studs and will likely both be drafted in the first two rounds next year. David Njoku and O.J. Howard have broken out and will garner some attention in drafts as well. Eric Ebron is having the best (luckiest) year of his career and will no doubt be over drafted next season.
The tight end position can be a wasteland if you don’t lock up a top tier player. Especially in an 8-man league format, it is imperative to seek every positional advantage possible. When on the clock with the 37th pick, I considered taking a second WR, however, at that point in the draft I felt there was little to no difference between the next 5-10 WRs on my draft board and decided to go with a position that would afford me an advantage nearly every week. I believe that when Gronkowski plays he will be at worst a top-3 tight end, and has every chance to reclaim his spot as the number one tight end in fantasy next season. — Brandon Craig
Round 6
6.01 — Josh Gordon (Wilson)
6.02 — George Kittle (Patterson)
6.03 — Jarvis Landry (Buttgereit)
6.04 — Amari Cooper (Craig)
6.05 — Kenny Golladay (McCauley)
6.06 — Robert Woods (Gahagan)
6.07 — Jerick McKinnon (Davis)
6.08 — Tarik Cohen (Sablich)
George Kittle (6.02)
A clear candidate for waiver-wire MVP, George Kittle has been unstoppable this season. With Ertz. Kelce, and Gronk already off the board, Kittle was, in my opinion, the last of the top-tier tight ends, and I was thrilled that he fell to me. Remember, Kittle has performed despite the playing with the likes of C.J. Beathard and Nick Mullens. With Jimmy G back in the fold next season, Kittle should only improve. — Paul Patterson
Round 7
7.01 — O.J. Howard (Sablich)
7.02 — Andrew Luck (Davis)
7.03 — Derrius Guice (Gahagan)
7.04 — Cam Newton (McCauley)
7.05 — Aaron Rodgers (Craig)
7.06 — Golden Tate (Buttgereit)
7.07 — Tevin Coleman (Patterson)
7.08 — Tyler Boyd (Wilson)
O.J. Howard (7.01)
My favorite late-round pick is O.J. Howard. Given the unmitigated trash fire that the position has become in fantasy, I was planning on waiting anyway and was happy to get one of the brighter stars at the position. Granted, I picked him before he landed on the IR, but since we’re talking about 2019, I probably would have taken him anyway. In just his second season, his 12.1 FPPG was good for 6th best among all tight ends. — Justin Sablich
Round 8
8.01 — Kelvin Harmon (Wilson)
8.02 — Jared Goff (Patterson)
8.03 — D.J. Moore (Buttgereit)
8.04 — Doug Baldwin (Craig)
8.05 — Marlon Mack (McCauley)
8.06 — Hunter Henry (Gahagan)
8.07 — Eric Ebron (Davis)
8.08 — Carson Wentz (Sablich)
Round 9
9.01 — Cooper Kupp (Sablich)
9.02 — Calvin Ridley (Davis)
9.03 — Corey Davis (Gahagan)
9.04 — Courtland Sutton (McCauley)
9.05 — Jordan Howard (Craig)
9.06 — David Njoku (Buttgereit)
9.07 — Julian Edelman (Patterson)
9.08 — Mike Williams (Wilson)
Round 10
10.01 — Duke Johnson (Wilson)
10.02 — D’Onta Freeman (Patterson)
10.03 — Drew Brees (Buttgereit)
10.04 — Mark Ingram (Craig)
10.05 — Alshon Jeffery (McCauley)
10.06 — Baker Mayfield (Gahagan)
10.07 — Jay Ajayi (Davis)
10.08 — Matt Breida (Sablich)
Mark Ingram (10.04)
Mark Ingram was a top-10 running back in fantasy football last season. However, everyone was so enamored with the emergence of Alvin Kamara that Ingram has not received the love he deserves. Ingram was suspended for the first 4 games of the 2018 season, however, since returning he has picked up right where he left off last season. Ingram is averaging almost 5 yards per carry and has scored 4 touchdowns in 7 games while serving as a complimentary back to Kamara.
Ingram will more than likely be on a new team next season, hopefully with a role as the featured running back. Ingram is 28-years-old, however, given the way he has been used in New Orleans, he is not a typical 28 year old running back and has some great years left in him. Ingram’s value can have a huge swing in either direction depending on the team that acquires him this offseason. But I will bet on the talent of Ingram to find success in nearly any situation, especially if I can take him with the 76th overall pick. In that range of the draft there is so much uncertainty in terms of talent and usage with all the running backs that will be selected. I feel confident that Ingram will far exceed the production of any running back taken in that area of the draft. — Brandon Craig
Round 11
11.01 — Bears DST (Sablich)
11.02 — Rams DST (Davis)
11.03 — Texans DST (Gahagan)
11.04 — Ravens DST (McCauley)
11.05 — Vikings DST (Craig)
11.06 — Jets DST (Buttgereit)
11.07 — Jaguars DST (Patterson)
11.08 — N/A (Wilson)
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