If you want to become a better golfer, head to the driving range.
If you want to become a better fantasy football manager, head over to the Mock Draft Lounge.
Three days ago, 10 Yahooligans selected 150 players in a 15-round draft. Managers drafted with the following specifications in mind: 4-point passing touchdowns, 0.5-point PPR scoring, 9 starters (1 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE, 1 flex, 1 PK, 1 DEF) and 6 reserves per week. To simulate the pressure of a real draft, the timer was set to a cushy 30 seconds. Gamers, get practicing!
We may never play in this league, but that didn't stop us from constantly teasing each other and drafting competitively. We always want to beat the hell out of each other, even if it doesn't matter.
First, I'll introduce the people I mock, and then I'll explain some points.
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Team 1By John Galinsky, Yahoo! Audience Engagement Team
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Team 2: Andy Behrens, Yahoo Fantasy Analyst
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Team 3: Dalton Del Donne, Yahoo Fantasy Analyst
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Team 4By Colin Brennan, Yahoo Podcast Producer
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Team 5: Scott Pianowski, Yahoo fantasy analyst
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Team 6By Trevor Brigham, Yahoo Customer Care
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Team 7By Kate Magdziuk, Yahoo Fantasy Editor/Analyst
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Team 8: Matt Harmon, Yahoo Fantasy Analyst
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Team 9By Aaron Tan, Social Media Editor, Yahoo!
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Team 10By Jason Kravacha, Yahoo Fantasy Editor
Before we get to the gist, here’s a round-by-round table you can click through to see the entire draft.
Running backs and wide receivers dominated the early rounds.
All of the players taken in the first two rounds were running backs or receivers: Wide receivers made up 60% of the first round, with that ratio flipping to running backs in the second round. Star tight ends Sam LaPorta (pick 3.02) and Travis Kelce (pick 4.01) waited in the Green Room for a while, awaiting results.
Initial roster construction was done with three different position configurations: three managers started with two wideouts, three managers started with two running backs, and the final four were split evenly 1-1. I was on one of the RB-RB teams, a strategy I rarely use in formats that require three wideouts. But this theoretical league only calls for starting two wideouts, and mock drafts are meant to be experiments anyway. So, at least this time around, I drafted away from my preferred roster configuration.
Wide receivers had the last laugh, with 57 wide receivers selected and 47 running backs selected. This was a bit surprising to me, as I would have expected the ratio to be slightly in favor of running backs, since when you select a backfield in the later rounds, an injury to one teammate can skyrocket your value.
Garrett Wilson has bragging rights as a WR at Ohio State.
The Buckeyes have been a breeding ground for receivers in recent years, and there are many opinions on which of them are the best pass-catching receivers. Chris Olave certainly has his fans, and rookie hotshot Marvin Harrison Jr. is also a hot prospect that has been talked about. Both were second-round picks.
But the first OSU receiver to be drafted was Wilson (pick 2.03), who was very good for two years but stumbled due to poor quarterback play. Of course, returning QB Aaron Rodgers was often the kingmaker at receiver, and Wilson's touchdown totals would soar in year 3. I didn't get Wilson, but I would have taken him if he had fallen to my mid-round pick.
Meanwhile, Jackson Smith-Njiba, last year's stellar Ohio State recruit, made it all the way to the 11th round.
In redraft leagues, rookies are still not a hot commodity.
Harrison being selected in the second round was expected, as was the early Yahoo ADP, but otherwise the team was cold on rookies, with a modest 13 rookies drafted, nine of whom were selected in the ninth round or later. The other freshmen selected after Harrison were Malik Neighbors (sixth round), Jonathan Brooks (seventh round) and Keion Coleman (seventh round).
Rome Odunze fell to the 11th round, which was a bit of a surprise. Jayden Daniels was selected in the 10th round, but other rookie quarterbacks, including Caleb Williams, were ignored. Of course, there's a good explanation for that . . .
This year's QB draft won't be stressful
This observation applies to the standard starting one quarterback format and a reasonable number of managers. Of course, if your league requires multiple players at the position or you're playing in a large manager league, your strategy will change drastically. But the position currently has great depth across the league, with a mix of passers and combo threats, and a blend of experience and youth that can take the anxiety out of your quarterback search. No matter when you decide to jump into the fantasy quarterback fray, you'll probably be at least satisfied and at most ecstatic.
Real-life teams stress their quarterbacks all the time, fantasy managers don't have to.
The average draft round for everyone's first quarterback (some have drafted two) boils down to a reasonable 7.2. The room ignored the position until Josh Allen was selected in the fourth round. A few players with multiple MVPs (Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson) stayed until the sixth round. I waited the longest to pick a quarterback, but still took Joe Burrow in the 11th round. Dak Prescott was selected in the 10th round, but he's not even the fantasy manager's assumed starter.
And there's an interesting reason why Prescott has the clipboard in this mock draft.
Anthony Richardson is one of the players to watch this summer.
Renowned podcast producer Collin Brennan had Richardson as a QB2 in the fourth round, and the excitement is understandable: Richardson is a two-way player, Shane Steichen is a play-calling maestro, and Richardson could emerge as one of the best at the position if he's healthy.
Still, the tickets were expensive. Richardson was picked just two picks after Allen, one round ahead of Jalen Hurts and two rounds ahead of Mahomes and Jackson. Given the league's poor player penetration and the depth of quarterbacks across the league, I'd argue that targeting Richardson this early would solve a problem that didn't exist. Brennan would be more likely to start Prescott over Richardson in theory, and in a league with 12 or fewer managers (and remember, he was drafted 10th for this exercise), when you have too many quarterbacks, it's usually very hard to find a trade partner.
I love prospects as much as anyone else, but taking a potential breakout quarterback in the fourth round is not my style because the opportunity cost is too high. Collins was the last team to start building a running back corps. Of course, any draft strategy can work if you pick the right player.
We drafted a kicker and a defenseman, but we might not want to do that (if the league drafts early).
Our editors asked everyone to draft their complete starting lineups, so the board shows 10 kickers and 10 defensemen. Peruse and research as much as you like, but many smart fantasy managers avoid lower-level positions in early summer drafts, choosing instead to stuff their bench with some speculative plays that could become big value by September if things go well. Kickers and defensemen have very high replacement value on the waiver wire in almost every league (especially for managers with a modest 10-man pool), so filling these spots shouldn't be a priority.
My D/ST pick was the Bengals, but that has to do with one simple thing: the Bengals were the heavy favorites going into Week 1 (9.5 points against New England), and D/ST performance correlates with the favorite team. If I were to play in this league, I would definitely be streaming the D/ST position, adding and removing new defensemen on a regular basis.
Team results
If you want to see the complete team lineup, flip through this table to see each of the 10-man rosters.
