As of mid-June, the frequency of fantasy football drafts is really increasing. Last month, I gave thoughts on an industry mock draft … let’s see how much has changed over the last 30 days or so.
Out of respect for the hosts of this draft, no reference will be made to its identity so the content remains fresh on their end, nor will the entire draft results be published here. The blurbs about my team below were provided to the draft host and will appear in a magazine as part of a larger evaluation of the draft.
Before getting into my individual picks, here are a few generalized observations from this 12-team, PPR draft.
- In May’s draft, the first QB came off of the board in late Round 4 (Patrick Mahomes). This time around, Mahomes once again was the first passer, being selected more than a full round in advance. His ADP in more casual circles remains 11th overall, which is absurdly early.
- Three fewer running backs were drafted in the first three rounds, with those picks being evenly spread among the other skill positions. This is mostly inconsequential, but it could suggest experienced gamers are becoming more comfortable waiting on the position now that we’ve had some distance from free agency and the NFL draft. It will be interesting to see if a trend develops in future drafts.
- The two drafts varied ever so slightly from round to round on the basis of which positions were chosen and when. The only serious differences came from the running back and tight end positions. Four fewer players were selected at TE, and as many were added to the pool of rushers chosen in the first 120 selections.
Recurring themes from May’s drafting:
- Selecting in the top six is a great situation this year. You’re bound to come away with a legit No. 1 running back. There’s enough depth at the position to either go with a pair in the opening two rounds or alternate between RB and WR in the first four rounds while still coming away with a strong nucleus.
- Quarterback remains quite deep, with a viable starter being available into the 12th round or so. Tight end remains a little top-heavy, but it has filled out more so than the past couple of years. It really could be the deepest class for raw talent among recent drafts, but whether we reap the rewards will require gamers to take risks.
Here’s a snapshot of the first 10 rounds broken down by number of positional picks from both drafts, including the change by round and overall.
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May draft results
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June draft results
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Change +/-
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||||||||||||
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Rnd
|
QB
|
RB
|
WR
|
TE
|
Rnd
|
QB
|
RB
|
WR
|
TE
|
QB
|
RB
|
WR
|
TE
|
|
|
1
|
0
|
11
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
9
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
-2
|
1
|
1
|
|
|
2
|
0
|
5
|
6
|
1
|
2
|
0
|
6
|
5
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
-1
|
0
|
|
|
3
|
0
|
5
|
6
|
1
|
3
|
1
|
3
|
7
|
1
|
1
|
-2
|
1
|
0
|
|
|
4
|
1
|
2
|
8
|
1
|
4
|
0
|
4
|
7
|
1
|
-1
|
2
|
-1
|
0
|
|
|
5
|
1
|
5
|
6
|
0
|
5
|
1
|
6
|
5
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
-1
|
0
|
|
|
6
|
1
|
3
|
6
|
2
|
6
|
1
|
2
|
7
|
2
|
0
|
-1
|
1
|
0
|
|
|
7
|
1
|
5
|
4
|
2
|
7
|
2
|
2
|
7
|
1
|
1
|
-3
|
3
|
-1
|
|
|
8
|
5
|
0
|
5
|
2
|
8
|
2
|
5
|
4
|
1
|
-3
|
5
|
-1
|
-1
|
|
|
9
|
0
|
4
|
5
|
3
|
9
|
2
|
4
|
5
|
1
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
-2
|
|
|
10
|
1
|
5
|
5
|
1
|
10
|
0
|
8
|
4
|
0
|
-1
|
3
|
-1
|
-1
|
|
|
Total
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10
|
45
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52
|
13
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Total
|
9
|
49
|
53
|
9
|
-1
|
4
|
1
|
-4
|
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My team
1:01) RB Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers: Truthfully, I’m quite nervous about drafting McCaffrey, but the only other consideration (Dalvin Cook) also has significant injury concerns. Fingers crossed, but a healthy season should justify this pick in PPR scoring.
2:12) RB D’Andre Swift, Detroit Lions: One of my top breakout candidates for 2021, Swift has a strong possibility to crack the top-12 rushers in PPR. I love the offensive philosophy and commitment to the ground game under this coaching regime.
3:01) WR Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers: A full offseason between Allen and Justin Herbert should take this pitch-and-catch combo to a new level in this Sean Payton-derivative system. Herbert is no stranger to new coaches, and Allen is a PPR monster.
4:12) WR Julio Jones, Tennessee Titans: If healthy, my No. 2 receiver will threaten the top-10 at his position, even with A.J. Brown’s explosive ways garnering copious looks. Expect Tennessee to open up the aerial offense a great deal in 2021.
5:01) RB Trey Sermon, San Francisco 49ers: A reach, but I didn’t see him making it back to me. Sermon is my top rookie and drastically benefits from Jeff Wilson’s injury. Raheem Mostert was brittle last year, and Sermon ideally fits this system.
6:12) QB Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills: Earlier than I tend to take a QB, but Allen was a steal at this point of the draft. Game-changing consolation after I missed out on Kyler Murray, my top-ranked passer.
[lawrence-related id=458784]
7:01) WR Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers: A risk-reward decision … love the talent and versatility, not crazy about the quarterback situation. I considered DeVante Parker, Dallas Goedert and Robby Anderson. If healthy, Samuel should be an adequate WR3 or better most weeks.
8:12) RB J.D. McKissic, Washington Football Team: No other player is as undervalued as McKissic. The talent has always been there, and he finally was given an earnest opportunity. He’ll continue to be a weekly PPR flex in this improved passing game.
9:01) WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions: There’s serious risk given how early I chose the rookie. Yet, Detroit needs someone to step up, and St. Brown has drawn rave reviews in OTAs. He could corral nearly 75 passes in best-case scenario.
10:12) RB Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers: Hubbard was a must-add draft target after choosing McCaffrey No. 1 overall. The rookie can step right into the lineup as a dual-threat back in case CMC is besieged by injuries yet again. Huge win.
11:01) TE Anthony Firkser, Tennessee Titans: The Julio Jones addition helps make Firkser this year’s Robert Tonyan. He has “TD-heavy breakout” written all over him. Julio is no stranger to injury, which would thrust Firkser into the No. 2 target role.
12:12) WR Jamison Crowder, New York Jets: Contract squabble settled, Crowder should be the most stable receiving weapon in this offense for PPR scoring. There’s zero downside here as my WR5.
13:01) TE Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles: Ertz will wind up with a prominent role somewhere, and I suspect it will be Indianapolis. Even if Ertz remains an Eagle, he offers a reasonable insurance policy to my risky selection of Firkser.
14:12) WR Gabriel Davis, Buffalo Bills: He emerge as the WR2 alongside Stefon Diggs. Buffalo isn’t afraid to sling it, and Davis could prove to be a huge value with the well-seasoned Emmanuel Sanders and oft-injured Cole Beasley as his barriers.