Welcome to part seven of this 12-part series where I will go through a completed mock draft on the Sleeper app. In this edition, I started the draft with the seventh overall pick. The draft is 15 rounds, and it’s full PPR. I’m going to go through every selection I made and explain why I made it. Keep in mind, this is a three-flex league with no defenses nor kickers. To give you a more clear outline, check out the final roster at the bottom of this article. Hopefully you can get an idea of how you want to draft your team after reading through this series. We only have a few weeks until the regular season starts. You want to be as ready as possible when you draft your team! Check out the other parts of the series under the fantasy tab.
1.07 – WR) Davante Adams – Green Bay Packers
This is the first mock draft where I drafted a WR with my first-round pick. Adams may be a little bit of a reach here, but in fantasy football, you take the guy that YOU want to have. Adams finished as the WR1 easily last season. In just 14 games played, he outscored Tyreek Hill (WR2) by nearly 30 PPR points. Because Aaron Rodgers is back this season, Adams should put together another solid season. It also helps that the surrounding pass-catchers on his team won’t take away any of his opportunities.
2.06 – WR) Calvin Ridley – Atlanta Falcons
I did something here that I don’t typically advise people to do. You want to capitalize on RBs early in drafts because there aren’t a ton that produce on a consistent basis. BUT stacking Adams with Ridley could set your team up for success the entire season. You wouldn’t have to change your starting lineup at the WR position unless one of the two runs into their bye week. Both of these wide-outs have a chance at finishing as the overall WR1 this season. They should become a dynamic duo for my team, and it will be hard for any team to create a better one.
3.07 – RB) David Montgomery – Chicago Bears
Snagging Montgomery in the third round brings exceptional value for my team. He isn’t the ideal RB1 you would want to target for your team(s), but given the circumstances, he should suffice nicely with this squad. My RB position may have gotten off to a weak start, but the third-year pro has the opportunity and skill set to finish as a top-ten back this season.
4.06 – QB) Lamar Jackson – Baltimore Ravens
Although I need another RB, I decided to draft Lamar Jackson here, creating a QB positional advantage for my team. He brings a ton of production on the ground, which will help fill up the gap needed at my RB2 spot. He’s a player that’s only two years removed from his MVP season where he finished as the QB1 in fantasy by a long shot. Through four picks into this draft, I couldn’t be more excited about who I have selected.
5.07 – RB) Myles Gaskin – Miami Dolphins
Like I keep reiterating, I need help at the RB position. That’s why I decided to draft Gaskin here. There weren’t any other RBs I was interested with this pick, and I decided to pass on some very talented WRs (Robert Woods, Adam Thielen, and Diontae Johnson). Gaskin produces solid numbers in PPR leagues, and he produced quite nicely as a receiver out of the backfield last season. Both Montgomery and Gaskin have top-ten potential. Now I just need to add some solid depth behind them.
6.06 – RB) Javonte Williams – Denver Broncos
I was really hoping Williams would be available for me here in the sixth round. The rookie isn’t expected to lead the Broncos’ backfield at the beginning of the season. The expectation is that he could eventually serve as the team’s RB1 at some point in 2021. I could stash him away until he breaks out like J.K. Dobbins and Cam Akers did last season. Even though he is being drafted as my RB3, I’m not confident in him quite yet. That’s why I need to target another RB with my next pick.
7.07 – RB) Melvin Gordon – Denver Broncos
Here’s a weird one, and I haven’t seen many people do this. With back-to-back picks, I decided to draft both Denver Broncos RBs. Gordon put together a very solid season last year, as he finished as the RB14. Like I mentioned above, I don’t think this is Williams’ backfield just yet. I expect Gordon to start the season as the RB1 for this team. And when he starts to lose his job, I will already have the player who’s taking it away from him.
8.06 – WR) Brandin Cooks – Houston Texans
Because I drafted both Adams and Ridley at the beginning of this draft, I was able to wait on selecting another WR. Now in the eighth round, I decided to draft the Houston Texans’ clear WR1 as my WR3. The veteran receiver is coming off a WR17 finish from last year, and he may finish around that spot again this season. Sure, his QB play won’t be as good as it was in 2020, but who else on the Texans offense will demand a ton of targets? This is Cooks’ offense at this point, and he may be a steal here in the eighth round.
9.07 – TE) Robert Tonyan – Green Bay Packers
I was so busy drafting RBs and WRs through the first half of the draft that I was reluctant to draft my TE1. Luckily, last year’s TE3 was available all the way back here in the ninth round. His ADP right now is one of my favorites at the TE position. Tonyan may regress this season, but if Rodgers is throwing him passes, I’m happy to draft him this late. Who knows, maybe he will duplicate what he did from last season.
10.06 – WR) Corey Davis – New York Jets
This is a common one for me at this point. This is the third time I’ve selected Davis in the tenth round. I guess you could call him a “my guy” when it comes to finding receivers in the middle rounds. He’s being paid as New York’s WR1, and there is no indication why he wouldn’t be. Rookie Elijah Moore probably needs a season, or a half of one, to break out, and Jamison Crowder won’t take away his targets as he lines up in the slot. Davis is a very intriguing piece to add behind Adams, Ridley, and Cooks on my roster.
11.07 – RB) Nyheim Hines – Indianapolis Colts
Just like Davis, Hines is a “my guy” at this point for me. I’ve drafted him four times now, and it’s simply because he excels in PPR leagues. There aren’t a ton of great PPR RBs once you get into the later rounds. Jonathan Taylor is easily the RB1 for the Colts, but Hines is used a ton in third-down packages. He did finish as the RB15 in PPR leagues last season, so this selection makes a ton of sense.
12.06 – RB) Jamaal Williams – Detroit Lions
Although I have drafted five RBs at this point, I thought it wouldn’t hurt adding another great pass-catching RB in the later rounds. Williams will serve as D’Andre Swift’s back-up, but he may take over as the Lions’ third-down back as well. He caught a ton of passes during his tenure in Green Bay, and if Swift misses any time this season, Williams is an easy plug-in RB for my team.
13.07 – TE) Zach Ertz – Philadelphia Eagles
I only like drafting two TEs when I miss out on Travis Kelce, George Kittle, Darren Waller, or Mark Andrews. As you saw above, I selected Tonyan in the ninth round. He may be great, but if he ends up being a streaming TE, it wouldn’t hurt having another one on my team. The days of Zach Ertz serving as a top-5 TE are now OVER. But he’s still very involved in Philadelphia’s offense. If you read what the Eagles’ beat writers have been posting, it looks like him and Dallas Goedert have been the most targeted options this offseason so far.
14.06 – WR) Jalen Reagor – Philadelphia Eagles
Reagor is coming off a very disappointing rookie season, but this offseason has been full of one-handed highlights from the 22-year-old. He’s a former first-round pick, so you know he has the skills to be great in this league. If he breaks out this season, this pick will turn into an A+, but if he doesn’t, I can always drop him. That’s what later round picks are for, finding a potential breakout player that would be easy to drop if he doesn’t pan out.
15.07 – WR) Sammy Watkins – Baltimore Ravens
With the last pick in my mock draft, I selected the WR with the most experience for the Baltimore Ravens. Surely, he will start on a regular basis if he stays healthy, but the Ravens tend to run the ball WAY more than they pass it. I will know by the end of Week 1 if Watkins is deserving to be rostered on my team. He’s worth the shot as he is a low risk, high reward type of draft pick. I end my draft with a complete team that is well balanced and full of potential. I finished with six WRs, six RBs, two TEs, and one QB. Take a look below at my final roster.
QB) Lamar Jackson (4.06)
RB) David Montgomery (3.07)
RB) Myles Gaskin (5.07)
WR) Davante Adams (1.07)
WR) Calvin Ridley (2.06)
TE) Robert Tonyan (9.07)
FLEX) Javonte Williams (6.06)
FLEX) Melvin Gordon (7.07)
FLEX) Brandin Cooks (8.06)
BN) Corey Davis (10.06)
BN) Nyheim Hines (11.07)
BN) Jamaal Williams (12.06)
BN) Zach Ertz (13.07)
BN) Jalen Reagor (14.06)
BN) Sammy Watkins (15.07)
Did you enjoy this article and want more fantasy content? Make sure to check out my recent posts, and stay tuned for other positional rankings in the future. You can also follow me on Twitter @dirrim23, where I love talking about all things fantasy football!
