Welcome to part 11 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 11th 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 couple of 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.
1.11 – RB) Aaron Jones – Green Bay Packers
Grabbing Aaron Jones near the end of the first round of a PPR draft is terrific value. He has topped 45 receptions two seasons in a row while also producing back-to-back 1,000-yard plus rushing seasons and double-digit touchdowns as well. Because Aaron Rodgers is back for at least one more season as Green Bay’s signal-caller, Jones should benefit mightily. Why not select last year’s RB5 as the ninth RB off the board in this mock draft?
2.02 – WR) DeAndre Hopkins – Arizona Cardinals
After my Jones selection, Team 12 snagged Austin Ekeler and Stefon Diggs respectively. I responded by taking a WR who is on a four-year streak of finishing as a WR5 or better. DeAndre Hopkins came out and stated that he still believes he’s the best WR in the league, and he may not be wrong. Last year’s WR4 in PPR leagues has the opportunity and skill set to claim his WR1 spot again, like he did in 2018. The pairing of Jones and Hopkins is new for this series, but it may be the most dominant yet.
3.11 – RB) David Montgomery – Chicago Bears
AGAIN. I don’t understand how Montgomery is falling in the later half of the third rounds in mock drafts. Even in a PPR league, he should be drafted at least towards the beginning of the third round. HE FINISHED LAST SEASON AS THE RB4! According to this mock draft, he’s worthy of starting the season as the projected RB18. Oh well, I’m not complaining about him as my third-round selection. My team is already starting to look loaded at RB.
4.02 – RB) Miles Sanders – Philadelphia Eagles
I stated it above, and I’ll state it again. My RB position is already looking stacked. In the fourth round, I decided to draft Miles Sanders. There’s no doubt that he disappointed at times in 2020, but he still managed to finish as the RB23. Sure, this pick ends up as a bad selection if he lands there again. BUT his opportunity in Philadelphia is undeniably intriguing. There aren’t a great amount of good pass-catchers in the Eagles’ offense, and that could benefit Sanders nicely. If he can produce like he did during his rookie season, this pick works out…BY A LONG SHOT.
5.11 – RB) James Robinson – Jacksonville Jaguars
We all heard about it. Jacksonville’s rookie RB, Travis Etienne, will likely miss the entire 2021 season. This is horrible news of course, but this is great for James Robinson’s 2021 fantasy outlook. There’s no question that he will serve a similar role like he did last season. The second-year pro finished as the RB7 in 2020, but he missed the last two regular season games. Before sitting out (tanking for Trevor Lawrence of course), he served as the RB4. Sure, he will likely fall below that this season, but his opportunity for fantasy success is wide open now.
6.02 – TE) T.J. Hockenson – Detroit Lions
I’m very confident with my RB position at this point, so I decided to pivot to TE. Hockenson was still on the board, and I think this is the perfect spot to draft him. At the beginning of the sixth round, I’m happy to take my projected TE4. His anticipated 2021 success is very enticing when you think about it. With Marvin Jones Jr., Kenny Golladay (kind of), and Danny Amendola catching passes in the same offense as him last season, Hockenson managed to serve as the TE5 on the year. Now that those three are replaced by Amon-Ra St. Brown, Breshad Perriman, and Tyrell Williams, the third-year pro’s opportunities have opened up tremendously. This was a VERY easy decision.
7.11 – QB) Tom Brady – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
This is the earliest I’ve taken Brady in a mock draft, but this is still a great place for him to land. Team 12 hadn’t drafted a QB yet, so I wanted to snag him here just in case they took him before my next pick. It’s a good thing I had that mindset going into this selection because they grabbed Lawrence at 7.12. Now that I have an established QB and TE I can rely on all season, I’m going to focus on adding depth at my WR and RB positions the rest of the way.
8.02 – WR) Brandin Cooks – Houston Texans
Waiting until the eight round to select my WR2 isn’t exactly what I had in mind when I entered this mock draft. But in fantasy leagues, it’s easier to recover from a weak WR group than it is to recover from a weak group of RBs. Cooks is BY FAR Houston’s top pass-catcher, and he has been a very reliable fantasy WR for years. He finished as the WR17 last season with a better surrounding cast of wide-outs around him. Yes, his level of QB play will regress tremendously, but he should still put together a solid 2021 season.
9.11 – WR) Will Fuller – Miami Dolphins
There’s still a ton of uncertainty when it comes to Tua Tagovailoa’s skill set and potential. But Will Fuller has proven that when healthy, he’s a force to be reckoned with on the field. Although he missed the last five regular season games last year, his 16-game pace calculated out to about 71 receptions for 1,172 yards and just under 11 touchdowns. He will miss the first game of this season for the sixth and final game of his suspension. Once he comes back, he could easily become the Dolphins’ WR1. I’m fine with Fuller as my WR3, but I need to add a lot more talent at my WR position.
10.02 – WR) Corey Davis – New York Jets
Here we go again. I drafted Corey Davis in the 10th round for the SIXTH TIME in this 12-part series. I just can’t get over the fact that a team’s clear WR1 is falling into the 10th round very regularly. I don’t think a lot of fantasy managers would be surprised if he finished as the WR25 or better this season. Davis brings a ton of value both as a 10th-rounder and as a WR4 for my fantasy team.
11.11 – RB) Phillip Lindsay – Houston Texans
Drafting Phillip Lindsay in the 11th round is also a very common one for me. This is also the latest I’ve selected the Houston Texan, who could easily start the season as the team’s RB1. He just recently stated that the Texan’s offense is “a RBs dream” to play in. As my RB5, I’m more than happy with landing Lindsay this late in the draft.
12.02 – WR) DeVante Parker – Miami Dolphins
Just three rounds prior, I selected DeVante Parker’s teammate (Fuller). Because it’s uncertain who will take over as Miami’s top receiver, I decided to draft Parker here just in case he takes over as the WR1 for the Dolphins. Either way, this is a great spot to take a chance on him, and he will easily be a serviceable bench WR for my team this season.
13.11 – WR) Jakobi Meyers – New England Patriots
Throughout this offseason, there has been a ton of hype surrounding Jakobi Meyers as New England’s potential WR1. As a 13th-round pick, his upside outweighs most of the players remaining in this mock draft. Bill Belichick and the Patriots have yet to announce who the starting QB will be for Week 1. If Cam Newton is named the starter, this will help Meyers’ fantasy stock because of the strong connection they’ve already created from last season.
14.02 – WR) Jalen Reagor – Philadelphia Eagles
No, I do not think Jalen Reagor will serve as Philadelphia’s top pass-catcher this season. BUT he has every opportunity to do so. There’s a reason why he was drafted in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He’s very talented, and the surrounding receivers on his team aren’t the most established players at the pro level. If he so happens to finish as the WR50 or better, this selection will be graded as a solid A.
15.11 – WR) Marquez Callaway – New Orleans Saints
Michael Thomas is set to miss extended time to start off the 2021 season. Outside of Alvin Kamara, who is Jameis Winston going to pass to on a week-to-week basis? Marquez Callaway could easily slide into the WR1 role for this team. During his latest preseason performance, he hauled in five receptions for 104 yards and two touchdowns. Of course I’m willing to spend my last draft pick on the hot hand. If he doesn’t work out, I won’t lose sleep over this pick. I finished with eight WRs, five RBs, one TE, and one QB. Take a look below at my final roster.
QB) Tom Brady (7.11)
RB) Aaron Jones (1.11)
RB) David Montgomery (3.11)
WR) DeAndre Hopkins (2.02)
WR) Brandin Cooks (8.02)
TE) T.J. Hockenson (6.02)
FLEX) Miles Sanders (4.02)
FLEX) James Robinson (5.11)
FLEX) Will Fuller (9.11)
BN) Corey Davis (10.02)
BN) Phillip Lindsay (11.11)
BN) DeVante Parker (12.02)
BN) Jakobi Meyers (13.11)
BN) Jalen Reagor (14.02)
BN) Marquez Callaway (15.11)
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!
