15-Round Fantasy Mock Draft: Picking No. 3

Welcome to part three of this 12-part series where I, Isaac Dirrim, will go through a completed mock draft on the Sleeper app. In this edition, I started the draft with the third 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 (more fun in my opinion). 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 parts one and two as well. 

1.03 – RB) Alvin Kamara – New Orleans Saints

Christian McCaffrey and Dalvin Cook went first and second overall, just like they have in the previous two drafts I’ve completed. The next available option was between Alvin Kamara and Derrick Henry. Since this is a PPR league, I had to choose Kamara because he brings such a different element to the game as an elite pass-catcher out of the backfield. In four career seasons, he has yet to fall short of 81 receptions. With Drew Brees retiring and Michael Thomas set to miss significant time, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if he finished as the RB1 this season. 

2.10 – TE) George Kittle – San Francisco 49ers

There are only three TEs I’m willing to take in the first three rounds, and Kittle is one of them. With great talent expected to fall in my lap in the third round, I decided to complete my TE position early, as it should serve as a positional advantage for me if he stays healthy all year. Kamara and Kittle in the first two rounds is a very solid start in this draft.

3.03 – RB) Antonio Gibson – Washington Football Team

For the third consecutive time, I selected Gibson in my mock draft. This time, he ended up slipping to the 3.03 spot, showcasing where he could fall in your drafts when it comes time for you to construct your team. Pairing him up with Kamara creates a strong RB room for my team thus far. 

4.10 – WR) CeeDee Lamb – Dallas Cowboys

I keep waiting until the fourth round to select my first WR, and I promise this won’t happen every time. Drafting CeeDee Lamb here brings much excitement for me based on his potential as a second-year player. If Dak Prescott stays healthy this season, the sky’s the limit for the 22-year old pass-catcher. Now it’s time to find another WR to compliment him.

5.03 – WR) D.J. Moore – Carolina Panthers

Again, I found D.J. Moore available in the fifth round. It’s safe to say that if you’re playing in a PPR league that Moore may be available in the late fourth/early fifth rounds in your drafts. He’s clearly the top target in Carolina’s offense (outside of McCaffrey), and he has the potential to finish inside the top-12 at his position this season. 

6.10 – QB) Aaron Rodgers – Green Bay Packers

Although Chase Edmonds was available for this pick, I decided to mix things up and select Aaron Rodgers late in the sixth round. The reigning regular season MVP should start each and every week for me this season (besides his bye week). Now I don’t have to worry about selecting another QB the rest of the way. 

7.03 – RB) Chase Edmonds – Arizona Cardinals

Luckily, Edmonds ended up falling to me in the seventh round anyways. I now get another pass-catcher to tag along with Kamara and Gibson. James Conner might not have much left in the tank, so it could turn into a season where Edmonds really starts to turn heads. If not, he still brings exceptional value as a threat in Arizona’s receiving game. 

8.10 – RB) Michael Carter Jr. – New York Jets

Now things get very interesting. I decided to take a chance on Carter Jr. here even though he isn’t locked in as the RB1 for New York. The Jets may take a “run by committee approach,” but Carter Jr. has the best chance at becoming the team’s lead back. Also, there weren’t a ton of great options at this spot. I decided to pass on players like Kenyan Drake, James Conner, and Damien Harris.  

9.03 – WR) Marquise Brown – Baltimore Ravens

Now I’m really taking a ton of chances. Brown comes into this season as the potential WR1 for Baltimore, but the addition of Sammy Watkins spices things up. The Ravens tend to rely on the run game heavily, so the young WR’s fantasy outlook is dependent on his touchdown receptions. Last season, he hauled in eight touchdowns, and seven the season prior. If he continues to be the Ravens’ top WR option, he should serve nicely as a flex option for me on an every week basis. 

10.10 – RB) Nyheim Hines – Indianapolis Colts

At this point, I’m wanting to take the best available option on the board. I found myself in an easy situation. Both Corey Davis and Michael Gallup were drafted ahead of me, so I went with the target king himself, Nyheim Hines. The versatile RB saw 76 targets last season, and he accumulated 152 offensive touches in the same backfield Jonathan Taylor plays in. As my RB5, Hines is certainly a valuable selection. 

11.03 – WR) Darnell Mooney – Chicago Bears

Lamb, Moore, and Brown are my top-three receivers going into the 11th round. I’m a little worried about my depth at the WR position, so I addressed it. I ended up snatching Darnell Mooney, a young and promising second-year receiver who has a great opportunity at breaking out this season. Playing on the opposite side of Allen Robinson ensures that he will see a ton of single-man coverage, and if you’ve watched his tape, you can see that he regularly creates separation. Drafting Mooney is a gamble, but it has the potential to really work out in the long run. 

12.10 – RB) J.D. McKissic – Washington Football Team

If you can’t tell by now in this series, I like stacking J.D. McKissic with Gibson. If at any point Gibson were to miss time, McKissic should see PLENTY of touches! Even while they are both healthy, the nifty pass-catching back should serve well in PPR leagues. There are rumors that Washington wants to use Gibson like a Christian McCaffrey. First off, if they do, it works out for me because I drafted him. If they don’t, McKissic will be heavily involved, and they will both be fantasy relevant. This is a win-win scenario unless they both miss extended time. 

13.03 – WR) Amon-Ra St. Brown – Detroit Lions

For my last three picks, I’m going to select WRs who have the potential to really turn some heads this season. I decided to first select Detroit’s rookie WR, Amon-Ra St. Brown. Out of USC, he wasn’t the most talked about receiver heading into the draft, but he has one of the best opportunities out of any rookie wide-out. The other receivers on the Lions include Tyrell Williams, Quintez Cephus, and Breshad Perriman. With Detroit having one of the worst WR groups on paper, the rookie could really make a name for himself this season. 

14.10 – WR) Sammy Watkins – Baltimore Ravens

The “Lizard King” joins a very weak WR room in Baltimore. Of course, Brown is expected to be this team’s WR1, but Watkins has shown that if healthy, he can be VERY fantasy relevant. I decided to take a chance on him in the second-to-last round because I drafted Brown a few rounds ago. Through the first few weeks, I’m going to be able to tell if Watkins will produce decent enough numbers to stay rostered on my team. If he does, my gamble worked out. If he doesn’t, I still have Brown, and Watkins’ lack of productivity will only help Brown’s fantasy stock. 

15.03 – WR) Christian Kirk – Arizona Cardinals

In the first edition of this series, I drafted A.J. Green with my final pick because he has tremendous upside for this season, if healthy. Today, I decided to draft a WR that plays on the same team as him, not named DeAndre Hopkins. Christian Kirk is worth a 15th round selection because of what we saw from him last season at times. He recorded four games of over 70 yards receiving, and in one of them, he hauled in five receptions for 123 yards and a touchdown. He also went on a hot streak where he produced five touchdown receptions in three weeks. If he continues to grow, he may find himself on my roster throughout the entire 2021 season. I end my draft with a complete team that is well balanced and full of potential. I finished with seven WRs, six RBs, one TE, and one QB. Take a look below at my final roster. 

QB) Aaron Rodgers (6.10)

RB) Alvin Kamara (1.3)

RB) Antonio Gibson (3.3)

WR) CeeDee Lamb (4.10)

WR) D.J. Moore (5.03)

TE) George Kittle (2.10)

FLEX) Chase Edmonds (7.03)

FLEX) Michael Carter Jr. (8.10)

FLEX) Marquise Brown (9.03)

BN) Nyheim Hines (10.10)

BN) Darnell Mooney (11.03)

BN) J.D. McKissic (12.10)

BN) Amon-Ra St. Brown (13.03)

BN) Sammy Watkins (14.10)

BN) Christian Kirk (15.03)

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!