Welcome to part five 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 fifth 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 parts one, two, three, and four when you get the chance as well.
1.05 – RB) Ezekiel Elliott – Dallas Cowboys
With the fifth overall pick, I selected Ezekiel Elliott over Saquon Barkley, Jonathan Taylor, and Davante Adams. I decided to do so because of how much he is involved in Dallas’ offense. With a healthier offensive line and a healthier Dak Prescott, the former All-Pro back should bounce back in a big way this season. It also helps that he has topped 50 receptions three seasons in a row. In a PPR league, that’s big time. There’s a reason why he has never finished below the RB12 spot before (he finished as the RB9 last season). This was a VERY easy decision.
2.08 – RB) Joe Mixon – Cincinnati Bengals
As you can tell, going back-to-back RBs is a smart thing to do as long as you don’t reach for your picks. Selecting Joe Mixon 20th overall in a fantasy draft should pan out very nicely if he plays most of the season healthy. Yes, he was a little banged up last year (missed 10 games), but you shouldn’t have to worry about that too much this season as he had ample time to rest and recover. During his first three seasons in the league, he missed a combined four games, and he finished as the RB10 in 2018 and the RB13 in 2019. He has the opportunity to finish higher than those spots this season because Giovani Bernard is no longer on the team as the third-down back. Expect more touches, more receptions, and more fantasy points for the fourth-year this year.
3.05 – WR) Keenan Allen – L.A. Chargers
Now that I have two great starting RBs for my team, I decided to grab the best available WR on the board. Keenan Allen is catching passes from one of the most exciting young QBs in today’s game (Justin Herbert). The two gelled well together last season, and Allen put together a very solid 2020 campaign. He finished with 100 receptions for 992 yards and eight touchdowns. Grabbing last year’s WR13 is pretty good value at the 3.05 spot.
4.08 – TE) Mark Andrews – Baltimore Ravens
Outside of the big three TEs (Travis Kelce, George Kittle, and Darren Waller), Mark Andrews is the safest TE to draft. He brings consistency and dominance at the position, finishing as the TE6 or better during the last two seasons. I will no longer think about the TE position the rest of the way, and now I need to really focus on grabbing another WR.
5.05 – WR) D.J. Moore – Carolina Panthers
My options at this point were between Dak Prescott, Ja’Marr Chase, Kareem Hunt, and D.J. Moore. I went ahead and drafted Moore ahead of the others because he brings consistency mixed with high potential. To me, Moore is a low risk, high reward type of player to draft in the fifth round. Pairing him up with Allen could turn them into a very powerful duo this season.
6.08 – RB) Mike Davis – Atlanta Falcons
This is the first time I’ve drafted Mike Davis in this series, and I have to tell you, Davis might surprise a lot of people this season in fantasy. Atlanta hasn’t brought in a ton of talent to surround Davis in the backfield, and it looks like he could potentially start the season as the every down back. Now that I have three RBs, two WRs, and a locked in TE1, I need to address the QB position.
7.05 – QB) Aaron Rodgers – Green Bay Packers
I couldn’t believe that Aaron Rodgers fell to me at the 7.05 spot. This is the latest I’ve been able to draft him thus far. It seems unimaginable to draft the reigning MVP in the middle of the seventh round, and this draft spot is a full round after his projected ADP. As of right now, his current ADP has him being drafted at about the 6.06 spot, so snatching him this late is exceptional value for my team.
8.08 – WR) Brandin Cooks – Houston Texans
With Allen and Moore as my only two WRs on my team so far, I decided to grab the Houston Texans’ clear WR1 Brandin Cooks. There isn’t a ton of excitement surrounding the eighth-year pro, but if you really think about it, who else is going to demand a large target share on his team? Tyrod Taylor is expected to start the season as Houston’s QB1, and he will have to rely on a veteran who has shown plenty of success throughout his career. That’s exactly what Cooks has done.
9.05 – WR) Tyler Boyd – Cincinnati Bengals
From here on out, I’m drafting for depth and value players only. Drafting Tyler Boyd four rounds later than rookie Ja’Marr Chase and three rounds later than Tee Higgins is absurd. He finished first on his team in targets (110), receptions (79), and he served as the WR29 in PPR leagues last year. Higgins put up very similar numbers, and he may take over as the team’s WR1, but Boyd will surely be heavily involved this season, especially if Chase doesn’t break out early like everyone seems to predict.
10.08 – WR) Corey Davis – New York Jets
Finding a team’s WR1 in the tenth round makes me very excited. It should bring joy to anyone drafting Corey Davis in the tenth round or later. The Jets signed him to a very lucrative deal, and he will battle Jamison Crowder, Denzel Mims, Keelan Cole, and rookie Elijah Moore for targets this season. Rookie Zach Wilson has already been targeting Davis a ton this offseason, and if the wide-out continues to be his top target, he will serve nicely for my team.
11.05 – RB) Gus Edwards – Baltimore Ravens
My RBs are a little thin at this point, and I decided to draft Gus Edwards here over Tony Pollard and Phillip Lindsay. Baltimore led the league in total rushing yards last season, and Edwards played a huge role in that. As a back-up, he carried the ball 144 times for 723 yards and six touchdowns. He has topped 700 rushing yards in each of his first three seasons, which is very impressive for a player with 13 career starts. If J.K. Dobbins goes down at any time, Edwards could easily become an RB1 type of player in fantasy.
12.08 – RB) Phillip Lindsay – Houston Texans
Although I passed on Lindsay last round, he fell back into my lap here in the 12th. In Houston’s first released depth chart, Lindsay was listed as the co-starter with Mark Ingram (not David Johnson?). The 27-year-old has an opportunity to produce in a big way this season because there isn’t a ton of talent surrounding him in Houston’s offense. As my RB5, I’ll take a chance on him and hope for the best.
13.05 – WR) Cole Beasley – Buffalo Bills
It’s so crazy to find an All-Pro receiver this late in drafts, who excels in PPR leagues. Last season, Beasley finished as the WR27, which is two spots behind my fifth-round selection (Moore). He will easily slide in nicely with my team that already consists of Allen, Moore, Cooks, Boyd, and Davis. And with Josh Allen throwing him passes, he should put together solid numbers once again.
14.08 – RB) Giovani Bernard – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Remember all the days when Tom Brady checked down a ton of passes to Kevin Faulk, Dion Lewis, and James White in New England? Well, he may be doing the same thing this season with Giovani Bernard in Tampa Bay. Bernard comes over from Cincinnati after hauling in 47 of his 59 targets for 355 yards and three touchdowns in 2020. In his eight seasons in the league, he has yet to fall short of 30 receptions. He could really turn out to be a steal in PPR leagues this late in drafts.
15.05 – WR) Jakobi Meyers – New England Patriots
With my last pick of this mock draft, I decided to go with someone who has never crossed the goal line as a pro. That didn’t stop Cam Newton from developing a very strong connection with him last season. They connected 59 times for 729 yards last season. And if Newton starts the entire season over rookie Mac Jones, this could turn out to be a very solid last pick for my team. 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 (7.05)
RB) Ezekiel Elliott (1.05)
RB) Joe Mixon (2.08)
WR) Keenan Allen (3.05)
WR) D.J. Moore (5.05)
TE) Mark Andrews (4.08)
FLEX) Mike Davis (6.08)
FLEX) Brandin Cooks (8.08)
FLEX) Tyler Boyd (9.05)
BN) Corey Davis (10.08)
BN) Gus Edwards (11.05)
BN) Phillip Lindsay (12.08)
BN) Cole Beasley (13.05)
BN) Giovani Bernard (14.08)
BN) Jakobi Meyers (15.05)
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!
