Welcome to part NINE 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 ninth 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.
1.09 – WR) Tyreek Hill – Kansas City Chiefs
Outside of Davante Adams, Tyreek Hill is the only WR I’m willing to take in the first round in 12-team leagues. At 1.09, I had the choice of selecting Hill, Jonathan Taylor, Nick Chubb, Aaron Jones, and others. Hill felt like the safe pick because he’s durable, consistent, and he has the ability to finish as this year’s WR1. In Kansas City’s offense, he could break out and score 30-plus PPR points on any given week. He’s also a target machine as he hauled in 87 of his 135 targets last season in just 15 games played.
2.04 – WR) Stefon Diggs – Buffalo Bills
Here I go again stacking WRs in the first two rounds. Joe Mixon would have been my second choice, but combining two WRs who finished inside the top-5 last season makes my WR position look super dominant right away. Hill finished as the WR2 last season while Diggs finished as the WR3. They should both put up similar numbers from last season as they haul in passes from two of the top QBs in the league.
3.09 – RB) Josh Jacobs – Las Vegas Raiders
Although Josh Jacobs doesn’t catch a ton of passes (this is a PPR league), he has been a monster on the ground through his two first seasons as a pro. In 28 games played, he has produced a total of 2,215 rushing yards and 19 rushing touchdowns. The Kenyan Drake addition is scary, but he certainly won’t take away a ton of Jacobs’ carries. The third-year pro is also a RB that likely carries the ball into the end zone 10-plus times if he stays healthy throughout the season.
4.04 – RB) Miles Sanders – Philadelphia Eagles
Just because Miles Sanders struggled at times last season doesn’t mean he will again this year. Sure, he doesn’t possess great hands out of the backfield, but he’s produced 78 receptions for 706 yards and three touchdowns in just two seasons. He’s going to see targets, and he’s going to continue to be the team’s workhorse for the time being. I’m happy to draft him here in the fourth round as my RB2.
5.09 – WR) Michael Thomas – New Orleans Saints
There’s a huge question roaming in the fantasy world on when fantasy managers should draft Michael Thomas. His ADP has him falling around the fifth round right now, and he’s expected to miss at least the first three weeks of the season. His timetable shows that his injury could set him back to Week 9 at the latest. When he returns, he should easily be the top pass-catching option for the Saints outside of Alvin Kamara. I’m drafting him here, and placing him on my IR, so I will have an additional player on my team in this mock draft.
6.04 – TE) T.J. Hockenson – Detroit Lions
Outside of the big four: Travis Kelce, George Kittle, Darren Waller, and Mark Andrews, T.J. Hockenson could be the next option at TE. He will have a great opportunity this season to lead Detroit in receiving numbers, with guys like Amon-Ra St. Brown, Quintez Cephus, Tyrell Williams and Breshad Perriman rounding out the WR unit. Newcomer Jared Goff will rely on a veteran this season, and Hockenson is clearly the favorite as of now.
7.09 – WR) Jerry Jeudy – Denver Broncos
Among potential second-year breakout WRs, Jerry Jeudy is the most intriguing to me because he has been slipping into the seventh round consistently. With Thomas placed on my IR, I’m going to rely on an improved season from the second-year wide-out. Courtland Sutton may come back rusty this season, so Jeudy has every opportunity to lead the Broncos’ receiving unit in production this season.
8.04 – QB) Tom Brady – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tom Brady keeps falling into my lap in the eighth round of mock drafts. The QB8 from last year could improve even more with one year under his belt as Tampa Bay’s signal-caller. He has one of the best pass-catching units in the league surrounding him, and there’s a reason why his team won Super Bowl LV. This man never ages, and he brings exceptional value to my team as an eighth-round pick.
9.09 – RB) Zack Moss – Buffalo Bills
I’m torn between Zack Moss and Devin Singletary this season. One of the two will produce as the Bills’ RB1. Moss certainly has the capability of doing so now that he has one year under his belt as a pro. At times, he looked like he was running away with the job last season. Nonetheless, taking a chance on him here in the ninth round is worth the risk.
10.04 – WR) Corey Davis – New York Jets
Drafting Corey Davis in the tenth round has been a recurring theme for me through this 12-part series. Don’t be surprised if he continues to fall on my roster in the middle rounds as this series continues. He looks to be the for sure WR1 for the Jets this season, and rookie Zach Wilson has already developed a strong connection with the fifth-year pro. I’m happy to draft him as my WR4 every single time!
11.09 – RB) Phillip Lindsay – Houston Texans
Speaking of recurring themes, I continue to draft Lindsay in the 11th round of my mock drafts. He has the chance to play the entire season as the Houston Texans’ RB1. He brings versatility and experience at the position. And I’m pretty confident that he can outproduce Mark Ingram, David Johnson, and Rex Burkhead this year.
12.04 – WR) Russell Gage – Atlanta Falcons
In the later rounds, it’s all about drafting depth and potential breakout fantasy stars. Russell Gage hauled in 72 receptions for 786 yards and four touchdowns while serving as the Falcons’ WR3 most of last season. Now that Julio Jones is out of town, he’s the favorite to serve as the team’s WR2. Calvin Ridley will see a ton of double coverage this season, opening up the opportunities for Gage to shine in Atlanta’s pass-happy offense.
13.09 – RB) Kenneth Gainwell – Philadelphia Eagles
Gainwell is solely a depth piece for my team at this point. I didn’t see another RB that I was willing to select the rest of the way through this mock draft. He’s one of the best rookie pass-catching RBs, and he has an opportunity to serve as the Eagles’ third-down back this year. In a PPR league, he’s a very intriguing prospect who I can drop very early if I don’t see production right away from him.
14.04 – WR) Jakobi Meyers – New England Patriots
There’s a lot of chatter surrounding Jakobi Meyers as New England’s potential WR1 this season. If Cam Newton earns the starting QB gig, expect Meyers to produce similar numbers from last season (59 receptions for 729 yards). He’s coming off a Week 2 preseason performance where he hauled in three receptions for 56 yards and a touchdown in limited playing time. Meyers is worth a shot in the later rounds, and again, if he doesn’t pan out, I can easily replace him early on in the season.
15.09 – TE) Pat Freiermuth – Pittsburgh Steelers
Although I drafted T.J. Hockenson in the sixth round, I’m not totally happy with my TE position just yet. Rookie TE Pat Freiermuth dominated at the college level, and he could take over as Pittsburgh’s TE1 over Eric Ebron right away. This is simply a depth selection here in the last round. He may not turn out to be the TE I want him to be right away, but he’s worth the risk with the last pick in this mock draft.
Undrafted – WR) Jamison Crowder
Because Michael Thomas is likely to begin the season in my IR spot, I needed to add another player. Jamison Crowder was one of the best undrafted free agents on the board, coming off a WR38 performance in 2020. He’s one of the most experienced pass-catchers in the Jets WR room, and his position as the starting slot receiver looks like it isn’t up for grabs. I finished with seven WRs, five RBs, two TEs, and one QB on my active roster, and one WR on the IR. Take a look below at my final roster.
QB) Tom Bardy (8.04)
RB) Josh Jacobs (3.09)
RB) Miles Sanders (4.04)
WR) Tyreek Hill (1.09)
WR) Stefon Diggs (2.04)
TE) T.J. Hockenson (6.04)
FLEX) WR) Jerry Jeudy (7.09)
FLEX) RB) Zack Moss (9.09)
FLEX) WR) Corey Davis (10.04)
BN) Phillip Lindsay (11.09)
BN) Russell Gage (12.04)
BN) Kenneth Gainwell (13.09)
BN) Jacobi Meyers (14.04)
BN) Pat Freiermuth (15.09)
BN) Jamison Crowder (Undrafted)
IR) Michael Thomas (5.09)
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!
