Fantasy Football 2023: Funniest Team Names and Mock Draft Strategy at Key Spots

Kristopher KnoxAug 13, 2023

The 2023 NFL preseason is underway. As teams and players are preparing for the regular season, draft aficionados are hard at work preparing for their season-long drafts.

There are many facets to a successful fantasy season—a deep roster, smart in-season and bye-week management and a little luck—but it all starts with a quality draft.

Below, you'll find a look at some tried-and-true strategies for key spots in a traditional 12-team, point-per-reception (PPR) snake draft. You'll also find some funny suggestions to help cap off that perfect lineup with a chuckle-inducing team name.

First, though, let's run through a quick two-round mock draft and examine the latest PPR rankings.

PPR Top 50

1 of 4

AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn

Vikings WR Justin Jefferson

1. Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings

2. Ja'Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

3. Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers

4. Tyree Hill, WR, Miami Dolphins

5. Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams

6. Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

7. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs

8. Stefon Diggs, WR, Buffalo Bills

9. CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys

10. Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit Lions

11. A.J. Brown, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

12. Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants

13. Davante Adams, WR, Las Vegas Raiders

14. Bijan Robinson, RB, Atlanta Falcons

15. Garrett Wilson, WR, New York Jets

16. Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns

17. Tony Pollard, RB, Dallas Cowboys

18. Jaylen Waddle, WR, Miami Dolphins

19. Chris Olave, WR, New Orleans Saints

20. Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans

21. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts

22. Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, New England Patriots

23. DeVonta Smith, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

24. Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

25. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs

26. Jalen Hurts, QB, Philadelphia Eagles

27. Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills

28. Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

29. DK Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks

30. Josh Jacobs, RB, Las Vegas Raiders

31. Amari Cooper, WR, Cleveland Browns

32. Mark Andrews, TE, Baltimore Ravens

33. Calvin Ridley, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

34. Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

35. Najee Harris, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

36. Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens

37. Breece Hall, RB, New York Jets

38. Deebo Samuel, WR, San Francisco 49ers

39. Travis Etienne Jr., RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

40. Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

41. Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers

42. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions

43. Drake London, WR, Atlanta Falcons

44. D.J. Moore, WR, Chicago Bears

45. Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals

46. Terry McLaurin, WR, Washington Commanders

47. Justin Herbert, QB, Los Angeles Chargers

48. Justin Fields, QB, Chicago Bears

49. T.J. Hockenson, TE, Minnesota Vikings

50. Christian Kirk, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

2-Round Mock Draft

2 of 4

Chris Williams/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Rams WR Cooper Kupp

Round 1

1. Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings

2. Ja'Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

3. Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams

4. Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers

5. Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

6. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs

7. Tyreek Hill, WR, Miami Dolphins

8. Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit Lions

9. Stefon Diggs, WR, Buffalo Bills

10. Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants

11. Bijan Robinson, RB, Atlanta Falcons

12. Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns

Round 2

1. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts

2. CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys

3. A.J. Brown, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

4. Tony Pollard, RB, Dallas Cowboys

5. Garrett Wilson, WR, New York Jets

6. Jaylen Waddle, WR, Miami Dolphins

7. Davante Adams, WR, Las Vegas Raiders

8. Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans

9. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs

10. Chris Olave, WR, New Orleans Saints

11. DeVonta Smith, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

12. Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills

Draft Strategies for Key Spots

3 of 4

Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

KANSAS CITY, MO - APRIL 28: The stage is lit up in purple and the Baltimore Ravens logo to indicate the Pick Is In during the third round of the NFL Draft on April 28, 2023 at Union Station in Kansas City, MO. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

When building a fantasy draft board, it's often good to break players down into tiers. At receiver, for example, a manager might peg Justin Jefferson, Ja'Marr Chase, Cooper Kupp, Tyreek Hill and Davante Adams as the only players they're willing to take in the first round. They would become Tier !, while the next batch of receivers would be Tier 2 and so on.

It can also be helpful to break down the draft into key spots and create strategies to worth through each stage. Applications like FantasyPros' Mock Draft Simulator can then be used to test these game plans.

The first key spot managers will encounter is the first two rounds. Ideally, managers will come away with some combination of two top-tier running backs and/or receivers since they make up the backbone of any successful roster. However, it's critical, if at all possible, to snag two Tier 1 players within the first two rounds.

That can mean targeting Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce—who can be viewed as a top receiver—in the first round or pivoting to a Tier 1 quarterback in the second.

The second key spot is in Rounds 3-5. This is where a run on quarterbacks usually occurs and where managers will typically solidify their starting lineups. It's critical to come out of Round 5 with at least one starting-caliber receiver and one starting-caliber running back. After Round 5, high-volume receivers and true every-down backs are going to be scarce.

This is why if a manager doubles up on running backs in the first two rounds, as Team 12 did in our mock, it's probably a good idea to dip into the receiver pool as early as Round 3. A receiver like Keenan Allen or Amari Cooper isn't going to provide the upside of a wideout like Jefferson or Chase, but they'll usually see a high enough weekly workload to avoid being a bust.

The third key spot is in the middle rounds, where managers should round out their starting lineups and begin taking fliers on high-upside flex options and backups. Rounds 6-10 provide a great spot in which to gamble on rookies. They're unproven, but they can often yield quality results—as reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year Garrett Wilson did in 2022.

This is a great range to take a flier on an iffy rookie like Jordan Addison, Zach Charbonnet, Zay Flowers or Quentin Johnston.

Rookies expected to step into prominent roles, like Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs, are likely to go higher.

The final few rounds represent the last key spot in fantasy drafts. This is where managers should focus on insurance policies and pure handcuffs. If a manager takes Josh Jacobs—who is still holdout out of training camp—high in the draft, using a late pick on fellow Las Vegas Raiders back Zamir White would be a good idea.

This is also where to begin focusing on defenses, though an elite unit like the San Francisco 49ers may go in the middle rounds. If there's an early run on defenses, adjust accordingly.

Never draft a kicker before the final two rounds.