Fantasy Football 2016: Standard League Mock Draft and Position Strategy

With NFL preseason action slated to get underway shortly, fantasy football players are in full research mode in advance of drafts throughout August and the start of September. 

That means the ensuing days and weeks will serve as a trial-and-error period for prospective owners as they experiment with various strategies and tactics in mock drafts. 

So without further ado, here's a look at a fresh five-round mock draft for a 12-team league that employs standard scoring procedures in a snake draft format:

Round 1	Player	Position	Team	Bye
Round 2	Player	Position	Team	Bye
Round 3	Player	Position	Team	Bye
Round 4	Player	Position	Team	Bye
Round 5	Player	Position	Team	Bye
Team 1	Antonio Brown	WR	Pittsburgh Steelers	8
Team 2	Odell Beckham Jr.	WR	New York Giants	8
Team 3	Julio Jones	WR	Atlanta Falcons	11
Team 4	Adrian Peterson	RB	Minnesota Vikings	6
Team 5	DeAndre Hopkins	WR	Houston Texans	9
Team 6	Dez Bryant	WR	Dallas Cowboys	7
Team 7	Todd Gurley	RB	Los Angeles Rams	8
Team 8	Rob Gronkowski	TE	New England Patriots	9
Team 9	David Johnson	RB	Arizona Cardinals	9
Team 10	Ezekiel Elliott	RB	Dallas Cowboys	7
Team 11	Devonta Freeman	RB	Atlanta Falcons	11
Team 12	Le'Veon Bell	RB	Pittsburgh Steelers	8
Team 12	Lamar Miller	RB	Houston Texans	9
Team 11	Allen Robinson	WR	Jacksonville Jaguars	5
Team 10	Doug Martin	RB	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	6
Team 9	Alshon Jeffery	WR	Chicago Bears	9
Team 8	Mark Ingram	RB	New Orleans Saints	5
Team 7	Sammy Watkins	WR	Buffalo Bills	10
Team 6	LeSean McCoy	RB	Buffalo Bills	10
Team 5	Jamaal Charles	RB	Kansas City Chiefs	5
Team 4	Brandin Cooks	WR	New Orleans Saints	5
Team 3	Amari Cooper	WR	Oakland Raiders	10
Team 2	Thomas Rawls	RB	Seattle Seahawks	5
Team 1	Jordy Nelson	WR	Green Bay Packers	4
Team 1	Cam Newton	QB	Carolina Panthers	7
Team 2	Eddie Lacy	RB	Green Bay Packers	4
Team 3	Aaron Rodgers	QB	Green Bay Packers	4
Team 4	Keenan Allen	WR	San Diego Chargers	11
Team 5	Demaryius Thomas	WR	Denver Broncos	11
Team 6	Mike Evans	WR	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	6
Team 7	Brandon Marshall	WR	New York Jets	11
Team 8	Matt Forte	RB	New York Jets	11
Team 9	Julian Edelman	WR	New England Patriots	9
Team 10	Doug Baldwin	WR	Seattle Seahawks	5
Team 11	Russell Wilson	QB	Seattle Seahawks	5
Team 12	Drew Brees	QB	New Orleans Saints	5
Team 12	T.Y. Hilton	WR	Indianapolis Colts	10
Team 11	Jonathan Stewart	RB	Carolina Panthers	7
Team 10	Carlos Hyde	RB	San Francisco 49ers	8
Team 9	Ben Roethlisberger	QB	Pittsburgh Steelers	8
Team 8	Jarvis Landry	WR	Miami Dolphins	8
Team 7	Andrew Luck	QB	Indianapolis Colts	10
Team 6	Randall Cobb	WR	Green Bay Packers	4
Team 5	Eric Decker	WR	New York Jets	11
Team 4	Michael Floyd	WR	Arizona Cardinals	9
Team 3	Dion Lewis	RB	New England Patriots	9
Team 2	Carson Palmer	QB	Arizona Cardinals	9
Team 1	C.J. Anderson	RB	Denver Broncos	11
Team 1	Latavius Murray	RB	Oakland Raiders	10
Team 2	Jeremy Maclin	WR	Kansas City Chiefs	5
Team 3	Ryan Mathews	RB	Philadelphia Eagles	4
Team 4	DeMarco Murray	RB	Tennessee Titans	13
Team 5	Jeremy Hill	RB	Cincinnati Bengals	9
Team 6	Delanie Walker	TE	Tennessee Titans	13
Team 7	Jeremy Langford	RB	Chicago Bears	9
Team 8	Golden Tate	WR	Detroit Lions	10
Team 9	Emmanuel Sanders	WR	Denver Broncos	11
Team 10	Greg Olsen	TE	Carolina Panthers	7
Team 11	Justin Forsett	RB	Baltimore Ravens	8
Team 12	Jordan Matthews	WR	Philadelphia Eagles	4

Running Back Strategy 

Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images

When it comes to drafting running backs in 2016, a wait-and-see approach would seem to be the best bet for owners in the top half of the first round. 

Antonio Brown, Odell Beckham Jr. and Julio Jones all have high floors as wide receivers, and Minnesota Vikings bell cow Adrian Peterson is seemingly the only tailback who can rival the safety each of those dynamic playmakers offers. 

While Todd Gurley, Ezekiel Elliott and David Johnson are all enticing options, the relatively small sample size associated with each should give owners pause when it comes to selecting a running back with a first-round pick between selections one through six. 

Furthermore, a statistical examination by the Washington Post's Neil Greenberg revealed that only one running back drafted in the first round last year—Peterson—finished in the top 10 at season's end. Additionally, only four running backs drafted within the first three rounds—Peterson, Doug Martin, Lamar Miller and Matt Forte—finished among the top 10 players at their position. 

"One season might have been an anomaly, but in 2013 the average first-round running back ranked 20th at the position for value and a year later ranked 35th, so the performance in 2015 is not as big of an outlier as you might think," Greenberg wrote. 

Instead of splurging on ball-carriers at the top of the draft, entertain the thought of taking a more patient approach and load up on game-breaking wide receivers, a top-tier tight end and a high-floor quarterback who can provide your team with week-to-week stability. 

Wide Receiver Strategy 

Scott Cunningham/Getty Images

If it wasn't clear by now, wide receivers are the new running backs. Long gone are the days of workhorses carrying your team to a title on 25-plus carries per game.

Instead, speedy, reliable and physically gifted receivers have emerged as the new coveted pieces du jour in fantasy circles. And while receiver may be a far deeper position than running back this season, we can't ignore the gulf in upside between this year's top receivers and top backs.

Rotoworld's Rich Hribar explains:

"

Over a full 17-week season, the average number of backs to see 20 or more carries in a given week has gone from 13.3 to 7.2 and the number of backs to see 20 or more touches in a given week has dropped from 18.4 to 11.6. The long story short from the tables above is that it’s hard to score fantasy points without the football, and individual running backs are seeing less tangible and higher-end usage than ever before.

"

Based on those facts, owners would be wise to stack up on as much elite receiving talent as possible before loading their roster with boom-or-bust rushing prospects in the middle rounds. 

As last season exemplified, snagging backs with upside who need a slight bump in production to excel can pay huge dividends for owners who are cunning enough to make them a priority earlier than their competitors. 

Quarterback Strategy 

Waiting on quarterbacks has been in vogue for some time now, so it should go without saying that owners should pump the brakes on drafting Aaron Rodgers or Cam Newton in the first or second round. 

However, there is something to be said for providing your team with a strong point-producing base week in and week out. And if that concept tickles your fancy, selecting Rodgers or Newton in the third round or Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger or Russell Wilson in the fourth or fifth round is hardly a wasted pick, despite the bevy of talented signal-callers who will be available when the ninth and 10th rounds roll around. 

Plus, having such a stable player to anchor a team can allow owners to take risks on upside-laden rushing and receiving targets to help bolster their depth and provide some potential pop in a pinch off the bench.