Fantasy Football 2018: Breaking Down Mock Draft and Cheat Sheet

The NFL draft takes place in April, but the scouting, studying and evaluating of players is a year-round process for front offices. After all, one high-profile mistake can set a franchise back for the next season and beyond.

The best fantasy football players understand that, just like in the NFL, the preparation before draft day is just as important as the event itself. Players must be ready for unexpected moves from their rivals and draft surprises and to adjust accordingly if they are going to set themselves up for a successful campaign.

With that in mind, here is some last-minute August cramming before fantasy drafts take place across the country prior to the start of the NFL season on Sept. 6.

Below is a mock draft for the first round of a 12-team non-PPR league, as well as a reaction to it and some cheat-sheet tips.

Mock Draft

This mock draft is based on the average draft position of each player on Fantasy Football Calculator with the exact average position in parentheses.

1. Todd Gurley, RB, Los Angeles Rams (1.4)

2. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys (2.5)

3. Le'Veon Bell, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers (2.5)

4. David Johnson, RB, Arizona Cardinals (4.0)

5. Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants (5.8)

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

6. Antonio Brown, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers (5.9)

7. Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints (6.8)

8. Leonard Fournette, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars (8.3)

9. Melvin Gordon, RB, Los Angeles Chargers (9.0)

10. Kareem Hunt, RB, Kansas City Chiefs (9.9)

11. DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Houston Texans (11.1)

12. Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota Vikings (11.7)

Breaking Down the Mock and Cheat-Sheet Tips

One thing is abundantly clear looking at the average draft position of the players in the above mock—select a running back early if you want one of the best in the league.

Ten of the first 12 picks were running backs, and while stars such as Todd Gurley, Ezekiel Elliott and David Johnson expectedly flew off the board, fantasy players could be picking at scraps as soon as the third round if these average draft positions are any indication.

There is an argument to be made for going against the grain and taking a top-notch player at another position while others are focused on running backs, but the depth among pass-catchers overrides that strategy.

Nine players had more than 1,000 rushing yards and 19 had more than 800 last season compared to the 15 players who tallied more than 1,000 receiving yards and a head-turning 32 who finished with more than 800. Of those players, 27 were wide receivers, meaning the opportunity to pick up a game-changing presence at the position in the middle to latter rounds will be waiting.

Ignoring running backs in the first round will leave fantasy players with an immediate deficit at the position if 10 come off the board.

That wide receiver depth also suggests fantasy players should look to target a top-notch tight end in the first three rounds considering Rob Gronkowski and Travis Kelce were the only two with more than 1,000 receiving yards in 2017. While 27 wide receivers had more than 800 receiving yards, just five tight ends had more than 700.

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

The difference between the elite tight ends and the rest is big enough to determine a number of closely contested fantasy games this season whereas the sheer volume of receivers who produce in the pass-happy NFL make it easier to land difference-makers late in a draft.

In fantasy terms, 30 receivers had more than 170 points last year on ESPN.com compared to just six tight ends.

Grab those elite tight ends and running backs while they are still available and don't worry about another position—quarterback.

It may be the most important position on the field in the actual NFL, but there are significant points to be had even with late-round picks when it comes to signal-callers. According to FantasyPros, 22 quarterbacks had more than 200 points in last season's standard leagues compared to just seven running backs.

That's not even counting Aaron Rodgers, who dealt with injury in 2017 and figures to join the list of high-scoring quarterbacks again in 2018.

Fantasy players can wait until every other squad in a 12-team league has a starting quarterback and still land a high scorer without issue.

The biggest takeaway is don't sacrifice production in a more scarce position like tight end or running back just to land a quarterback in the first couple of rounds.