Fantasy Football 2018: Mock Draft Strategy, Dynasty and Keeper Cheat Sheet

The biggest mistake fantasy football owners can make before draft day, especially in formats with long-term impacts such as dynasty and keeper leagues, is failing to prepare themselves for the wide range of potential outcomes through the use of mock drafts.

Everybody has favorite targets and it becomes easy to focus on that set of players during each mock with hope the actual draft plays out the same way. But when things start to get hectic during the draft—and they usually do—it's imperative to have several alternative plans of attack.

It's also important to test each hypothetical from every area of the draft order (early, middle and late) to ensure maximum preparation.

Trying to plan for all of those scenarios adds up. A fantasy owner could end up doing dozens of mock drafts before draft day arrives to cover all bases. That said, the knowledge gained is worth the time investment, particularly for a dynasty league expected to cover multiple seasons.

Here are some noteworthy questions to consider while doing mocks:

• What round does your positional cutoff (last starting-worthy player) typically occur at each position?
• Is there better value at running back or wide receiver in the middle rounds?
• Do you believe strongly in any of this year's rookie quarterbacks? Where do they come off the board?
• Are any of your mid-round sleepers regularly coming off the board before you expect?
• Which area of the draft order produces the most consistent strong rosters?

Now let's check out a top-100 cheat sheet for dynasty and keeper formats.

PPR Dynasty Keeper League Top 100

1. Todd Gurley (RB, LAR)

2. Odell Beckham Jr. (WR, NYG)

3. DeAndre Hopkins (WR, HOU)

4. Ezekiel Elliott (RB, DAL)

5. Le'Veon Bell (RB, PIT)

6. Antonio Brown (WR, PIT)

7. David Johnson (RB, ARZ)

8. Michael Thomas (WR, NO)

9. Mike Evans (WR, TB)

10. Alvin Kamara (RB, NO)

No major surprises in the top 10. Some fantasy owners may feel more comfortable with a wide receiver in the opening round since they can enjoy increased longevity compared to their running back counterparts, but Todd Gurley's outstanding play down the stretch last season earns him top spot here.

11. Julio Jones (WR, ATL)

12. Kareem Hunt (RB, KC)

13. Leonard Fournette (RB, JAX)

14. Keenan Allen (WR, LAC)

15. Davante Adams (WR, GB)

16. Dalvin Cook (RB, MIN)

17. A.J. Green (WR, CIN)

18. Christian McCaffrey (RB, CAR)

19. Amari Cooper (WR, OAK)

20. Saquon Barkley (RB, NYG)

A fun debate could occur trying to correctly position the running backs in this group. You could push Saquon Barkley ahead of the rest and be proved correct in the coming years, but the heavy workload of his final two years at Penn State should cause at least some caution in dynasty leagues.

21. Melvin Gordon (RB, LAC)

22. Stefon Diggs (WR, MIN)

23. Tyreek Hill (WR, KC)

24. Joe Mixon (RB, CIN)

25. Brandin Cooks (WR, LAR)

26. Allen Robinson (WR, CHI)

27. Travis Kelce (TE, KC)

28. Devonta Freeman (RB, ATL)

29. T.Y. Hilton (WR, IND)

30. Corey Davis (WR, TEN)

T.Y. Hilton would be higher on the list if owners could guarantee a healthy Andrew Luck. He's a game-changing receiver with legit No. 1 WR upside in both fantasy and reality. It's impossible to make that investment this year, however, and the situation as a whole leaves him in the boom-or-bust category.

31. Jarvis Landry (WR, CLE)

32. Adam Thielen (WR, MIN)

33. Rob Gronkowski (TE, NE)

34. Jordan Howard (RB, CHI)

35. JuJu Smith-Schuster (WR, PIT)

36. Zach Ertz (TE, PHI)

37. Doug Baldwin (WR, SEA)

38. Sammy Watkins (WR, KC)

39. Alshon Jeffery (WR, PHI)

40. Aaron Rodgers (QB, GB)

Rob Gronkowski is one of the toughest players to rank in this format. His age and injury history are a major red flag in a league where every draft pick is a long-term investment. But his elite production at a incredibly weak fantasy position makes the 29-year-old worth the risk at this stage.

41. Evan Engram (TE, NYG)

42. Carson Wentz (QB, PHI)

43. Russell Wilson (QB, SEA)

44. Jerick McKinnon (RB, SF)

45. Josh Gordon (WR, CLE)

46. Derrick Henry (RB, TEN)

47. Deshaun Watson (QB, HOU)

48. Sony Michel (RB, NE)

49. Golden Tate (WR, DET)

50. Rashaad Penny (RB, SEA)

More quarterbacks start coming into the fray here as their value starts to outweigh the positional scarcity. All three of Russell Wilson, Carson Wentz and Deshaun Watson should be long-term fantasy starters at the QB1 level despite the latter pair's returns of serious injury.

51. Demaryius Thomas (WR, DEN)

52. Mark Ingram (RB, NO)

53. Devante Parker (WR, MIA)

54. Andrew Luck (QB, IND)

55. Marvin Jones (WR, DET)

56. Cooper Kupp (WR, LAR)

57. LeSean McCoy (RB, BUF)

58. Sterling Shepard (WR, NYG)

59. David Njoku (TE, CLE)

60. Cam Newton (QB, CAR)

Here's where the decisions about age start to get difficult. A player such as LeSean McCoy should be a lock for major production for a few more years given his spotlight role in the Buffalo Bills offense; if you take him, though, make sure to add a younger rusher soon after to prepare for the future.

61. Ronald Jones II (RB, TB)

62. Jay Ajayi (RB, PHI)

63. Nick Chubb (RB, CLE)

64. Devin Funchess (WR, CAR)

65. Mike Williams (WR, LAC)

66. Tevin Coleman (RB, ATL)

67. D.J. Moore (WR, CAR)

68. Will Fuller (WR, HOU)

69. Michael Crabtree (WR, BAL)

70. Carlos Hyde (RB, CLE)

Depth at running back and wide receiver is essential to success both in 2018 and the future. While there may be an urge to take a quarterback after filling out your base skill spots, grabbing a player Ronald Jones II or D.J. Moore could prove a steal over the long haul.

71. O.J. Howard (TE, TB)

72. Kenyan Drake (RB, MIA)

73. Jimmy Garoppolo (QB, SF)

74. Hunter Henry (TE, LAC)

75. Jared Goff (QB, LAR)

76. Calvin Ridley (WR, ATL)

77. Robert Woods (WR, LAR)

78. Kirk Cousins (QB, MIN)

79. Jamison Crowder (WR, WSH)

80. Marcus Mariota (QB, TEN)

O.J. Howard produced just 26 catches during his rookie season and the continued presence of Cameron Brate as another tight end option in Tampa Bay is legitimate. That said, the position is low on true top-end talents, and he'll eventually get his chance to prove he belongs in that category.

81. Alex Collins (RB, BAL)

82. Royce Freeman (RB, DEN)

83. Lamar Miller (RB, HOU)

84. Duke Johnson (RB, CLE)

85. Jameis Winston (QB, TB)

86. Dak Prescott (QB, DAL)

87. Matthew Stafford (QB, DET)

88. Nelson Agholor (WR, PHI)

89. Josh Doctson (WR, WSH)

90. Chris Godwin (WR, TB)

This is where waiting a little while for a quarterback can pay off. All three of the QBs in this tier should produce to put their respective fantasy teams in title contention for many years to come. And they'll be surrounded by plenty of playmaking talent given the owner's investment elsewhere.

91. Christian Kirk (WR, ARZ)

92. Randall Cobb (WR, GB)

93. Courtland Sutton (WR, DEN)

94. Kyle Rudolph (TE, MIN)

95. Aaron Jones (RB, GB)

96. Patrick Mahomes (QB, KC)

97. Tarik Cohen (RB, CHI)

98. Kerryon Johnson (RB, DET)

99. Derrius Guice (RB, WSH)

100. Tom Brady (QB, NE)

Tom Brady is a worthwhile lottery ticket at this stage. It will be far enough in the draft that if he retires in the near future, your roster won't be crushed; if he ends up playing for another handful of years, though, the selection could help push a fantasy team to multiple championships.