Fantasy Football 2018: Examining Expert Mock Drafts After Preseason Week 2

For inexperienced fantasy football players, it pays to listen to the pros, literally. Take a moment to peruse the net for expert strategies to form your own approach.

Fantasy football veterans often partake in mock drafts to prepare for the real deal. Make note of their sleeper picks, especially when a player goes higher than their average draft position. Typically, there's a good reason for the selection.

After searching the internet, here are three fantasy football pros who simulated drafts for 12-team PPR leagues. The lineups have similar formats, although one features two wide receivers instead of three. Each individual drew a different pick in order.

Take note that when the mock drafters selected a quarterback and who they chose as an RB1. We'll also highlight value picks compared to their ADPs using the fantasy football calculator.

Fantasy Football Expert Mock Drafts

Matt Camp, Bleacher Report (9th Pick)

Lineup: QB, RB, RB, WR, WR, WR, TE, FLEX, D/ST, K, 6 Bench Spots

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1. RB Kareem Hunt, Kansas City Chiefs

2. WR Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints 

3. WR Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings 

4. RB Dion Lewis, Tennessee Titans

5. TE Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers

6. WR Emmanuel Sanders, Denver Broncos

7. RB Chris Thompson, Washington Redskins

8. WR Nelson Agholor, Philadelphia Eagles

9. RB Jamaal Williams, Green Bay Packers

10. QB Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers

11. RB Corey Clement, Philadelphia Eagles 

12. TE George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers

13. WR Paul Richardson, Washington Redskins

14. QB Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams

15. New England Patriots Defense/Special Teams 

16. K Justin Tucker, Baltimore Ravens

Bleacher Report's Matt Camp could have a middle-round steal in Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Nelson Agholor if fellow pass-catcher Alshon Jeffery starts the season on the physically unable to perform list, as NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported he might.

Per Philly Voice reporter Jimmy Kempski, Eagles head coach Doug Pederson commented on Jeffery's progress, refuting Rapoport's story: "You know what, I'm not going to comment on that because we're monitoring his progress, it's day-to-day, we're happy where he's at, and we'll continue to do that. But I'm not sure where that [report] came from." 

There's uncertainty with any type of recovery from an injury, but the decision to grab Nelson could make Camp look like a fantasy football genius. 

Deep in Round 14, Camp may have picked up one of the most underrated quarterbacks for the upcoming season. Los Angeles Rams signal-caller Jared Goff's ADP lists at 11.05, but he fell to the bottom of this mock. Don't forget his team acquired wideout Brandin Cooks, who's logged three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.

Camp put together a top-heavy draft with high-upside assets in the middle-to-late rounds that potentially give him trade bait in case there's an unfortunate injury at running back.

Jacob Camenker, Sporting News (4th Pick) 

Lineup: QB, RB, RB, WR, WR, TE, FLEX, D/ST, K, 6 Bench Spots

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1. RB Le'Veon Bell, Pittsburgh Steelers

2. WR Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

3. WR Doug Baldwin, Seattle Seahawks 

4. WR Brandin Cooks, Los Angeles Rams 

5. RB Jay Ajayi, Philadelphia Eagles 

6. TE Delanie Walker, Tennessee Titans 

7. RB Duke Johnson, Cleveland Browns

8. WR Josh Doctson, Washington Redskins

9. QB Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions 

10. RB Theo Riddick, Detroit Lions 

11. WR Danny Amendola, Miami Dolphins

12. RB Ty Montgomery, Green Bay Packers

13. RB Matt Breida, San Francisco 49ers

14. Panthers Defense/Special Teams 

15. K, Jake Elliott, Philadelphia Eagles

Sporting News writer Jacob Camenker picked Cooks up in the fourth round. Sure, Goff will spread the ball around, but the front office extended the receiver with a five-year, $81 million contract. He's going to have a big role within the offense.

Seattle Seahawks wideout Doug Baldwin should have a busy season in an offense that relied heavily on quarterback Russell Wilson's arm last year. He ranked No. 6 in pass attempts and led the league in touchdown scores through the air with 34.

The Seahawks lost tight end Jimmy Graham and wideout Paul Richardson during free agency. Regardless of how good Brandon Marshall looks at 34 years old, he's not going to compensate for losing both pass-catchers. Baldwin could explode for a career year in yards and come close to his single-season high 14 touchdowns. 

Quarterback Matthew Stafford doesn't look like a steal in the ninth round—his ADP lists at 9.09—but he should rank a lot higher in draft position. The Detroit Lions finished No. 6 in passing yards and No. 4 in touchdowns through the air last season. It's a group that deserves more credit, but the team missed the 2017 playoffs, so there's less buzz around a potential top-five vertical attack. Camenker has a solid QB1 on the roster.

Jon Munshaw, FantasyPros (6th Pick)

Lineup: QB, RB, RB, WR, WR, WR, TE, FLEX, D/ST, K, 6 Bench Spots

Elsa/Getty Images

1. RB Saquon Barkley, New York Giants

2. WR A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals 

3. WR Stefon Diggs, Minnesota Vikings

4. WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pittsburgh Steelers 

5. RB Royce Freeman, Denver Broncos 

6. RB Mark Ingram, New Orleans Saints 

7. RB Kerryon Johnson, Detroit Lions

8. WR Jamison Crowder, Washington Redskins

9. TE Jordan Reed, Washington Redskins 

10. QB Philip Rivers, Los Angeles Chargers

11. QB Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers 

12. TE George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers

13. RB Matt Breida, San Francisco 49ers

14. WR John Ross, Cincinnati Bengals

15. New Orleans Saints Defense/Special Team 

16. K Jake Elliott, Philadelphia Eagles 

FantasyPros writer Jon Munshaw paid close attention to the preseason. Running back Saquon Barkley broke out with a 39-yard run on his first handoff. Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins established an immediate rapport with wideout Stefon Diggs in the team's first preseason outing. Rookie running backs Kerryon Johnson and Royce Freeman have flashed in their first exhibition contests.

Munshaw rode the preseason hype in his mock, but it's justifiable with all the aforementioned players set to have a decent role in their respective offenses for the upcoming season. It's also worth noting, he picked up Mark Ingram, who should reclaim his role in the New Orleans Saints backfield alongside Alvin Kamara after serving a four-game suspension. If Freeman or Johnson underwhelm, the two-time Pro Bowler would adequately fill the RB2 role behind Barkley.

The decision to go with Philip Rivers and Jimmy Garoppolo in back-to-back rounds gives Munshaw an ability to deploy a signal-caller based on weekly matchups. Both quarterbacks have ninth-round ADPs (9.04) and (9.12). 

Nonetheless, the Los Angeles Chargers fielded the No. 1 passing offense in yards last year. Despite losing tight end Hunter Henry because of a torn ACL, Rivers will have a big target in Mike Williams (6'4" 220 lbs) in his sophomore campaign. Following a full offseason in San Francisco, Garoppolo should continue to see growth under head coach Kyle Shanahan, who led the No. 9 passing offense in yards for the 2017 season.

Average Draft Position courtesy of Fantasy Football Calculator.