2018 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Overall Drafting Strategy and Cheat Sheet

We're already into the third week of the NFL preseason, which means many of us are gearing up for our fantasy football drafts. 

The key to winning the draft is preparation. The more you prepare for various scenarios, the better off you'll be on draft night. 

The best way to prep for the draft is to read many mock drafts and strategy guides—there's no right answer, so take in opinions from different sources and decide what works best for you. But to get you started, here's a fantasy football mock draft, a top-50 cheat sheet and a few tips on how to win your draft. 

Mock Draft

Round 1

Team 1: Todd Gurley, RB, LAR

Team 2: Le'Veon Bell, RB, PIT

Team 3: David Johnson, RB, ARZ

Team 4: Antonio Brown, WR, PIT

Team 5: Alvin Kamara, RB, NO

Team 6: DeAndre Hopkins, WR, HOU

Team 7: Ezekiel Elliott, RB, DAL

Team 8: Saquon Barkley, RB, NYG

Team 9: Kareem Hunt, RB, KC

Team 10: Leonard Fournette, RB, JAC

Round 2

Team 10: Michael Thomas, WR, NO

Team 9: Odell Beckham Jr., WR, NYG

Team 8: Melvin Gordon, RB, LAC

Team 7: Julio Jones, WR, ATL

Team 6: Dalvin Cook, RB, MIN

Team 5: A.J. Green, WR, CIN

Team 4: Christian McCaffrey, RB, CAR

Team 3: Keenan Allen, WR, LAC

Team 2: Davante Adams, WR, GB

Team 1: Mike Evans, WR, TB

Round 3

Team 1: Devonta Freeman, RB, ATL

Team 2: LeSean McCoy, RB, BUF

Team 3: T.Y. Hilton, WR, IND

Team 4: Jordan Howard, RB, CHI

Team 5: Tyreek Hill, WR, KC

Team 6: Joe Mixon, RB, CIN

Team 7: Rob Gronkowski, TE, NE

Team 8: Zach Ertz, TE, PHI

Team 9: Adam Thielen, WR, MIN

Team 10: Allen Robinson, WR, CHI

PPR Top-50 Cheat Sheet

1. Todd Gurley, RB, LAR

2. Le'Veon Bell, RB, PIT

3. David Johnson, RB, ARZ

4. Antonio Brown, WR, PIT

5. Alvin Kamara, RB, NO

6. DeAndre Hopkins, WR, HOU

7. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, DAL

8. Saquon Barkley, RB, NYG

9. Kareem Hunt, RB, KC

10. Leonard Fournette, RB, JAC

11. Michael Thomas, WR, NO

12. Odell Beckham Jr., WR, NYG

13. Julio Jones, WR, ATL

14. Melvin Gordon, RB, LAC

15. Dalvin Cook, RB, MIN

16. Christian McCaffrey, RB, CAR

17. A.J. Green, WR, CIN

18. Devonta Freeman, RB, ATL

19. Keenan Allen, WR, LAC

20. Davante Adams, WR, GB

21. Mike Evans, WR, TB

22. T.Y. Hilton, WR, IND

23. Tyreek Hill, WR, KC

24. LeSean McCoy, RB, BUF

25. Adam Thielen, WR, MIN

26. Rob Gronkowski, TE, NE

27. Jordan Howard, RB, CHI

28. Joe Mixon, RB, CIN

29. Allen Robinson, WR, CHI

30. Zach Ertz, TE, PHI

31. Stefon Diggs, WR, MIN

32. Travis Kelce, TE, KC

33. Demaryius Thomas, WR, DEN

35. Doug Baldwin, WR, SEA

34. Larry Fitzgerald, WR, ARZ

36. Golden Tate, WR, DET

37. Jarvis Landry, WR, CLE

38. Marvin Jones, WR, DET

39. Brandin Cooks, WR, LAR

40. Amari Cooper, WR, OAK

41. JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, PIT

42. Alshon Jeffery, WR, PHI

43. Josh Gordon, WR, CLE

44. Royce Freeman, RB, DEN

45. Jay Ajayi, RB, PHI

46. Rashaad Penny, RB, SEA

47. Aaron Rodgers, QB, GB

48. Derrick Henry, RB, TEN

49. Robert Woods, WR, LAR

50. Kenyan Drake, RB, MIA

Don't Reach for a RB

Everyone wants to load up on running backs early, because the pool tends to run dry quickly. But don't feel like you have to go with the flow if there's an early run on the position. 

The main reason for this is the running back rankings in two months will look dramatically different than they do today. As injuries start to mount and ineffective players lose their jobs, running backs you aren't even thinking about right now will suddenly become relevant. 

For example, let's say there's an early run on the running back position and Denver Broncos rookie Royce Freeman is the top running back on your board in the late third round. However, since there was a run on running backs, that means a good receiver such as Mike Evans of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is still available.

In this scenario, you might be inclined to panic and take Freeman before all the starting running backs are gone. But it might be safer to roll with Evans. Two months from now, barring injury, Evans will still be the focal point of the Buccaneers passing game, but can you say the same for Freeman? Maybe not. He's an unproven commodity and could lose carries to Devontae Booker if he doesn't perform. 

When faced with a scenario such as this, take the reliable asset. It's better to land sure things in the early rounds, and then stay active on the waiver wire to plug holes on your team during the season. 

Have a QB Strategy in Mind

John Cordes/Associated Press

Knowing when to take a quarterback is hard, so it's best to have two different strategies ready depending on how the early rounds play out. 

Scarcity is not an issue at the position, so if you wait until the late rounds, you'll be fine. However, it never hurts to have a Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson on your squad. 

The key to targeting those players is to not jump the gun with your selection. 

If everything plays out perfectly in your first few rounds, you'll enter the fifth round with two running backs and two receivers with whom you feel confident. At that point, you're in position to take one of the elite quarterbacks if you wish. If one of the superstars isn't available, however, then it's best to wait. 

Based on ESPN.com's PPR scoring projections, only 16 fantasy points separates their fifth-ranked quarterback (Alex Smith) and their 15th-ranked quarterback (Patrick Mahomes). That's an average of one fantasy point per game. 

So if you don't land one of the elites at the position, just wait it out. You'll end up with some solid options late in the draft, or you may even pick up a hot overachiever off the waiver wire during the season. 

Don't Overdraft Your Favorite Players

It can be hard not to reach for players on your favorite team, so it could be to your advantage to enter the draft with a specific game plan for each of your favorites targets.

If you know you have this bad habit of reaching for certain guys, set a limit for yourself. 

Let's say you're a Patriots fan, and Rodgers and Wilson both come off the board in the second round. Deep down you know it's too early to draft Brady, but you might be tempted anyway.

Set a limit for yourself before the draft on the earliest round you're willing to take him. If you told yourself you won't touch Brady before the fourth round, then maybe you'll be able to avoid the mistake of reaching for him in that scenario.