2018 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Updated 4-Round Selections and Strategy

We're three weeks into the preseason—a time when players have locked up most of the starting roster spots, making it easier for fantasy football managers to put together their draft queues.

Typically, Week 3 of exhibition action showcases a majority of the starters, which gives us a glimpse of first-team offenses in action. Owners need to pay attention to how the carries are divided among running backs and who saw the most targets in the passing game. As for players sitting out because of injury or rest, we're left with projections based on previous seasons. 

With the 2018 regular season on the horizon, it's time to take a deeper dive into a mock draft, going four rounds in a snake format using a FantasyPros simulator. Looking at the variety of approaches, we'll examine three intriguing strategies from the 12 teams. The league settings are set to a point-per-reception scoring system.

4-Round Mock Draft 

Starting Positions: QB, RB, RB, WR, WR, WR, TE, RB/WR/TE (Flex), DEF, K

Round 1

Team 1: RB Todd Gurley, Los Angeles Rams 

Team 2: RB Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys 

Team 3: RB Le'Veon Bell, Pittsburgh Steelers 

Team 4: RB David Johnson, Arizona Cardinals 

Team 5: WR DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans 

Team 6: RB Saquon Barkley, New York Giants 

Team 7: RB Kareem Hunt, Kansas City Chiefs 

Team 8: RB Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints

Team 9: WR Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers

Team 10: RB Melvin Gordon, Los Angeles Chargers

Team 11: RB Leonard Fournette, Jacksonville Jaguars 

Team 12: WR Odell Beckham Jr., New York Giants

Round 2

Team 12: RB Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings

Team 11: WR Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons

Team 10: RB Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers

Team 9: WR Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints

Team 8: RB Devonta Freeman, Atlanta Falcons 

Team 7: WR Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers 

Team 6: RB Jordan Howard, Chicago Bears 

Team 5: WR A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals 

Team 4: WR Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers 

Team 3: RB LeSean McCoy, Buffalo Bills

Team 2: TE Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots 

Team 1: RB Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals

Round 3 

Team 1: WR T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts 

Team 2: WR Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

Team 3: RB Jerick McKinnon, San Francisco 49ers 

Team 4: QB Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers 

Team 5: WR Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs 

Team 6: RB Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans 

Team 7: TE Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles 

Team 8: QB Tom Brady, New England Patriots 

Team 9: WR Stefon Diggs, Minnesota Vikings

Team 10: WR Doug Baldwin, Seattle Seahawks 

Team 11: RB Alex Collins, Baltimore Ravens 

Team 12: TE Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs

Round 4

Team 12: WR Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings

Team 11: RB Royce Freeman, Denver Broncos

Team 10: WR Amari Cooper, Oakland Raiders

Team 9: QB Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans

Team 8: RB Kenyan Drake, Miami Dolphins

Team 7: WR Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals

Team 6: WR Juju Smith-Schuster, Pittsburgh Steelers

Team 5: TE Jimmy Graham, Green Bay Packers

Team 4: RB Jay Ajayi, Philadelphia Eagles

Team 3: WR Brandin Cooks, Los Angeles Rams

Team 2: RB Lamar Miller, Houston Texans

Team 1: WR Marvin Jones, Detroit Lions

*Note: Bold indicates author's draft pick

Team Strategies

Team 5: No Running Backs in the First 4 Rounds 

Kelvin Kuo/Associated Press

Before digging into this strategy, understand it's a risky approach because running backs have a huge impact on final scores, especially players who run and catch out of the backfield.

Nonetheless, Team 5 decided to draft pass-catchers with all four selections, starting with three wide receivers and finishing with Green Bay Packers tight end Jimmy Graham.

There's little doubt DeAndre Hopkins and A.J. Green will lead the Houston Texans and Cincinnati Bengals in major receiving categories. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has forged an immediate connection with wideout Tyreek Hill in the passing attack. He's racked up 14 receptions for 182 yards and a touchdown through three preseason games, which included two 25-plus yard passes for scores from the second-year signal-caller.

Despite the major risk in skipping over the running back position, Team 5 has WR1 assets to fill all three wide receiver spots. If the owner hits on two running backs in the middle rounds, it's a potential playoff team, but success relies on the ability to identify a sleeper at the position or weekly streaming options on the waiver wire.

Team 10 Strategy: Stack Up on Running Back Touches, Wait on a Quarterback 

Alex Gallardo/Associated Press

Here's a can't-miss approach that should keep novice fantasy football managers in the hunt for a playoff spot, barring injuries. Take two running backs set to see a lot of touches, carries and receptions, as featured options in their respective backfields.

Los Angeles Chargers running back Melvin Gordon's touches have increased significantly in each of his three seasons. In 2017, he finished fifth among tailbacks in total fantasy points with 230.10. Without a solid No. 2 option behind him in the backfield, expect a similar fantasy return in the upcoming season as an RB1.

Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Norv Turner said it's "realistic" to expect running back Christian McCaffrey to touch the ball 25-30 times. Last season, he averaged 3.7 yards per carry but caught 80 passes for 651 yards and five touchdowns. The Stanford product will have ample opportunities to rack up fantasy points as a ball-carrier and receiver in 2018. The 22-year-old also gained six pounds which may help boost his rushing production.

Only three quarterbacks came off the board within the top-48 selections, starting with Aaron Rodgers in the third round. Team 10 could select Russell Wilson or Cam Newton in the fifth round. Both contribute to the ground attack on a large scale for the Seattle Seahawks and Panthers, respectively. They also ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in fantasy points among quarterbacks in 2017.

If Rodgers and Brady come off the board, keep your eye on quarterbacks such as Wilson and Newton, who can score with their legs, with your next pick. 

Team 12: Take a Chance on Bounce-Back, Emerging Assets

Andy Clayton-King/Associated Press

Injuries from the previous season didn't deter Team 12 in the first two rounds. Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and running back Dalvin Cook came off the board in back-to-back picks.

Beckham underwent surgery on a broken ankle last October. He's participated in offseason practices and saw a lot of reps in the slot, per Dan Duggan of The Athletic. He hasn't played in any of the preseason games, which is expected for a player of his caliber.

Owners have nothing to worry about when it comes to the three-time Pro Bowler's availability. The coaching staff took a safe approach with him and rookie Saquon Barkley who suffered what's called a "mild" hamstring strain in the exhibition opener.

The Minnesota Vikings put Cook into game action for a flash. He logged two carries for a yard against the Seahawks in Week 3 of the preseason. The small sample size isn't a concern, but the second-year ball-carrier shouldn't list as an RB1 in your lineup with Latavius Murray expected to handle a sizeable workload, per St. Paul Pioneer Press reporter Chris Tomasson.

Don't select a running back, who could split carries nearly 50-50 in the first two rounds. You can find the same type of player in the middle of the draft. Beckham makes sense, but Team 12 dropped the ball in a decision to select Cook in Round 2.