2018 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Ideal Scenarios, Selections for 12-Team League

A good draft in fantasy football does not ensure you will win your league championship or even make the fantasy football playoffs.

However, it sure beats the alternative. A good draft means you should get off to a winning start in the first month of the season. After that, key waiver-wire pickups and trades will almost certainly be needed in order to stay at or near the top.

But an excellent draft is a stellar jumping-off point, and to get there takes a strong game plan based on your scouting of the players available. More important than that is the gumption to stick with that plan when you see other players in your league making moves you did not consider.

For example, nearly all players can spout the theory of going after running backs and receivers through the first half of the draft. If your draft is Monday, for example, you can calmly state all the reasons for that thought process Sunday and Tuesday. But on draft day, something happens. Your buddy who won the league three years ago takes Tom Brady in the third round, and quarterbacks consequently start to fly.

So you draft a quarterback in the fifth round, and your solid game plan gets ignored.

We are here to help you with your draft by providing our philosophy. For the purpose of this article, we are selecting from the No. 6 position in our 12-team snake draft. Team No. 12 picks last in the first round and first in the second round.

We want to start off with two running backs in the first two rounds and two wideouts in the third and fourth rounds. If we had the No. 4 or 5 spot, we would go after Antonio Brown of the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he is likely to be selected by the time the No. 6 pick is called.

Rounds 4 through 8 are about building our running back and receiver depth. We will add two more of each in these vital rounds.

Once we get to Round 9, we select our first quarterback. Again, we don't care if our competitors went on that run in the third or fifth round. We will keep our heads and wait until the second half of the draft. We follow with a tight end in the 10th round and another running back and receiver in the 11th and 12th rounds, respectively.

We pick a second quarterback in the 13th round and a second tight end in the 14th round, followed by a placekicker and a defense.

Here's how our ideal scenario looks. In addition to our selections, we provide the average draft position (ADP) from Fantasy Football Calculator:

1. RB Saquon Barkley, New York Giants, ADP 5.6

2. RB Devonta Freeman, Atlanta Falcons, ADP 17.5

3. WR A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals, ADP 22.7 

4. WR Doug Baldwin, Seattle Seahawks, ADP 34.0

The New York Giants' Saquon Barkley has the look of a soon-to-be superstar, but he did suffer a hamstring problem during the summer. It's a bit of a gamble that he will be strong from the start. Freeman is a sure thing with the Atlanta Falcons, although Tevin Colman always takes some of his touches. A.J. Green has looked good this summer, and if the Cincinnati Bengals can get off to a good start, Green will play like a star. Doug Baldwin is as tough a receiver as there is in the league.

5. WR Chris Hogan, New England Patriots, ADP 46.3

6. RB Kerryon Johnson, Detroit Lions, ADP 51.4

7. WR Marvin Jones, Detroit Lions, ADP 58.2

8. RB Isaiah Crowell, New York Jets, ADP 78.6

Chris Hogan may be the most dependable of Brady's wide receivers. Kerryon Johnson is a talented rookie and he will become the Detroit Lions' primary ball-carrier. Marvin Jones has proved he is an outstanding receiver, and he will become a star this year. Isaiah Crowell was a try-hard back for the lowly Cleveland Browns, and he should be inspired to play his best football with his new team, the New York Jets.

9. QB Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions, ADP 96.6

10. TE David Njoku, Cleveland Browns, ADP 102.3

11. WR Robert Woods, Los Angeles Rams, ADP 104.8

12. RB Ty Montgomery, Green Bay Packers, ADP 122.6

Waiting until the ninth round proved profitable with the selection of the strong-armed Matthew Stafford. He threw for 4,446 yards and 29 touchdowns last season. David Njoku led the Browns in TD receptions last season, and he could score eight or more this year. Robert Woods is tough, talented and dependable, while Ty Montgomery is capable of hitting a couple of home run-type plays for the Green Bay Packers.

13. QB Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans, ADP 132.5

14. TE O.J. Howard, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, ADP 151.9

15. PK Stephen Gostkowski, New England Patriots, ADP 145.9

16. DEF Los Angeles Chargers, ADP 124.4

Marcus Mariota has a chance to be one of the most dangerous quarterbacks in the league this year, as the Tennessee Titans have a brilliant offensive coordinator in Matt LaFleur. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' quarterback situation is iffy, but O.J. Howard should become one of the best at his position in the league.

Prediction: Stephen Gostkowski leads the NFL in scoring, something he has done five times in his career. Joey Bosa will set the tone for the athletic Los Angeles Chargers defense this season.

Overall, this team has strength up and down the lineup. We feel confident about the bottom half of our roster as well as the stars at the top. The biggest gamble may be Barkley, as we need the rookie to follow in the footsteps of Ezekiel Elliott, who was a superstar in his rookie year for the Dallas Cowboys.

But even if Barkley is good and not great, the depth on this team will lead to many wins.