Fantasy Football 2019: Funniest Team Names and Mock Draft Strategy at Key Spots

Kristopher KnoxAug 11, 2019

The start of the 2019 NFL regular season is as soon as September 5, which for fantasy football fans, means it's time to start getting their teams together.

In most league formats, this means preparing for a fantasy draft—typically either a snake or an auction draft. There is more that goes into a successful fantasy season, but it all starts with setting the right foundation on draft day.

Building a roster isn't the only important step in the preseason fantasy process. You also have to name your team, and this provides an opportunity to showcase a little personal flair.

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Here, you will find some tips for both pieces of the puzzle. Draft strategy will be examined for the fantasy's top positions—running back, wide receiver and quarterback—before a two-round mock draft and some fun team-name suggestions for the 2019 season.

2019 Fantasy Mock Draft, PPR

1.01: Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants

1.02: Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints

1.03: Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers

1.04: Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys

1.05: DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Houston Texans

1.06: David Johnson, RB, Arizona Cardinals

1.07: Davante Adams, WR, Green Bay Packers

1.08: James Conner, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

1.09: Le'Veon Bell, RB, New York Jets

1.10: Michael Thomas, WR, New Orleans Saints

1.11: Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

1.12: Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta Falcons

2.01: Todd Gurley, RB, Los Angeles Rams

2.02: Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs

2.03: Odell Beckham Jr., WR, Cleveland Browns

2.04: JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

2.05: Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota Vikings

2.06: Tyreek Hill, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

2.07: Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns

2.08: Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

2.09: Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

2.10: Damien Williams, RB, Kansas City Chiefs

2.11: Amari Cooper, WR, Dallas Cowboys

2.12: George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers

Running Backs and Receivers

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We're going to cover running backs and wide receivers as a group because these are the two positions you want to focus on in the first two rounds of the draft. Elite pass-catching tight ends Zach Ertz, Travis Kelce and George Kittle are also in this group, as they are de facto wide receivers in their respective offenses. However, you should largely ignore positions other than running back and receiver in the first four rounds.

In standard scoring formats, running backs should be the focus early in Round 1. You either want to target every-down backs who rarely come off the field—think Saquon Barkley, Ezekiel Elliott and Christian McCaffrey—or ones who are major parts of the passing game, such as Alvin Kamara. Focus on backs who are expected to produce at least 1,500 combined rushing and receiving yards.

One thing to keep an eye on is the status of Elliott, who has stayed away from the Dallas Cowboys while trying to leverage a new contract. It seems unlikely that he will hold out deep into the regular season, but if you aren't comfortable using a high first-round pick on him, don't.

Also, don't shy away from taking a mid-round flier on rookie Cowboys back Tony Pollard. He could emerge as a draft steal a la James Conner if Elliott's holdout does continue.

"He's getting a little bit of everything," vice president Stephen Jones said of Pollard, per David Moore of the Dallas Morning News. "He's probably one that has stuck out for me if I were going to pick one.|

When targeting receivers in the early rounds, look for high-volume players who are entrenched as the top receiving options in their respective offenses. The likelihood of consistent production makes guys like DeAndre Hopkins, Julio Jones, Michael Thomas and Davante Adams worth of a first-round pick.

If you're drafting in a points-per-reception (PPR) league, the aforementioned receivers are worth consideration early in the first round. A player who tops 100 receptions brings a lot of added fantasy value.

When drafting for depth at running back and receiver, target starters whenever possible. A guy like Chris Carson isn't worthy of high-round consideration, but he still has 1,000-yard potential.

Also keep an eye out for potential fallback options like Pollard. Cincinnati Bengals wideout A.J. Green and Oakland Raiders receiver Antonio Brown are both dealing with injuries. That could raise the value of No. 2 receivers Tyler Boyd and Tyrell Williams, respectively.

Quarterbacks

Jeffrey Phelps/Associated Press

There's no need to place as much emphasis on getting a quarterback early. Over-drafting at this position can cost you a premier player at another—and the gap from the top to the second tier isn't all that great at quarterback.

Yes, it would be nice to have Patrick Mahomes and his 50-touchdown potential. Is it worth passing on a legitimate RB2 to grab Mahomes in Round 2, though? Probably not. You can likely grab a player like Deshaun Watson several rounds later and still feel good at the quarterback position.

Last season, Watson racked up 4,165 yards passing, 551 yards rushing 26 passing touchdowns and five rushing touchdowns. Those are fine numbers for a fantasy quarterback, especially since most leagues score passing and rushing statistics differently.

Many leagues, for example, award one point for every 25 yards passing and four for a passing touchdown, while also awarding one point for 10 yards rushing and six for a rushing touchdown. This means quarterbacks who run regularly have added fantasy value.

Alternatively, you can wait until late in the draft to grab a pair of above-average starters and stream them based on the defensive matchups. There's nothing wrong with grabbing, say, Mitchell Trubisky and Carson Wentz late in the draft and playing the best matchup each week.

You won't find as much consistency at the position with this strategy, but it's an option if you want to hoard runners and pass-catchers early.

Team Names

When it comes to naming your fantasy team, the options are nearly limitless. You can give a nod to your favorite team, honor one of your favorite players of years past or simply try to get a chuckle out of your opponent each week.

The latter option is preferable because most people appreciate having a little humor injected into fantasy sports. After all, no one should take this pastime too seriously.

With this in mind, here are some fun and funny team-name suggestions for the 2019 season. There's a bit of a musical theme here, so feel free to sing along: