Fantasy Football 2020: Top-50 Player Rankings and 4-Round 12-Team Mock Draft

August has finally arrived. This typically means that the NFL preseason is about to begin, but that isn't the case this year. However, football fans still have the fantasy draft season to provide some sense of normalcy ahead of the 2020 regular season.

Draft season is also going to provide a challenge for fantasy managers. With no preseason with which to evaluate players and their roles, draft orders will have to be based on past production, training camp reports and a little good old-fashioned guesswork.

Proper preparation is key to any successful fantasy draft, of course, and more so at the top. It's nice to land elite fantasy performers in the first few rounds, but it's even more important to avoid complete busts.

With this in mind, here's a look at the latest draft rankings and a four-round mock draft. Both the rankings and the mock are based on a point-per-reception scoring.

Fantasy Top 50

1. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers

2. Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants

3. Michael Thomas, WR, New Orleans Saints

4. Davante Adams, WR, Green Bay Packers

5. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys

6. Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta Falcons

7. DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Arizona Cardinals

8. Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints

9. Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans

10. Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns

11. Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

12. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs

13. Tyreek Hill, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

14. Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota Vikings

15. Josh Jacobs, RB, Las Vegas Raiders

16. Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

17. Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

18. George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers

19. Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

20. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs

21. Kenny Golladay, WR, Detroit Lions

22. Amari Cooper, WR, Dallas Cowboys

23. DJ Moore, WR, Carolina Panthers

24. Kenyan Drake, RB, Arizona Cardinals

25. Jarvis Landry, WR, Cleveland Browns

26. Zach Ertz, TE, Philadelphia Eagles

27. Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens

28. Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers

29. Leonard Fournette, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

30. Miles Sanders, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

31. Odell Beckham Jr., WR, Cleveland Browns

32. Todd Gurley, RB, Atlanta Falcons

33. DeVante Parker, WR, Miami Dolphins

34. A.J. Brown, WR, Tennessee Titans

35. JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

36. Adam Thielen, WR, Minnesota Vikings

37. Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams

38. Chris Carson, RB, Seattle Seahawks

39. Courtland Sutton, WR, Denver Broncos

40. Stefon Diggs, WR, Buffalo Bills

41. Mark Andrews, TE, Baltimore Ravens

42. DJ Chark Jr., WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

43. Tyler Boyd, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

44. Tyler Lockett, WR, Seattle Seahawks

45. DK Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks

46. Darren Waller, TE, Las Vegas Raiders

47. Allen Robinson II, WR, Chicago Bears

48. Cam Akers, RB, Los Angeles Rams

49. David Montgomery, RB, Chicago Bears

50. Henry Ruggs III, WR, Las Vegas Raiders

4-Round Mock Draft

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

Round 1

1. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers

2. Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants

3. Michael Thomas, WR, New Orleans Saints

4. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys

5. Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints

6. Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota Vikings

7. Davante Adams, WR, Green Bay Packers

8. Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans

9. Tyreek Hill, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

10. Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

11. Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta Falcons

12. Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns

Round 2

13. DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Arizona Cardinals

14. Josh Jacobs, RB, Las Vegas Raiders

15. Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers

16. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs

17. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs

18. Kenyan Drake, RB, Arizona Cardinals

19. Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

20. Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens

21. Miles Sanders, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

22. Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

23. George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers

24. Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB, Kansas City Chiefs

Round 3

25. Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

26. Odell Beckham Jr., WR, Cleveland Browns

27. DJ Moore, WR, Carolina Panthers

28. Jarvis Landry, WR, Cleveland Browns

29. Leonard Fournette, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

30. Adam Thielen, WR, Minnesota Vikings

31. Allen Robinson II, WR, Chicago Bears

32. JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

33. Mark Andrews, TE, Baltimore Ravens

34. Robert Woods, WR, Los Angeles Rams

35. A.J. Brown, WR, Tennessee Titans

36. Amari Cooper, WR, Dallas Cowboys

Round 4

37. Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams

38. Melvin Gordon III, RB, Denver Broncos

39. Tyler Lockett, WR, Seattle Seahawks

40. Zach Ertz, TE, Philadelphia Eagles

41. Courtland Sutton, WR, Denver Broncos

42. Todd Gurley, RB, Atlanta Falcons

43. Chris Carson, RB, Seattle Seahawks

44. Calvin Ridley, WR, Atlanta Falcons

45. Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

46. Le'Veon Bell, RB, New York Jets

47. DJ Chark Jr., WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

48. David Johnson, RB, Houston Texans

1st-Round Breakdown

This mock kicks off with Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey. Seeing as how McCaffrey is coming off a season with nearly 2,400 combined scrimmage yards, many real-world drafts will as well.

Not only does McCaffrey carry a ton of fantasy upside, but he is also a relatively safe selection. While he may not be back in the 2,000-yard club this season, he's a PPR machine who has had at least 80 receptions in each of his three seasons.

The second pick here is used on New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley, another back who combines tremendous upside with reliability. Though he did miss some time because of injury in 2019, Barkley has topped 1,000 rushing yards in both of his NFL campaigns and has 143 receptions in two years.

New Orleans Saints wideout Michael Thomas comes off the board next, which is a nod to the PPR nature of this draft. Thomas, who had 149 receptions in 2019, is as safe a receiver prospect as can be found in fantasy. He's the clear-cut No. 1 target for Drew Brees and the Saints and a virtual lock for 100 catches if healthy in 2020.

Things get a little less uncertain following the top three, though we still have some high-floor prospects. Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott is a high-volume back who is worthy of the fourth pick. However, he saw a dip in yardage production last year—he still had an incredible 1,777 scrimmage yards and 14 touchdowns—due in part to the emergence of rookie back Tony Pollard.

Elliott is highly unlikely to be a bust, though the risk of Pollard further cutting into his workload is real.

New Orleans Saints back Alvin Kamara also saw a dip in production last season, while Minnesota Vikings runner Dalvin Cook is a potential injury risk, as he's missed time in each of his pro seasons. On the bright side, Cook no longer appears to be a holdout risk, as he has reported to camp.

Like Thomas, Green Bay Packers wideout Davante Adams is a clear No. 1 target. The lack of an established No. 2 receiver—particularly in the wake of Devin Funchess opting out of the 2020 season—only boosts Adams' fantasy potential. The Packers don't appear interested in adding to the receiver room either.

"I wouldn't say we're any more active than we ever have been in looking for help at any position,'" general manager Brian Gutekunst said, per the Associated Press' Steve Megargee.

Kansas City Chiefs receiver Tyreek Hill is not necessarily a No. 1 target—tight end Travis Kelce is often the first look—but he possesses tremendous big-play potential.

Derrick Henry, who goes a spot ahead of Hill, is the centerpiece of the Tennessee Titans offense and the reigning NFL rushing leader.

Atlanta Falcons wideout Julio Jones is always among the league's top wideouts and is always a safe choice in Round 1. Joe Mixon and Nick Chubb are workhorse starters for the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns, respectively, though Chubb could lose some significant PPR value because of Kareem Hunt.

Chubb, though, finished just behind Henry in rushing last season with 1,494 yards and rounds out a relatively bust-free first round.