Fantasy Football 2020: Examining Expert Mock Drafts and Cheat Sheets

When it comes to preparing for fantasy draft seasons, there are many tools at a savvy manager's disposal. Statistics and training camp information are readily available, and it doesn't take more than a few seconds to stumble across a mock draft or fantasy cheat sheet when scouring the internet.

While mock drafts and rankings lists are general guides and not a definitive road map to a successful draft, they can provide insight into how players are being valued heading into the regular season. This can help managers know which players to target and where to target them.

With this in mind, we'll examine some of the latest mocks and cheat sheets from around the web to uncover any relevant trends or intriguing anomalies.

We'll examine a 12-team non-PPR mock from ESPN—conducted by Matthew Berry and Mike Triplett among others—a 16-round, single-team PPR mock from Sports Illustrated's Michael Fabiano, a 12-team PPR mock from FantasyPros' Lauren Carpenter, fantasy running back rankings from FantasyPros' Mike Tagliere and a round-by-round cheat sheet from ESPN's Mike Clay.

Let's dig in.

McCaffrey and Barkley are Likely the Top Running Backs

Mark Tenally/Associated Press

While wide receivers are valued slightly more in PPR leagues than in standard, running backs typically dominate the early picks in any format. Unsurprisingly, Carolina Panthers' Christian McCaffrey and New York Giants' Saquon Barkley are widely considered the top two players by the experts.

McCaffrey topped 2,000 scrimmage yards this past season, while Barkley did the same two seasons ago. The upside and the ceiling are tremendous for both players.

The Carolina star was the top selection in each of the mock drafts we examined, and Barkley was second in both of the multi-team mocks. The one interesting note is that Tagliere ranked Dallas Cowboys back Ezekiel Elliott above Barkley due to his consistency.

"Elliott has never finished as the No. 1 running back but has finished top-five in 3-of-4 years, with the only year he didn’t was one he played in just 10 games and still finished as the No. 10 running back," Tagliere wrote.

Edwards-Helaire is on the Rise

Rookie running backs can be a risk in fantasy due to the fact that they are unproven at the pro level. However, they can also carry sleeper potential for the same reason. However, Kansas City Chiefs back Clyde Edwards-Helaire is not going to be a sleeper.

With Damien Williams opting out of the 2020 season, the 21-year-old is rocketing up fantasy draft boards. He was the ninth overall pick in Carpenter's mock—which was run using FantasyPros' mock draft simulator—and the 13th pick in the ESPN mock, selected by Tom Carpenter.

The upside for Edwards-Helaire is high, as he amassed more than 1,800 combined rushing and receiving yards at LSU last season. The Chiefs appear excited about their rookie and could look to utilize him early and often.

"Not only did Patrick Mahomes ask the Chiefs to draft Edwards-Helaire, but Andy Reid said that Edwards-Helaire is better than Brian Westbrook on film," Tagliere wrote. "There’s a good chance he’s a top-five pick in fantasy drafts next year."

Managers looking to roll the dice on the rookie will likely have to do so early on draft night.

Are Buccaneers Receivers Being Undervalued?

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

Tampa Bay Buccaneers receivers Chris Godwin and Mike Evans were two of the biggest studs in fantasy this past season. Godwin finished 2019 with 86 catches for 1,333 yards and nine touchdowns, while Evans finished with 67 catches for 1,157 yards and eight scores.

Godwin and Evans played just 14 and 13 games, respectively, and they now have six-time champ Tom Brady at quarterback. Yet neither receiver appears to be a first-round candidate.

Godwin came off the board with the 16th pick in Carpenter's mock, while Evans went in Round 3. Godwin and Evans went 20th and 22nd, respectively in the ESPN mock, and the latter was considered an ideal third-round target by Clay.

"Mike Evans, who is looking for his fourth finish of 10th or better in fantasy points per game over the past five seasons, jumps out as a tremendous value after the second round," Clay wrote.

The takeaway here is that managers looking for a top-tier wide receiver can likely wait until at least the middle of Round 2 to snag one of the Buccaneers pass-catchers. Knowing this could help influence the pick in Round 1.