Following up on my two most recent draft prep articles, today we are using the @Razzball ADP as of July 24th, 2023, to complete a 12-round draft from the 12th position or, as many of us call it, “The Turn.” I will be back next week with a look at a different team drafted from another slot. Since nobody should use average draft position (ADP) as their end all do all, I will give myself a little latitude of two-up and two-down while building my roster.
The last thing I want to do is provide you, the reader, with a mock line-up with four TEs just because that is how the names fell to me in the eighth slot.
Scoring for this mock will be relatively standard with a 12-team league consisting of 1QB, 2 RB, 2WR, 1TE and 1 FLEX (plus five bench players). I will do the smart thing and avoid K and DST, as none of you really care about those during this exercise, and we will certainly cover those two positions during our Sunday morning Start or Sit podcast, which will be back during the season.
I will assume four points per TD pass and six points for all other TDs. One point per 20 points passing and one point per 10 yards rushing/receiving. I will also use full point per reception (PPR) for this draft. I will ignore bye weeks for this draft. During our Sunday morning podcast, we will address questions for all kinds of league scoring systems, including dynasty, Superflex, etc., so tune in and fire off some questions.
Alas, that is still a couple of months away, but we are all getting excited about getting the band back together as @BobbyLaMarco, @SkyGuasco, @Derek_Favret and myself, @Stiles08, will do our best to help you win each week.
Round 1, Pick 1.12 – A.J. Brown, WR, PHI: I am ecstatic to land a true WR1 at the turn. There are some other names I would have liked to see here but will quickly select Brown and look to my second of consecutive picks this time around. The Eagles’ offense is Top 3 in the league, so it is nice to have an integral piece of said offense. Normally, I like to go WR/WR, so this is an optimal start for me.
Round 2, Pick 2.01 – Saquon Barkley, RB, NYG: If Barkley was not available here, I would have most certainly gone with a second WR at this pick. I find it very opportune to land the stud Giants’ RB at the turn. With fingers crossed, I can pick up some WR depth when the draft gets back to me in about an hour. Since Barkley recently agreed to his contract, he is basically in another contract year, so I expect big numbers from him.
Round 3, Pick 3.12 – Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, DET: Two RB in my first three rounds is very much different from my published strategy of WR/WR to start, but cannot pass on another one of the names I am high on for 2023. I may not be as high on Gibbs as some other “experts,” but the Lions should score a lot of points in a division that is not as tough as it used to be. The one pause I took before making this pick is a guy named David Montgomery.
Is it possible Monty is the day one starter? It is possible, but I think Gibbs still eats in this offense. The Lions brass did not draft Gibbs in the Top 10 to have him learn from watching Monty…he is going to play from the jump and is going to bring a ton of fantasy RB value from the third round. Call me after the season to discuss the number of receptions this kid garners. The number is going to be large.
Full transparency here…I did pass on the actual player listed at this ADP slot in Lamar Jackson, mainly because I think there is plenty of QB depth later, especially in a one QB format.
Round 4, Pick 4.01 – Amari Cooper, WR, CLE: I have previously discussed the fact I will not discuss Deshaun Watson in my articles. With that being said, this is fantasy football, and he will throw the ball to someone. I normally prefer Cooper as a WR3 in this type of PPR format, so I will need to grab additional WR depth soon. I still love Cooper coming into 2023, just as I did in 2022, and the QB position is hinted to be much more productive this season. If I did not land Cooper here, I would immediately place an asterisk next to both Elijah Moore and, more importantly, Donovan Peoples-Jones, who is one of my late-round break-out candidates for 2023.
Round 5, Pick 5.12 – Alexander Mattison, RB, MIN: Time for Mattison to show the release of Dalvin Cook was justified. It is also time for Mattison to play for a big-time contract. The one that will set him up for life after the NFL. All things point to Mattison being able to carry the load in an offense that will force defenses to focus on both Jefferson and Hockenson, not to mention K.J. Osborn and Jordan Addison. I like Mattison to bring excellent value for a fifth-round selection, and I am a fan of RB depth. Now, I need to get back to focusing on the WR depth I so desperately need.
Round 6, Pick 6.01 – Mike Williams, WR, LAC: My WR3 is a name I really liked last year and have the same affinity headed into 2023. I think the Chargers were out of sorts in 2022, and Justin Herbert had some lingering issues we may never know about. I see Herbert to bounce back in a big way, with both Keenan Allen and Big Game Mike as the literal recipients of that course correction. Williams is a plug-and-play guy at FLEX unless the likes of Mattison have a significant match-up advantage. Also, if Amari Cooper plays in a bad-weather game in Cleveland, you can rest assured Williams probably has a much better outlook.
Round 7, Pick 7.12 – Evan Engram, TE, JAX: With the big-name TEs off the board, Round 7 feels like a nice spot to grab the 2022 TE darling in Evan Engram. EE splashed large for a great portion of the 2022 season and signed a hefty extension to stay with Trevor Lawrence within a division that does not appear extremely competitive on paper. NOTE: I passed on James Cook here as I already had three starting RB on the roster. I like Cook but felt TE was better addressed here.
Round 8, Pick 8.01 – Treylon Burks, WR, TEN: This choice should have been Jahan Dotson per the ADP chart, but I am willing to take a small risk and reach for Burks. I believe the addition of Nuk Hopkins actually increases Burks’ value versus hurting it. Burks proved to not be a WR1 in his rookie campaign though he was thrust into that role due to a lack of viable WR names/play in TEN. Hopkins will take the DB1, thus allowing Burks to feast on the second-best secondary player. I think Dotson will be fine in Washington, but I am taking the upside of Burks over him here 10 times out of 10. You can @ me later if Dotson outperforms Burks.
Round 9, Pick 9.12 – Aaron Rodgers, QB, NYJ: For anyone that understands my fandom and loyalty to the Green Bay Packers should understand how anticlimactic this selection is. In his prime, I coveted Rodgers on my rosters. I wanted a piece of him at QB and WR [insert name of the guy Rodgers made better here] to enjoy watching each week. Now, watching Rodgers embrace the New York media and younger players and taking up for Nathaniel Hackett is painful.
The Packers’ front office did not handle this situation well, to say the least. There was absolutely no reason to draft Jordan Love, especially trade up to do so when Rodgers was still a legit MVP candidate. They should have loaded up on skill position players, which they never did for Rodgers; hence only one Super Bowl trophy in the case during his HOF 18-year career in Green Bay. The transition to the Jets brings a grab bag of offensive talent for Rodgers, and I think he is out to prove the doubters wrong.
He may make Garrett Wilson a household name while sending him to the Pro Bowl in a crowded WR room. In Round 9, this is an ideal selection, but had I been petty, ala Rodgers for most of the last five seasons, I could have punted this pick and grabbed Geno Smith, whose ADP is three slots lower. I went with the true ADP and my heart here, and I am happy to be wrong later as long as Rodgers plays at least 65% of the snaps this season.
Round 10, Pick 10.01 – Zay Flowers, WR, BAL: I have now completed three ADP drafts, and Flowers is my only repeat player. I am reaching by four picks mainly for two reasons: (1) I did not like the other names surrounding this pick, and (2) I am firmly behind Flowers to be at the top of this deep rookie WR class. From last week’s write-up…In Round 10, with a QB like Lamar Jackson under center, give me all of the Flowers you can pick from the garden of rookie WRs.
With the RB situation appearing to always be an issue in Baltimore and Lamar wanting (needing) to prove his worth (again), I look for a lot of passing yards for the rookie WR. I do not expect Odell Beckham to get in the way of Flowers, except for some early reps. Once Flowers proves to be the better option, look for him to be target No. 2 for Lamar after Mark Andrews.
Round 11, Pick 11.12 – Darnell Mooney, WR, CHI: What a rough 2022 for Mooney, right? Another guy, like Burks (above), who is not a true WR1, who struggled to be a WR1 when healthy. Growing pains for Justin Fields and the atrocious offensive line play did not help matters. I like Mooney this late, especially with the addition of D.J. Moore to take on that WR1 role (and defensive coverage), thus allowing Mooney to run around a little more as he did a few years ago. I am still not sold on Fields as a pocket passer and hate the Bears, but simply could not pass up Mooney as my WR6.
Round 12, Pick 12.01 – Dalton Kincaid, TE, BUF: The pick, per ADP, is supposed to be Tyler Allgeier, but want some of the Buffalo offense and think Kincaid is going to keep moving up the ADP board with his impressive showings in camp. Josh Allen made Dalton Knox fantasy relevant, and Kincaid appears to be much more athletic and could possibly see time in the slot versus time along the line run blocking like many TEs. As my final pick, if Kincaid busts early, I am somewhat confident I can add Allgeier from the wire early on or pivot to another player that comes out of the gates hot.
What do we think of this lineup? Are there any reaches you do not like? Is the roster construction one you can live with? Send your thoughts below, and let’s have a discussion.
Thank you for coming back to read our stuff and be a part of the podcast by listening and commenting. We are here for you! For more from Mitch and his Razzball content, find him on Twitter @stiles08
-Mitch-
