As we inch ever closer to the thick of draft season, the Ballers are taking the “practice makes perfect” approach with yet another mock draft! Most fantasy leagues will be drafting over the next several weeks, so making sure to get plenty of practice in can only solidify your draft strategy to dominate your league this season!
While the guys usually are drafting against each other, this version of the mock draft put them together as a team to take on a draft room full of producers, writers, and Footballers staff! Andy, Mike, and Jason drew the 1.04 in this format.
This mock draft used the following setting: 10 teams, 0.5 PPR starting 1QB, 2RB, 2WR, 1TE, and a FLEX with four bench spots.
It’s August, so Andy, Mike, and Jason are now back to shows FIVE days a week until the end of the season, so make sure to find The Fantasy Footballers Podcast on all of your devices!
Round 1 – Pick 1.04
Ballers – RB Jahmyr Gibbs (DET)
Andy, Mike, and Jason kick things off in this mock draft with a healthy debate about which direction to go with their first pick. Mike continued his drum beat for drafting Christian McCaffrey earlier than consensus, and while Andy and Jason still have CMC and Jahmyr Gibbs in the same tier, the trio agreed to run with the Lions RB to get their draft rolling.
It is interesting to note that the league was evenly split in the first round, with 5 RBs and 5 WRs off the board.
Round 2 – Pick 2.07
Ballers – RB Chase Brown (CIN)
As the draft rolled back around to the Ballers for the 2nd round, things went off the rails a bit. Before the guys could really have a discussion about who they’d select here, Andy mistakenly drafted Chase Brown instead of adding him to their queue. Mike was all in for getting Brown on their roster, but Jason would have preferred either Brian Thomas Jr. or Drake London, who went immediately after their pick.
Round 3 – Pick 3.04
Ballers – TE Trey McBride (ARI)
Following Andy’s accidental selection, the guys took a turn with their third selection, investing in Trey McBride as the second TE off the board. The trio did discuss the differences in investing in a onesie spot (QB or TE) in a 10-team league as opposed to a 12-team league, and further acknowledged what getting one of the elite players at the position can mean in a smaller league.
Outside of the Ballers picks, Owl Borland did reach out and grab Chargers rookie RB Omarion Hampton with the 3.06, which had him off the board as the RB13. The drum beat has gotten louder for what Hampton could be to start the season in LA, and I regretted not taking him with my pick immediately prior.
Round 4 – Pick 4.07
Ballers – WR Tyreek Hill (MIA)
The trio got their WR room started with their fourth pick getting Tyreek Hill in the back-end of the fourth round. After ignoring the position in the first three rounds, the guys landed on Hill mainly due to the upside that he presents if things get rolling in Miami again. Their discussion centered around whether or not to take Hill over DJ Moore or DK Metcalf, but ultimately felt most comfortable with Hill as their WR1.
Round 5 – Pick 5.04
Ballers – WR D.K. Metcalf (PIT)
Luckily, the draft vultures between the Ballers and their next pick didn’t poach the last name on their list in consideration from the fourth round and nabbed DK Metcalf right in front of me with their fifth pick. Andy, Mike, and Jason agreed that having Metcalf as a WR2 on their roster would complement the high-end upside of Hill to give them a more balanced approach they could take going forward for the rest of the draft.
For the other teams, Round 5 was the round of the QBs, with four going off the board – Josh Allen at 5.01, Lamar Jackson at 5.03, Jayden Daniels at 5.07, and Jalen Hurts at 5.09. In a smaller league, sometimes it only takes a spark to ignite a QB run like that, and it can definitely have an effect on how teams’ plans change for the remainder of the draft!
Round 6 – Pick 6.07
Ballers – WR Travis Hunter (JAX)
To fill out their starting WR/RB spots, the Ballers took a flyer on rookie WR Travis Hunter. The debate in this round was between getting what could be a value at RB in Joe Mixon or another WR with Calvin Ridley. Ultimately, the guys decided to swing for the fences with what Hunter could bring as a high-end FLEX option that could deliver even bigger results if everything hits for the 2nd-overall pick.
The last of the “big 5” QBs went off the board with Julia getting Joe Burrow at the 6.03 to stack with Tee Higgins she’d taken earlier.
Round 7 – Pick 7.04
Ballers – RB R.J. Harvey (DEN)
For a second-straight pick, the Ballers grab a rookie with Broncos RB R.J. Harvey. There was very little debate between Andy, Mike, and Jason with this pick after many of their options were wiped out. Harvey presents a real starting RB option if he can take over the starting role in what should be a very valuable offense for fantasy backs.
It’s worth noting this is where the trio started talking about who had and hadn’t taken QBs in this draft, with the “big 5” QBs off the board already, but ultimately decided they felt good about multiple QBs who were still on the board for their team.
Round 8 – Pick 8.07
Ballers – WR Rome Odunze (CHI)
The guys got back on the WR train with Rome Odunze in the eighth round, looking to add upside with a young player who could take a step forward. Andy did bring up Matthew Golden as a similar type of player who may be undervalued based on his current situation. Jason did bring up Travis Etienne as a possible option to add to their RB room, arguing there’s still a reality where he’s the main RB in Jacksonville with upside in the passing game.
Round 9 – Pick 9.04
Ballers – RB Jordan Mason (MIN)
Mike and Jason got to their guy in Round 9 pretty easily, picking Jordan Mason to add to their RB room. Mason was picked two rounds behind Aaron Jones, who is expected to be the starter in Minnesota. Remembering back to Mike’s tip from Wednesday’s episode about investing in backfields where the presumed starter could be overtaken, that’s exactly what the Ballers do here.
Andy did bring up the Tyler Warren pick at 9.01, making the point that having a TE earlier in the draft shouldn’t stop that thought exercise if a fantasy manager truly believes there’s a breakout possible for a young player with his draft capital.
Round 10 – Pick 10.07
Ballers – QB Kyler Murray (ARI)
With their next-to-last pick, the guys finally get their QB, stacking Trey McBride with Kyler Murray. Andy did momentarily propose pairing Jared Goff with Jahmyr Gibbs, but the Arizona guys went with the homer – and probably better fantasy pick – of the Cardinals stack.
Mike did point out Owl taking Jauan Jennings and how good a value it was, even with the injury that’s forced him out of practice recently. Also worth noting, both Papa Josh and I waited out getting QBs for our teams to stack with WRs: Courtland Sutton with Bo Nix for Papa Josh and Dak Prescott with CeeDee Lamb for me.
Round 11 – Pick 11.04
Ballers – WR Chris Godwin (TB)
For their final pick, the Ballers took a player who was a candidate to put on IR to start the year with Chris Godwin. The guys also considered doubling up on QB with Justin Fields, adding to the RB room with Tank Bigsby, or even getting another WR stash in Jayden Reed or Brandon Aiyuk.
It’s worth documenting the shame that should be pinned on Jason for suggesting Anthony Richardson as the final pick. While there’s an upside case to be made for getting Richardson this late, if things hit for AR15, it could be a league-winning type experience.
