I’ve said it before and I will say it again. In fact, you’ll probably hear me say it at least a thousand more times between now and the start of the regular season. Mock drafts are the absolute best way to prepare for your upcoming fantasy football drafts. Not only does it help confirm what you see in the ADP, but it also helps you understand where and why the trends develop in particular formats. I am a firm believer in practicing what I preach and when I slip up, I am 100-percent ready to admit it and share the experience with the hope of having you learn from my mistake.

I’ll admit, I have only played a best-ball format once over the years, so heading in, I should have been more prepared. With MFL10s being all the rage and the best-ball format growing exponentially in popularity, I should have forced myself to carve out time to take part in a few, along with a few best-ball mocks as well. It makes my delays with the Mock Draft Army this year even more regrettable. What can you do? Live and learn, right?

The reason I bring this all to light is because yesterday, I took part in the FFPC Pros vs Joes League, which is a 28-round draft using the best-ball format. I did a fair amount of research prior to the draft with regard to the format and set up my draft strategy accordingly. However, picking from the sixth slot in a 12-team league of this style requires some added work – work I did not put enough time towards. I should have been able to identify where the runs were likely to start and draft from a proactive stance rather than a reactive one. Rather than lament over some of my draft regrets, let me simply take you through the process.

League Specifications

This is a 12-team PPR league using a best-ball format in which the computer sets your lineup based on your best player scores from the week. The starting roster consists of 1 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE, 2 Flex (RB/WR/TE), I kicker and one team defense. Passing touchdowns are worth four points, you get one point per 20 passing yards, rushing/receiving scores are worth six points each and rushing/receiving yards are scored one point for every 25 yards. While running backs and receivers get one point per reception, tight ends get 1.5 which seems to work everyone into a tizzy nice and early.

The Participants (In Draft Order)

PickParticipantPro/JoeSite Affiliation
1SMcKDJoe 
2Evan SilvaProRotoworld
3Naked TimeJoe 
4Mike BeersProRotoViz.com
5HammerheadsJoe 
6Howard BenderProFantasy Alarm
7Eric YoungJoe 
8Rich HribarProRotoworld
9PvJ's JamJoe 
10Izzy ElkaffasProDynasty Trade Calculator
11Dude PlatinumJoe 
12Scott FishProFanball

My Strategy Going In

The major difference between regular fantasy and the best-ball format is that it helps to eliminate the volatility you have in scoring among the wide receivers. They may score the highest in a PPR format and it’s always nice to have one of the consistent elites, but as you moves further down the rankings, the week-to-week consistency becomes very tough to predict. In the best-ball format, the decisions you need to make between players is eliminated. Therefore, I wanted to make sure I got a few high-level bell-cow backs early and then go with a smattering of WR2s and 3s who had very high ceilings. I only need a couple to hit each week. While my running backs offered consistent points to serve as my team’s scoring foundation, the receivers could serve as complements. I usually punt tight ends, but with the 1.5-pts per reception, I figure I should strike at one a little earlier than usual. Still happy to wait on the quarterback, kickers and defenses.

The Final Draft Board

My Picks

OK, so I don’t mean to whine, but I will say that, with the exception of the first two rounds, drafting from the middle sucks. When a run starts on one of the ends, by the time it gets to you, the key players are gone and you either have to stick with it and settle for a lesser player or go in a different direction and run the risk of the other side of the draft decimated that position behind you. That being said, here we go…

Round 1

LeSean McCoy, RB BUF – It was either him or Odell Beckham with this pick and given my strategy coming in, I thought it was more important to secure the running backs now. McCoy is a stud and both Head Coach Sean McDermott and OC Rick Dennison know the offense needs to flow through him to be successful.

Round 2

Leonard Fournette, RB JAC – I wasn’t enamored with the wideouts on the board, so I opted for another bell-cow back who will see substantial touches throughout the season. The quality of the offensive line makes me a little nervous, but he’s more than capable of plowing through for positive yardage.

Round 3

Keenan Allen, WR LAC – Obvious injury risk, but when healthy, Allen is Philip Rivers’ go-to-guy. He’s got a fantastic ceiling in PPR formats and should be able to produce at a high level more often than not.

Round 4

Marshawn Lynch, RB OAK – Can’t stand the guy and still believe he craps out early should he see too heavy a workload. However, if Beast-Mode is back and the offensive line, which is considered one of the best in the league, holds, he should prove to be a stable option.

Round 5

Martavis Bryant, WR PIT – Yes, there’s risk involved here, but of all the receivers left on the board, Bryant, in my opinion, has the highest ceiling here. He’s got great hands and game-breaking speed, so if he keeps his head out of his ass and stays away from smoking weed during the season, he’ll be a great roster addition.

Round 6

DeVante Parker, WR MIA – I was going to take Zach Ertz here with the 1.5-PPR format for tight ends, but dealt with an early-round TE run. I didn’t like the next level of tight ends so I was more than happy to take another high-upside receiver who should see an increase in targets this year as the team prepares for another season under Adam Gase’s system. In his game plan, Gase favors the X-Receiver which is Parker and this is one of those cases where I believe in the “Third-Year Wideout” breakout.

Round 7

Kelvin Benjamin, WR CAR – So what if it looks like he ate the original Kelvin Benjamin, I'm happy to grab him here as so many are down on him after last season’s struggles and the injury the year before that. He’s the No. 1 receiving option on this team with Greg Olsen right behind him. His size should more than make up for any step he’s lost in the speed game and he should bounce back with a solid season.

Round 8

Adam Thielen, WR MIN – With everyone on the back side of the draft grabbing third and fourth-tier running backs, I figured I’d stick with the wideouts. The tight ends still had a few names which I expected to go before my favorite remaining choice, so with everyone hitting the position early, I went for expected PPR semi-superstar Thielen who almost breached the 1,000-yard mark on 69 catches with five touchdowns last season. I expect him to take another step forward.

Round 9

Austin Hooper, TE ATL – Two more tight ends came off the board with one of them going to a team that already had one tight end locked up. I expect a big year out of Hooper this season as new OC Steve Sarkisian has had tremendous success with the position at both the NFL and collegiate level.

 

Round 10

Marvin Jones, WR DET – OK, so here’s where it gets a little shaky for me. A few quarterbacks went off the board to the back end of the draft and I probably should have locked one down. Instead, I continued to build my receiving corps with Jones who started off the season like a beast last year but fizzled out as the season progressed. I expect a more balanced pass attack this season so Jones and teammate Golden Tate should prove to be equally strong options.

Round 11

Jeremy Hill, RB CIN -- If I was shaky in the last round, I downright f***ed up in this one. I had both Derek Carr and Philip Rivers sitting in my queue and mistakenly hit the button next to Hill’s name. I believe he can be a strong touchdown producer as the short-yardage back, but he is not who I wanted here and I knew I was going to pay for it immediately.

Round 12

Carson Wentz, QB PHI – Not only did Carr and Rivers get taken, but so did Tyrod Taylor, Eli Manning, Matthew Stafford and Andy Dalton. I was still on-tilt (read: pissed off) from the previous round’s mistake and just took Wentz who was, literally, the best quarterback on the board at this pick. I actually really like Wentz for this year, but not as my primary quarterback.

Round 13

Alex Smith, QB KC – Yep. Still on-tilt and hating on myself for the gaffe two rounds ago. Trying to recover but know I need to add QB options here before the rest of the league starts peeling themselves off a third quarterback. Smith is purely a game manager, but here’s hoping he can connect with Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill even more this season. That’s certainly some wishful thinking, but the problem here…other than that it has me hoping for good things from Smith…is that he and Wentz have the same damned bye week. FML!

Round 14

Marqise Lee, WR JAC – Attempting to shrug off my QB situation and get back on-track, I looked at the way the draft was going and felt comfortable going back to the receivers and grabbing Lee. He is expected to, if he hasn’t already, supplanted Allen Hurns as the No. 2 receiver for the Jaguars. He averaged just over seven targets over the final nine games of the season last year and I expect his overall target numbers to see a nice increase as the second receiving option for Blake Bortles.

Round 15

Vance McDonald, TE SF – OK, now I’m reeeeeeeeeally pised off as I was targeting Giants TE Evan Engram here but he, Dwayne Allen and old-and-broken Charles Clay all came off the board prior to my pick. I feel like a chump drafting from behind here, but I’m ready to start making repairs.

Round 16

Tom Savage, QB HOU – Well why the hell not? I already have Wentz and Smith, so why not add a little more mediocrity and at least own a quarterback who doesn’t have a Week 5 bye. Who knows…maybe he hits it off with DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller actually catches passes this year. I’ll probably handcuff him to Deshaun Watson, but that can wait. Or can it…?

Round 17

Tim Hightower, RB SF – Team defenses were flying off the board but I wasn’t ready to make that move. Maybe I should have to avoid the quarterback mishap, but I had a plan which could go into effect after this pick. Some are speculating that Carlos Hyde gets released by the 49ers, but while that will probably just open the door wider for Joe Williams, Hightower is expected to be the short-yardage specialist which translates to goal-line carries. Kyle Shanahan does great things with a two-back system, so here’s hoping Hightower becomes either his new Devonta Freeman or, at worst, Tevin Coleman.

Rounds 18 & 19

Miami Dolphins/Buffalo Bills Defense – While they might not be the most formidable defenses around, I am guaranteeing four starts against the New York Jets. That could be four shutouts with the way the Jets offense looks. But even if I don’t get the shutout, that’s still four games with mad sacks, plenty of INTs and an obscene number of turnovers.

Round 20

Josh Lambo, K LAC – Kickers were flying off the board, so rather than bypass the run, I went with it and grabbed Lambo who should prove to be fantasy worthy given the Chargers offense. He also kicks in great weather most of the time. No dome, but not a concern.

Round 21

Robert Turbin, RB IND – I was actually surprised to still see him on the board here. I know Frank Gore has been resilient and the team drafted Marlon Mack, but Turbin, who had seven touchdowns last year, is the clear-cut No. 2 in this backfield and will see a fair amount of work even if Gore manages to stay healthy.

Round 22

Jason Myers, K JAC – Needed another kicker. That is all.

Round 23

Trevor Siemian, QB DEN – While I should have grabbed Watson here to handcuff to Savage, it was too tempting to just grab the Denver QB situation. Siemian is expected to be the lead quarterback on the team, but definitely needs the handcuff given Paxton Lynch’s upside. But bottom line, two of the league’s strongest wide receivers play for this offense and Siemian is going to throw.

Round 24

Paxton Lynch, QB DEN – With Watson having gone to that Eric Young guy (friggin dude was all up in my queue all draft), I locked down the Denver situation here. I may not have the best run of quarterbacks, but I have enough options for a best-ball format to at least keep it real.

Round 25

Torrey Smith, WR PHI – Maybe I’m crazy, but I could see Smith supplanting Jordan Matthews as the third target on the Eagles, right behind Alshon Jeffery and Zach Ertz. I discount the SF years given his horrible quarterbacks and even worse coach. Looking for a nice rebound as Wentz takes this passing attack into a higher gear. Yes. The high gear of your soul. Torrey’s gonna run like an antelope, baby! Out. Of. Control.

Round 26

Xavier Grimble, TE PIT – Just building some TE depth here and, honestly speaking, I don’t necessarily see this job belonging to only Jesse James. Grimble will be in a full-blown battle this summer with James and could easily walk away with the job. The team likes him that much!

Round 27

Virgil Green, TE DEN – Again, just a depth play here, but considering I have the Denver QB situation on lockdown, I may as well grab the top tight end on the roster and hope for the best.

Round 28

Brice Butler, WR DAL – He caught a couple of touchdowns last year and it seems like he’s got a nice rapport with Dak Prescott. Not a world-beater by any means, but in this format, he could help me out for a couple of weeks.

So there you go. Things started off real nice, but being out of practice with the sixth pick and not jumping on the TE or QB runs like I should have done could cost me in the end. Don’t make that mistake in your drafts. If you’re picking from a middle spot, be sure to do several mocks beforehand from that spot and make sure you know where the runs are coming so you can stay ahead of them. Don’t get me wrong -- I don’t think my team is bad as I’ll match my RBs and WRs with anyone in the league, but it’s going to take a friggin miracle for those two positions to offer me the type of production necessary to keep me from bitching about these draft gaffes all year long.