Last season, I participated in Howard Bender’s (of Fantasy Alarm and SiriusXM’s “Fantasy Sports Tonight”) Mock Draft Army with much success, as it helped me get a feel for the draft rooms and pace of various different league types and sizes, while it also cleared up the typically cloudy picture of ADP (average draft position). This season, when asked to take up arms again so to speak and rejoin the “Army” I didn’t think twice.

First Draft – 12 Team (PPR)

Just one day prior to accepting Howard’s invite to the “Mock Draft Army” I posted a thread on the Fantasy Alarm forums asking readers and experts alike who they would take in their drafts provided with the first overall pick. I kicked off the thread explaining my advocacy for Antonio Brown – not that I was received with much pushback – but just as mother nature always proves the irony of life, wouldn’t you know it, I was saddled with the first pick when I entered the draft room of my first mock…

True to my word, I took Brown. He just seems to be the best bet this year, as he was last season. On the forums, I put my tough decision in these terms…

“I say Brown for both formats (first pick scenario in both standard and PPR leagues) because he's just been that dominant. I wouldn't say that Julio Jones is far behind in this conversation, though, considering Jones led the NFL in targets, yards, and tied for the lead in receptions, but I'll take Brown because he is more dynamic after the catch and I trust his quarterback more. In terms of a top running back, I gave some thought to David Johnson – especially in PPR formats – as his work as a receiver and propensity to find the end zone will separate him from most of the top runners, but for two reasons I couldn't give him the top billing this season. (1) The aforementioned top two receivers were so unbelievable last season – and with no signs of slowing down – I can’t really see them being caught in terms of projections going forward. (2) Rumors are swirling that the Cards plan on using Chris Johnson along with David Johnson in more of a split role than many are anticipating. Not that I necessarily believe that David will really be bogged down by the presence of CJ2K, but it is not a chance worth taking at No. 1... Best off to stick with the top two receivers this season.”

With plenty of picks in between my subsequent back-to-back second and third selections, the board looked much different – and understandably so – than it had for round one, pick one. Ultimately, I took the best running back and best wide receiver that happened to be available (Doug Martin and Julian Edelman). I considered Brandon Marshall in lieu of Edelman for my third round pick, but I ended up passing on Marshall due to the circumstances surrounding the uncertainty of his quarterback(s).

Best and Worst Value:

In terms of best overall value, I would say getting Larry Fitzgerald in the fourth or Ladarius Green in the seventh may have been my biggest steals. Biggest reach for me will likely be Tom Brady in the eighth round considering his suspension. However, with my selection of Jameis Winston in the 13th, I feel comfortable for the maximum four weeks that I may be without Tom Terrific.

Notable Strategies:

If I were to pinpoint a strategy here, I would say that I went very young on my bench. I grabbed three rookies and a second-year player for four of my five bench spots. My reasoning? I picked players who I see being starters or highly functioning contributors by midseason. Tyler Boyd is expected to serve as the third receiving option at worst in the Bengals' high-powered offense, C.J. Prosise will be expected to pick up the lion’s share of the backfield targets out in Seattle, while Paul Perkins may just win the Giants' running back job outright during camp this summer.

On a smaller scale of “strategy,” many may consider my selection of Stephen Gostkowski two rounds before anyone else picked a kicker a bit surprising. The reasoning behind this is because Gostkowski is incredibly consistent and shockingly valuable. In standard formats, Gostkowski outscored every tight end not named Rob Gronkowski last season, and this is something that we have come to expect from him each year. Considering there was a chance to get a Gronk-level player in the 12th, I had to take my chances.

Second Draft – 14 Team (PPR)

As for my second mock, I was in nearly an exact opposite situation, as I was saddled with the 13th pick out of 14 teams. Again, Antonio Brown went first, while I had my sights set on David Johnson or Ezekiel Elliott. Unfortunately, both went off the board consecutively just before my selection, so I had to improvise. My new plan was to take the next two best running backs on the board who happened to be Adrian Peterson and Lamar Miller. I took Peterson at 13, and with my next pick snaking around quickly, I thought I had a chance at Miller at 16th overall. Unfortunately Miller went 14th, leaving me with a tough decision at 16. Ultimately, I went with the best receiver available in Mike Evans. However, I gave a long look at Amari Cooper and Jamaal Charles. In the third round, Charles may end up being one of the toughest players that I’ve ever had to pass on because I love his game that much, but coming off of a serious injury and rejoining a formidable backfield, his uncertainty became too much of a risk. In the end, I happily took Evans but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about being cursed by passing on Charles.

Best and Worst Value:

My best value of the draft had to be snagging Tyler Eifert all the way down in the seventh round. This guy was a premier fantasy star last season, and it appears that in the two drafts that I participated in so far, owners are blindly passing on him because of the fear that he may miss the season opener. I’ll gladly take 14 weeks of a touchdown machine at 97th overall, please and thank you.

My biggest reach of the draft came with the selection of Thomas Rawls early on in the fourth round. It’s not a knock on his talent, but coming off of an injury and now with competition in the backfield, I found it difficult to believe that I couldn’t find a better-situated player for the selection. On second thought – without the pressures of a ticking clock – I may have been better off taking Larry Fitzgerald, but in my defense Rawls was really the last “safe” running back on the board at the time, so with wide receivers still available, I may be better off reaching ever so slightly on Rawls.

Notable Strategies:

To be completely honest, once saddled with the later pick, I had to let the board come to me before picking a strategy. More or less, my goal in this draft was to capitalize on the mistakes of my drafting peers and to maximize on undervalued players. This was seen in my selection of Cam Newton late in the third after Jeff B took Aaron Rodgers as the first drafted quarterback at 31st overall. And again, with the aforementioned Tyler Eifert pick.

Conclusion

I came away happy with both drafts, and in the process I learned a lot about the way people are valuing players headed into the season. It appears as though a premium couldn’t be placed any higher on wide receivers, especially with plenty of leagues now featuring three starters at the position with a fourth available as a flex. Quarterbacks can be waited on, while the tight end market feels thinner than usual. I would like to extend a special thanks to Howard Bender for putting together the Mock Draft Army, and Fantrax.com for hosting us as needed over these past couple of weeks. Happy drafting everyone!