Fantasy: 12-team mock draft with analysis after every round

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Mock drafts

• 10-team (PPR)
• 12-team (PPR)
• 12-team (Standard)

theScore staff took part in a 12-team, 12-round mock to provide a glimpse into what your drafts could look like and offer some insight on what to watch for in each round.

This is a standard scoring league with the following roster spots: QB, RB, RB, WR, WR, WR, TE, FLEX, BN, BN, BN, BN. We omitted defenders and kickers, as they normally get selected in the final two rounds.

Draft participants: C Jackson Cowart, Alex Moretto, Thomas Casale, Caitlyn Holroyd, Gino Bottero, Ian Dalley, Justin Boone, Taylor Rohaly, Mike Alessandrini, Jack Browne, Alex Chippin, Dan Wilkins

Round 1

Round 1: We began with some intrigue surrounding the running backs in the opening round. Team Alessandrini showed no concern for the potential touchdown regression coming for Aaron Jones, making him a top-nine pick. Several teams passed on the RB7 in my rankings - Joe Mixon - allowing him to fall to Team Wilkins at 12. In most drafts you'll see those two going off the board in the opposite order. Left with an unenviable decision in the seventh slot, I took my chances with Dalvin Cook. While a Melvin Gordon-style holdout is possible, Cook has little leverage in his situation and the new CBA makes it even tougher to sit out. He's a risky first-round selection, but one who can return top-three production if his contract gets resolved.

Round 2

Round 2: The second frame is pure chalk with no real surprises. Miles Sanders and Kenyan Drake are two players I've drafted in a lot of leagues as second-round picks with first-round upside, so I was happy to scoop up the latter at 18. Over the final seven weeks of the 2019 season, both backs posted RB1 fantasy numbers in standard leagues. In most years, running backs would dominate this round, but each name in the next tier of ball carriers comes with a flaw, scaring fantasy managers enough to let them drop into the third round.

Round 3

Round 3: Lamar Jackson is a polarizing fantasy asset in 2020. Though his league-winning upside was evident a year ago, his price tag has gone up significantly since then. If he maintains his sophomore production, he'll be a worthy pick in the third round, but with the depth at quarterback, it's hard to justify passing on high-end RB and WR talent in this range. Don't be afraid to lean RB early and often in your drafts, especially in standard formats. Team Alessandrini was the only franchise to start RB-RB-RB, a strategy which has left him with three potential top-15 rushers. Despite injuries dulling some of Todd Gurley's explosiveness, he's locked into a massive workload in Atlanta. With Jones, Sanders, and Gurley as the cornerstones of his lineup, Team Alessandrini has an opportunity to be dominant if he can find quality receivers in the next few rounds.

Round 4

Round 4: Team Browne's WR-WR-WR approach left him with the most stacked trio of wideouts in the league with Tyreek Hill, Davante Adams, and Calvin Ridley. That puts a lot of pressure on his fourth-round choice Leonard Fournette to deliver as his RB1. However, any worries we might have about Fournette's injury history, trade speculation, or passing volume are mitigated by him being the 20th running back taken. He's actually a decent value in this round. The same could be said for Chris Carson, who projects to be the lead back in a run-heavy Seahawks offense. Carson was a top-12 fantasy back in standard leagues last season and newly acquired veteran Carlos Hyde admitted he's there to backup Carson while Rashaad Penny recovers from a torn ACL.

Round 5

Round 5: If you're searching for bargain RB starters in fantasy, the fifth round is the place to go with names like Mark Ingram, David Johnson, David Montgomery, D'Andre Swift, and Raheem Mostert all available. Ingram was the RB8 for fantasy in 2019, a healthy Johnson is about to get a huge workload in Houston, Montgomery is a second-year breakout candidate with little competition for carries, Swift was my top-ranked RB prospect in this year's draft, and Mostert exploded down the stretch as the 49ers' lead back. This is the stage of the draft where upside becomes more important than risk in most cases. Kyle Shanahan's willingness to go with the hot hand and Mostert's lack of targets are hazards I'm willing to accept in order to roster a flex option with an RB1 ceiling if everything goes his way.

Round 6

Round 6: Team Bottero and Team Alessandrini both went with three running backs in their first four picks. Since then, they've done an excellent job filling out their receiving corps. Team Bottero landed JuJu Smith-Schuster (third), Keenan Allen (fifth), and Jarvis Landry (sixth). Meanwhile, Team Alessandrini took Tyler Lockett (fourth), DeVante Parker (fifth), and A.J. Green (sixth). All six wideouts represent nice value, setting a solid example for other drafters to follow. I also went fairly RB-focused with three in the first five rounds, yet still ended up with a starting WR group of Amari Cooper, Robert Woods, and D.J. Chark. The receiver depth from Round 3 to Round 8 allows you to be patient with the position this year.

Round 7

Round 7: Anyone questioning the drop-off at running back need only look at the last couple rounds, which have been filled by timeshare backs. Ke'Shawn Vaughn and Kareem Hunt are good values in the seventh, but almost every back in this area of the draft will need a teammate to get hurt in order to reach their fantasy apex in 2020. Grabbing a tight end in the middle rounds hasn't been something I've made a point of doing in this year's drafts. However, with my roster balanced and few options who interested me at this pick, Waller was a nice addition after a breakout year where he finished with the fourth-most fantasy points among tight ends and the third-most targets at the position. With their young receivers still getting acclimated to the pros, Waller's set up for another season as the Raiders' primary passing weapon.

Round 8

Round 8: This round was my toughest decision of the entire draft. My emphasis on upside would normally lead me to take a player like Marvin Jones or Brandin Cooks and give me some cushion at receiver. Instead, I hedged my first-round Cook bet by reaching a round early to snag his backup Alexander Mattison. Even though I expect Cook to be in the lineup for Week 1, Mattison also provides insurance in case he misses time with an injury. Cook sat out 19 games over his three NFL campaigns.

Round 9

Round 9: Finding a quarterback with elite upside is important in my draft strategy. If a passer doesn't have a chance to crack the top five at his position, then you're adding an extra degree of difficulty to your fantasy season. Yes, you can get by with low-end QB1 results, but the biggest difference-makers in the last two years have been guys like Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes, who've been selected in the double-digit rounds. That's the goal and if you come up short, you can fall back on the depth of the waiver wire. In this round, Josh Allen and Carson Wentz have the clearest paths to monster fantasy seasons with the right mix of rushing ability and upgrades in their offenses.

Round 10

Round 10: At some point I might have to cap my Anthony Miller shares because it feels like he's landing on the majority of my rosters. Regardless of who starts at quarterback for the Bears, Miller remains one of my top breakout candidates this year. There have been 13 tight ends drafted through 10 rounds and none of them are named Hayden Hurst. When we look back at this draft, that'll be one of the most notable mistakes made.

Round 11

Round 11: It was surprising to see so many teams still loading up on receivers over lottery-ticket backup running backs in the last couple rounds. Rushers like Latavius Murray, Tony Pollard, and even Damien Harris carry a much higher fantasy ceiling than slot receivers Larry Fitzgerald or Cole Beasley in standard formats. It's better to fill your fantasy bench with players who can actually make a major impact if they get more playing time, rather than safer lower-ceiling options.

Round 12

Round 12: I'm not sure how this is possible, but more talented players came off the board in Round 12 than in Round 11. If DeSean Jackson and Preston Williams are healthy, they're being underrated by the fantasy community. Chase Edmonds and Boston Scott deserve to be mentioned with other quality backup RBs and may offer weekly flex numbers. Tom Brady and Drew Brees are poised to lead two of the league's best passing attacks. Hayden Hurst has top-five potential sliding into the role vacated by Austin Hooper in Atlanta. And free agent Antonio Brown is the ultimate swing-for-the-fences pick in the late rounds.

Mock drafts

• 10-team (PPR)
• 12-team (PPR)
• 12-team (Standard)