Fantasy: 10-team mock draft with analysis after every round

theScore staff took part in a 10-team, 12-round mock draft to offer some insight on what to watch for in each round.

This is a half PPR 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're normally selected in the final two rounds.

Draft participants: Alex Chippin, Daniel Valente, Brenden Deeg, Caitlyn Holroyd, Brandon Wile, Navin Vaswani, Gianluca Nesci, Justin Boone, Ian Dalley, and Taylor Rohaly.

Round 1

Round 1: Fears over McCaffrey's calf injury led to him falling to the second overall pick. There's still plenty of time before the season for him to get back to full health, and the 49ers could just be playing it safe with their top offensive weapon. While I'm not moving CMC off the top spot in my rankings yet, it's understandable if managers want to draft one of the elite receivers over him now.

My pick: Landing St. Brown at 1.08 is a great feeling since he's the last receiver in my top tier. Coming off his 119-catch, 1,515-yard, 10-touchdown breakout campaign, the Sun God has a legitimate chance to push for the No. 1 fantasy receiver crown in 2024.

Round 2

Round 2: Samuel goes off the board as the 10th receiver selected, a slight rise likely caused by the lingering Brandon Aiyuk trade rumors. Whether Aiyuk ends up staying in San Francisco or not, Samuel is still a strong fantasy option. The 28-year-old has finished as a top-10 WR in fantasy points per game two of the last three seasons, including WR9 in 2023 and WR2 in 2021.

My pick: Nacua is missing practice time due to a knee injury, prompting a drop down draft boards. Despite initially referring to Nacua as week to week, Sean McVay later confirmed there's no concern about the wideout's availability for Week 1. I gladly took the discount and now have the makings of an incredible receiver lineup with St. Brown and Nacua.

Round 3

Round 3: The training camp and preseason hype around Nabers is having an impact on drafters, with the promising rookie taken early in the third round as the 15th receiver. Given Darren Waller's retirement and the current state of the Giants' offense, Nabers should get all the targets he can handle, and he has the talent to produce a WR1 fantasy campaign right away.

My pick: I'll admit Achane was the player in my sights as the round progressed, but Team Nesci scooped him up one spot ahead of me. Since the two managers after me (Dalley and Rohaly) had each taken an RB already, I felt confident there wouldn't be a run at the position before my next pick. This also seemed too early to grab a QB or TE in a 10-team league, so I continued to build my elite receiving corps by adding Metcalf. All the talk out of Seattle suggests he'll be moved around the formation in the Seahawks' new offense and be heavily targeted in 2024.

Round 4

Round 4: Team Rohaly double-dipped at the one-off positions, choosing a tight end (LaPorta) and a quarterback (Allen) at the Round 3-4 turn. While it's slightly early to address those spots based on ADP, it's worth noting that in smaller formats like this, you need as many elite starters as possible. Locking in the top QB and TE will give him a clear advantage in those areas, but it's also costly in terms of draft capital. It'll be interesting to see how he now addresses the rest of his lineup.

My pick: Another mock draft and another fourth-round Pacheco share on my squad. As I mentioned in our last 10-team mock, Pacheco is an easy pick in this round after finishing as a top-15 (FPPG) fantasy back last season. The Chiefs haven't added anyone notable to their backfield and let veteran Jerick McKinnon leave in free agency. That sets Pacheco up for a massive workload and a likely RB1 fantasy finish this year.

Round 5

Round 5: Walker might not be a fifth-round pick for long after the new coaching staff gave him a ringing endorsement and several beat writers highlighted him as a standout in training camp. I spoke about his rising value on the latest episode of theScore Fantasy Football Podcast. Walker finished as a top-20 fantasy back (FPPG) each of the last two years but has the ability to join the RB1 conversation if given a bigger workload - like the coaches have suggested.

My pick: A run on tight ends occurred right before my pick, so I was thankful to still have Kincaid waiting for me at 5.08. Entering his sophomore campaign, the 24-year-old is one of the few tight ends with a chance to lead his team in targets. I really like how my build is shaping up with three outstanding receivers, a solid RB1, and, now, a top-five tight end.

Round 6

Round 6: One reason I like to get a running back in the first four rounds is so I don't feel pressured to chase one in this range. While we can easily make a case for White, Jacobs, Kamara, and Mixon posting top-12 fantasy stats this season, there's risk associated with each of their profiles. We also have a handful of backs available in the coming rounds who offer better value.

My pick: Instead of taking a chance on one of the veteran running backs or adding a fourth receiver as my flex, I shot for upside with my favorite quarterback breakout candidate, Richardson. The 22-year-old flashed an extremely high fantasy ceiling before getting hurt last year, posting top-four weekly finishes in the only two full games he played. With his rushing ability and Shane Steichen's up-tempo offensive system, Richardson could punch his ticket into the elite fantasy QB club in 2024.

Round 7

Round 7: A second run on tight ends took place this round, but it was a little more surprising. Securing Pitts at this stage is great value. I'm far less excited about Engram's 2024 outlook after his numbers were inflated when Christian Kirk was sidelined. And Ferguson went 20 picks ahead of his normal ADP. If you miss out on one of the top seven TEs, I'd rather wait and see if you can find value in the late rounds. For example, Brock Bowers and Pat Freiermuth went undrafted in this mock.

My pick: Team Nesci again sniped my pick and took Rice one spot before I was on the clock. At this point, it seems like a potential Rice suspension might not occur until 2025, making him an excellent pick in this range. Fortunately, one of my favorite mid-round RB targets was available in Conner, who should offer top-15 fantasy numbers whenever he's on the field.

Round 8

Round 8: There isn't much to say about this round since all of the picks are strong. In fact, I'd argue the eighth round of this mock contained more fantasy value than Round 7. Don't be afraid to take some of the names here a round earlier.

My pick: Missing out on Rice might've been a blessing since it allowed me to get Conner in Round 7 and then Johnson in Round 8. The Panthers brought Johnson in to be the No. 1 pass-catcher, and by all accounts, he's filling the role nicely so far. Given the complete overhaul to Carolina's offense and the lack of another top target, Johnson could emerge as a volume-based WR2 for fantasy.

Round 9

Round 9: Team Wile and Team Vaswani were battling to see who'd select a quarterback last. However, both managers pulled the trigger in this round and got great value in the process. Prescott was the highest-scoring fantasy quarterback for the majority of 2023, and Love quietly finished as the QB6 in FPPG.

My pick: With the rest of my starting lineup set, it was time to start loading up on running backs. Robinson continues to be mentioned as the lead back in Washington despite the arrival of Austin Ekeler. People around the team have also highlighted Robinson's improved pass-catching skills, which is an area most would've seen as a weakness in the past. If the Commanders take a step forward with Jayden Daniels at QB, Robinson will be great value at this pick - even though I took him a round ahead of his usual ADP.

Round 10

Round 10: Hockenson tore his ACL and MCL in late December, and while his recovery seems to be going well, it's unknown when he'll be available and back to form. It's an even stranger pick considering Team Chippin already took Kittle. If the goal is to trade one of the tight ends later in the season, that could be hard to do in a 10-team league where the demand might not be there.

My pick: Chase Brown was my target after I spotlighted him as a riser in training camp. However, Team Rohaly selected him before I could get back on the clock. Spears, who's also on my updated list of breakout running back candidates this season, is in a similar situation to Brown. They're both in split backfields where they'll be fighting to prove they deserve the larger share of touches.

Round 11

Round 11: I've done my best to convince Team Dalley that tight ends like Bowers, David Njoku, and Freiermuth have more fantasy upside in 2024 than Goedert. Sadly, he continues to wait on a tight end and select Goedert in our mocks. That's not to suggest Goedert is a bad player, he just struggles to be a difference-making fantasy asset while playing alongside A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.

My pick: Chandler has ended up on many of my rosters thanks to the affordable price tag and his multiple paths to production. Since his days in Green Bay, Jones has always shared his backfield with another ball carrier, and Chandler is expected to fill that role this year in Minnesota. Jones also turns 30 in December and has questions about his durability. If he misses again, Chandler would be the unchallenged starter for the Vikings.

Round 12

Round 12: Remember that in a 10-team league, there's still a ton of value available in the late rounds. So aim for upside. Whether it's a running back who's one injury away from fantasy starter status or a receiver capable of vastly outperforming their ADP - ceiling outcomes are what you're after in this round. Some of my favorite picks in this round were Dowdle, Corum, Charbonnet, Cooks, and Pearsall.

My pick: I had considered Corum in each of the last two rounds, so it was stunning to see him fall to me in the 12th. Though I expect Kyren Williams will continue to lead the Rams' backfield, if the veteran misses time, his new rookie teammate Corum will be an instant top-12 fantasy back.

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