In this series, we’ll look at a mock draft conducted from each draft slot and break down the best choice and some alternatives at each selection. We’ll look at the individual player selection and how each player fits into the overall roster construction of the team, and then look at what selection Awesemo’s rankings would have made. The mock is for a three-receiver, two-back, half-PPR league. Here we look at winning your fantasy football draft with the sixth overall pick.
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Fantasy Football Mock Draft from the Sixth Overall Pick
Mock Draft 1.06 Selection: Michael Thomas
Alternative: Derrick Henry
Thomas posted one of the 10 best fantasy seasons (PPR) ever for a wide receiver last year. He did this without even hitting double-digit touchdowns. This is half-PPR, so the decision between him and Derrick Henry was a bit closer, but Awesemo’s projections still give the edge to Thomas.
With a select few running backs owning a three-down role and the rest left hung out to dry, it’s hard to pass on one in the first round. However, Thomas is the biggest difference-maker at receiver by a wide margin and is projected to outscore everyone else available here.
Mock Draft 2.07 Selection: Travis Kelce
Alternative: Kenyan Drake
Kelce has led the Chiefs offense in targets and receptions in back-to-back seasons. He’s finished as the TE1 in three of the past four seasons. His one miss was in 2017 … when he finished as the TE2.
Like Thomas, Kelce is one of the few ways to gain a significant edge at his position. Only Kelce and George Kittle are capable of putting up fantasy stats worth taking in the early rounds.
Mock Draft 3.06 Selection: Allen Robinson
Alternative: Adam Thielen
Robinson was top five in target share (27%) and air yards share (39%) last season. He converted that opportunity into 1,147 yards. Now he gets a modest upgrade at quarterback with Nick Foles to add to his immense volume.
There are a few running backs that rank higher than Robinson per Awesemo’s projections, but they often go in the fourth and fifth rounds, so it is easy to wait. Also, getting Michael Thomas in the middle of the first round is the best time to showcase how the projections would put together a zero-RB team.
Mock Draft 4.07 Selection: Robert Woods
Alternative: James Conner
Despite Cooper Kupp getting most of the praise as the Rams’ top receiver, Woods’ 139 targets and 1,175 air yards both led the team. He also played on 102 more snaps than Kupp. Woods has a realistic chance of leading a high-volume passing offense in 2020.
Conner was the optimal pick by projections here, but the exhibition of a zero-RB team took precedent. Woods was still a fantastic value, as Awesemo’s rankings have him as a viable pick at the end of the third round.
Mock Draft 5.06 Selection: James Conner
Alternative: T.Y. Hilton, David Johnson
Getting Conner as your team’s first running back is a great way to start when you’re able to bury other teams at receiver and tight end. Conner was healthy for 13 games in 2018 and finished fourth in the league with 20.8 touches per game. That number fell to 15 last season, but with the offense rebounding under Ben Roethlisberger and Conner getting healthy, it is possible that he will regain his 2018 form this year.
Based on data from hundreds of real drafts, Conner makes it to this pick in less than 10% of drafts. Had he been taken, this team would have likely waited one more round to get a receiver.
More Fantasy Football Mock Drafts
- Drafting With the No. 1 Overall Pick
- Drafting With the No. 2 Overall Pick
- Drafting With the No. 3 Overall Pick
- Drafting With the No. 4 Overall Pick
Mock Draft 6.07 Selection: Devin Singletary
Alternative: David Montgomery
Awesemo’s rankings have Montgomery as the choice here, but the thought of a Bears stack was too nauseating. Foles should improve the offense but not to the point that we should have any confidence in drafting multiple expensive backs from this team. Singletary also looked like the more gifted back in 2019, running for 5.1 yards per carry compared to Montgomery’s mark of 3.7.
Zero-RB zealots will push back against getting two backs this early, but winning a draft is about being flexible. There were some valuable running backs in the middle rounds, so this team deviated from a full-blown zero-RB roster to more generally a receiver-heavy build.
Mock Draft 7.06 Selection: Will Fuller
Alternative: Marvin Jones
It’s difficult not to select Fuller with every pick in this series. Awesemo’s rankings love him and so does Deshaun Watson. The Texans quarterback averages 10.9 adjusted yards per attempt when throwing to Fuller. That mark leads all receiving options Watson has thrown at least 30 passes to.
An easy cop-out for Fuller haters is his injury concerns. They exist, but he’s not giving your team zero points when he’s sidelined. He’s giving your team whatever points the player who takes his place gets unless the injury occurs early in the game and is serious. His upside is too great to let the nebulous downside get in the way.
Mock Draft 8.07 Selection: J.K. Dobbins
Alternative: Ronald Jones
Dobbins’ final season at Ohio State was prolific. He carried the ball 301 times for 2,003 yards and added 247 yards through the air. He scored a total of 23 times. If he can bring the three-down role to Baltimore and push Mark Ingram to the bench, he’ll be a first-round pick by this time next season.
If a player like Golden Tate comes out and exceeds expectations, he’s still unlikely to start for this team. Tate’s ceiling is as a slot receiver with modest volume and a weekly floor. That doesn’t beat out the likes of Woods or Robinson for a flex role. The same holds true at running back, which is why Dobbins’ upside was such an easy choice here.
Mock Draft 9.06 Selection: Drew Brees
Alternative: None
Brees has led the league in completion percentage in each of the past three seasons, and his 2018 QBR of 80.4 also led all passers. Brees might be 41, but Awesemo’s rankings say he still has some juice and project him to finish as a low-end QB1.
It’s rarely necessary to take a quarterback in the single-digits rounds of a draft, but stacking the best fantasy receiver with his quarterback had to be a priority. When Thomas goes off, Brees is likely doing the same. Those weeks will be nearly automatic wins and could happen multiple times throughout the season.
Mock Draft 10.07 Selection: Alexander Mattison
Alternative: Chase Edmonds, Tony Pollard
Awesemo has Mattison ranked as one of the best handcuffs this season, and any zero-RB team needs some chances to profit at other team’s expenses. Mattison could also have some stand-alone value. He saw at least a dozen carries in four games last year, all with Dalvin Cook healthy.
This team is still missing a tight end and will likely need to take two in the next few rounds given its lack of investment in the position so far. Blake Jarwin is a great upside option, while Hayden Hurst could be used to bolster the team’s weekly floor at tight end.
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