In a 12-team, PPR league where you start three receivers and a flex, do you want to lean heavily on running backs when building your roster? Two managers in this mock draft did just that.
Jake Grogins at No. 1 overall went RB-RB-RB with his first three picks with Christian McCaffrey, James Cook, and De'Von Achane. Clearly, those three guys are awesome, and Jake can play all of them. But what about his receivers?
His top three guys are solid with DeVonta Smith, Stefon Diggs, and Jayden Reed, and he has Marquise Brown and Jordan Addison on the bench. He also managed to get Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback and Dallas Goedert at tight end, and he has reserve running backs in Jaylen Warren and Antonio Gibson.
I like this team, although I probably would have drafted Chris Godwin or Terry McLaurin in Round 7 instead of Warren. But Jake built a solid roster doing something somewhat unconventional this season.
Tommy Tran also started his team from the No. 8 spot going RB-RB with Jonathan Taylor and Derrick Henry, and he drafted Sam LaPorta in Round 3. Tommy drafted George Pickens in Round 4 and Tank Dell in Round 5, but he didn't make receiver a huge priority because his next two picks were Kyler Murray and Najee Harris.
From there, Tommy loaded up at receiver with Xavier Worthy, Keon Coleman, Josh Palmer, Tyler Lockett, Gabe Davis, and Brandin Cooks with six of his final seven picks. Tommy had a plan, and it seems like he executed it well, especially if three of these receivers support his running backs, quarterback, and tight end.
I had the No. 12 overall pick, and I was more running back heavy than usual. My first two picks were Saquon Barkley and Puka Nacua, and I got good value on Travis Kelce in Round 3. DK Metcalf, Amari Cooper, and Anthony Richardson were my next three picks, but then I drafted three running backs in a row with Brian Robinson Jr., Tyjae Spears, and Rico Dowdle.
I usually prefer a receiver in the flex spot, but I'd lean toward Spears or Dowdle in that role right now. That said, I still wanted to build up my receiving corps, so my next four picks were Rome Odunze, Rashid Shaheed, Jakobi Meyers, and Darnell Mooney.
My preference would be a stronger receiving corps on this roster. But I have enough talent there to go with Richardson, Kelce, and a solid group of running backs to make this a competitive team.
As a reference point for this mock draft, all touchdowns are worth six points, and we award one point for every 10 yards rushing and receiving and one point for every 25 yards passing. We also award one point for every reception. We feature a starting lineup of QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, TE and FLEX (RB/WR/TE) with six reserves for a 14-round draft.
Our draft order is as follows:
1. Jake Grogins, CBS Sports HQ Production Staff
2. Jack Capotorto, CBS Sports HQ Producer
3. Thomas Shafer, FFT Podcast Producer
4. Adam Aizer, FFT Podcast Host
5. Brandon Howard, Fantasy Editor
6. Robert Thomas, FFT Facebook Moderator
7. Will Brinson, Senior NFL Writer
8. Tommy Tran, CBS Sports HQ Host
9. Zach Brook, Social Media Coordinator
10. Meron Berkson, CBS Sports HQ Producer
11. Heath Cummings, Senior Fantasy Writer
12. Jamey Eisenberg, Senior Fantasy Writer