We held our first mock draft since Chiefs running back Damien Williams announced Wednesday that he was opting out for the season over concerns related to COVID-19, and I wanted to see where Clyde Edwards-Helaire would be selected. I didn't have to wait long.
I had the No. 8 overall selection in this 14-team, PPR mock draft, and Edwards-Helaire was my pick. I would have drafted him as early as No. 6 overall, and I took him ahead of other running backs like Miles Sanders, Austin Ekeler, Joe Mixon, Kenyan Drake, Nick Chubb, Josh Jacobs and Derrick Henry.
Edwards-Helaire went after the usual top six of Christian McCaffrey, Saquon Barkley, Ezekiel Elliott, Alvin Kamara, Michael Thomas and Dalvin Cook, but Ben Schragger drafted Davante Adams at No. 7 overall. I have no problem with any of those picks, but I would draft Edwards-Helaire ahead of Thomas and Adams as of now.
Even though he will likely be thrown into the starting job following a limited training camp and no preseason games, he's still got tremendous talent around him, along with the tutelage of Andy Reid. During Reid's tenure as a head coach in Philadelphia and Kansas City, he's had a top 12 PPR running back in points per game 15 times in 21 seasons, including nine finishes in the top five.
Kareem Hunt, as a rookie in 2017, was the No. 5 PPR running back in points per game at 18.4, and he led the NFL in rushing that season with 1,327 yards. He also scored eight rushing touchdowns with 53 receptions, 455 yards and three touchdowns.
Is Edwards-Helaire capable of that type of production? Probably not. But I'll gamble on Reid's track record, as well as what Edwards-Helaire did at LSU last season with 215 carries for 1,414 yards and 16 touchdowns, along with 55 catches, 453 yards and a touchdown.
Now, I did try to handcuff Edwards-Helaire with DeAndre Washington, who I expect to be the No. 2 running back in Kansas City, barring a veteran free agent being added like Devonta Freeman or Lamar Miller. But Adam Aizer drafted Washington in Round 9, so I missed out.
Aizer also drafted Darwin Thompson in Round 13, and Ben Gretch drafted Darrel Williams in Round 12. We'll see what the Chiefs do with their depth chart behind Edwards-Helaire, but he should be the lead back if he's healthy now that Damien Williams is out.
After drafting Edwards-Helaire, I selected Aaron Jones in Round 2, but I made a mistake with my third-round pick. Since wide receiver is so deep, I thought taking a third running back made sense in this larger format, and I drafted Melvin Gordon over Allen Robinson.
But when it came back to my selection in Round 4, the top receiver on the board was Courtland Sutton. He's not the best No. 1 receiver, but he's fine. However, the reason I regret drafting Gordon in Round 3 and passing on Robinson was that Jonathan Taylor was still available at 4.07.
I would rather have Robinson and Taylor instead of Gordon and Sutton. Good thing this is a mock draft.
The rest of my receiving corps features two breakout candidates in Marquise Brown and Diontae Johnson, as well as two sleepers in Anthony Miller and Laviska Shenault. I also have backup running backs in Zack Moss, Chase Edmonds and A.J. Dillon.
I waited on quarterback and tight end, and I ended up with Tom Brady in Round 12, which is fantastic in a 14-team league. I thought I could get Blake Jarwin or Jared Cook after drafting Brady, but Schragger (Jarwin) and Heath Cummings (Cook) each took a second tight end before my pick in Round 13.
As a result, I settled for Jack Doyle, but I also backed him up with T.J. Hockenson in Round 14. Hopefully, one of those guys emerges as a No. 1 Fantasy tight end this year.
For those of you who play in 14-team leagues, you know the talent pool thins out quickly. But it also gives you a chance to draft guys you normally wouldn't in a 12-team league or smaller. It's challenging, but it's also a lot of fun.
In this league, 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, FLEX (RB/WR/TE), K and DST. There also are six reserve spots for a 16-round draft.
Our draft order is as follows:
1. George Maselli, Fantasy Editor
2. Adam Aizer, Fantasy Football Podcast Host
3. Dave Richard, Senior Fantasy Writer
4. R.J. White, NFL Editor
5. Michael Kiser, Director, VOD and Video Optimization
6. Heath Cummings, Senior Fantasy Writer
7. Ben Schragger, Podcast Producer
8. Jamey Eisenberg, Senior Fantasy Writer
9. Frank Stampfl, Fantasy Baseball Podcast Host
10. Meron Berkson, CBS Sports HQ Producer
11. Andrew Baumhor, CBS Sports HQ Producer
12. Chris Towers, Senior Editor, Fantasy
13. Ben Gretch, Fantasy Editor
14. Jack Capotorto, CBS Sports HQ Producer