We haven't done a non-PPR mock draft in a while, so it was fun to get back to this format during our Twitch stream Tuesday night. And it was interesting to see the different approach by two managers in this 12-team draft.
Ben Gretch picking at No. 4 overall started his team with four running backs in a row: Alvin Kamara, Aaron Jones, Jonathan Taylor and Leonard Fournette. He can play all four since this league has a starting lineup of QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, TE, 2 FLEX (RB/WR/TE) and DST with six reserves, and Ben has four potential top-24 running backs coming into the season -- even if he did draft Taylor too soon at No. 28 overall.
He still managed to get a solid receiving corps with D.J. Chark, Stefon Diggs, Will Fuller, N'Keal Harry and Mecole Hardan. And he has Matthew Stafford at quarterback and Mike Gesicki and T.J. Hockenson at tight end. He also added Matt Breida and Justin Jackson for depth at running back.
I like this roster a lot because of the running back corps, and this is a good strategy to use in this format. But it was completely different from Michael Kiser, who picked at No. 12 overall.
He started his team with three receivers in a row: Tyreek Hill, Julio Jones and Adam Thielen. He also ended up with Marvin Jones, Sterling Shepard, John Brown and Golden Tate on his team.
Michael has Deshaun Watson and Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, with Darren Waller at tight end, which is exceptional for those two spots. But his running back corps could be a problem with Mark Ingram, Jordan Howard, Tarik Cohen and A.J. Dillon as the only ones on his roster.
What I would have done differently with Michael's team is focused more on running backs in the middle and later rounds. Instead of Marvin Jones in Round 8, he could have drafted someone like Darrell Henderson, Kerryon Johnson, Phillip Lindsay, Breida or Marlon Mack. And in Round 10, instead of Shepard, Michael could have drafted someone like Joshua Kelley, James White, Antonio Gibson, Tony Pollard or Darrynton Evans. He also could have selected Ryquell Armstead or Boston Scott instead of Brown in Round 12.
I like Michael's team if Ingram and Howard are respectable starters, but more depth at running back would have been ideal. That's how I built my roster, which was similar to Ben's team.
I drafted three running backs in a row from No. 9 overall with Joe Mixon, Kenyan Drake and Todd Gurley. I also took Ronald Jones in Round 5, Ke'Shawn Vaughn in Round 7 and Chase Edmonds in Round 9. I drafted Jones too soon, but at that point there were 26 running backs off the board. He was the next running back in my rankings, and I like him as a flex in this league.
I'm more than happy with my receiving corps of Tyler Lockett, Terry McLaurin, Diontae Johnson, Justin Jefferson and Mike Williams, and I stole Josh Allen in Round 10. I waited on tight end, but I like the duo I drafted of Jonnu Smith in Round 13 and Blake Jarwin in Round 15. Both have breakout potential this year.
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.
Our draft order is as follows:
1. Andrew Baumhor, CBS Sports HQ Producer
2. R.J. White, NFL Editor
3. Dave Richard, Senior Fantasy Writer
4. Ben Gretch, Fantasy Editor
5. Meron Berkson, CBS Sports HQ Producer
6. George Maselli, Fantasy Editor
7. Frank Stampfl, Fantasy Baseball Podcast Host
8. Heath Cummings, Senior Fantasy Writer
9. Jamey Eisenberg, Senior Fantasy Writer
10. Adam Aizer, Podcast Host
11. Chris Towers, Senior Editor, Fantasy
12. Michael Kiser, Director, VOD and Video Optimization
