We held our first 12-team, PPR mock draft following the Chiefs' 25-22 overtime victory against the 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII with members of our CBS Sports staff this week. I wasn't so much interested in the results, but rather in the strategy for our managers.
We know the player landscape will change dramatically in the coming weeks with free agency and the NFL Draft. But how Fantasy managers approach their drafts now is worth noting, even if it's just to experiment.
For this mock draft, which is a three-receiver league, Joel Cox and Dave Richard each took a different strategy. Joel went Zero RB, with his first six picks including four receivers, a tight end and a quarterback. Dave leaned more into running backs early, when four of his first six picks were Jonathan Taylor, Kyren Williams, Joe Mixon and James Conner.
Let's see which team you like better.
From the No. 4 spot, Joel started his team with CeeDee Lamb, D.J. Moore, Tank Dell, DK Metcalf, Trey McBride and Dak Prescott. He can start all four of those receivers with one in the flex, and McBride and Prescott have top-five upside at their respective positions.
While Joel didn't prioritize running back, he still ended up with Tony Pollard, Raheem Mostert, Jerome Ford, Zack Moss, Roschon Johnson and Tank Bigsby. If two of those guys are above average -- and Pollard and Moss are free agents this offseason -- then Joel should be among the best teams in this league going into the season. He also added some quality late-round fliers at receiver in Treylon Burks and Trey Palmer.
For Dave, he started his team from the No. 12 spot with Taylor and Williams, who are excellent selections. He followed that up with Mike Evans and Amari Cooper, and both are solid receivers at that point in the draft, even though we don't know where Evans will play in 2024 since he's a free agent.
But it felt like Dave was stuck with his next turn in Rounds 5 and 6 because the receiver pool quickly went dry of top-tier talent. He could have drafted his third receiver here with guys like Chris Godwin, Christian Watson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and George Pickens still on the board. Or he could have gone with a quarterback or tight end.
Instead, Dave added to the strength of his team with Mixon and Conner, and one should be his flex this season, assuming both remain with their current team in 2024. But now Dave had to find a third receiver, and he threw a lot of capital at the position.
After going with Dalton Kincaid and C.J. Stroud to lock up tight end and quarterback, Dave drafted five receivers (Courtland Sutton, Romeo Doubs, Demario Douglas, A.T. Perry and Tre Tucker) with his next six picks. He also added Jake Ferguson as a second tight end.
I like Dave's team if his receiving corps holds up, but I lean toward Joel as having the better roster. It's generally easier to find running backs during the season than standout receivers, and Joel gave himself that advantage at receiver on Draft Day.
My roster construction was closer to Joel's since four of my first five picks were receivers from the No. 11 spot with A.J. Brown, Garrett Wilson, Tee Higgins and Christian Kirk. I drafted James Cook in Round 3, and I'm happy with how this turned out.
I was still able to get Rhamondre Stevenson, Najee Harris and Brian Robinson Jr. to round out my running back corps, and I love my receiver depth with Khalil Shakir, Michael Wilson and Andre Iosivas. I drafted two quarterbacks late in Kyler Murray (Round 10) and Brock Purdy (12), and my only flaw with this roster was waiting on a tight end.
I settled for Dalton Schultz in Round 14, and he ends up in a good situation as a free agent this offseason. But overall, I was very satisfied with this draft.
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 and FLEX (RB/WR/TE) with six reserves for a 14-round draft.
Our draft order is as follows:
1. Rob Thomas, FFT Facebook Moderator
2. Adam Aizer, FFT Podcast Host
3. Meron Berkson, CBS Sports HQ Producer
4. Joel Cox, CBS Sports VP Business Development
5. Thomas Shafer, FFT Podcast Producer
6. Brandon Howard, Fantasy Editor
7. Heath Cummings, Senior Fantasy Writer
8. Daniel Schneier, Senior Fantasy Editor
9. R.J. White, Managing Editor, SportsLine and CBS Fantasy
10. Zach Brook, FFT Social Media Coordinator
11. Jamey Eisenberg, Senior Fantasy Writer
12. Dave Richard, Senior Fantasy Writer