Fantasy: 10-team mock draft with analysis after every round

theScore staff took part in a 10-team, 12-round mock draft to offer some insight on what to watch for in each round.

This is a half PPR scoring league with the following roster spots: QB, RB, RB, WR, WR, WR, TE, FLEX, BN, BN, BN, BN. We omitted defenders and kickers, as they're normally selected in the final two rounds.

Draft participants: Caio Miari, Caitlyn Holroyd, Taylor Rohaly, Ian Dalley, Justin Boone, Dane Belbeck, Brandon Wile, Gianluca Nesci, Gordon Brunt, Navin Vaswani.

Round 1

Round 1: As usual, the first round was fairly uneventful. The trend in recent years has been toward more receiver-heavy builds in the early rounds, and this mock follows that pattern. While you could make a case for Garrett Wilson or Jonathan Taylor deserving a spot at the end of the round, they won't stay on the board for long.

My pick: The fifth pick was a genuine toss-up between drafting Hill or Hall. Ultimately, I went with Hill, who averaged 119 catches, 1755 yards, and 10 touchdowns per season over the last two campaigns. As long as he stays healthy, he'll be in the conversation for the top-scoring fantasy wideout overall.

Round 2

Round 2: Receivers continued to dominate the opening frames, with 13 wideouts chosen through the first 20 picks. The only real surprise selection was Collins, who went a few spots ahead of his ADP and before other stars at his position like Aiyuk and Davante Adams. I'm still projecting Collins to be the Texans' No. 1 pass-catcher, but his stats will be impacted by the return of Tank Dell and the addition of Stefon Diggs. That makes Collins more of an early third-round value in fantasy drafts.

My pick: My desire to start WR-WR had me choosing between London, Aiyuk, and Adams, who are all very close in my 2024 projections. Knowing my coworkers' affinity for drafting the next rising star, I elected to take London and hoped Aiyuk or Adams fell to me in the third. With Kirk Cousins in Atlanta, we're about to see a career year from London, which should place him among the top 12 fantasy receivers by season's end.

Round 3

Round 3: Things started to get interesting here as managers begun revealing their strategies. Three teams - including mine - stayed away from running backs once again. Meanwhile, two managers secured both their starting running backs after three rounds. Our first two quarterbacks and first tight end also went off the board. The QBs are understandable, but it's tough to defend the LaPorta pick since it was a full round and 11 picks ahead of his ADP. With the depth at that position, I'd much rather wait a couple rounds and get a better value.

My pick: As much as I'd hoped Aiyuk or Adams would fall to me in the third, it appeared a long shot. Fortunately, the other drafters weren't interested in the aging veteran who turns 32 in December, and Adams landed softly on my squad. I'll gladly take the long-time star who's finished among the top four in average targets per game each of the last six seasons and should get a slight upgrade at quarterback this year.

Round 4

Round 4: The LaPorta pick from the last round looks even worse with Kelce going close to his ADP in the fourth - and being the only other tight end selected so far. Unless you're in a tight end-premium league, you don't need to be the first manager to pull the trigger on one.

My pick: With the best WR trio in the league already on my roster, it was time to address another position. Pacheco was an easy pick here after finishing as a top-15 (FPPG) fantasy back last season. The Chiefs made little effort to address their backfield and even chose not to re-sign veteran Jerick McKinnon. That sets Pacheco up for a strong workload and a potential RB1 fantasy campaign.

Round 5

Round 5: We got a mini-run on quarterbacks in this round, with Stroud, Jackson, and Mahomes going off the board - in that order. This does seem a bit premature for Stroud, who was the QB10 in fantasy points per game during his outstanding rookie season. He has a lot of fantasy managers excited, especially with his new weapons, but taking him ahead of a proven producer like Jackson or an all-time great like Mahomes (who also has new weapons) could be a mistake.

My pick: I strongly considered taking a quarterback (Jackson) or a tight end (Andrews) in this round, before deciding to go with the TD potential of Jacobs, the Packers' new starting back. If he can stay healthy, Jacobs has top-12 upside in Green Bay's potent attack and gives me a second quality fantasy back to combine with my elite receiving corps. However, this puts me at risk of missing out on a top-six QB or a top-seven tight end, which are the next tier breaks in my rankings.

Round 6

Round 6: The sweet spot for tight end picks turned out to be this round, with Kincaid, McBride, and Pitts getting drafted. All three have legitimate cases to be top-five fantasy tight ends this year, and you get them a round or two later than some of the other stars at their position.

My pick: When it was time for my selection at 6.06, I went with the final QB in my current tier: Richardson. The 22-year-old is poised for a breakout after injuries limited him to just two full games as a rookie - which turned out to be two very impressive fantasy outings. With Pitts and George Kittle still available when I picked, I was once again hoping one of my targets would fall to the next round. Sadly, I didn't get as lucky this time.

Round 7

Round 7: For the first time, running backs make up at least half of the picks in this round. While the likes of Montgomery, Kamara, Jones, and Stevenson are regulars in and around this range, Benson went several rounds before his ADP. It's a move that could pay off if James Conner gets hurt or if the rookie simply outplays his veteran teammate. But it's hard to justify taking Benson over 40 picks above his current ADP and ahead of Conner, who's been a top-15 fantasy back the last few seasons, when healthy.

My pick: With Kittle being drafted at the top of the round, I officially missed out on the top seven tight ends (a mistake) and had to direct my attention elsewhere. If I had to do it over again, I would've grabbed Jackson and Pitts in the previous two rounds. But Kamara is a nice fallback who can give me an advantage at the flex. Even at 28 years old, Kamara posted the fifth-most fantasy points per game among running backs last season.

Round 8

Round 8: With so much running back value available in this area of the draft, it's hard to justify spending up at the position. Players like Conner, Mostert, Swift, White, Robinson, and Harris could all provide RB2 fantasy numbers if they can stay healthy. Make sure you're getting in on some of the RB values in the seventh round and later.

My pick: After taking running backs three of the last four rounds, and with no tight ends of note in this range, I took an upside receiver in Ridley. Despite underwhelming for most of his time with the Jaguars last season, it's intriguing to hear how new head coach and play-caller Brian Callahan plans to use Ridley around the formation. Fantasy managers are underestimating how different (more passing) the Titans' offense will be this season, and that's creating an opportunity for value with their skill-position players.

Round 9

Round 9: Only three teams have yet to draft a tight end - including mine - but waiting to address the position is the smart move when the top seven TEs are gone. Team Miari is only roster without a quarterback through nine rounds, but that's fine in a 10-team league since he'll have his pick between Jordan Love, Brock Purdy, Caleb Williams, or Jayden Daniels in the next few rounds.

My pick: Running back was a consideration here with Moss (who went one pick later) being at the top of my list at that position. However, I couldn't pass up the value of a potential high-volume wideout like Johnson. Dave Canales promises to kickstart the Panthers' passing attack this year, and Johnson was brought in to be the No. 1 target. He was the 42nd receiver taken in this draft, but I have him ranked as WR35 and a seventh-round value in this format.

Round 10

Round 10: As I explain every year, the later rounds should be dedicated to pure upside as you attempt to unearth the next fantasy diamond. Worthy, Watson, Williams, Odunze, Smith-Njigba, Samuel, Shakir, and Shaheed all fit that description here.

My pick: I wasn't planning on taking another receiver, but it's rare to get one of my breakout candidates in the 10th round. There are plenty of signs pointing to Smith-Njigba taking a step forward in his second season, including some strong performances down the stretch, the Seahawks' new pass-friendly offensive coordinator, and an offseason of praise from people with and around the team.

Round 11

Round 11: As predicted, Team Miari finds great value at QB by selecting Love in this round. Love averaged the sixth-most fantasy points last year and could have an even better and healthier set of skill-position players this season. Meanwhile, Team Rohaly appears to be playing a little defense by drafting a second tight end in Bowers. With LaPorta already on his roster, Bowers seems like an unnecessary pick unless the goal was to block the two teams left without a tight end.

My pick: Dalley and I are those two managers engaged in a standoff to be the last to pick a tight end and are heading into the final round with that starting spot still open. My choice to wait wasn't complicated - I couldn't let an upside RB like Spears remain on the board. Though a timeshare is the most likely outcome in Tennessee's backfield, Spears has the talent to handle the lead job if he can hold off Pollard. Whether you favor Spears or Pollard is a gamble you have to take in the 11th round.

Round 12

Round 12: Running backs are some of the best targets in the final rounds because they're one injury away from achieving fantasy starter status. It's no shock that the final round is filled with RBs, featuring some of my favorite late-round picks like Ford, Lloyd, Chandler, and Charbonnet.

My pick: Even though I waited until the final round, I was able to get Ferguson, who was the TE9 in fantasy points per game last year. The Cowboys didn't add much at receiver or tight end, and their backfield is likely weaker than it was in 2023. That positions Ferguson for a decent target share and another TE1 fantasy campaign.

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