August is upon us, the pre-season is in full swing, and the beautiful game is back. This is the time of year when we assemble our fantasy football squads, hoping to lead them to glorious victory. But before we commit to our real drafts, a bit of practice is needed to get a feel for how the board will unfold. Today, we'll walk you through a mock draft in a standard league, taking on the role of a player selecting from the middle picks (specifically seventh). This is for a 12-team league with a single quarterback, with an emphasis on touchdowns, given that we won't receive points for receptions as in other formats. Let's dive into our team, which our draft wizard has awarded an A rating â and don't forget to prepare for your own draft with our FREE mock draft simulator.
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Fantasy Football Mock Draft â Standard Scoring
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1.07: Breece Hall (RB-NYJ)
Seeing Breece Hall slip to us at 1.07 was a Christmas miracle in a standard league. Last season, despite playing in a dismal Zach Wilson-led offence, Hall still managed to finish as the RB6 in fantasy points. Despite falling just short of 300 touches, he amassed 1,585 total yards. Now, Hall gets the benefit of having a future Hall of Famer, Aaron Rodgers, as his quarterback. Rodgers' presence should mean fewer men in the box, allowing Hall to operate with greater freedom.
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2.06: Deebo Samuel (WR-SF)
We love a player who can do it all. Deebo can beat you through the air or run over you on his way to the endzone. He's an exceptional talent with a chance to see even more targets if the Aiyuk departure rumours prove true. One of our golden rules in fantasy football is to draft good players on good offences, and Deebo embodies this perfectly.
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3.07: DK Metcalf (WR-SEA)
Staying true to the "good players on good offences" strategy, we added DK Metcalf to our wide receiver corps. Last season, Metcalf commanded a 23% target share while racking up 1,114 yards. This year, the Seahawks boast a new coaching staff, featuring Ryan Grubb as offensive coordinator. Grubb is a fan of the passing game, and Metcalf is at the front of the queue to benefit from this offensive philosophy.
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4.06: Kenneth Walker III (RB-SEA)
Two players from the same team in back-to-back picks â we can hear the gasps from the rooftops! But we're chasing good players on good teams, and Kenneth Walker is a home run hitting running back who can elevate our roster in 2024.
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5.07: Tee Higgins (WR-CIN)
A player chasing a contract is a motivated player. Tee Higgins has all the skills we need from our wide receiver position and is tied to a potent offence. We expect his downward trend in stats to reverse this year as he works towards a lucrative payday in 2025.
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6.06: Raheem Mostert (RB-MIA)
Mike McDaniels has stated that his backfield will feature multiple running backs. When DeâVon Achane is dealing with injuries, Jaylen Wright is learning the system, and Jeff Wilson is past his prime, you'll want to lean on Raheem Mostert. He scored 18 touchdowns last season, a feat unlikely to be replicated, but it highlights his importance in the red zone.
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7.07: Zach Moss (RB-CIN)
Zach Moss enjoyed a resurgence last season and has earned a chance to be the goal-line back on his new team, the Cincinnati Bengals. Last year, Joe Mixon was a top-five running back regarding i5 (inside the five) usage. Moss could take over this role, sharing the backfield with Chase Brown, who struggles with vision between the tackles, potentially limiting his goal-line involvement.
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8.06: Gus Edwards (RB-LAC)
Do we love this offence? Not really.
Do we know they want to run the ball every day of the week and practically every down on Sunday? Absolutely.
The Chargers signed Gus Edwards to help them score touchdowns, and he produced 13 last season. He's familiar with Gregg Roman's offence and is a perfect candidate for a standard league where touchdowns are king.
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9.07: Courtland Sutton (WR-DEN)
Take a moment to consider the Denver Broncos wide receiver room. Are there many players who could realistically become the true WR1 in Denver? We don't think so. We also know that Sean Payton loves size in his receivers; Courtland Sutton stands at 6'4 and over 215 lbs. With Sutton fitting Payton's ideal player profile, and the offence needing his presence, it would be foolish to ignore him in the ninth round of a standard league.
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10.06: Evan Engram (TE-JAC)
Evan Engram is usually a target in PPR leagues. However, when a central cog of a points-scoring offence appears in the 10th round, you have to draft him. A general rule of thumb for tight ends is to find an athletic player with a top-three target share on a solid offence. Evan Engram ticks all these boxes.
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11.07: Dameon Pierce (RB-HOU)
At this point in our draft, we're chasing upside and hope. Dameon Pierce had a tough 2023, which prompted the Houston Texans to bring in Joe Mixon. The hope with this pick is that Pierce has figured things out, Mixon is past his prime, and we see a changing of the guard. If this doesn't happen, Pierce becomes an early cut for your team, no harm, no foul.
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12.06: Brock Purdy (QB-SF)
We've executed a late-round quarterback strategy by snagging Deebo Samuel's quarterback, Brock Purdy. Our team now boasts a stack from one of the best offences in the NFL. Purdy led all quarterbacks in yards per attempt, passer rating, and QBR. Finding a quarterback with such ability in the 12th round is a dream come true.
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13.07: Josh Downs (WR-IND)
Josh Downs had a very successful 2023. He recorded a 77.5% success rate against man coverage (third best in the NFL), an 82.5% success rate against zone coverage (fourth best), and a 72.7% success rate against press coverage (15th best). When Downs plays, he performs. The current challenge is his injury, which will keep him sidelined for at least a few more weeks. He could be back by Week 1, but may start slowly due to the camp injury. Nevertheless, in the 13th round, we take the talent and stash him on the bench.
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