Photo by New York Post
Written By: George Haraktsis
We are inching ever closer to the start of the fantasy football season! Blitzalytics is here to give our insight on how you can strategize for your fantasy football drafts later this summer. This week I’m drafting from pick #10 in our 0.5 PPR format. In addition to 0.5 PPR, Blitz will be releasing mocks from all sorts of league types, including 2QB, Standard, Dynasty, and Auction. These mocks are done using Fantasy Pros’ Mock Draft Wizard, and the roster settings for today’s mock are as follows: 1QB, 2RB, 3WR, 1TE, 1Flex (RB/WR/TE), D/ST (team defense), and K, with 0.5 PPR. Make sure to be on the lookout for more mocks in the lead up to the start of the fantasy football season!
Final Roster:
QB: Carson Wentz (PHI)
RB: Melvin Gordon (LAC)
RB: Mark Ingram (BAL)
WR: Odell Beckham Jr. (CLE)
WR: Stefon Diggs (MIN)
WR: Kenny Golladay (DET)
TE: Jack Doyle (IND)
FLX: Tarik Cohen (CHI)
DST: Cleveland Browns
K: Harrison Butker (KC)
Bench:
RB: Tevin Coleman (SF)
WR: Golden Tate (NYG)
RB: LeSean McCoy (BUF)
RB: Austin Ekler (LAC)
WR: John Brown (BUF)
WR: Adam Humphries (TEN)
Overview: When it comes to .5 PPR draft strategies, I think I've got it down to a science.
Since a single catch is so valuable, stacking up on WR's is an absolute must. You need to take shots on guys early and often to make a real difference in your leagues. That's why I think I nailed my first three picks at Wide Receiver. Odell has the chance to be this year's number one wide receiver with his propensity to rack up tons of yards, touchdowns, and catches. Stefon Diggs was finally able to crack the 100 catch and 1,000 yard mark for the first time in his career. He could put up similar or even better numbers this year with another year of Kirk Cousins. As for Golladay, he is certainly a risk but he is entering his third year, Golden Tate is gone, and he is being given the keys to car as the number one WR. In a pass happy offense, I'm willing to take the risk. The rest of my guys are balanced out with high volume guys receivers like Tate, and Humphries, who were signed to see targets and John Brown who is a deep threat with a guy like Josh Allen throwing to him.
Since starting-caliber running backs are few and far between (and since this is a 0.5 PPR and not a pure PPR one), it was extremely necessary to land work horses at the top and fill out the rest with high-upside guys and pass catching threats. Melvin Gordon is still one of the few true bell-cows left in the league. He catches the ball, and will remain the focal point of the Chargers offense. Yes he is holding out, but by taking Ekler late I eliminated the giant risk of that effecting my team. He is a fantastic foundation to build upon. Ingram might be my second best steal of the draft. Alex Collins recently suffered a broken leg, leaving the door wide open for Ingram to be the lead back. This team loves to run the ball and Ingram will certainly get his share of goal line carries. No to mention, he'll get a lot of catches when Lamar Jackson is constantly checking down. The duo of Tevin Coleman and Tarik Cohen were fantastic picks as well. If Montgomery cannot acclimate quick enough the team will lean on Cohen more. If not, Cohen is essentially a wide receiver in that offense, and will see a ton of balls his way anyways. Coleman on the other hand has a few more question marks surrounding him. He is battling three other running backs for the top spot, but definitely has the edge. He has experience in Kyle Shanahan's offense, can catch the ball, and just signed a deal with the team. He could turn out the be a steal this late. As for LeSean McCoy, I honestly don't see much of a contribution to my team after his output last season, but I can't pass on a team's number one back in the 9th round. McCoy could easily flame out, but if he is even 75% of what he was two years ago, this will be a solid pick with his mix of running and pass catching skills.
I loooooove the depth of Quarterbacks this year. I was able to snag an MVP candidate in the 11th round by the name of Carson Wentz. He is surrounded by the best supporting cast he has had in his career. In 2018, he posted career-best marks in completion rate (69.6%), yards per attempt (7.5) and passing yards per game (279.5). This is my biggest steal of the draft, and could turn out to be a 2018 Andrew Luck type of pick this year. If the Eagles have better injury luck across the offensive line and can combine the team’s most complete and explosive crop of receivers in years, Wentz should be in a position to thrive! As for my TE, many wont be thrilled with this one and think that I waited too long and ended up with Jack Doyle. This really isn't that big of a deal because Doyle actually outsnaps Ebron when he's on the field, and is the clear cut TE one. I'm not chasing Ebron's touchdown. Doyle could end up as a top 10 TE and I would not be surprised, Luck loves him. Even if he does get injured or flames out, he was such a late pick it doesn't matter.
Very briefly, for defense and kicker strategy, wait until the last two-three rounds. The value simply isn’t there to get them any earlier, and to take them earlier would take away from the opportunity to draft at positions of much greater need. I snagged the Browns because I like what they've done this offseason and they're schedule to start is awesome. As for Butker, he's on the same team as Patrick Mahomes. That's a no brainer.
Overall, I am pleased with how my draft turned out. I love my upside and depth at starting wide receivers, I managed to draft a foundational running back at 10 and paired him with a very solid number two back to go along with solid upside on my bench, an under-appreciated but solid TE, the best fantasy quarterback in terms of value in this year's draft, a dependable and high upside defense, and depth at both the wide receiver and running back positions. Look out for Blitzalytics’ upcoming drafts in standard and PPR formats, as the strategies for these leagues differ from 0.5 PPR.
Round 1:
1. Saquon Barkley RB - NYG
2. Christian Mccaffrey RB - CAR
3. Ezekiel Elliott RB - DAL
4. Alvin Kamara RB - NO
5. David Johnson RB - ARI
6. Todd Gurley RB - LAR
7. Le'veon Bell RB - NYJ
8. Deandre Hopkins WR - HOU
9. Davante Adams WR - GB
10. Melvin Gordon RB - LAC
11. James Conner RB - PIT
12. Nick Chubb RB - CLE
Round 2:
13. Damien Williams RB - KC
14. Dalvin Cook RB - MIN
15. Odell Beckham WR - CLE
16. Julio Jones WR - ATL
17. Joe Mixon RB - CIN
18. Michael Thomas WR - NO
19. Travis Kelce TE - KC
20. Juju Smith-schuster WR - PIT
21. George Kittle TE - SF
22. Mike Evans WR - TB
23. Antonio Brown WR - OAK
24. Patrick Mahomes QB - KC
Round 3:
25. T.y. Hilton WR - IND
26. Keenan Allen WR - LAC
27. Adam Thielen WR - MIN
28. Derrick Henry RB - TEN
29. Aaron Jones RB - GB
30. A.j. Green WR - CIN
31. Zach Ertz TE - PHI
32. Amari Cooper WR - DAL
33. Leonard Fournette RB - JAC
34. Stefon Diggs WR - MIN
35. Kerryon Johnson RB - DET
36. Marlon Mack RB - IND
Round 4:
37. Julian Edelman WR - NE
38. Robert Woods WR - LAR
39. Kenny Golladay WR - DET
40. Devonta Freeman RB - ATL
41. Brandin CooksWR - LAR
42. Deshaun Watson QB - HOU
43. Josh Jacobs RB - OAK
44. Tyreek Hill WR - KC
45. Chris Godwin WR - TB
46. Sony Michel RB - NE
47. Tyler Lockett WR - SEA
48. Phillip Lindsay RB - DEN
Round 5:
49. Cooper Kupp WR - LAR
50. David Montgomery RB - CHI
51. Andrew Luck QB - IND
52. Mike Williams WR - LAC
53. Calvin Ridley WR - ATL
54. Allen Robinson WR - CHI
55. Jarvis Landry WR - CLE
56. D.j. Moore WR - CAR
57. Alshon Jeffery WR - PHI
58. Mark Ingram RB - BAL
59. Sammy Watkins WR - KC
60. Robby Anderson WR - NYJ
Round 6:
61. O.j. Howard TE - TB
62. Evan Engram TE - NYG
63. Tarik Cohen RB - CHI
64. Kenyan Drake RB - MIA
65. James White RB - NE
66. Chris Carson RB - SEA
67. Corey Davis WR - TEN
68. Aaron Rodgers QB - GB
69. Russell Wilson QB - SEA
70. Tyler Boyd WR - CIN
71. Hunter Henry TE - LAC
72. Will Fuller WR - HOU
Round 7:
73. Christian Kirk WR - ARI
74. Lamar Miller RB - HOU
75. Derrius Guice RB - WAS
76. Sterling Shepard WR - NYG
77. Dante Pettis WR - SF
78. Marvin Jones WR - DET
79. Courtland Sutton WR - DEN
80. Jared Cook TE - NO
81. Eric Ebron TE - IND
82. Tevin Coleman RB - SF
83. Dede Westbrook WR - JAC
84. Baker Mayfield QB - CLE
Round 8:
85. Keke Coutee WR - HOU
86. Matt Ryan QB - ATL
87. Golden Tate WR - NYG
88. Latavius Murray RB - NO
89. Cam Newton QB - CAR
90. Jordan Howard RB - PHI
91. Ronald Jones RB - TB
92. Geronimo Allison WR - GB
93. Miles Sanders RB - PHI
94. N'keal Harry WR - NE
95. Drew Brees QB - NO
96. Larry Fitzgerald WR - ARI
Round 9:
97. Rashaad Penny RB - SEA
98. Curtis Samuel WR - CAR
99. Mecole Hardman WR - KC
100. Anthony Miller WR - CHI
101. D.K. Metcalf WR - SEA
102. Adrian Peterson RB - WAS
103. Chicago Bears DST - CHI
104. Royce Freeman RB - DEN
105. Desean Jackson WR - PHI
106. Lesean Mccoy RB - BUF
107. James Washington WR - PIT
108. Marquez Valdes-scantling WR - GB
Round 10:
109. Devin Funchess WR - IND
110. Emmanuel Sanders WR - DEN
111. Austin Ekeler RB - LAC
112. Jerick Mckinnon RB - SF
113. Darrell Henderson RB - LAR
114. Kenny Stills WR - MIA
115. Jameis Winston QB - TB
116. Donte Moncrief WR - PIT
117. Parris Campbell WR - IND
118. Kareem Hunt RB - CLE
119. Dion Lewis RB - TEN
120. Carlos Hyde RB - KC
Round 11:
121. David Njoku TE - CLE
122. Daesean Hamilton WR - DEN
123. Tyrell Williams WR - OAK
124. Matt Breida RB - SF
125. D'onta Foreman RB - HOU
126. Michael Gallup WR - DAL
127. Mike Davis RB - CHI
128. Nyheim Hines RB - IND
129. Vance Mcdonald TE - PIT
130. Carson Wentz QB - PHI
131. Kalen Ballage RB - MIA
132. Damien Harris RB - NE
Round 12:
133. Los Angeles Rams DST - LAR
134. Jared Goff QB - LAR
135. John Brown WR - BUF
136. Robert Foster WR - BUF
137. Austin Hooper TE - ATL
138. Nelson Agholor WR - PHI
139. Ben Roethlisberger QB - PIT
140. Tre'quan Smith WR - NO
141. Jacksonville Jaguars DST - JAC
142. Peyton Barber RB - TB
143. Philip Rivers QB - LAC
144. Delanie Walker TE - TEN
Round 13:
145. Baltimore Ravens DST - BAL
146. Ito Smith RB - ATL
147. Jimmy Graham TE - GB
148. Marquise Goodwin WR - SF
149. Trey Burton TE - CHI
150. Rex Burkhead RB - NE
151. Duke Johnson RB - CLE
152. Lamar Jackson QB - BAL
153. Minnesota Vikings DST - MIN
154. Jack Doyle TE - IND
155. Jamison Crowder WR - NYJ
156. Devante Parker WR - MIA
Round 14:
157. Jaylen Samuels RB - PIT
158. C.J. Anderson RB - DET
159. Cleveland Browns DST - CLE
160. Dak Prescott QB - DAL
161. Albert Wilson WR - MIA
162. Randall Cobb WR - DAL
163. David Moore WR - SEA
164. Devin Singletary RB - BUF
165. Jamaal Williams RB - GB
166. Kyle Rudolph TE - MIN
167. Greg Olsen TE - CAR
168. Justice Hill RB - BAL
Round 15:
169. Marquise Brown WR - BAL
170. Los angeles Chargers DST - LAC
171. Houston Texans DST - HOU
172. Jimmy Garoppolo QB - SF
173. Denver Broncos DST - DEN
174. Dallas Cowboys DST - DAL
175. Kyler Murray QB - ARI
176. New Orleans Saints DST - NO
177. Mitch Trubisky QB - CHI
178. Adam Humphries WR - TEN
179. New England Patriots DST - NE
180. Mark Andrews TE - BAL
Round 16:
181. Greg Zuerlein K - LAR
182. Justin Tucker K - BAL
183. Harrison Butker K - KC
184. Stephen Gostkowski K - NE
185. Wil Lutz K - NO Edit
186. Ka'imi Fairbairn K - HOU
187. Mason Crosby K - GB
188. Adam Vinatieri K - IND
189. Matt Prater K - DET
190. Giorgio Tavecchio K - ATL
191. Jake Elliott K - PHI
192. Robbie Gould K - SF