Fantasy football draft season has arrived, and participating in mock drafts is a great way to test out different strategies prior to your draft.
Below, we will run through our mock draft for a two-quarterback league with PPR scoring on the ESPN platform. We’ll highlight our strategy, thought process, best picks, regrets, and overall insights on how to approach this type of draft.
We will be picking from the No. 8 spot in a 12-team league.
2023 Fantasy football mock draft review: 12-team, 2-QB League
Strategy
There was a frenzy on quarterbacks in the first round, as Patrick Mahomes (No. 3), Josh Allen (No. 6), and Jalen Hurts (No. 7) were all taken prior to my pick at No. 8.
I looked at the QB options briefly — Joe Burrow and Justin Fields — then decided to take the best available player in Los Angeles Rams WR Cooper Kupp. That strategy paid off, as I was able to land Burrow at 2.05 when my pick came back around.
With QBs obviously going higher in this draft format, it feels like WR2 and WR3 options got pushed down the draft board. For example, I was able to land Tyler Lockett in the seventh and Brandin Cooks in the 10th.
I used FantasyPros Mock Draft Simulator for this article.
Best picks
2.05 — Joe Burrow
6.05 — George Kittle
7.08 — Tyler Lockett
I decided to not take a quarterback in the first round, as Mahomes, Allen, and Hurts were off the board. That was the correct decision, as Burrow and Fields were still available for my second-round selection.
In round six, Kittle was the last tight end with a realistic combination of a high fantasy floor and ceiling, so I went ahead and grabbed him.
Lockett in the seventh! I was shocked he dropped that far, as the higher draft spots of the quarterbacks caused him to fall.
Worst picks
4.05 — Chris Olave
Olave was one of the best available players in this spot. However, if I knew that Lockett, Cooks, and other viable receivers would fall as far as they did, I would’ve drafted a second quarterback at 4.05 instead of Olave.
I could’ve drafted Tua Tagovailoa, Dak Prescott, Jared Goff, or Anthony Richardson in that spot. This is where you can learn from my mistakes.
Final thoughts
There were some crazy runs on quarterbacks in this draft. I knew that going in, but still didn’t properly assess how quickly the QB pool would be depleted.
Every league is different, but it seems like quality WRs are getting pushed down the draft board in 2-QB leagues, so keep that in mind. See my regrets with Olave above.
I was looking at drafting Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray as my second or third quarterback (because of the upside), but he went earlier than I expected at 8.09. If he gets into the tenth round, I would look towards him as a value selection.
Full mock draft results
1.08 — Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams
2.05 — Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals
3.08 — Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati Bengals
4.05 — Chris Olave, WR, New Orleans Saints
5.08 — Amari Cooper, WR, Cleveland Browns
6.05 — George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers
7.08 — Tyler Lockett, WR, Seattle Seahawks
8.05 — James Cook, RB, Buffalo Bills
9.08 — Brock Purdy, QB, San Francisco 49ers
10.05 — Brandin Cooks, WR, Dallas Cowboys
11.08 — Rashaad Penny, RB, Philadelphia Eagles
12.05 — De’Von Achane, RB, Miami Dolphins
13.08 — Ryan Tannehill, QB, Tennessee Titans
14.05 — Dalton Schultz, TE, Houston Texans
15.08 — Evan McPherson, K, Cincinnati Bengals
16.05 — Denver Broncos, DEF