Justin Jefferson is likely off the board, unless you’re using The Wolf’s 2023 Fantasy Rankings, by the time the No. 2 pick is on the clock. Still, even without Jettas in your lineup for this season, drafters in this slot will come away with an absolute stud.
Read more: “How to draft” from the… 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 spot
Here’s how I attacked the Roto Street Journal 12-team mock draft with Half-PPR scoring (QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, TE, and FLEX) from the 2 spot:
With the 1.02 I knew Justin Jefferson would be the only player off the board, so I had a decision to make. The pick is basically down to Travis Kelce, JaMarr Chase, or Christian McCaffery. Kelce and McCaffery are, in my opinion, the only two players with a sizable leg up on their respective position groups, so that narrows my decision to those two. In a year where the consensus is to fade early-round running backs, I decided to zag while others zigged. When healthy, McCaffery is in his own category, and the 49ers seemed to have only raised his ceiling. Finally, I’ve never rostered him. Fantasy football should be fun at the end of the day!
With my RB1 locked up, I waited for the round 2/3 turn. I assumed that Mark Andrews would not survive the wraparound and took him with my second pick. I now have the potential RB1 and TE1 as set-it-and-forget-it pieces. I was eyeballing Patrick Mahomes in the third to give myself a third positional leader, but he was taken at the 3.01. I planned to come away from the turn with one of either Mahomes or Andrews, and I got my initial first pick of the two. However, I now don’t have a shot at a true alpha WR. I eventually landed on DK Metcalf, a guy positioned to “bounce back” from a WR18 (half PPR) season in a fringe top-5 offense.
The 4/5 turn, in my opinion, is a make-or-break spot for most teams. That’s the case for my team here, as I only have one RB and one WR. My first pick is RB Aaron Jones, a guy I’ve been targeting in most drafts. I love the receiving upside here with a young quarterback, with Jones having at least 63 targets in the last four years. I see more of the same in the future for this six-year veteran. Then, I took a shot on a second-year receiver, Atlanta WR Drake London. Hopefully, a year in the same system alongside Desmond Ridder provides a boost, despite the Falcons’ proclivity to run the ball.
Flex options were imperative here, especially with the dropoff in QB talent after Trevor Lawrence went directly after my 5th-round pick. I would’ve loved Diontae Johnson to fall here, but Mike Evans was a nice consolation prize. Tampa will be BAD this year, but I won’t be the one to bet against Evans. Eight straight years of 1,000 yards receiving with a shot at the all-time record this season? That’s one hell of a flier in the 6th round. My next pick was also an upside flier in Alvin Kamara. The dip in ADP comes from a three-game suspension, but before last year, Kamara finished as RB8 or better in four of the last five seasons. Adding Jamaal Williams will eat into his touchdown potential, but the receiving upside from Kamara justifies this pick.
Entering the 8th round, I realized my team was rather old and could use an infusion of youth. Like my London pick, I took a gamble on another second-year WR and took Treylon Burks. The Titans have invested a lot of capital into Burks, and he projects to be a large part of the Titans’ passing attack this year. Adding DeAndre Hopkins should, theoretically, open up a few more targets for him, as well. I took my QB in round nine, Tua Tagovailoa. The injury concerns are valid, but when healthy and surrounded by the talent in Mike McDaniels’ offense Tua was a top-10 option. I’m riding Tua’s ceiling this year.
My draft rounds out as the following:
10.11: Rashaad Bateman – see London/Burks upside, new offense in BAL
11.02: D’Onta Foreman – goal line factor in CHI, run-heavy offense with no clear-cut RB1
12.11: Darnell Mooney – DJ Moore should open up more targets down the field and hopefully Justin Fields takes his leap
13.02: Van Jefferson – dart throw on who’s going to be the WR2 for LAR
14.11: Matthew Slater – joke pick, penultimate pick in the whole draft leaves a spot for post-cut additions
