OK, before I dive into this, I want to state for the record that I am NOT saying this is the perfect 2023 fantasy football draft. There are millions of ways a snake draft can go with nearly limitless x-factors that affect how things shake out. However, I will say that this was a very strong team drafted against very smart, well-informed competition. For that reason, I am thrilled to share it with anyone who cares to take a look.
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 6 spot:
My Basic Strategy Going In/My Prized Target Picking from the 6 Spot
Once I found out I was picking 6th, my first pie-in-the-sky dream was that I was going to land Travis Kelce. Quite simply, Kelce provides the single greatest advantage at any position in fantasy. He is also insanely reliable—as good of a lock to perform at the level you expect him to (the elite level, that is) as any player out there. So, he was at the top of my wish list.
Beyond that, of course, I had my targets—many of whom I landed—but my main objective was to be good everywhere. In order to make sure I was good (or even very good) across the board, I knew I was going to have to make sure if I didn’t get Kelce that, I would get a different top-five tight end, simply because there isn’t any tight end depth to speak of. If you don’t get a guy near the top, you’re basically throwing darts.
This also meant I was almost certainly avoiding the top-flight quarterbacks. In my estimation, there are about four absolutely elite guys and maybe four more after that who could arguably be great as well. But after that, there are still loads of good fantasy quarterbacks with big-time upside. In order to make sure I would be really good at running back and wide receiver I assumed I’d be waiting until at least the ninth round to pick a quarterback–maybe even later, depending on how the draft was going.
My Starters and How I Got There
I will show you my starting squad, where I picked them, and then let you in on my thought process or any choices I struggled with, any other guys I considered, or if I have any major regrets/buyer’s remorse.
QB Daniel Jones (10.07) 115th overall
RB Rhamondre Stevenson (3.06) 30th overall
RB Dameon Pierce (4.07) 43rd overall
WR Cooper Kupp (1.06) 6th overall
WR Jaylen Waddle (2.07) 19th overall
WR Marquise Brown (6.07) 67th overall
TE Darren Waller (5.06) 54th overall
FLEX Odell Beckham, Jr. (8.07) 91st overall
My flex spot is debatable. I also have Antonio Gibson, Samaje Perine, and Nico Collins, who all have tremendous upside. But for now, I really like how OBJ is looking, I really like his situation, and he’d probably be my starter in Week 1, as of now. But seriously, that is one sexy team up there.
First off, as you undoubtedly noticed, I did not get Kelce. He went No. 3 overall, which is obviously high but I completely understand. By the time things got to me it was a clear decision between two guys–Cooper Kupp and Tyreek Hill. Both guys are bonafide superstars/fantasy cheat codes. If someone faced with the same decision took Hill instead of Kupp I would 100% respect the pick. But starting a team with Cooper Kupp excites me, and I can’t deny it.
I would have taken Derrick Henry with my second pick, but he got taken the pick before mine. Once he was taken, Jaylen Waddle was maybe my easiest draft selection. Now I’ve got two elite WRs. It’s still too early to go in on a TE in my opinion, so I’m almost certainly going after an RB with my next pick.
There was a mini QB run before I picked (Mahomes, Hurts, Allen), but I had already mentally committed to waiting on a QB. My RB plan was still, so Rhamondre Stevenson was an obvious pick. The rest of the upper-echelon QBs got snapped up before my fourth-round pick, so I grabbed Dameon Pierce. I did consider DJ Moore here, just to make my WR corps ungodly, but in the end, I shored up my RB stable. For the record, I also could have taken Aaron Jones or JK Dobbins here, but ultimately I like Pierce more.
Pick 5 saw me land a top-level TE in Darren Waller. George Kittle got taken a few picks before Waller, and I admit I would have taken him if he were there. But if I’m being honest, I didn’t like any other player who got taken in the entire fifth round more than Waller. I feel like after five picks, this team is on fire.
Grabbing Marquise Brown, Antonio Gibson, and Odell Beckham Jr. with my next three picks solidified the team completely. I allowed one more pick to go by before landing my QB, picking Samaje Perine with my ninth selection. I love his talent, and if anything were to happen to Javonte Williams (which I want to stress, I am NOT hoping for), his value would go to the moon. At this point, I have great WRs, very solid RBs, and a very good TE. It’s time to grab a QB and fill out the bench.
I picked up RSJ darling Daniel Jones with my 10th-round selection. I could have taken Anthony Richardson, Geno Smith, or Aaron Rodgers here, but at the end of the day, I think the Waller stack pushed me toward Jones over Richardson.
I finished things up with this bench:
QB Kirk Cousins (13.06) 150th overall
RB Samaje Perine (9.06) 102nd overall
RB Raheem Mostert (11.06) 126th overall
WR Nico Collins (12.07) 139th overall
TE Tyler Higbee (14.07) 163rd overall
I love this bench. Kirk Cousins is a very competent backup, throwing to the consensus overall WR1. And I got him for absolutely nothing, which is another reminder that although there are some QBs that give you a real bump at the top, there are LOTS of good guys out there.
I thought Raheem Mostert was an absolute steal for his value. I’m honestly a little stunned that I got him where I did. Nico Collins is an actual WR1 on the Texans (who admittedly suck), but still–he’s a WR1 on an NFL team. In the 12th round? Sure, sign me up.
Like I said at the outset, I’m not claiming this was a perfect draft. But I got everything I wanted–some absolute stars, outstanding depth, and some guys who could pay off big time if things break the right way. Hopefully, this will help anyone drafting from the 6 spot this year.
My only regret is that this was only a mock draft. I’d love to go to battle with this squad.
You can find the link to the draft board here.
