2023 Fantasy football test design: FORMAT test design

Prime ball season is in full swing, so I’m going to give you some mock drafts to give you an idea of ​​what to expect as you plan your summer fantasy football draft. I use the FantasyPros Mock Draft Simulator set to the best ball consensus ADP. The simulator didn’t make it easy because a lot of the players I’m high on were taken away.

For this mock I went with a “Zero RB” strategy, where you go after wide receivers early and focus more on backup running backs who can add value if running backs get injured or get beat down during the season due to snaps.

2024 Fantasy Football Mock Draft Review: Best Ball

Here’s my full team. If you go Zero RB, be ready to draft running backs who don’t start in Week 1. That means you WILL have a weak running back group to start.

I started the draft with pick number four in a 12-team PPR snake draft and took Ja’Marr Chase. I expect a great year from him, but if I hadn’t tried Zero RB here, I would have thought long and hard about Bijan Robinson or Breece Hall.

QB: Anthony Richardson, IND
RB: Gus Edwards, LAC
RB: Jaleel McLaughlin, DEN
WR: Ja’Marr Chase, CIN
WR: Michael Pittman Jr., IND
WR: Amari Cooper, CLE
TE: Travis Kelce, KC
FLX: WR, Tank Dell, HOU
BN: WR, Chris Godwin, TB
BN: RB, Jaylen Wright, MIA
BN: RB, Elijah Mitchell, SF
BN: Braelon Allen, NYJ
BN: WR, Marvin Mims Jr., DEN
BN: RB, Justice Hill, BAL
BN: TE, Pat Freiermuth, PIT
BN: WR, Alec Pierce, IND
BN: RB, Isaac Guerendo, SF
BN: QB, Will Levis, TEN
BN: WR, Greg Dortch, ARI
BN: TE, Jelani Woods, IND

You can view the full concept board here.

Which I’m happy with

I’m excited to get Anthony Richardson as my quarterback. I’d like to go later than the seventh round, but his upside is out of this world this season based solely on his rushing ability and the fact that he won’t lose his job due to poor play. Often rushing quarterbacks don’t get drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft and don’t have much room to play, but Richardson was and still is. He can make up for a poor passing performance in fantasy with just a few scrambles late in the game. I also paired him with Michael Pittman and Alec Pierce to maximize the Colts offense on my team.

My favorite ‘sleeper’ right now is Broncos with Jaleel McLaughlin. It’s a crowded backfield in Denver, but he flashed the top returning backs last season and impressed in offseason workouts. Add to that Sean Payton’s ridiculous amount of receiver work for his backs, and I think he ends up as a starting back every week.

I don’t like hoping for a Christian McCaffrey injury with two of my picks, Mitchell and Guerendo, but I do like having 49ers running backs. The 49ers’ job will always involve better play calling to get you in the spotlight than most, if not all, teams.

Which I’m not happy with

I’d like to have more stability at running back, as Gus Edwards is my only likely starter in Week 1. But this strategy does work because it anticipates the inevitable back injuries. To make me feel better, I might go with a “Hero RB” draft strategy that gives you an early stud running back for your crop of Zero RB backs that you’ll draft later.

I’m not sure why I called out Jelani Woods. I like him as a passer, but I already had two capable tight ends in Kelce and Friermuth. The choice would have been much better if I had grabbed another lottery ticket.

Travis Kelce?

We saw Kelce fall back to earth last season when he dealt with a number of nagging injuries. But we also saw him go crazy in the playoffs on his way to another Super Bowl ring. Yes, he’s getting older and the Chiefs should have better receivers for Patrick Mahomes this year, but getting Kelce in the third round is a great spot and his upside remains high.

General thoughts

I think I’ll try a ‘Hero RB’ version next, but after spending some time with this version I’m feeling pretty good about its positives. Sure, getting a more stable QB and RB would have made this team look better, but that’s not a great way to play major tournaments with the best ball. You need to target a few breakout players right away and make sure your backup gets some playing time back while avoiding QB and WR injuries. Of course, luck plays a role in that, but you have to prepare yourself to win the season instead of the first week.