2023 Fantasy Football 12-Team PPR Mock Draft: Hero RB Strategy
After doing a Robust RB mock draft and a Zero RB mock draft, I decided to do a Hero RB attempt. In this mock, I drafted a RB in Round 1 and then waited as I took players at other positions. You can check out my draft grade and the whole board here.
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Mock Draft Roster Breakdown and Settings
Roster Breakdown
- 1 QB
- 2 RB
- 3 WR
- 1 TE
- 1 Flex (WR/RB/TE)
- 1 K
- 1 DST
- 6 Bench
There are six reserve spots in this mock draft, which I will always try to fill with QB, RB, RB, WR, WR and TE to ensure I have a balanced team. I might not do that in a real draft, but for purposes of a mock, it makes sense. This mock was a 12-team draft in Full-PPR format, and I randomly drew the fifth overall pick. Here is my team:
Round 1 (1.05): RB Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons
Here is this team's Hero RB. If he gets 210 carries and 80 receptions, which I think he will, he is well worth 1.05.
Round 2 (2.08): WR Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins
There is a condensed target tree in Miami, and Waddle is the perfect WR2 complement to Tyreek Hill.
Round 3 (3.05): WR Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals
See above with Waddle: Higgins is an elite WR2 in an excellent situation. We can also add the fact that he is a red-zone monster.
Round 4 (4.08): WR DeAndre Hopkins, Tennessee Titans
Hopkins may be getting older, but he is a target machine on a very underrated team.
Round 5 (5.05): QB Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
Heading into his second year in Doug Pederson's system, Lawrence is quickly becoming one of my prime targets this draft season.
Round 6 (6.08): TE Darren Waller, New York Giants
Waller is a top-three receiving talent among tight ends and could be a top-two producer at a scarce position
Round 7 (7.05): RB James Cook, Buffalo Bills
I'm happy with Cook, given I waited on my RB2. Recent reports have him getting 55% of touches on a potent Bills offense; I think it’s more likely to be 60%.
Round 8 (8.08): RB Brian Robinson, Washington Commanders
Robinson is going to see 15 touches a game minimum in a run-first offense.
Round 9 (9.05): WR Gabe Davis, Buffalo Bills
Continuing a theme for my team, Davis is another WR2 who could easily be a WR1 on a different team.
Round 10 (10.08): WR Elijah Moore, Cleveland Browns
A talented player in a new situation, Moore should be good for five to six catches per game.
Round 11 (11.05): QB Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts
I am drooling at the fantasy upside Richardson brings with his legs.
Round 12 (12.08): RB Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh Steelers
Warren is one Najee Harris injury away from stealing the job. It almost happened last season, but he got injured too.
Round 13 (13.05): RB Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans
People are finally getting wise to something college football fanatics know: Spears is a beast who is very hard to tackle
Round 15 (14.08): TE Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions
LaPorta may be a rookie, but he is going to be the TE1 on a very good offense.
Round 15 (15.05): Denver Broncos Defense
The Broncos' defense should improve with more time on the sidelines now that the offense will run correctly.
Round 16 (16.08): K Brandon McManus, Jacksonville Jaguars
McManus is a good kicker on a high-scoring team, that's all you can ask for.
Hero RB Mock Draft Analysis
I call this mock draft my FOMO draft. On it is at least a half-dozen players (maybe more) that I think I will be missing out on if I don’t draft them. I think the Hero RB strategy worked nicely here, especially since I was able to get Cook in Round 7. I fear he will be long gone by then in high-stakes leagues. Overall, I am pretty happy with this draft and think my B+ grade will turn out to be much higher by the season’s end.
