Fantasy Football: Best Ball Mock Draft 1.0 at Underdog

This fantasy football mock draft was an 18-round Best Ball draft done on Underdog in .5 PPR format. The starting lineup consists of one QB, two RBs, three WRs, one TE, one Flex, and there are 10 bench spots.

Pick 1.8
Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons

My two favorite picks in the first round are Robinson and Breece Hall so I was thrilled he dropped to me at the eighth pick. I have both backs ranked ahead of Christian McCaffrey this season with Bijan as my RB1. 

Pick 2.5
Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens

I went back-to-back running backs in the second round and opted for Henry over wideouts like Chris Olave, Nico Collins, and Jaylen Waddle. De'Von Achane was also on the board but opted for the big bag who will get the volume and goal-line work. There were a lot more receivers I liked coming up over the next few rounds than running backs. 

Pick 3.8
George Pickens, Pittsburgh Steelers

This started a run of four straight wide receivers. With Diontae Johnson gone, Pickens has a ton of upside in Pittsburgh this season with a history of big blowup games. This is why I chose him over Michael Pittman, Stefon Diggs, and Tee Higgins. 

Pick 4.5
Tank Dell, Houston Texans

I played it safe with Henry over Achane but swung for the fences with Dell as my WR2. His spike games should pay off in Best Ball format. 

Pick 5.8
Calvin Ridley, Tennessee Titans

Ridley has slowly been creeping up my rankings this summer. The Titans offense should be improved and with all the money they threw at him, it's hard to imagine he doesn't see a ton of volume as their top wideout. The pick I really wanted here was Dalton Kincaid, unfortunately, he was picked at the 5.6 just two picks before me.  

Pick 6.5
Diontae Johnson, Carolina Panthers

Johnson is being severely underdrafted and was by far my favorite wideout available. There were a few running backs I liked but was willing to roll the dice that one would fall to me in the seventh round. 

Pick 7.8
Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots

The back I wanted did fall to me and I grabbed him with this pick. Even though he burned me last season, I believe in Stevenson and picked him over a group of guys who went consecutively over the next five picks. 

Pick 8.5
Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders

This is not my ideal pick for QB but I waited too long. I just swung for the fences with a young QB with a ton of upside thanks to his rushing ability. Hopefully, he is as good as I thought he was during the draft process.   

Pick 9.8
David Njoku, Cleveland Browns

Even though I missed out on Kincaid, I love Njoku in the ninth round. He has a ton of value and upside. There is no reason he can't finish as a top-five tight end this season. 

Pick 10.5
Gus Edwards, Los Angeles Chargers

The running backs were running very thin and the option for guys who have a shot to be the RB1 on their teams that were still left were Edwards and Ford. Edwards has a much clearer path to being the RB1 for the entire season. That's why I grabbed him here.

Pick 11.8
Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins

With such a huge question mark as my QB1, I grabbed the 2023 passing leader who has a tendency to put up monster games. I love Tua in Best Ball format and there is no reason to believe he won't continue to improve in 2024 like he has in every year of his career. 

Pick 12.5
MarShawn Lloyd, Green Bay Packers

I was really hoping Kendre Miller would fall to me here, but he went two picks earlier. So I grabbed Lloyd. This was a back that I rated highly as a prospect, is getting a ton of buzz in camp, and I don't believe in Josh Jacobs. Hopefully, he gets a real shot at some point this season and can make some noise. 

Pick 13.8
Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets

I hate this pick, however, there was just nothing left on the board and I wanted a third QB on my roster. The other top options were Baker Mayfield, DeShaun Watson, and Will Levis. 

Pick 14.5
DeMarcus Robinson, Los Angeles Rams

We saw Robinson have some great games last season which is more than we've seen from most of the wideouts in this area anytime in recent memory. I opted for him over a group of rookies who look to be locked into WR3 roles this season. 

Pick 15.8
Chig Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans

Okonkwo was a breakout candidate in 2023 who didn't pan out like fantasy owners hoped he would. With that said, he did see a massive uptick in volume and production once Will Levis took over at quarterback. By that point fantasy owners had given up on him, nevertheless, if he can carry that over to 2024 there is a chance he will break out. There is no denying his athleticism and upside. 

Pick 16.5
Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints

I wanted to roster a third TE and Johnson is a guy I've always liked. Like Okonkwo, Johnson has a miserable start to the season but did play better down the stretch catching a TD pass in every week of the fantasy playoffs including an 8-90-1 line championship week. For most this was too little too late, but it showed his potential for another season with Derek Carr. 

Pick 17.8
Kendrick Bourne, New England Patriots

In the 17th round, I picked a wideout who was the Patriots best receiver in 2023 and could legitimately be the WR1 in 2024. You can't do much better than that this late in a draft. 

Pick 18.5
Keaton Mitchell, Baltimore Ravens

Mitchell along with Achane and Chase Brown had off-the-chart metrics as rookies last season when it came to efficiency and explosion. An ACL team derailed his year ending what could have been a breakout campaign. While he is expected to miss the start of this season there was no one with more upside left on the board.