10-Team PPR Fantasy Football Mock Draft from 1st Position | Christian McCaffrey, Isiah Pacheco, Josh Jacobs, Brandon Aiyuk, DK Metcalf and More

Morgan conducts his third fantasy football draft of the year, selecting first in a 10-team standard setup.

It’s time for another fantasy football mock draft! This is my third one of the preseason and we are sticking with the same theme as the last two.

I did a 10-team PPR mock draft from the 10th draft slot and then another from the fifth slot. Today, I went with pick one. The starting slots were: one QB, two RB, two WR, one TE and one RB/WR/TE. I took seven bench players and skipped out on defense/special teams and kickers.

Let’s discuss the mock draft, which was done through the FantasySP mock draft simulator.

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Round 1 - Christian McCaffrey

I’ve mentioned a few times in different stories that McCaffrey should be everyone’s No. 1 pick this season. I know he’s dealing with an injury already, but it’s not supposed to affect him during the regular season, and McCaffrey is the best fantasy player when he’s on the field.

Rounds 2/3 - Isiah Pacheco and Josh Jacobs

After the long wait between picks, I landed on Pacheco for my second-round pick and then scooped up Jacobs with the first pick in round three. You might be wondering why I went with three straight running backs, so let me explain a bit.

With the first pick, I feel you need at least two running backs after your first three picks have elapsed, otherwise you are going to be trying to mix and match starters all season. I decided to draft three in a row, and now do not have to worry about the RB starting slots until bye weeks.

Another reason I went with two backs is because of who else was available. I think Drake London and De'Von Achane are going too early in fantasy drafts, and they were the top-two options in terms of ADP. Chris Olave was there too, and I think he’s going a half round early. I also could have gone with Josh Allen or Travis Kelce, but decided against it given the amount of talent each position has this season.

Rounds 4/5 - Brandon Aiyuk and DK Metcalf

I finally landed a receiver in round four with Aiyuk, and then added Metcalf as another WR option. Because I waited to grab my receivers, I wanted my top options to have good chances of finishing as WR1s for their own teams.

D.J. Moore was another guy I could have gone with, but I like Aiyuk’s and Metcalf’s fantasy situations just a touch more.

I passed on guys like Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith - again because they are clearly No. 2s for their teams. I could have also gone with Lamar Jackson or Mark Andrews, but again passed on those two positions.

Round 6 - George Pickens

In round six, I decided on Pickens. Here again, I grab a guy who is likely to lead his team in receiving. He’s not on a great offense, or with a stable QB position, but he had more upside than a lot of other picks near that ADP.

Round 7 - Joe Burrow

I got my top quarterback in round seven, landing Burrow. I was going to pass on the QB position again, but felt good at RB and didn’t like any of the receivers in this pick range, so I took Burrow and now hope for a big comeback season.

Round 8 - David Njoku

I got my top tight end in round eight, selecting Njoku. I think he’s a fantastic value pick in the middle rounds, and he should be startable all season. That’s what I want with my top TE, and to get him in round eight is fantastic.

Round 9 - Nick Chubb

I doubled up with Cleveland players and grabbed Chubb in the ninth. Why? With three locked-in starters at RB, I’m set until the bye weeks. Chubb should be back by then, and then I can plug him in when needed. I don’t have to rely on him, and if he takes off, he could become trade bait. This is the ideal draft to take Chubb in.

Round 10 - Jaxon Smith-Njigba

I decided to keep the theme of lower risk, higher reward going in round 10 by selecting Smith-Njigba. It’s a touch risky because I already have Metcalf, but there are less question marks around him than Jordan Addison, who was my other top WR option here.

Round 11 - Brock Bowers

Here’s another high upside pick in round 11 with Bowers. He’s not going to have to be my top tight end, but if he excels as a rookie, I have great trade bait with him or Njoku.

Round 12 - Jayden Daniels

The high upside pick theme continued with Daniels in the 12th round. I’m confident in Burrow, but also like the dual-threat ability of Daniels. If Burrow struggles at all, Daniels has me covered.

Rounds 13/14 - Romeo Doubs and Xavier Legette

With my last couple picks, I decided to add some wide receiver depth. I got Doubs in hopes he could maybe be his team’s No. 1 wideout, and then grabbed Legette for his upside on a team looking for playmakers to emerge as well.

Final Thoughts

This might be one of my favorite mock drafts ever. I was worried after grabbing the three running backs to start things off, but looking at a starting lineup that includes McCaffrey, Pacheco, Jacobs, Burrow, Aiyuk, Metcalf and Njoku, I’m feeling great about how it all turned out.

My bench has a lot of high-upside players on it, but lacks proven players. That could end up biting me if injuries hit.

But overall, I really liked how this turned out, which is rare for me to say in a draft where I had the first pick.

Happy drafting!

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