Fantasy Football 2016: Breaking Down Mock Draft, Bold Picks and Strategy

Fantasy football is too mainstream to conquer as a seasonal hobby.

According to the Fantasy Sports Trade Association, 57.4 million people from the United States and Canada participated in fantasy football last season. The number of participants has increased each year since 2005, so all newcomers better start studying if they want to keep up with the fanatics.

Picking up a magazine days before draft day won’t cut it anymore. Not when everyone else has devoured an online information minefield since May. It’s easier than ever to stay informed from a variety of sharp sources and test that knowledge in mock drafts.

Over a month remains before Week 1 kicks off, but there’s no better time than right now to start practicing. Let’s dive into a test run conducted on FantasyPros so the real thing won’t feel as scary.

Mock Draft

I ran a 12-team mock draft on FantasyPros’ Draft Wizard simulation, which has expert rankings and average draft position (ADP) data that drive picks from the 11 other auto-picked teams. While this way isn’t a perfect gauge for how the competition will act, at least there’s no mess created by pesky humans who pick Tim Tebow in the first round and leave.

I drafted under the guise of standard scoring, which doesn’t allot any bonuses for receptions and rewards quarterbacks with four points per passing score instead of six. At random, I received pick No. 9.

Although not by design, I ended up with a fairly boring team full of steady veterans and workhorse running backs. As someone who usually plays in points-per-reception formats, a backfield with no pass-catchers feels wrong, but it should get the job done behind Drew Brees, A.J. Green and Jordy Nelson.

FantasyPros gives me a B-minus grade (82 out of 100) and projects a fifth-place finish. Yet I’m only narrowly behind the imaginary team in second. Besides, fantasy championships are won during the season anyway.

Strategy

Not tying yourself to a specific strategy is ultimately the best way to go. Wide receivers are now universally desirable Round 1 commodities, but I would have gladly selected Todd Gurley if he fell to the No. 9 spot.

Instead, my first decision boiled down to DeAndre Hopkins or Green. While the Houston Texans wideout is the chalk choice recommended by FantasyPros’ expert ranks, I rolled the dice on Green.

I was swayed by a passionate endorsement from NFL.com’s Matt Harmon, who noted that Green received 27 percent of the Cincinnati Bengals’ targets after topping 30 percent in the past three years. He anticipates an uptick with Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu out of town:

A.J. Green should once again …

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