Fantasy Football 2016: 1st-Round Mock Draft and Winning Strategy

While all 32 NFL teams are preparing for the 2016 season with the start of the preseason schedule, millions of fantasy football players are squeezing in some last-minute research in anticipation of their ever-important drafts.

Landing the right sleeper running back or a game-changing wide receiver could be the difference between a championship and a long offseason of humiliation after finishing in last place behind all of your friends or co-workers.

With that in mind, here is a look at a 12-team first-round mock before digging into a few strategic pointers to follow.

Fantasy Football Draft Strategies

Wait on Adding Wide Receiver Depth

That may seem like a strange tip with five wide receivers taken in the first round above, but if you can’t land one of the top guys, it is worth filling up other positions before investing in a wideout in the middle rounds.

Electrifying playmakers thrive in today’s pass-happy NFL and will likely single-handedly alter the outcome of a number of fantasy games during the season (see the above draft). Someone like Antonio Brown is the cornerstone of any fantasy team, and the depth at the position shouldn’t scare you away from taking a wide receiver in the first round.

However, there is no need to draft wide receivers outside of the absolute elite in the first and second rounds.

Twenty-two wide receivers reached 1,000 yards through the air last season, while 34 topped 800 yards. A number of fantasy options who don’t often leap off the page—such as Marvin Jones, Terrance Williams and Willie Snead—all reached at least 800 yards in 2015.

The NFL has become a passing league (22 quarterbacks …

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