With the NFL season just weeks away and a handful of NFL preseason games and training camp reports under our belt the Fantasy Alarm team figured there is no better time than to run our second staff mock draft of the year. In our first staff mock draft, which is part of the FREE fantasy football draft guide, there plenty of different fantasy football draft strategies deployed based off different sets of fantasy football player rankings and fantasy football player projections. So far in the FREE Fantasy Alarm Draft Guide we've provided plenty of article content from draft strategies to dynamic tier rankings for each position as well as breaking down sleepers, busts and rookies. There is even the FREE Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet for positional rankings, draft grid and more. Our Fantasy Alarm Staff Mock Draft gives you a look at how we would go about drafting our rosters while applying the concepts and content from the draft guide with the current stream of information we have regarding player depth charts, usage and expectations as we head into the 2022 fantasy football season.

Check Out the Fantasy Alarm Staff Fantasy Football Mock Draft 1.0 Here

 

Check out the draft board below as well as commentary from each team on their draft strategy, their favorite pick of the draft and least favorite pick of this 2022 fantasy football mock draft.

Fantasy Football Draft Order

  1. James Grande
  2. Dan Malin
  3. Ryan Kirksey
  4. Howard Bender
  5. Kevin Tompkins
  6. Justin Fensterman
  7. Ray Kuhn
  8. Ivar Anderson
  9. Jon Impemba
  10. Andrew Cooper
  11. Colby Conway
  12. Britt Flinn

Fantasy Football Mock Draft Analysis

  • Starting Rosters: QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, TE, 3 FLEX
  • Scoring: Full-point PPR

Special thanks to rtsports.com for allowing us to use their platform for our staff mock drafts this season. Take advantage of the offer below and earn up to $500 in deposit match for new users.

 

Pick: 1 - James Grande

I can tell you what, I’m not a fan of drafting on the front end of this year's board. I think I have a very nice balance on my roster, but I took guys in the early rounds that I’m not entirely comfortable with in A.J. Brown and Travie Etienne. Both have very high floors, but their surroundings worry me a bit. My depth at wide receiver, especially when Michael Gallup is back, is my strong suit.

Favorite Pick: Mike Williams, WR LAC & Justin Herbert, WB LAC - Britt Flynn

Favorite pick(s) - Britt stacked Mike Williams and Justin Herbert in rounds four and five is a dream come true in that spot, I’m sure. We saw what they can do together when Williams can stay on the field and with Keenan Allen a year older, Williams could easily turn into the team's top receiving threat. 

Least Favorite Pick: Tony Pollard, RB DAL - Ryan Kirksey

In the sixth round, Ryan Kirksey selected Tony Pollard and I’m just not so sure I’d take a return man that early. Kidding, sort of. Last year was the year that Ezekiel Elliott was going to fall off and he had 100 more carries and 20 more targets than Pollard. Elliott is still only 27 and isn’t going anywhere. All the goal line work is going to Elliott too. A bit of a reach with other running backs on the board that have a more defined role.

Pick: 2 - Dan Malin

I got the player I wanted second overall with Justin Jefferson, and I couldn't be happier with how the draft started. The ceiling is massive and he could very well finish as WR1. I followed that up with Aaron Jones in the second round who could catch over 70 passes with Davante Adams now out of the picture and I followed that up with Ezekiel Elliott, another running back who could finish top ten at the position. To top it all off, I was able to lock down Tom Brady with the 119th overall pick. That won't happen in most drafts, but I like the core of the team with two players who could finish number one at their respective positions in PPR formats (Jefferson and Jones), and I have the safety net of Tom Brady with some high-upside attachments.

Favorite Pick: Breece Hall, RB NYJ - Justin Fensterman

Justin Fensterman grabbed Breece Hall in the sixth round of the draft in the middle of round six. Hall is arguably a top 50 pick and has a path to a heavy workload behind an improved offensive line. I'll let everyone else freak out about his performance in the preseason against the Falcons, but with the presumed workload and overall pedigree, this was a great pick by Fensty.

Least Favorite Pick: Amari Cooper, WR CLE - Ivar Anderson

Ivar Anderson took Amari Cooper 65th overall in the middle of round six and while that may be okay "value" for a lead wide receiver in his respective offense, Deshaun Watson is suspended for a good chunk of the season. Jacoby Brissett has eclipsed 3,000 passing yards just once and has never thrown 20 touchdowns in a season. His presence will drag Cooper down significantly.

Pick: 3 - Ryan Kirksey

I don't know that I have ever deployed the strategy of not taking my first wide receiver until the end of the fourth round in a PPR format before. But I don't actually hate the results. Despite going RB-TE-RB to start from the third overall pick, I was able to secure Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jaylen Waddle as my top two receivers in rounds 4 and 5. These should both be PPR gods again and it won't surprise me if both end up with 90+ receptions. After the surprising gift of Jonathan Taylor in the first round, I tried to prioritize pass-catching backs with most of my other running back selections, knowing Taylor should be the workhorse of all workhorse rushers in 2022. Mark Andrews is the rare tight end that could have 80+ receptions, so I wanted to secure an elite piece of that position. Much later in the draft, I was thrilled to get K.J. Osborn in round 12. This is a guy who would see a massive upgrade if anything were to happen to Adam Thielen or if he starts to tail off at age 32.

Favorite Pick: Wan'Dale Robinson - Britt Flynn

The pick of the draft has to go to Britt Flinn when she drafted Wan'Dale Robinson with pick 13.12 In a PPR format like this, a dynamic, second-round slot receiver like Robinson should go much, much earlier, even if he is an inexperienced rookie. Think about all he has going for him: Collin Johnson just tore his Achilles. Sterling Shepherd missed at least four games in three straight seasons. Kenny Golladay looks like a bust without Matthew Stafford. And Kadarius Toney still isn't practicing with the team after a setback following a knee scope in the offseason. You can't give the ball to Saquon Barkley on EVERY play.

Least Favorite Pick: Derrick Henry, RB TEN - Ivar Anderson

Maybe it's recency bias, but I am not going anywhere near Derrick Henry in the middle of the first round of a full PPR league. Even though we saw signs that Henry was slightly more involved in the passing game before his injury last year, do we really think the Tennessee Titans are going to give Henry all those third-down and long passing play snaps after he missed half of the previous year with a broken foot? Henry is going to turn 29 during this season and has rushed the ball 900 times combined in the last three years. Give me Dalvin Cook or D'Andre Swift at the 1.08 over Henry. 

Pick: 4 - Howard Bender

As someone who doesn’t mind going running back heavy in a draft, this worked out pretty well with so many wide receivers being drafted in the first six rounds. My backs are rock solid and I have some great depth while my receiving corps is filled with strong PPR guys. I even managed to sneak in a top-five tight end. This is a team I would be happy to go to war with this season.

Favorite Pick: Tyrion Davis-Price, RB SF - Colby Conway

I really like that 14th-round pick of Tyrion Davis Price for Colby Conway. Jeff Wilson may be considered the No.2 in San Francisco right now, but Davis-Price is having a strong enough camp that I think he gets a legitimate shot at being rotated in regardless of whether Elijah Mitchell gets hurt or not.

Least Favorite Pick: Tony Pollard, RB DAL - Ryan Kirksey

Not really a fan of the sixth-round Tony Pollard pick by Ryan Kirksey with guys like David Montgomery, Dameon Pierce and even Miles Sanders on the board. Ezekiel Elliott is still ruling this backfield and he’s going to see the touchdowns. Pollard just isn’t going to be the guy everyone wants him to be.

Pick: 5 - Kevin Tompkins

I know most of you won’t like my team. I’m perfectly okay with that. The aim of my draft was to win the race to the flex position and then exceed it. 

Being able to win the race to the flex allows my team the ability to continue hammering my opponents in the flex position with receivers during bye weeks but also accounts for injuries and projection error. Not all of my draft picks will hit in a major way, so taking multiple upside swings helps to combat some of that error. 

Since this is full PPR with three flex positions, filling them with wide receivers and giving room for a lot of upside is the way to go here. Still ending up with a quality anchor running back in J.K. Dobbins was a major snag here, as well as an elite tight end in Kyle Pitts and Trey Lance, who could be the biggest quarterback riser in 2022 with an excellent performance this season. Being able to manufacture an RB2 out of Darrell Henderson, Eno Benjamin, Ameer Abdullah, Jerick McKinnon, Jeff Wilson, and Tyler Badie should be able to at the very least keep pace with some other WR2, while offering unmatched firepower elsewhere.

Favorite Pick: Breece Hall, RB NYJ - Justin Fensterman

Justin Fensterman taking Breece Hall right before my pick at 6.07 represented tremendous value and he was going to be my pick before Fensty took him. There are reports about Michael Carter still being at the top of the Jets depth chart, but as we’ve seen with other rookie running backs in previous years like D’Andre Swift and Miles Sanders, they typically come on in the middle of the year to surpass the incumbent running back with increased opportunity. Hall should be no different, and I love him buying the talent at such a great price.

Least Favorite Pick: Michael Thomas, WR NO - James Grande

James Grande loves to talk about the #TompkinsTumble, but another receiver that should be taking a tumble is Michael Thomas. At the top of the fifth round, I’m spooked by Thomas’ latest hamstring injury. He’s now 29 years old with these documented soft tissue injuries. While Thomas is supremely talented when on the field, he has to be ON the field to show that. I would have taken close to a dozen other wide receivers over Thomas — like Jaylen Waddle, Gabriel Davis, Marquise Brown (who I did take), Rashod Bateman, and Jerry Jeudy, among a host of others.

Pick: 6 - Justin Fensterman

I am shocked with some of the players I ended up with. Even though I'm not actively targeting Breece Hall and Patrick Mahomes, both slipped to the sixth and seventh rounds and the value was too good to pass up on them. Fortunately, I was able to grab Michael Carter as well a few rounds later to locking in the Jets run game. Jalen Tolbert may have been a bit of a reach pick in the ninth round but with receivers flying off the board, and some of his WR competition being hurt, the easier path to targets should be there at least in the early going. Always be ready to adjust your game plan in-draft when good value presents itself. 

Favorite Pick: Davante Adams - Ivar Anderson

My favorite pick was Ivar Anderson's Davante Adams pick 17th overall. I had not seen him drop that far and was hoping that he would last another few picks to me. The latest I had seen him off draft boards was 12th. Adams is one of the best receivers in football and the Raiders didn't trade for him not to heavily utilize him like the Packers did.

Least Favorite Pick: Rashaad Penny - Colby Conway

My least favorite pick was Colby Conway's Rashaad Penny pick. Yes, with Ken Walker sidelined with a Hernia, it should give Penny an edge as the Seahawks main ball-carrier to start the year, but Penny has had his own health issues over the last few years and as recently as August. If Penny was his fourth RB, I wouldn't have as much of an issue, but as his second (after Saquon Barkley), it's too risky of a pick, and I wish he had secured more depth before.

Pick: 7 - Ray Kuhn

I certainly misread the room by taking Josh Allen when I did. I know that expert drafts are famous for fading quarterbacks, but Allen is the best and in the third round with no other options really standing out to me, I figured I'd take the advantage and then wouldn't have to worry about any future runs on the position. With that said, I am happy (famous last words) about the collection of running backs and wide receivers I have with a mix of upside and floor. Rachaad White and Khalil Herbert give me a fair amount of upside off the bench and I can see one being an every week starter at some point earlier in the season. 

Favorite Pick: Patrick Mahomes, QB KC -Justin Fensterman

Patrick Mahomes by Fensty in Round 7. Had I known Mahomes would have been available at this point in the draft, there is no way I would have taken Allen when I did even though I still stand by the pick. At this point, you can build the core of your team, even into the first Flex spot, while still getting a top quarterback. 

Least Favorite Pick: Michael Thomas, WR NO - James Grande

Michael Thomas played seven games in 2020 without scoring a touchdown, did not take the field last year, and now he is dealing with a hamstring injury. That is a long time without setting foot on a field, and do we really know what he has left or what he is even capable of? It also should be noted that Thomas no longer has Drew Brees throwing him the ball and there are a few more weapons in New Orleans' receiver tree. We cannot guarantee what, if anything, we will get out Thomas in Week 1 and for that reason James Grande taking him in the first pick of the fifth round is simply too early. 

Pick: 8 - Ivar Anderson

Picking 8th, I was happy to snag Derrick Henry as my lead RB, and then be able to select Davante Adams as my WR1 in the second. After that, it was a struggle, as the top of my queue was consistently depleted by Ryan Kirksey in the 2nd through the 6th rounds (we did not draft back-to-back, so admittedly others could have sniped me, too, but geez). I normally would not select two top 12 QBs except in a super-flex format, but looking at Stafford still on the board in round 15 left me with no choice but to saddle my roster with what would be a difficult starting choice weekly

 Favorite Pick: TE selections of Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews & Kyle Pitts

My favorite pick(s) made by another owner would have to be the three TEs selected before I could grab one in the third round: Kelce (one pick before my 2nd round selection of Adams), Andrews (2.10) and then Pitts (3.5). Forced me to wait on TE until round 4, albeit with me getting a valued player in Waller.

Least Favorite Pick: Breece Hall, RB NYJ - Justin Fensterman

Least favorite pick of the draft is Fenst’s selection of Breece Hall in the 6th round. I am certainly not sold on the value of any Jet player, and Hall has not exactly impressed early in his career. Granted, Hall is likely due to become the lead back for the Jets at some point this season, but I am not drafting him by choice.

 

Pick: 9 - Jon Impemba

This was a draft where I wanted to make sure I got “my guys” and if you've followed me on twitter and followed drafts that I've written about then you know that Jalen Hurts is my ultimate “my guy” for this season. Keenan Allen and Chris Godwin and Jerry Jeudy are also some of my favorite wide receivers to target this season. When it came to running backs, I took the reliability of Dalvin Cook and the value of a dropping Josh Jacobs as my top two. I know the pick of Brian Robinson turned some heads and while, yes, it was an autopick, he was someone I had targeted to take in my draft as it becomes more and more clear he may have an inside track to the early down role in Washington.

Favorite Pick: A.J. Brown, WR PHI - James Grande

I love this pick from Grande as I think Brown is in for a monster season with the Eagles with my expectations that Jalen Hurts has a breakout year. Brown has consistently been a top tier producer at the wide receiver when healthy which included a 1,400 yard pace two seasons ago.

Least Favorite Pick: Melvin Gordon, RB DEN - Andrew Cooper

I'm a big Melvin Gordon fan but the writing seems to be on the wall here and not just because of camp reports but because he himself has said his role is changing and that Javonte Williams is going to be the guy in Denver. 

Pick: 10 - Andrew Cooper

At first glance, my team looks SPICY. Because there are some risky picks there for sure. Alvin Kamara, Drake London, DeAndre Hopkins. But you can't be playing it safe out here these days - not in this economy. And the upside with the team I have is insane for this format. Swift could be a PPR monster. If Kamara doesn't get suspended, where would he go in PPR - third, fourth overall? Drake London has about as much upside as any guy out here, despite being a rookie. And, if I can survive early on, DeAndre Hopkins has WR1 upside. If you ain't first, you're last.

Favorite Pick: Adam Thielen, WR MIN - Ivar Anderson

My favorite pick of the draft made by another team was Ivar Anderson taking Adam Thielen at WR30. This guy was WR10 in this format in 2020. He was WR7 through 11 weeks in 2021 before he rolled his ankle. They didn't add any pass catchers in the draft or free agency. WR30 is insane. What are we doing?

Least Favorite Pick: Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR DET - Ryan Kirksey

The pick I liked least was Amon-Ra St. Brown in the fourth by Ryan Kirksey. Not only did I feel it was a reach to take the Lions' slow, low aDot possession slot wide receiver there but that makes ARSB Kirksey's WR1 on his team. He actually got a good deal on Jaylen Waddle next round, another low aDot guy, but I would have personally taken Waddle instead of ARSB or went with a higher upside play with either pick.

Pick: 11 - Colby Conway

Drafting out of the 11 spot, I don’t know if I could have drawn it up any better than this. I have five excellent wideouts that give me a great floor in full PPR setups, and a Saquon Barkley/Rashaad Penny 1-2 punch in the backfield could set this team nuclear. Russell Wilson as my QB1 gives me top five upside at the position, and don’t sleep on a Hunter Henry and Irv Smith Jr. duo at the tight end position. Running back depth is this team’s biggest issue.

Favorite Pick: Rashod Bateman, WR BAL - Andrew Cooper

Rashod Bateman. Coop got excellent value with him there and truth be told, my ideal duo in the 5th and 6th round was Bateman and Elijah Moore. Great grab.

Least Favorite Pick: Brian Robinson Jr., RB WAS - Jon Impemba

Brian Robinson Jr. I get the appeal with Robinson, but he’s not someone I’m targeting inside the top 100 picks. Not my cup of tea.

Pick: 12 - Britt Flynn

I started this draft out at the 12 spot, so by the time it got around to me, I had to make some decisions regarding tier breaks. I went CeeDee Lamb over Davante Adams and then decided to go Mixon over Barkley and Kamara, so I didn't follow the traditional linear rankings you'll find on other sites. Since there are three wide receiver spots, I hammered that position on the next turn, then ended up stacking Justin Herbert with Mike Williams. I rounded out my roster with some high upside rookie running backs in Ken Walker, Tyler Allgeier, and Keaontay Ingram as well as Wan'Dale Robinson and Greg Dulcich at the WR and TE position. Overall, I have a strong core of starters with some guys who could really pay off for me down the stretch.

Favorite Pick: George Kittle, TE SF - Howard Bender

Howard Bender getting George Kittle in the sixth round seems like an absolute steal; I get that people may be scared off of him due to the change in quarterback, but Kittle is a beast. We know he's likely to not play every game this season, but even in 14 last year, he finished as TE4 with 14.1 points per game. He's still an elite option and should not be going that late.

Least Favorite Pick: Isiah Pacheo, RB KC - Ryan Kirksey

Isiah Pacheo in the 10th is too rich for my blood. I get that he's been getting the preseason steam, but the backfield situation in Kansas City is ambiguous at best, and Clyde Edwards-Helaire still seems to have a firm grasp on the number one role. I can't count on a seventh-round rookie overtaking CEH, and at that price point, it's too much of a reach.

 


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