Fighting Chance Fantasy: Dynasty Mock Draft Recap

Dynasty season is here, and it’s that time of year to "get your mock on" and see where players are going in dynasty start-up drafts. Several of us here at Fighting Chance Fantasy got together and did a 10-team, single QB dynasty startup mock draft to see who would be ahead of the curve. After the draft, we evaluated the results and derived up some questions that would help give some insight into our strategies coming into the draft and see where values lie. Without further ado, here we go.

What was your strategy going into the mock? 

"Polka" Pat Wisniewski (3rd Spot):
"Get as many young and talented high-end players already established before taking college kids, which was Round Five for me."

Conner Shears (5th Spot):
"Try to find a good balance between young stars and established vets. I also wanted to have a top-tier tight end, and I believe a good example of that is me taking Kittle in the 2nd and Pitts in the 6th!"

Leo Grandio (2nd Spot):
"Get a young balanced team with three young, stud running backs and stocking up on talented receivers that are heavily involved in the team’s offense. Then round out the team with star veterans, making the team a contender from the start. Also, adapt to the draft and get values if players should fall to me."

J.Boyce (10th Spot):
"My strategy is always the same. I let the draft always come to me."

Corey Heitpas (7th spot):
"I normally go RB heavy in the early rounds of start-ups. Since this was just a 10-team mock, I decided to switch that up and go with the best player available, knowing that RBs would be slightly more available. I do not hate the outcome at all."

Gary Haddow (9th spot):
"I wanted to pick towards the back of the draft as many of the other mocks recently I’ve been picking from the front. Even though this was not a tight end premium, Travis Kelce is still such a difference-maker at the position. Given that it is a 10-team mock, I want as many difference-makers as possible with teams being so deep. Travis Kelce at the end of the first round will be my pick 99% of the time."

Kevin Tompkins (4th spot):
"Ceiling and opportunity are the two most important factors. With a 10-team format, everybody will have a competitive team, so the upside of your early-round picks should set you apart from the pack. I also value security within their organization. 

Which pick was your favorite value pick?

Polka:
"On my squad, it was Raheem Mostert in Round 9. When healthy, he's a monster, and the 49ers are a good young team."

Conner:
"Brandin Cooks in Round 12. He continues to stay disrespected after putting up yet another 1000-yard season."

Leo:
"Drafting Ezekiel Elliott in the third round felt like a steal. Last year, Elliott was being drafted in the top-five of many start-ups, and due to Dak Prescott’s injury, the Dallas offense turned into a dumpster fire for most of the remainder of the season. I see this offense bouncing back this year, and Elliott should be one of the benefactors of their resurgence."

J.Boyce:
"Best value would have to be Patrick Mahomes at 2.01. I didn't expect he would still be there."

Corey:
"For my team, it has to be Odell Beckham Jr. in the 10th round. I know, that's a really gross pick, but he was WR42 off the board in this mock! He hasn't had a WR1 season since the 2016 season, but he absolutely has the talent to be a dominant receiver and could very easily pay huge dividends as a 10th-round pick. On top of that, he's only 28 and could have two to three more seasons of WR2/WR3 production. I wouldn't expect top-12 production as we've seen in the past, but top-25/30 seems very realistic if he can stay healthy."

Gary:
"I am normally a very heavy RB drafter, though in dynasty, I tend to skew receiver heavy like many other people. After going no running back through three rounds (Kelce, Hopkins, Diggs), I was thrilled to get Najee Harris at 4.02. You want young backs with massive upside in dynasty, and Harris looks like to be the 2021's can’t-miss RB. Regardless of where he lands, he is an all-around back who should be a rock-solid RB1 for many years to come."

Kevin:
"Robert Woods went to me at 8.07, but he just signed a long-term deal last offseason and now has a significant upgrade at quarterback. Sometimes, age is way too overvalued in dynasty start-ups. Woods has more of a context to his advanced age versus a mindset of "Oh, he'll be 29 years old when the 2021 season starts." and then selecting Henry Ruggs (selected one pick later), who needs so many more factors to go right to even be in Woods' ballpark for fantasy production."

Which was your heartbreak hotel moment, when you got sniped during the draft, and by who?

Polka:
"Calvin Ridley. I already had Saquon Barkley and J.K. Dobbins, and secured my quarterback with Josh Allen and was poised to take Ridley to get my first WR, and BOOM....the Reasonable One (Kevin) took him right off my plate.  Then not being in love with the few WR's sitting there Touchdown Terry (McLaurin), Tee Higgins, or Mike Evans, I decided to grab Justin Herbert and nail down QB.  To me, he was the best player available at that point, and I love my Chargers. Then I took a college kid as my first WR in Round 5 with Ja'Marr Chase, whom I loved to watch play, and decided to grab him."

Conner:
"As soon as Gary took Courtland Sutton, I instantly regretted my Russell Wilson pick from earlier that round. Having Sutton fall into Round 7, it should've been a smash pick, but I tried to play the ADP (average draft position) game and lost. Never play the ADP game!"

Leo:
"Oh, that “Un”-reasonable one! Kevin sniped me twice as I was eyeing to grab D.K. Metcalf in the second round, and Brandon Aiyuk in the sixth. I see Metcalf as a top-three wide receiver coming into this year, and it would have been sweet to corral the bull in the late second round."

J.Boyce:
"I got sniped twice by Kevin when he drafted Brandon Aiyuk and Jeff Wilson Jr."

Corey:
"Crazily, I only got sniped once, and that was by MileHighGuy (team 5) when he took Keenan Allen in the 5th, two spots before my pick. Davante Adams, Justin Jefferson, and Keenan Allen as my top 3 receivers would have been a near-perfect start through 5 rounds."

Gary:
"With regards to being sniped in dynasty start-ups, I know there are always guys we want, but there are just so many options as you build your team that I try to stay as fluid as possible. There was a pick I’m still thinking about, and it wasn’t a snipe pick. I had to decide between Kareem Hunt and AJ Dillon at the beginning of the 8th round. At this point, I only had Najee Harris and Travis Etienne as my RBs, and so I wanted some stability. I chose to go with Kareem Hunt as he feels safer. However, his ceiling seems lower than Dillon’s. Of course, Dillon went right after I picked up Hunt, so I have some buyer's remorse."

Kevin:
"I got virtually everybody I wanted to, but seeing George Kittle go the pick before mine (to MileHighGuy) in Round 2 was brutal. As a card-carrying member of #TeamEliteTE, it's imperative to get the leg up on the rest of your league by selecting a top-3 tight end. Seeing how the draft unfolded, I think it still worked out as I grabbed Metcalf and followed up two rounds later with consensus top-3 tight end Darren Waller." 

What's your favorite sleeper pick you had?

Polka:
"Kenny Golladay. Of course, health is an issue, as we've seen, but he's a free agent and can pick his new home.  Many teams are chomping at the bit to get a huge target into their passing game, and any team that signs him immediately upgrades their offense tenfold."

Conner:
"Jalen Reagor in Round 10 is a nice sleeper pick choice. I think he will have a solid year-two after a rather disappointing rookie season. It was between him and Bryan Edwards in round 14. I think either of these two will have a nice bounce-back season."

Leo:
"Chuba Hubbard. Coming into the draft, I wanted to get one of the top three rookie running backs, and I selected Hubbard in the 12th round. I have him as my third-ranked rookie running back coming into this season. Hubbard opted out of his final collegiate season to prepare for the NFL Draft. If you remember correctly, Hubbard led the FBS in rushing with 2,094 yards and 21 touchdowns. So I will take those numbers every day of the week."

J.Boyce:
"My favorite sleeper has to be Tylan Wallace, that I drafted in the ninth round."

Corey:
"It has to be Laviska Shenault for me. I expect him to be utilized a lot more in Urban Meyer's offense this year. Oh, he'll have some guy named Trevor Lawrence throwing to him soon too."

Gary:
"I love the value of Parris Campbell in dynasty leagues right now. Picked at 15.09, he seems to be somewhat forgotten due to the injury and the quarterback switch. If he can stay healthy, he has the chance to make a big impact in their offense."

Kevin:
"Darnell Mooney at 15.04. I'm starting to read the tea leaves with Allen Robinson, and I believe that there's a good shot that Robinson holds out after getting the franchise tag from the Bears. If he does, "Moondog" becomes incredibly interesting as a Tyler Lockett-esque player that could see the lion's share of targets. "

Who had the best value pick from the entire draft?

Polka:
"I like Kevin's Joe Burrow pick at 7.04. We just saw the tip of the iceberg with Burrow and I cannot wait to see him unloading bombs for his entire career.  Had he not been injured, he would have gone in the first three rounds easily."

Conner:
"Again, I like the value Gary picked up in the later rounds all starting with Sutton in Round 7. I was taking him as early as Round 3 in startups last year around this time!"

Leo:
"To me, Kevin picking up Trevor Lawrence with the 10.09 is excellent value. Lawrence seems primed to be a franchise quarterback for not his future NFL landing spot, which should likely be the Jaguars but also for any dynasty fantasy manager that grabs them in their respective drafts. He should be a set it and forget it, player, for the next ten years."

J.Boyce:
"My best value would be Tyler Boyd. You want to always be looking for value up and down the draft board. Drafting Ryan Tannehill in the 12th round is another great value pick."

Corey:
"I really like Brandin Cooks in the 12th round. It seems like he's one of those guys that gets slept on every year and continues to put up top-16 seasons. I think he fell this far due to uncertainty, which is fair, but I'll take that high risk/high reward player in the 12th round as much as I can. Great pick by MileHighGuy."

Gary:
"Call me a homer, but I absolutely love Jeff Wilson Jr. now that he is the RB2 in San Francisco. Kevin Tompkins took him at 13.04, and I think Wilson has long-term and short-term upside. We have seen Raheem Mostert get banged up, and Wilson has been fantastic when he is given the start. We all know Kyle Shanahan offenses can run, so I love Jeff Wilson in startups."

Kevin:
"Will Fuller at 10.10 is landing spot dependent, but you're not going to find a better ceiling than Fuller at this spot."

What did you learn from the draft that may be helpful moving forward for future drafts?

Polka:
"Reach if you want someone and get the guys you want. There are always trades and the waiver-wire available down the road to pick up missed talent."

Conner:
"I agree with Polka. If you want someone bad enough, you have to take them a little earlier than the average. Fantasy is more fun when you have "your guys," so this is a no-brainer."

Leo:
"Wide receiver depth is amazingly deep, and it allows you to shore up running backs early on in drafts. One can also grab a dynasty franchise quarterback at different stages in the draft. Just have a tier ranking system ready, so you know when to pounce on your target."

J.Boyce:
"Don't be in a sandwich between Kevin and Gary during your draft. "The Snipe City Brothers" on either side of you."

Corey:
"Echoing Leo, the wide receiver depth is crazy and is likely to get even deeper with the talented 2021 class of rookie WRs. Take the value of the potential WR1 players that fall to you, but be aware that you can get WR2s and WR3s in the mid to late rounds of your draft as well."

Gary:
"I deviated from my normal RB heavy draft and still came away very happy with my  RBs with Harris, Etienne, Hunt, and Edmonds."

Kevin:
"While there is fantastic depth at WR, there are only a handful of truly elite talents, so snap those guys up while you can. Get your guys."