Photo: USA Today Sports

Six members of the Footballguys Staff, along with six highly regarded writers in the fantasy football community, got together to complete a 12-team, 20-round, PPR mock where Touchdown passes are 6 points. The draft began on August 1st and ended August 17th. Before the draft, each of the participants answered questions regarding strategies, players they coveted and how they plan to attack the draft. To top it off, Footballguys' Devin Knotts will provide an evaluation of each team's roster strengths and weaknesses, chronicling the strategies and decisions that were made by each participant.

The goal of this article is to give you a look into the minds of fantasy experts throughout the entire draft process. This includes preparation, decision making, and execution. What was their plan? Did they follow it? Why did they make the decisions they made? Some drafters had similar strategies and players of interest, but how they executed their plan and built their roster, varied from person to person.

We hope you will uncover or discover a strategy that might work for you in your draft(s) this year. Learn what players the experts are targeting and why. At Footballguys, when you win, we win! If we can help give you the tools and know-how to build a winning team, we've done our job.

LEAGUE PARAMETERS

• 12 teams
• 20 roster spots
• Starting Lineup
  • 1 quarterback
  • 2 running backs
  • 3 wide receivers
  • 1 tight end
  • 1 flex (either a running back, wide receiver, or tight end)
  • 1 Defense
  • 1 Kicker

LEAGUE SCORING

• Offensive Players Only
• 6 points - Passing Touchdown
• 6 points - Rushing/Receiving Touchdown
• 1 point - every 20 yards
• 1 point - every 10 Rushing/Receiving yard
• 1.0 point - Reception (QB, RB, WR, TE)
• 2 point - Two-Point Conversion (rush, pass or receive)
• 3 points - Field Goal 0-39 yards
• 4 points - Field Goal 40-49 yards
• 5 points - Field Goal 50-99 yards
• 1 point - Extra Point
• 6 - Offensive recovery for Touchdown
• 6 - Number of Defensive and Special Teams Touchdowns
• Defense scoring
  • 2 points - fumble recovery
  • 2 points - interception caught
  • 1 point - sacked quarterback
  • 2 points - safety
  • 10 points - 0 points allowed
  • 7 points - 1-6 points allowed
  • 3 points - 7-10 points allowed
  • 0 points - 11-20 points allowed
  • -3 points - 21-99 points allowed
  • 6 points - Defensive or Special Teams Touchdown

DRAFT PARTICIPANTS

1. Jared Smola, Draftsharks
2. Ari Ingel, Footballguys
3. Pat Thorman, Pro Football Focus
4. BJ Vanderwoude, Footballguys
5. Chad Parsons, Footballguys
6. Chris Raybon, The Action Network
7. Scott Bischoff, Footballguys
8. Justin Lonero, Football Diehards
9. Jim Sannes, NumberFire
10. Jason Wood, Footballguys
11. Zach Greubel, Gridiron Experts
12. Andy Hicks, Footballguys

DRAFT GRID

DRAFT SLOT 1

Jared Smola - DraftSharks

Jared has been with DraftSharks.com since 2007, helping the site capture numerous projections accuracy awards and expert league titles. Jared got his start in fantasy football at the tender age of 9, when his Barry Sanders-led championship squad had other owners dubbing the league the “Chuck E. Cheese League.

Follow @JaredSmola

PRE-DRAFT QUESTIONS

1. How many of each position do you plan to take?

• QB: 2
• RB: 5-6
• WR: 7-8
• TE: 2-3
• K: 1
• DEF: 1

2. What is your strategy regarding the QB position, where touchdown passes are 6 points each?

My overall QB strategy doesn’t change with 6-point passing scores. It obviously boosts QB scoring but doesn’t alter the depth at the position. The scoring system does change my rankings a bit, raising guys with big passing TD projections

3. Who is the lowest ranked quarterback that you would want as your QB1?

There are 20 guys I’d feel comfortable with as my QB1, with Jimmy Garoppolo at the bottom of that list.

4. Which position, running back or wide receiver would you rather have three on your roster, first? Explain why.

Definitely RB. I’m trying to lock up 3 of my top-25 RBs. They’re usually all gone by Round 5. I’m fine waiting until the 7th or even 8th round to grab my WR3.

5. What is your general strategy regarding the tight end position? When are you planning to draft the first at this position?

I’m not in love with the TE depth this season. I love getting Rob Gronkowski anywhere in Round 2 - although I’m not expecting him to make it to me at 2.12 in this draft. So I’m targeting Greg Olsen at the 4/5 turn or Delanie Walker at the 6/7.

6. What is your general strategy regarding the Defense/ST position? When are you planning to draft the first at this position?

I’ll take just 1 defense with 1 of my last 2 picks. There’s simply not a big enough gap between the top and middle-tier defenses to be worth a bigger investment.

7. Discuss drafting from the #1 hole. What will you do differently because of this draft slot?

With 22 picks between my turns, I need to make sure not to get caught out of runs, especially at QB and TE. I also won’t be afraid to reach ahead of ADP a bit and get my guys.

8. What's your approach to rookies, injured players, and/or suspended players that may not have a full workload to start the season?

I evaluate each situation independently. My rankings factor in projections for each player, plus “replacement points” for the games he’ll miss. Some folks make the mistake of valuing those missed games at 0 points when, in reality, you won’t be taking a 0 in that spot during the season.

9. At the mid-point of the draft (10 rounds), how many players at each position do you expect to have?

• QB: 1
• RB: 4
• WR: 4
• TE: 1
• K: 0
• DEF: 0

10. Aside from taking a one late in the draft, what factors do you consider when drafting a kicker?

I’m looking for guys with job security on good offenses. As a bonus, I prefer guys whose home games are indoors or in warm weather climates.

11. Name five position players that you will target later in the draft.

• Gio Bernard
• Cameron Meredith
• Kenny Golladay
• John Brown
• Vance McDonald

12. Name a sleeper (round 10 on) at RB or WR that should thrive in this PPR format.

• Nyheim Hines: Drafted to be Colts HC Frank Reich’s new Danny Woodhead or Darren Sproles.
• Kenny Stills: Not really a “PPR guy,” but he’s wildly undervalued at his current ADP. Finished 26th among WRs in PPR points last year, and now there are 161 targets left behind by Jarvis Landry.

Draft selections

devin knotts' Evaluation

Strengths
Jared built a nice stable of running backs in this draft with Todd Gurley, Joe Mixon and once Mark Ingram gets back from suspension. Jared also paid up to get premium players at the tight end and quarterback position in Jordan Reed and Drew Brees while not sacrificing his overall depth as can be the trend when not waiting on one of the two positions.

Weaknesses
At the wide receiver position, Jared has a lot of belief in Case Keenum as he selected both Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. This is a risky proposition to select both wide receivers from the same team as while it increases his potential floor, does limit his upside on a week to week basis. If you’re going to take two receivers from the same team, you might as well take the quarterback especially if it is a late round type player such as Keenum.

How He’ll Win It All
If Case Keenum can repeat even 80% of 2017, Jared is going to be dangerous, as that means Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders are having big years. It will also help if Jordan Reed can stay healthy as he will be a top-five tight end if he can overcome his past health issues.

DRAFT SLOT 2

Ari Ingel, Footballguys - Bio

Follow @FFesq

PRE-DRAFT QUESTIONS

1. How many of each position do you plan to take?

2 QB’s, 5 RB’s, 7 WR’s & 2 TEs, 2 Def, 2 Kickers (b/c its been played out with no help)

2. What is your strategy regarding the QB position, where touchdown passes are 6 points each?

It doesn’t change much for me and is more about supply and demand. Watch the flow of the draft and make sure I get a quarterback I’m comfortable with.

3. Who is the lowest ranked quarterback that you would want as your QB1?

Someone like Matt Ryan

4. Which position, running back or wide receiver would you rather have three on your roster, first? Explain why.

Running back this year because the elite options go very quickly. There is much more depth available at wide receiver.

5. What is your general strategy regarding the tight end position? When are you planning to draft the first at this position?

I will target Delanie Walker in the 7th, if he’s not there, I usually wait for a combination of Kittle, Burton or Reed.

6. What is your general strategy regarding the Defense/ST position? When are you planning to draft the first at this position?

I’m not usually taking a defense until at least round 13 or 14. That said, if I don’t think there is any value on the board, I am okay drafting an elite option earlier.

7. Discuss drafting from the #2 hole. What will you do differently because of this draft slot?

I’m drafting from the 2 hole, which means I get an elite running back in the first, and then will have my second running back in the 2nd or 3rd, to pair with an elite wide receiver as well. From there on, it’s about the flow of the draft.

8. What's your approach to rookies, injured players, and/or suspended players that may not have a full workload to start the season?

I’m staying away from most injured players and rookies outside of Barkley and Guice this year.

9. At the mid-point of the draft (10 rounds), how many players at each position do you expect to have?

Usually 4 running backs, 4 wide receivers a tight end and a quarterback.

10. Aside from taking a one late in the draft, what factors do you consider when drafting a kicker?

Look for kickers on good teams and playing indoors. I also look for offenses that are often very good, but not elite, those offenses that can stall in the red zone.

11. Name five position players that you will target later in the draft.

John Brown, Taywan Taylor, Matt Breida, Seals-Jones, Chris Carson.

12. Name a sleeper (round 10 on) at RB or WR that should thrive in this PPR format.

Taywan Taylor

DRAFT SELECTIONS

devin knotts' EVALUATION

Strengths
Ari built some nice depth at the wide receiver position balancing consistency with upside by taking Sammy Watkins and Josh Gordon who are two upside players while combining them with A.J. Green and Cooper Kupp who should provide some stability to the wide receiving group. Ari did a nice job getting a balanced approach at the quarterback and tight end positions as well as even though he did not pay up for a top-five player at either position, he balanced the position with nice depth.

Weaknesses
At the running back position, Ari got a little bit unlucky as he drafted Derius Guice before he tore his ACL and was lost for the season. This leaves a big hole on Ari’s team as outside of David Johnson, he will have to rely on Rex Burkhead to start most weeks. He does have some intriguing players such as Chris Carson and Bilal Powell that could take over their backfield, but as it stands now the running back group is a weakness for Ari.

How He’ll Win It All
If Ari can get enough out of the running back position he will be dangerous. He does not need it to be the best running back group in the league, he just needs to get enough out of it to be competitive as his wide receivers will carry him in this league.

DRAFT SLOT 3

Pat Thorman, Pro Football Focus

Pat Thorman is a Featured Writer with PFF Fantasy. He is an FSWA award-winning writer and has placed top-six in the FantasyPros in-season rankings contest twice in the last four seasons. Thorman joined PFF in 2013 and has over 25 years of experience playing fantasy football.

Follow @Pat_Thorman

PRE-DRAFT QUESTIONS

1. How many of each position do you plan to take?

For this draft, I’ll probably go with 2 QB, 6 RB, 6 WR, 4 TE, 1 DST, and 1 PK. In a typical draft, I’d take only one defense, and wouldn’t draft a kicker if I could pick one up right before Week 1.

2. What is your strategy regarding the QB position, where touchdown passes are 6 points each?

Six point touchdowns don’t change the quarterback math enough to change my strategy. I’ll take quarterbacks once I’m satisfied with my depth at RB, WR, and TE. I’m fine with getting a couple passers ranked in the QB14-QB20 range if their styles complement each other (a Philip Rivers with a Patrick Mahomes, or a Marcus Mariota with an Alex Smith).

3. Who is the lowest ranked quarterback that you would want as your QB1?

I’d be happy with any of Mariota (I have him ranked 12th), Rivers (13th), or Andrew Luck (14th) as my starting quarterback.

4. Which position, running back or wide receiver would you rather have three on your roster, first? Explain why.

Running back, due to scarcity. I’m far more comfortable with the wide receivers in the Round 5 – Round 8 range than I am the available running backs.

5. What is your general strategy regarding the tight end position? When are you planning to draft the first at this position?

I’ll take Rob Gronkowski if he calls to the end of the second round, or Travis Kelce in the fourth (I don’t have much Kelce). Usually I am grabbing whoever slides a round or so among Jimmy Graham, Delanie Walker, or Kyle Rudolph. I’d rather not count on the mid-round tight ends, other than perhaps George Kittle.

6. What is your general strategy regarding the Defense/ST position? When are you planning to draft the first at this position?

I’ll wait until the very end of the draft to take my DST. They are volatile enough that spending a valuable pick on them is not worth it. I’ll shoot for teams projected for winning records, who preferably play quickly to generate snap volume, resulting in more chances at sacks and turnovers.

7. Discuss drafting from the #3 hole. What will you do differently because of this draft slot?

Drafting from the three spot is pretty ideal. I land one of the top three PPR running backs, all of which I’ve got grouped fairly close together, and also get a jump on my second round pick relative to the top spot. There is a decent chance a quality PPR RB (like Christian McCaffrey or Jerick McKinnon) is available at 2.10, and the 3.03 should give me a choice of high-quality second-tier wideouts like T.Y. Hilton or Doug Baldwin.

8. What's your approach to rookies, injured players, and/or suspended players that may not have a full workload to start the season?

I’m almost completely injury agnostic and gladly take whatever discounts result from “injury prone” labels. Suspensions are a little different, in that we have something concrete to factor in – a specific number of games we know a player will miss. I don’t weight whether a player is a rookie very heavily, since it’s usually baked into ADP anyway. It matters more what his opportunity is. The key to managing all of these types of players is to buy some when the value is favorable, but not to go overboard on them in a single draft.

9. At the mid-point of the draft (10 rounds), how many players at each position do you expect to have?

4-5 RB, 4-5 WR, 1 TE

10. Aside from taking a one late in the draft, what factors do you consider when drafting a kicker?

I want a kicker on a team who projects a winning record and with an offense that should be able to move the ball. Positive game scripts allow for more field goal attempts.

11. Name five position players that you will target later in the draft.

After Round 10: George Kittle, Mitchell Trubisky, Kenny Stills, Latavius Murray, Kenny Golladay. After Round 15: Ricky Seals-Jones, Andy Dalton, Tyrell Williams, Peyton Barber, Cole Beasley

12. Name a sleeper (round 10 on) at RB or WR that should thrive in this PPR format.

Corey Grant, Cole Beasley

DRAFT SELECTIONS

devin knotts' EVALUATION

Strengths
Pat built quite the stable of running backs in this draft as he took a running back in 5 out of the first 10 rounds. Starting with Le’Veon Bell and continuing with Devonte Freeman and Jay Ajayi as the starters each week. Pat was also able to get a tremendous value on Cam Newton in the eighth round which solidifies his quarterback position.

Weaknesses
At the wide receiver position Pat has some question marks outside of his top two in Doug Baldwin and JuJu Smith-Schuster. Pat is expecting big things out of Chris Hogan who is 30 years old and who is largely unproven. Players such as Jordy Nelson is an aging player who still has upside and Rishard Matthews is dealing with injuries this preseason.

How He’ll Win It All
Jordy Nelson is a big player for Pat’s team as if he can have a good year, Pat’s wide receiving group will elevate up to above average which with his running backs and quarterbacks is all he needs to win this league.

DRAFT SLOT 4

BJ Vanderwoude, Footballguys - Bio

Follow @SundayTzu

PRE-DRAFT QUESTIONS

1. How many of each position do you plan to take?

I plan on taking two quarterbacks, six running backs, seven wide receivers, three tight ends, 1 defenses and 1 kicker.

2. What is your strategy regarding the QB position, where touchdown passes are 6 points each?

With the scoring format, I am paying attention more to touchdown passes and less to passing yards. This thins the middle tier down quite a bit, but it also gives a hard line where that tier starts to drop off.

3. Who is the lowest ranked quarterback that you would want as your QB1?

The absolute lowest-ranked quarterback I would want as my starter is Kirk Cousins.

4. Which position, running back or wide receiver would you rather have three on your roster, first? Explain why.

I would rather have three wide receivers on my roster first, as there quite a few options in the middle rounds that have the upside of a starting caliber running back.

5. What is your general strategy regarding the tight end position? When are you planning to draft the first at this position?

I am generally opposed to taking a tight end early (Rob Gronkowski, Zach Ertz, Travis Kelce), so my strategy is to wait until value presents itself in rounds seven through ten. My two favorite targets are Trey Burton and Delanie Walker.

6. What is your general strategy regarding the Defense/ST position? When are you planning to draft the first at this position?

My general strategy is to wait until at least the 14th round, however in this format, it does make sense to grab a top-tier defense before that run starts. Depending on how my team looks in round 14, I may be willing to start the run on defenses.

7. Discuss drafting from the #4 hole. What will you do differently because of this draft slot?

Drafting from the #4 hole gives you options in the 1st round, whether that be a wide receiver or running back. I would prefer to secure one of the top four running backs, as I like the wide receiver options that come back in the second and third rounds. I think the one thing you have to be willing to do is react to the runs that are being started at the end and beginning of each rounds. Those managers know they have to wait roughly two rounds in between picks, so in many cases they will prepare for that and start the run on a particular position.

8. What's your approach to rookies, injured players, and/or suspended players that may not have a full workload to start the season?

My approach to rookie running backs is that there is tremendous positional value this year, so you have to be willing to take a flier when the situation presents itself. All other rookie positions, I am much less hesitant about, as I think it takes a longer time for them to get settled and comfortable with the playbook, as well as outplay veterans in front of them. With that said, it is similar to injured/suspended players. You have to be able to set a projected number of games played, and then extrapolate their projections out for that number of games. When you start to see a drastic difference in projected points between injured/suspended players and other players at their position, you know the value is correct in drafting them.

9. At the mid-point of the draft (10 rounds), how many players at each position do you expect to have?

I expect to have four wide receivers, four running backs, one quarterback and one tight end.

10. Aside from taking a one late in the draft, what factors do you consider when drafting a kicker?

The main thing I factor in is whether they are on an offense that is capable of putting up a lot of points. Maybe they are not the most accurate kicker in league, but if they have a lot of opportunities then they should project very well in this scoring format.

11. Name five position players that you will target later in the draft.

Trey Burton, Bilal Powell, Kenny Golladay, Nyheim Hines, Martavis Bryant.

12. Name a sleeper (round 10 on) at RB or WR that should thrive in this PPR format.

On obvious choice is Theo Riddick, who continues to be a great weekly fill in at running back. The Lions brought in competition, but that is more related to running the football, as Riddick will continue to see a steady volume of weekly targets, especially to justify his current ADP (152).

DRAFT SELECTIONS

devin knotts' EVALUATION

Strengths
The quarterback position and tight end positions are the strength of BJ’s team as he decided to pay up early for Rob Gronkowski and took two of the top 12 quarterbacks taken in DeShaun Watson and Phillip Rivers.

Weaknesses
This is an inverse scenario for BJ as while his wide receiving group is top-heavy it is not very deep and while his running backs are not very strong at the top, he has a lot of depth. This creates an issue at the flex position for BJ each week as he will struggle to fill in that position. This was partly caused by taking two top-12 quarterbacks and three tight ends.

How He’ll Win It All
Strong in-season management is going to be needed from BJ to win this league as while he has strong quarterbacks, determining which one to play each week is going to be crucial to justify taking two top guys. Also, at the flex position having a player or two emerge as an every week starter will be big for BJ this season.

DRAFT SLOT 5

Chad Parsons, Footballguys - Bio

Follow @ChadParsonsNFL

PRE-DRAFT QUESTIONS

1. How many of each position do you plan to take?

My rough outline is:

2 QB

6 RB

7 WR

3 TE

1 K

1 DST

2. What is your strategy regarding the QB position, where touchdown passes are 6 points each?

I will be a little more aggressive than usual with full touchdown scoring for quarterbacks. However, I am typically one of the last to take their first quarterback in most drafts, including this one.

3. Who is the lowest ranked quarterback that you would want as your QB1?

I am comfortable with around 20 quarterbacks as my starter. The last subset for my target zone is Eli Manning, Dak Prescott, and Alex Smith.

4. Which position, running back or wide receiver would you rather have three on your roster, first? Explain why.

I definitely prefer running back here with three in the first three or four rounds. The lone exception would be going with Rob Gronkowski in Rounds 2-3 due to an unappealing running back draft board or a stud wide receiver like Mike Evans being available in Round 3.

5. What is your general strategy regarding the tight end position? When are you planning to draft the first at this position?

If I do not get a look at Rob Gronkowski in Round 2 or maybe Travis Kelce in Rounds 3-4, I will wait a while at tight end. I have some interest in Jimmy Graham in the mid-TE1 zone, but yet to draft him there this year due to wide receivers in the same range. Delanie Walker is another potential, but unlikely, mid-round checkpoint for the position. Most likely is drafting two tight ends beyond Rounds 10-12.

6. What is your general strategy regarding the Defense/ST position? When are you planning to draft the first at this position?

More important than which defenses I target, is getting two of them and not doubling up on their bye week. After Round 12 is when my first defense will be in play.

7. Discuss drafting from the #5 hole. What will you do differently because of this draft slot?

At 1.05, this is an enviable position. I know I will get a look at a stud running back. Ideally, I would get David Johnson or Ezekiel Elliott, but settling for Alvin Kamara is not a situation to regret. An ideal start would be Christian McCaffrey or Melvin Gordon in Round 2, but I doubt they will be there at 2.08.

8. What's your approach to rookies, injured players, and/or suspended players that may not have a full workload to start the season?

I am open to rookies, specifically running backs, as they can emerge later in the year as difference-makers. In terms of suspended players, Julian Edelman is the one offhand who can be a value in the Round 5-6 range. However, I need to have at least one receiver before Edelman to build balance at the position and grab a more stable option or two after Edelman.

9. At the mid-point of the draft (10 rounds), how many players at each position do you expect to have?

0 QB

5 RB

5 WR

0 TE

10. Aside from taking a one late in the draft, what factors do you consider when drafting a kicker?

With kickers, I gravitate towards established veterans not likely to lose their job, a preference towards dome teams, and better offenses (read: quarterbacks) whenever possible.

11. Name five position players that you will target later in the draft.

• Eli Manning: Top-12 upside for a fraction of the price, his main weapons (Saquon Barkley, Odell Beckham, Evan Engram) are all highly valued.
• Ben Watson: There was a black hole for New Orleans tight ends last season, but Watson had his career with the Saints his last stop.
• Frank Gore: I have no faith in Kenyan Drake to keep the job and Miami did not bring in Gore to be a player-coach.
• John Brown: There is a wide open No.2 receiver role in Baltimore and Brown fits the deep role best of the depth chart. The only thing holding Brown back is his health.
• Luke Willson: Plenty of tight end targets available in Detroit and Willson has flashed seam-stretching speed in an ancillary role with Seattle. This year is a golden opportunity for Willson to seize a lead role over second-year Michael Roberts.

12. Name a sleeper (round 10 on) at RB or WR that should thrive in this PPR format.

Nyheim Hines is pretty intriguing in full PPR with an uncertain Colts depth chart. Hines has the m