By Matt Papiernik, @Matt_Papiernik on Twitter
SteelerNation.com
The 2020 NFL season is fast approaching. With the season coming in hot, Fantasy Football is going to come in even hotter.
With so little sports taking place so far in 2020, the NFL and Fantasy Football are going to be more popular than ever. To help everyone perfect their drafting strategy, many sites offer mock drafts to simulate how your teams will pan out.
I will be doing a series of articles drafting from each position, starting at first overall and going down the list until I reach the final spot in the first round. Like we did this week, we will be tweeting out a link for our fans and followers to partake in these mocks. These will be 10 team PPR (1.0 point per reception) mock drafts.
This week, we had three of our writers in this mock. This included Zach Herbaugh (SteelerNation Zach), Sean McGeown (Team McGeown), and myself (SteelerNation Matt). It appears someone who joined liked my name, as there was another Steelernation Matt, with a lower case 'n'.
Below is a round by round view of how this mock played out.
With the first pick in a PPR league, you have to go with Christian McCaffrey. There really isn't another option. I was a little surprised how high Dalvin Cook went with this being a PPR mock, especially with his hold out.
With my first back to back of the draft, I was hoping one of Kenyan Drake, Josh Jacobs, or Nick Chubb would fall to me. That wasn't the case, but Miles Sanders is a solid consolation price. Allen Robinson is also a solid WR1 for me, especially now that his QB play should improve and the Chicago Bears not adding much in the wide receiver department this year.
Overall, the first three rounds didn't provide any major reaches, but it is still early.
Coming into by 4th and 5th round picks, I wanted to either go WR/WR or WR/RB. Either way I was adding a WR. Odell Beckham Jr. would've been nice at 40, but I am very happy with Robert Woods there. He should continue to be a focus of the offense, especially with Brandin Cooks out of town.
I probably reached a little bit to grab James Conner at 41. He is going to be the featured back in Pittsburgh, but he has some trouble staying on the field and there is a lot of competition for carries. However, as I was looking down the board, by the time my next pick came around at 60, I wasn't sure I'd be able to grab a third solid RB.
The first rookies went off the board in this group, as both Jonathan Taylor and D'Andre Swift were chosen in the 6th round. Both should be contributors, but it is difficult to see them getting a full workload in year one with both teams having solid incumbents. I do think Clyde Edwards-Helaire is a reach at 32 as well.
At 60/61, I was torn on what direction to go. I quickly snagged DK Metcalf off of the board as he is someone I do like a lot in the middle rounds. With my second pick however, I was lost on what direction to head. I tend to be one of the last to grab a quarterback or tight end, but there weren't any wide receivers or running backs that were convincing me to keep that strategy.
I ended up going with Darren Waller. Waller had a great year last year, and was a top 4 tight end. I drafted him 31 spots after the last tight end, so he wouldn't have lasted much longer.
On the turn for rounds 8/9, I wanted to grab another running back. James White in a PPR league is a very solid contributor, and that shouldn't change this season. Like I did with Conner earlier, I probably reached to grab Diontae Johnson, but I will never complain about getting another Steeler.
The Tom Brady pick at 86 surprised me, as he is a fringe QB1 even with his improved weapons.
I wasn't the biggest fan of how this section of the draft went for me. I don't mind picking Deebo Samuel, but his injury worries me. Luckily he is my 5th wide receiver, or I would not like this pick much. I like the value I got with Sony Michel, but I forgot I already have White. Having both can be troublesome as figuring out who to start.
I do however love getting Cam Newton at this stage. He is the 11th QB taken in this mock (yes two teams drafted backups before I got my starter), but has a good chance to be top 5 at the end of the season if he remains healthy.
Having people like Matt Ryan, Carson Wentz, and Aaron Rodgers all go after pick 100 is why you should always wait on a QB unless one of the top dogs are falling hard.
Why is someone drafting a defense in the 11th round? Makes no sense.... EVEN WORSE, why a kicker?? Justin Tucker is great, but in fantasy he isn't worth it.
There are a few dart throws I like by myself and others in these rounds. I grabbed Damien Williams as I think he will still be a big part of the Kansas City Chiefs offense, especially early in the year. I also grabbed Kirk Cousins to be my backup QB. He isn't the flashiest pick, but he is a very good consistent option behind a gamble in Newton.
Some of the others I liked by some other people is Team McGeown snagging Justin Jefferson, and Team Young grabbing Hayden Hurst. Both those players are on teams with a lot of targets to give out due to some departing players.
Again, why are defenses and kickers going before the last two rounds? They are so variable from year to year, and most people cycle through at least half a dozen over the course of the season, so why put more draft capital into them?
Overall, I like my team. My starters are very solid, especially in a PPR league. I had some reaches, but I don't mind reaching for Steeler players from time to time. It is hard to imagine a team with Christian McCaffrey in a PPR league struggling, so the first spot is definitely a solid spot to be in.
Let us know below what you think of this mock draft, and look out next Monday for our tweets so you can potentially draft with us!
#SteelerNation
