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2023 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Half-PPR 10-team league

2023 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Half-PPR 10-team league

It's fantasy football mock draft season, and things are no different here at Yahoo Sports. Ten team members recently conducted a 10-team, half-point-per-reception fantasy football mock, and all the picks are in the cool graphic up top.. Scroll to the right of the graphic above to see the complete results of the draft.

Team-by-team results are at the bottom of the article — but first, some interesting findings about the results from our very own Andy Behrens.

The first and most important thing you need to realize about a 10-team fantasy football draft is that you can get away with pretty much any strategy. Everything is on the table; nothing will backfire.

First-round tight end? Go for it. There's no penalty.

Second-round quarterback? It's frowned upon in certain circles, but the opportunity cost isn't all that great.

ZeroRB? You are gonna absolutely love the backs available in the double-digit rounds.

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As a general rule, every manager in a 10-team league will be happy with their roster at the end of the draft. It's an extremely forgiving league size — particularly if you're playing in a Yahoo default format with only one starting QB and a single flex spot. It's such a painless draft experience.

In mid-July — hours before news broke that Josh Jacobs hadn't reached a long-term deal with his team and well before the Jonathan Taylor-Jim Irsay feud went public — the Yahoo Fantasy extended family assembled for a 10-team mock draft using our default public half-PPR settings.

We encourage you to use our results as a rough guide in your own upcoming drafts.

Also, feel free to pick a favorite squad if that's your thing, but just please know that I am personally undefeated in mocks dating back to the late-90s. I simply do not lose mocks, ever. I am basically the Edwin Moses of mock drafting.

If you want a few big-picture takeaways from this mid-July exercise, here are three things that leap off the screen (the first of which is something we've previously addressed) ...

You can find great QB options deep in the draft

It's not as if any of the three managers who selected quarterbacks in the third round — or the other three managers who took 'em in the fourth — were left feeling as if their rosters suffered as a consequence. Again, this is definitely a no-regrets format.

But you know who else isn't sweating their QB choice? Scott Pianowski, the mock drafter who waited the longest at the position. He took Aaron Rodgers in Round 11, then Deshaun Watson a round later. Rodgers, of course, is only a year removed from winning an MVP. When we last saw Watson complete a full season, all he did was lead the NFL in passing yards and Y/A, finishing as a top-five fantasy quarterback.

You'll also note that last season's overall QB5, Geno Smith, was taken in Round 14 in our mock. America's sleeper, Anthony Richardson, waited until Round 12. Kirk Cousins and Jared Goff went undrafted coming off 4,400-yard, 29-TD seasons. Simply put, quarterback is a wildly deep position for fantasy purposes. It's reasonable to draft it early — in this era, the best fantasy QBs have league-winning upside — but you can still wait a long time to address this spot and be content with the result.

Rookie skepticism is your friend

Bijan Robinson in the second round was a heist. Jahmyr Gibbs in the fifth was pure thievery as well. These days, when NFL teams use premium draft picks on running backs, those guys are relentlessly fed.

The rookie receivers didn't go off the board until the ninth and 10th rounds, despite the fact that first-year wideouts consistently finish inside the position's top-25. As soon as Richardson is at the controls for Indianapolis, he's going to be a fantasy force. I might very well be on an island with rookie tight end Sam LaPorta, but he's a serious talent with a day-one role in an ascending offense. (Were you aware that Detroit tight ends combined for a dozen TD receptions last season? Well, now you know.)

If this mock accurately represents the fantasy community's mistrust of the 2023 rookie class, these players are collectively going to be among the best values in our game.

It gets late early at wide receiver

A funny thing happens at receiver in fantasy drafts. One minute, we're taking guys like Chris Godwin, Tyler Lockett and Mike Williams, and everyone is feeling great about their options. But within a round or two, suddenly the names scrolling by in draft chat are kinda terrifying: Rashod Bateman, Kadarius Toney, Treylon Burks, et al.

It almost feels as if someone hacked the game and removed a wide receiver tier. This isn't such a big deal if your league settings only require two starting WRs and one flex. But in a deeper format — let's say, three starting receivers and 2-3 flexes — it's important to recognize the limits of the player pool. It's easy to talk yourself into someone like Bateman or Toney when they're simply a bench flier, but it's quite another matter to draft your way into a predicament in which you need those guys to produce.

Here are the team-by-team results of the mock draft in order of selection.

Collin Brennan, Yahoo Fantasy podcast producer

Round

Overall pick

Player

1.

(1)

Christian McCaffrey (SF - RB)

2.

(20)

Garrett Wilson (NYJ - WR)

3.

(21)

Amon-Ra St. Brown (Det - WR)

4.

(40)

Miles Sanders (Car - RB)

5.

(41)

Jahmyr Gibbs (Det - RB)

6.

(60)

Trevor Lawrence (Jax - QB)

7.

(61)

Kyle Pitts (Atl - TE)

8.

(80)

Christian Kirk (Jax - WR)

9.

(81)

Rashod Bateman (Bal - WR)

10.

(100)

Tyler Allgeier (Atl - RB)

11.

(101)

Michael Thomas (NO - WR)

12.

(120)

David Njoku (Cle - TE)

13.

(121)

Dallas (Dal - DEF)

14.

(140)

Jameson Williams (Det - WR)

15.

(141)

Younghoe Koo (Atl - K)

Trevor Lewis, Yahoo Fantasy social editor

Round

Overall pick

Player

1.

(2)

Justin Jefferson (Min - WR)

2.

(19)

A.J. Brown (Phi - WR)

3.

(22)

Travis Etienne Jr. (Jax - RB)

4.

(39)

Justin Fields (Chi - QB)

5.

(42)

DK Metcalf (Sea - WR)

6.

(59)

Dallas Goedert (Phi - TE)

7.

(62)

James Conner (Ari - RB)

8.

(79)

Diontae Johnson (Pit - WR)

9.

(82)

James Cook (Buf - RB)

10.

(99)

Jamaal Williams (NO - RB)

11.

(102)

Elijah Moore (Cle - WR)

12.

(119)

Antonio Gibson (Was - RB)

13.

(122)

JuJu Smith-Schuster (NE - WR)

14.

(139)

Green Bay (GB - DEF)

15.

(142)

Riley Patterson (Det - K)

Jason Klabacha, head of content for Yahoo Fantasy

Round

Overall pick

Player

1.

(3)

Ja'Marr Chase (Cin - WR)

2.

(18)

Breece Hall (NYJ - RB)

3.

(23)

Chris Olave (NO - WR)

4.

(38)

Kenneth Walker III (Sea - RB)

5.

(43)

Deebo Samuel (SF - WR)

6.

(58)

Alexander Mattison (Min - RB)

7.

(63)

Darren Waller (NYG - TE)

8.

(78)

Rashaad Penny (Phi - RB)

9.

(83)

Tua Tagovailoa (Mia - QB)

10.

(98)

Brandin Cooks (Dal - WR)

11.

(103)

Damien Harris (Buf - RB)

12.

(118)

Quentin Johnston (LAC - WR)

13.

(123)

Philadelphia (Phi - DEF)

14.

(138)

Geno Smith (Sea - QB)

15.

(143)

Tyler Bass (Buf - K)

Dan Harris, head of video for Yahoo Fantasy

Round

Overall pick

Player

1.

(4)

Austin Ekeler (LAC - RB)

2.

(17)

CeeDee Lamb (Dal - WR)

3.

(24)

Najee Harris (Pit - RB)

4.

(37)

Joe Burrow (Cin - QB)

5.

(44)

George Kittle (SF - TE)

6.

(57)

DJ Moore (Chi - WR)

7.

(64)

Tyler Lockett (Sea - WR)

8.

(77)

D'Andre Swift (Phi - RB)

9.

(84)

Mike Evans (TB - WR)

10.

(97)

AJ Dillon (GB - RB)

11.

(104)

Khalil Herbert (Chi - RB)

12.

(117)

Buffalo (Buf - DEF)

13.

(124)

Devon Achane (Mia - RB)

14.

(137)

Zay Flowers (Bal - WR)

15.

(144)

Jake Moody (SF - K)

Matt Harmon, Yahoo Fantasy analyst

Round

Overall pick

Player

1.

(5)

Cooper Kupp (LAR - WR)

2.

(16)

Derrick Henry (Ten - RB)

3.

(25)

Jalen Hurts (Phi - QB)

4.

(36)

Joe Mixon (Cin - RB)

5.

(45)

Calvin Ridley (Jax - WR)

6.

(56)

Terry McLaurin (Was - WR)

7.

(65)

David Montgomery (Det - RB)

8.

(76)

Michael Pittman Jr. (Ind - WR)

9.

(85)

Pat Freiermuth (Pit - TE)

10.

(96)

Treylon Burks (Ten - WR)

11.

(105)

Samaje Perine (Den - RB)

12.

(116)

Nico Collins (Hou - WR)

13.

(125)

D'Onta Foreman (Chi - RB)

14.

(136)

Evan McPherson (Cin - K)

15.

(145)

Denver (Den - DEF)

Dan Titus, Yahoo Fantasy analyst

Round

Overall pick

Player

1.

(6)

Travis Kelce (KC - TE)

2.

(15)

Saquon Barkley (NYG - RB)

3.

(26)

Patrick Mahomes (KC - QB)

4.

(35)

DeVonta Smith (Phi - WR)

5.

(46)

Amari Cooper (Cle - WR)

6.

(55)

Brandon Aiyuk (SF - WR)

7.

(66)

Dalvin Cook (Min - RB)

8.

(75)

Zach Charbonnet (Sea - RB)

9.

(86)

Alvin Kamara (NO - RB)

10.

(95)

Jordan Addison (Min - WR)

11.

(106)

Greg Dulcich (Den - TE)

12.

(115)

Anthony Richardson (Ind - QB)

13.

(126)

Justin Tucker (Bal - K)

14.

(135)

Miami (Mia - DEF)

15.

(146)

Tyler Boyd (Cin - WR)

Dalton Del Don, Yahoo Fantasy analyst

Round

Overall pick

Player

1.

(7)

Tyreek Hill (Mia - WR)

2.

(14)

Tony Pollard (Dal - RB)

3.

(27)

Josh Allen (Buf - QB)

4.

(34)

T.J. Hockenson (Min - TE)

5.

(47)

J.K. Dobbins (Bal - RB)

6.

(54)

Keenan Allen (LAC - WR)

7.

(67)

Marquise Brown (Ari - WR)

8.

(74)

Christian Watson (GB - WR)

9.

(87)

Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Sea - WR)

10.

(94)

Brian Robinson (Was - RB)

11.

(107)

Daniel Jones (NYG - QB)

12.

(114)

Chigoziem Okonkwo (Ten - TE)

13.

(127)

Courtland Sutton (Den - WR)

14.

(134)

New England (NE - DEF)

15.

(147)

Jason Sanders (Mia - K)

Andy Behrens, Yahoo Fantasy analyst

Round

Overall pick

Player

1.

(8)

Nick Chubb (Cle - RB)

2.

(13)

Davante Adams (LV - WR)

3.

(28)

Aaron Jones (GB - RB)

4.

(33)

Lamar Jackson (Bal - QB)

5.

(48)

Cam Akers (LAR - RB)

6.

(53)

DeAndre Hopkins (Ten - WR)

7.

(68)

Chris Godwin (TB - WR)

8.

(73)

Javonte Williams (Den - RB)

9.

(88)

Sam LaPorta (Det - TE)

10.

(93)

Kadarius Toney (KC - WR)

11.

(108)

Odell Beckham Jr. (Bal - WR)

12.

(113)

Jerick McKinnon (KC - RB)

13.

(128)

New York (NYJ - DEF)

14.

(133)

Harrison Butker (KC - K)

15.

(148)

Tank Bigsby (Jax - RB)

Kathryn Buckles, director of social media at Yahoo Sports

Round

Overall pick

Player

1.

(9)

Josh Jacobs (LV - RB)

2.

(12)

Bijan Robinson (Atl - RB)

3.

(29)

Jaylen Waddle (Mia - WR)

4.

(32)

Tee Higgins (Cin - WR)

5.

(49)

Justin Herbert (LAC - QB)

6.

(52)

Dameon Pierce (Hou - RB)

7.

(69)

Mike Williams (LAC - WR)

8.

(72)

Evan Engram (Jax - TE)

9.

(89)

Dak Prescott (Dal - QB)

10.

(92)

San Francisco (SF - DEF)

11.

(109)

Gabe Davis (Buf - WR)

12.

(112)

Elijah Mitchell (SF - RB)

13.

(129)

Jakobi Meyers (LV - WR)

14.

(132)

Skyy Moore (KC - WR)

15.

(149)

Jake Elliott (Phi - K)

Scott Pianowski, Yahoo Fantasy Analyst

Round

Overall pick

Player

1.

(10)

Jonathan Taylor (Ind - RB)

2.

(11)

Stefon Diggs (Buf - WR)

3.

(30)

Mark Andrews (Bal - TE)

4.

(31)

Rhamondre Stevenson (NE - RB)

5.

(50)

Jerry Jeudy (Den - WR)

6.

(51)

Drake London (Atl - WR)

7.

(70)

Rachaad White (TB - RB)

8.

(71)

Isiah Pacheco (KC - RB)

9.

(90)

Jahan Dotson (Was - WR)

10.

(91)

George Pickens (Pit - WR)

11.

(110)

Aaron Rodgers (NYJ - QB)

12.

(111)

Deshaun Watson (Cle - QB)

13.

(130)

Baltimore (Bal - DEF)

14.

(131)

Daniel Carlson (LV - K)

15.

(150)

Cole Kmet (Chi - TE)