Welcome to our 'Undercover Mock' series, where our analysts will surreptitiously go into mock drafts with real people. Unlike our expert mock drafts, you won't see Patrick Mahomes falling to the third round here. These are real mock drafts with folks who don't hyper-analyze Fantasy Football. We're trying to show you how to find real advantages drafting with real people.

MOCK: 12-team PPR, 8th pick

DATE, TIME, SITE: Friday, Aug. 21, 9:30 a.m., ESPN

OBJECTIVE: What kind of a team could be built with a wide receiver taken in Round 1?

There was no plan to roll out a Zero RB strategy, no plan to select any other position at any other point in the draft, just a plan to take a wide receiver in Round 1— be it Michael Thomas or Davante Adams.

Thomas went at 1.05, so Adams it was at 1.08. In a real draft I would have taken Miles Sanders, but I keep my promises.

But there were no rules after that.

One of my primary philosophies on Draft Day is to cover yourself with reliable running backs early on. If you wait too long, you'll surely be strong at other spots but you definitely won't be at the one position in Fantasy that tends to score the most points.

I targeted running backs with my next two picks and felt really good to get Joe Mixon at 17th overall. His ADP is right around there on CBS Sports but I've been used to seeing him anywhere from eighth to 12th overall. Between him and Adams it feels like I'm cheating the rest of the league with two first-round caliber players.

What may have pushed Mixon down to me was Lamar Jackson getting snagged at 13th overall. Again, ADP suggests that might actually be a little later than normal, but to me it feels like an overpay for a quarterback. Yes, he might be awesome again in 2020, but it's hard to justify taking him when ...

  • There are really good quarterbacks getting drafted several rounds later, including in this mock
  • History is working against him finishing as the No. 1 quarterback in Fantasy (no one's gone back-to-back since 2011-12)
  • Five of the eight quarterbacks in Fantasy history who registered 25 passing touchdowns and 500 rush yards in the same season finished in the top-10 the following season, but none in the top-3

So I owe a giant meatball hoagie to whoever took Jackson at 13th so Mixon would slide a little bit farther.

Maybe this was my lucky day — after getting Mixon in Round 2, I landed James Conner in Round 3. This wasn't a shocker when realizing his ADP, but all indications out of Pittsburgh are that Conner will be the main rusher for the Steelers until further notice:

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I would have been open to taking another runner in Round 4 but couldn't see one I liked as much as Cooper Kupp. His value continues to slide because ... I don't know. The guy has 16 touchdowns and 5.6 catches per game in his last 24 overall and people are freaking out because his playing time declined toward the end of last season. It's not going to stay that way. He's a safe No. 1 receiver in my eyes, except here he's my No. 2.

If you've been following along with our Fantasy Football Today Podcast or reading my stuff since the summer, you know I've developed strong conviction about Buccaneers running back Ronald Jones. My take is he'll be good enough to be a No. 2 running back but you can draft him as a No. 3. And that's what I did here when facing a running back run in Round 5. It was pretty easy decision: Risk missing out on a third running back when they're going like hot cakes, or take the one I really want. Hmm, not too tough.

My team through five rounds:

1.08: Davante Adams, WR, Packers
2.05: Joe Mixon, RB, Bengals
3.08: James Conner, RB, Steelers
4.05: Cooper Kupp, WR, Rams
5.08: Ronald Jones, RB, Buccaneers

I'm thrilled. I didn't reach for a quarterback and I know I'll find a tight end at a good value later on, plus I have the great stable of running backs I wished for.

Moving on, I had the chance to pick up a top-6 quarterback in Round 6, which screams good value, but didn't. I opted to fully stock up my wide receiver corps by landing Stefon Diggs. This was a tough one — Diggs has No. 2 receiver upside for sure, but a stud quarterback in Round 6 is a pretty sweet bargain. Ultimately I decided that Diggs was the better bargain and that I could wait even longer for a quarterback, but it was close. Had I taken a passer, it would have been Russell Wilson.

Sure enough, the next two picks were Kyler Murray and Wilson, and just like that, the top-6 quarterbacks in Fantasy this year were history.

I could have overreacted to that and taken the best remaining quarterback with my next pick. Instead, I took Tarik Cohen hoping that tight end Hunter Henry would slide one more round. Like quarterbacks, I'm looking for great values at tight end in drafts. Fortunately, Henry hit my roster a round later.

Yep, I still needed a quarterback, but a funny thing happens when you wait a while for one: Many other managers in the draft get theirs, then (correctly) don't bother taking a second passer until much, much later. So after the top-6 quarterbacks and Drew Brees were gone, I surveyed the board and knew that I could probably wait until Round 10 and still get one of Tom Brady, Matt Ryan or Josh Allen. That's why I splurged on Jalen Reagor in Round 9.

And that's the story of how I got Tom Brady, the guy throwing to Mike Evans and Chris Godwin and Rob Gronkowski and Scotty Miller (who?!), to be my starting quarterback in Round 10. An absolute steal, particularly considering his ADP on CBS is 50 PICKS HIGHER than where I got him.

Maybe it's because it was a mock. Maybe not. Point is, wait for your quarterback.

Here's the squad

QB

Tom Brady

BN

Ronald Jones

RB

Joe Mixon

BN

Tarik Cohen

RB

James Conner

BN

Jalen Reagor

WR

Davante Adams

BN

Boston Scott

WR

Cooper Kupp

BN

Damien Harris

TE

Hunter Henry

BN

Bryce Love

FLEX

Stefon Diggs

BN

Steve Sims

DST

Chargers

K

Dan Bailey

What if I went Zero RB?

So let's say the plan was to ditch running backs until Round 5. What would the team have looked like? Based on the actual results, here it is:

QB

Russell Wilson

BN

J.K. Dobbins

RB

Ronald Jones

BN

Boston Scott

RB

Tarik Cohen

BN

Jerry Jeudy

WR

Davante Adams

BN

Damien Harris

WR

Julio Jones

BN

Bryce Love

TE

Zach Ertz

BN

Allen Lazard

FLEX

Cooper Kupp

BN

Sony Michel

DST

Chargers

K

Dan Bailey

Gotta be honest, it's not a bad squad. The one thing that definitely bothers me is that Kupp, Scott, Harris and Love all would have been taken at least one round sooner than when I actually did take them. That tells me that the values I got them at with my real mock Fantasy team were excellent.

Lessons learned

  • Starting with a wide receiver in Round 1 is totally doable, but it comes with the caveat that you should prioritize running backs in Round 2 and/or 3. Probably.
  • Wide receiver depth is plentiful and you should expect to find a viable selection at pretty much every pick. You can afford to be a little more patient with receivers.
  • Running back depth was surprisingly good in this mock, but that's because other drafters selected other positions aggressively. It's a best-case scenario for anyone with any running back plan.
  • Steal your quarterback.

The results

ROUND 1



1

Team 1

Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers

2

Team 2

Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants

3

Team 3

Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys

4

Team 4

Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints

5

Team 5

Michael Thomas, WR, New Orleans Saints

6

Team 6

Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota Vikings

7

Team 7

Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB, Kansas City Chiefs

8

Dave's Undercover Team

Davante Adams, WR, Green Bay Packers

9

Team 9

Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans

10

Team 10

Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

11

Team 11

Kenyan Drake, RB, Arizona Cardinals

12

Team 12

Josh Jacobs, RB, Las Vegas Raiders

ROUND 2



13

Team 12

Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens

14

Team 11

Miles Sanders, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

15

Team 10

Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs

16

Team 9

Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns

17

Dave's Undercover Team

Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

18

Team 7

Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers

19

Team 6

DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Arizona Cardinals

20

Team 5

Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta Falcons

21

Team 4

Tyreek Hill, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

22

Team 3

Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs

23

Team 2

Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

24

Team 1

Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

ROUND 3



25

Team 1

Leonard Fournette, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

26

Team 2

Odell Beckham Jr., WR, Cleveland Browns

27

Team 3

George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers

28

Team 4

Chris Carson, RB, Seattle Seahawks

29

Team 5

Todd Gurley II, RB, Atlanta Falcons

30

Team 6

Kenny Golladay, WR, Detroit Lions

31

Team 7

DJ Moore, WR, Carolina Panthers

32

Dave's Undercover Team

James Conner, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

33

Team 9

Allen Robinson II, WR, Chicago Bears

34

Team 10

Adam Thielen, WR, Minnesota Vikings

35

Team 11

JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

36

Team 12

Le'Veon Bell, RB, New York Jets

ROUND 4



37

Team 12

Mark Andrews, TE, Baltimore Ravens

38

Team 11

Amari Cooper, WR, Dallas Cowboys

39

Team 10

David Johnson, RB, Houston Texans

40

Team 9

Courtland Sutton, WR, Denver Broncos

41

Dave's Undercover Team

Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams

42

Team 7

Calvin Ridley, WR, Atlanta Falcons

43

Team 6

Robert Woods, WR, Los Angeles Rams

44

Team 5

Melvin Gordon, RB, Denver Broncos

45

Team 4

Devin Singletary, RB, Buffalo Bills

46

Team 3

Terry McLaurin, WR, Washington

47

Team 2

Zach Ertz, TE, Philadelphia Eagles

48

Team 1

A.J. Brown, WR, Tennessee Titans

ROUND 5



49

Team 1

Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts

50

Team 2

Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

51

Team 3

Tyler Lockett, WR, Seattle Seahawks

52

Team 4

David Montgomery, RB, Chicago Bears

53

Team 5

Kareem Hunt, RB, Cleveland Browns

54

Team 6

D'Andre Swift, RB, Detroit Lions

55

Team 7

T.Y. Hilton, WR, Indianapolis Colts

56

Dave's Undercover Team

Ronald Jones II, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

57

Team 9

Jarvis Landry, WR, Cleveland Browns

58

Team 10

DeVante Parker, WR, Miami Dolphins

59

Team 11

DJ Chark Jr., WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

60

Team 12

Raheem Mostert, RB, San Francisco 49ers

ROUND 6



61

Team 12

DK Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks

62

Team 11

Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys

63

Team 10

Deshaun Watson, QB, Houston Texans

64

Team 9

Darren Waller, TE, Las Vegas Raiders

65

Dave's Undercover Team

Stefon Diggs, WR, Buffalo Bills

66

Team 7

Kyler Murray, QB, Arizona Cardinals

67

Team 6

Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle Seahawks

68

Team 5

Michael Gallup, WR, Dallas Cowboys

69

Team 4

Marquise Brown, WR, Baltimore Ravens

70

Team 3

Will Fuller V, WR, Houston Texans

71

Team 2

Cam Akers, RB, Los Angeles Rams

72

Team 1

A.J. Green, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

ROUND 7



73

Team 1

Mark Ingram II, RB, Baltimore Ravens

74

Team 2

Tyler Boyd, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

75

Team 3

Julian Edelman, WR, New England Patriots

76

Team 4

Brandin Cooks, WR, Houston Texans

77

Team 5

Tyler Higbee, TE, Los Angeles Rams

78

Team 6

Evan Engram, TE, New York Giants

79

Team 7

Deebo Samuel, WR, San Francisco 49ers

80

Dave's Undercover Team

Tarik Cohen, RB, Chicago Bears

81

Team 9

Marvin Jones Jr., WR, Detroit Lions

82

Team 10

Diontae Johnson, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

83

Team 11

James White, RB, New England Patriots

84

Team 12

Jamison Crowder, WR, New York Jets

ROUND 8



85

Team 12

Darius Slayton, WR, New York Giants

86

Team 11

Jordan Howard, RB, Miami Dolphins

87

Team 10

Kerryon Johnson, RB, Detroit Lions

88

Team 9

Darrell Henderson Jr., RB, Los Angeles Rams

89

Dave's Undercover Team

Hunter Henry, TE, Los Angeles Chargers

90

Team 7

Phillip Lindsay, RB, Denver Broncos

91

Team 6

Matt Breida, RB, Miami Dolphins

92

Team 5

Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints

93

Team 4

J.K. Dobbins, RB, Baltimore Ravens

94

Team 3

Antonio Gibson, RB, Washington

95

Team 2

Zack Moss, RB, Buffalo Bills

96

Team 1

Latavius Murray, RB, New Orleans Saints

ROUND 9



97

Team 1

Sterling Shepard, WR, New York Giants

98

Team 2

Tevin Coleman, RB, San Francisco 49ers

99

Team 3

Marlon Mack, RB, Indianapolis Colts

100

Team 4

Preston Williams, WR, Miami Dolphins

101

Team 5

Henry Ruggs III, WR, Las Vegas Raiders

102

Team 6

Christian Kirk, WR, Arizona Cardinals

103

Team 7

Jared Cook, TE, New Orleans Saints

104

Dave's Undercover Team

Jalen Reagor, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

105

Team 9

Golden Tate, WR, New York Giants

106

Team 10

Robby Anderson, WR, Carolina Panthers

107

Team 11

Noah Fant, TE, Denver Broncos

108

Team 12

John Brown, WR, Buffalo Bills

ROUND 10



109

Team 12

Emmanuel Sanders, WR, New Orleans Saints

110

Team 11

Curtis Samuel, WR, Carolina Panthers

111

Team 10

Alexander Mattison, RB, Minnesota Vikings

112

Team 9

Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta Falcons

113

Dave's Undercover Team

Tom Brady, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

114

Team 7

Tony Pollard, RB, Dallas Cowboys

115

Team 6

Mecole Hardman, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

116

Team 5

Justin Jackson, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

117

Team 4

T.J. Hockenson, TE, Detroit Lions

118

Team 3

Hayden Hurst, TE, Atlanta Falcons

119

Team 2

Carson Wentz, QB, Philadelphia Eagles

120

Team 1

Rob Gronkowski, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

ROUND 11



121

Team 1

Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills

122

Team 2

Jerry Jeudy, WR, Denver Broncos

123

Team 3

CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys

124

Team 4

Daniel Jones, QB, New York Giants

125

Team 5

Steelers D/ST

126

Team 6

Mike Williams, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

127

Team 7

Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings

128

Dave's Undercover Team

Boston Scott, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

129

Team 9

Matthew Stafford, QB, Detroit Lions

130

Team 10

Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers

131

Team 11

Breshad Perriman, WR, New York Jets

132

Team 12

DeSean Jackson, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

ROUND 12



133

Team 12

Parris Campbell, WR, Indianapolis Colts

134

Team 11

Duke Johnson, RB, Houston Texans

135

Team 10

Nyheim Hines, RB, Indianapolis Colts

136

Team 9

Ke'Shawn Vaughn, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

137

Dave's Undercover Team

Damien Harris, RB, New England Patriots

138

Team 7

Mike Gesicki, TE, Miami Dolphins

139

Team 6

Chris Herndon, TE, New York Jets

140

Team 5

Austin Hooper, TE, Cleveland Browns

141

Team 4

Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers

142

Team 3

AJ Dillon, RB, Green Bay Packers

143

Team 2

Adrian Peterson, RB, Washington

144

Team 1

Cam Newton, QB, New England Patriots

ROUND 13



145

Team 1

Brandon Aiyuk, WR, San Francisco 49ers

146

Team 2

Jerick McKinnon, RB, San Francisco 49ers

147

Team 3

N'Keal Harry, WR, New England Patriots

148

Team 4

Chase Edmonds, RB, Arizona Cardinals

149

Team 5

Jamaal Williams, RB, Green Bay Packers

150

Team 6

Anthony Miller, WR, Chicago Bears

151

Team 7

Sammy Watkins, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

152

Dave's Undercover Team

Bryce Love, RB, Washington

153

Team 9

Michael Pittman Jr., WR, Indianapolis Colts

154

Team 10

Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Arizona Cardinals

155

Team 11

Randall Cobb, WR, Houston Texans

156

Team 12

Bills D/ST

ROUND 14



157

Team 12

Allen Lazard, WR, Green Bay Packers

158

Team 11

49ers D/ST

159

Team 10

Mohamed Sanu Sr., WR, New England Patriots

160

Team 9

Ravens D/ST

161

Dave's Undercover Team

Steven Sims Jr., WR, Washington

162

Team 7

Denzel Mims, WR, New York Jets

163

Team 6

Patriots D/ST

164

Team 5

Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

165

Team 4

Colts D/ST

166

Team 3

Saints D/ST

167

Team 2

Joshua Kelley, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

168

Team 1

Harrison Butker, K, Kansas City Chiefs

ROUND 15



169

Team 1

Sony Michel, RB, New England Patriots

170

Team 2

Broncos D/ST

171

Team 3

Justin Tucker, K, Baltimore Ravens

172

Team 4

Darrynton Evans, RB, Tennessee Titans

173

Team 5

Ryquell Armstead, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

174

Team 6

Carlos Hyde, RB, Seattle Seahawks

175

Team 7

Bears D/ST

176

Dave's Undercover Team

Chargers D/ST

177

Team 9

Anthony McFarland Jr., RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

178

Team 10

Vikings D/ST

179

Team 11

Jack Doyle, TE, Indianapolis Colts

180

Team 12

Eric Ebron, TE, Pittsburgh Steelers

ROUND 16



181

Team 12

Wil Lutz, K, New Orleans Saints

182

Team 11

Matt Prater, K, Detroit Lions

183

Team 10

Greg Zuerlein, K, Dallas Cowboys

184

Team 9

Robbie Gould, K, San Francisco 49ers

185

Dave's Undercover Team

Dan Bailey, K, Minnesota Vikings

186

Team 7

Chris Boswell, K, Pittsburgh Steelers

187

Team 6

Matt Gay, K, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

188

Team 5

Zane Gonzalez, K, Arizona Cardinals

189

Team 4

Ka'imi Fairbairn, K, Houston Texans

190

Team 3

Dallas Goedert, TE, Philadelphia Eagles

191

Team 2

Jake Elliott, K, Philadelphia Eagles

192

Team 1

Chiefs D/ST

Which players are poised for breakouts, which sleepers do you need to jump on, and which busts should you avoid at all costs in your Fantasy football league? Visit SportsLine now to get early rankings, plus see which WR is going to come out of nowhere to crack the top 10, all from the model that out-performed experts big time last season.