Fantasy Football half-point PPR mock draft 2023: Training camp buzz players already shooting up the board

USATSI

Now that training camp has started, the season is officially here. And we kicked things off Tuesday with a 12-team, 0.5-PPR mock draft. The best part was watching where the buzzworthy players got selected since plenty of news is happening around the NFL, especially at running back.

The first player of note to get drafted was Saquon Barkley, who agreed to a one-year contract with the Giants and reported to training camp on time. He went at No. 8 overall as the fourth running back, behind Christian McCaffrey, Austin Ekeler and Bijan Robinson. While you can argue Barkley vs. guys like Nick Chubb, Jonathan Taylor and Tony Pollard, this is a great spot to draft Barkley this year.

Josh Jacobs, who is going to hold out of training camp because he was given the franchise tag, was drafted with the third pick in Round 2 at No. 15 overall. I don't mind him at that spot for now, but he went ahead of Taylor and Pollard, which could be a mistake. And the longer he stays away from the team, the more we'll likely see him slide in Fantasy drafts.

Taylor (ankle) was actually placed on the PUP list after this draft happened, but all indications are he'll be fine. However, if he stays out of practice, he will also start to slide, and he was picked at No. 16 overall here.

Breece Hall (knee) was placed on the PUP list at the start of training camp, and he fell to Round 3 here at No. 34 overall. This is later than he's gone in our previous mock drafts this offseason, and I expect him to slide to this range if not into Round 4 if he remains out. Hopefully, he'll be cleared to practice soon, but running backs coming off a torn ACL have a terrible track record in their first season back, which is why I'm concerned about drafting Hall too early this year.

I drafted J.K. Dobbins in Round 5, and he also opened training camp on the PUP list. The official injury designation is undisclosed, but the Ravens are likely being cautious after he dealt with knee problems last year. He's now two years removed from his ACL tear, but he's expected to be fine this season. I'm counting on Dobbins to have a breakout year if healthy, and I love him at this spot.

Javonte Williams avoided the PUP list after suffering a torn ACL last year, which is great news, but I'm still concerned about his production this season. He was drafted in Round 6 here, and that's the perfect spot to gamble on him. If he's healthy and can get the majority of touches for the Broncos then he still has top-20 upside in all formats. However, I still like drafting Samaje Perine as a sleeper, and he was drafted in Round 7 here.

For the receivers of note dealing with injury situations, here is where they went in this draft: Amari Cooper (leg) in Round 5, Kadarius Toney (knee) in Round 7, Michael Thomas (toe) in Round 8 and Rashod Bateman (foot) in Round 10.

Cooper is expected to be fine, and Round 5 would be a steal to get him there. Toney might not be ready for Week 1, and he was overdrafted here. I would rather have Skyy Moore, who was drafted in Round 9, and Rashee Rice also went in Round 12.

Thomas was cleared for practice, and hopefully he stays healthy all season. He has been limited to just 10 games over the past three seasons, but he could be a steal if he stays in this range for most Fantasy drafts.

As for Bateman, he opened training camp on the PUP list, and hopefully he'll be healthy soon. It's going to be interesting to track the progress for him, Zay Flowers and Odell Beckham Jr., and whoever emerges as the No. 1 receiver in Baltimore could be a low-end starter in the majority of leagues. Flowers, who is my favorite Ravens receiver for now, went in Round 9, and Beckham was drafted in Round 10.

I selected Beckham as my No. 4 receiver, and my receiving corps is the strength of my team. My first three picks from No. 1 overall were Justin Jefferson, DeVonta Smith and Tee Higgins. While I didn't intend to do that, even though we start three receivers in this league, I felt like Smith and Higgins were better than Joe Mixon, Josh Allen or Jalen Hurts at that point.

Part of the reason I went WR-WR-WR was I knew the running back options at the Round 4-5 turn would be OK, which proved to be true, and I got Dameon Pierce and Dobbins. I love those first five picks.

I did have a little regret passing on Allen and Hurts, and I also drafted those running backs ahead of Justin Fields, who fell to Round 5. But I was able to get Trevor Lawrence in Round 6, and I love that. Lawrence is one of my favorite breakout candidates this season.

The rest of my running back corps is James Cook, Khalil Herbert, Elijah Mitchell and Zamir White, who could be a steal if Jacobs misses any games this season. I also have Darnell Mooney and Zay Jones as reserve receivers, and Pat Freiermuth is my tight end. This should be a playoff-caliber team in this league.

In this league, all touchdowns are worth six points, and we award one point for every 10 yards rushing and receiving and one point for every 25 yards passing. We also award 0.5 points for every reception. We feature a starting lineup of QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, TE and FLEX (RB/WR/TE) with six reserves for a 14-round draft.

Our draft order is as follows:

1. Jamey Eisenberg, Senior Fantasy Writer

2. Frank Stampfl, FBT Podcast Host

3. Chris Towers, Senior Editor, Fantasy Sports

4. Dave Richard, Senior Fantasy Writer

5. George Maselli, Fantasy Editor

6. Meron Berkson, CBS Sports HQ Producer

7. Daniel Schneier, Senior Fantasy Editor

8. Jack Capotorto, FFT HQ Producer

9. Heath Cummings, Senior Fantasy Writer

10. Zach Brook, FFT Social Media Coordinator

11. Adam Aizer, FFT Podcast Host