bengals-1400.jpg
Getty Images

You never know what to expect when a Fantasy draft starts. You might have expectations of when a player should be selected, but it doesn't always work out as you planned. Sometimes that works in your favor. Other times it could ruin your strategy. As always, it's about how you adjust.

In our first 12-team, PPR mock draft following the NFL Draft, something unexpected happened with the top Fantasy rookie this season. Steelers running back Najee Harris will be the first rookie selected in all seasonal leagues this year, and he should be drafted in Round 2. You can make a case he's a top 15 overall player.

But that didn't happen here in this mock draft, which features members of our CBS Sports staff. Harris fell to the third round at No. 33 overall, and I was thrilled to draft him. I'll break down my Fantasy team below, but this mock was our first look at when the rookies could be drafted, and Harris' slight fall was an early highlight.

Jacksonville running back Travis Etienne was the second rookie running back off the board in Round 4, and that's a good spot for him. The other rookie running backs drafted included Denver's Javonte Williams (Round 5), the Jets' Michael Carter (Round 7), San Francisco's Trey Sermon (Round 8), Carolina's Chuba Hubbard (Round 13) and Philadelphia's Kenneth Gainwell (Round 14). This is the range where most of these running backs should be selected, and I drafted Carter to go with Harris.

For the rookie receivers, Cincinnati's Ja'Marr Chase (Round 5) and Philadelphia's Devonta Smith (Round 6) were the first two selected, and that should be the case in most seasonal leagues. I drafted Miami's Jaylen Waddle (Round 8) next, and he was followed by Carolina's Terrace Marshall (Round 9) soon after. The other rookie receivers in this draft included Arizona's Rondale Moore (Round 10), the Giants' Kadarius Toney (Round 11), Baltimore's Rashod Bateman (Round 11), Detroit's Amon-Ra St. Brown (Round 11), Green Bay's Amari Rodgers (Round 12) and the Jets' Elijah Moore (Round 14).

Two rookie quarterbacks were drafted with Jacksonville's Trevor Lawrence (Round 13) and San Francisco's Trey Lance (Round 15). And Atlanta's Kyle Pitts (Round 6) was the lone rookie tight end drafted, and he was the No. 6 tight end off the board behind Travis Kelce, George Kittle, Darren Waller, Mark Andrews and T.J. Hockenson. I wouldn't draft Pitts that high, but I certainly understand the reason for optimism given his potential as a prospect.

I like the rookies I drafted in this mock, and Harris and Waddle are potential starters. Harris is my flex option since I started my team with Austin Ekeler and Nick Chubb with my first two picks, and Waddle could be my No. 3 receiver along with Amari Cooper and Courtland Sutton.

Carter is my No. 4 running back, and I love him as a top reserve. I drafted Hockenson in Round 5, and he's one of my favorite breakout candidates this year. And I was one of the last Fantasy managers to draft a quarterback with Tom Brady in Round 12.

Wide receiver could be a weakness if Cooper struggles and Sutton has a setback coming off last year's knee injury. But I like my depth behind that duo and Waddle, including John Brown, Darnell Mooney, Josh Reynolds and Moore.

I was thrilled with how this team fell into place, and getting Harris in Round 3 was huge. I have arguably the best running back corps in this league, but my overall roster should be extremely competitive and a potential championship contender. 

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 one point for every reception. We feature a starting lineup of QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, TE, FLEX (RB/WR/TE)  and DST. There also are six reserve spots for a 15-round draft. 

Our draft order is as follows:

1. Heath Cummings, Senior Fantasy Writer

2. Jacobs Gibbs, SportsLine Fantasy Analyst

3. Will Brinson, Senior NFL Writer

4. R.J. White, Managing Editor, SportsLine and CBS Fantasy

5. Jack Capotorto, CBS Sports HQ Producer

6. Dave Richard, Senior Fantasy Writer

7. Andrew Baumhor, CBS Sports HQ Producer

8. Dan Schneier, Fantasy Editor

9. Jamey Eisenberg, Senior Fantasy Writer

10. Meron Berkson, CBS Sports HQ Producer

11. Adam Aizer, Podcast Host

12. Chris Towers, Senior Editor, Fantasy 

Round By Round
Round 1
Pos Team Player
1 Dan Schneier
2 Will Brinson
Team by Team
Dan Schneier
Rd Pk Player
1 1
Will Brinson
Rd Pk Player
1 2