Fantasy Football: Post-free agency 0.5 PPR mock draft reflects key changes for Panthers, Jets and Bengals

Roster changes and personnel moves are happening all the time in the NFL as the offseason rolls on, and we like doing mock drafts to reflect that. Recently, the Panthers got a new quarterback in Sam Darnold, the Bengals lost a running back in Giovani Bernard, the Ravens got a new receiver in Sammy Watkins and more information continues to come out regarding Deshaun Watson.

In this 0.5 PPR, 12-team mock draft featuring members of our CBS Sports staff, it seems like I selected several players dealing with changes, including Joe Mixon, D.J. Moore, Corey Davis, Mecole Hardman and Watson. I didn't plan on this happening, but it worked out that way.

For example, I drafted Mixon in Round 2 at No. 21 overall, and I was excited to select him as my No. 2 running back along with Saquon Barkley. Mixon could be headed for a big year.

Post free agency PPR mock draft

Without Bernard, the hope is Mixon will take on more work in the passing game and deliver on being an elite Fantasy option. The offensive line in Cincinnati added takle Riley Reiff this offseason and could get even better in the NFL Draft -- the Bengals pick at No. 5 overall and could select Oregon tackle Penei Sewell or Northwestern tackle Rashawn Slater -- and Joe Burrow (knee) should return at 100 percent.

This should be an offense ready for a big season, and Mixon could be a star. He might end up being a steal if you can continue to draft him toward the back end of Round 2.

Joe Mixon

HOU • RB • #28

Att119

Yds428

TD3

FL1

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As for Bernard, he went in Round 11, and hopefully he gets the chance for a bigger role on a new team. Samaje Perine, the likely handcuff for Mixon now in Cincinnati, was drafted in Round 14 here.

Moore was my No. 2 receiver behind Tee Higgins, and I drafted him in Round 5. While Darnold has a lot to prove after struggling with the Jets, I expect him to perform at least on par to what Teddy Bridgewater did last season in Carolina, barring a disaster.

That should allow Moore to post similar stats (66 catches, 1,193 yards and four touchdowns on 118 targets), but hopefully he can do even better if Darnold is an upgrade over Bridgewater. Touchdowns continue to hold Moore back (he has 10 total in three seasons), but the Panthers also lost a key weapon in Curtis Samuel, who had 97 targets last year, and they only replaced him with David Moore.

It would be great if D.J. Moore and Robby Anderson, who was drafted in Round 7 here, got even more targets from Darnold in 2021. And again, I'm hopeful Darnold will be good after escaping his disastrous three seasons with the Jets.

Back in New York, the Jets are now expected to replace Darnold with a rookie quarterback, who will likely be BYU's Zach Wilson as the No. 2 overall selection in the NFL Draft. And his No. 1 receiver will likely be Corey Davis, who signed with the Jets as a free agent from the Titans.

I don't want Davis as a starting Fantasy receiver in 2021 even after a solid campaign in 2020 when he had 65 catches for 984 yards and five touchdowns on 92 targets in Tennessee. But I drafted him here in Round 8 as my No. 4 receiver behind Higgins, Moore and Courtland Sutton, and that's fine for how I built this roster. Let's hope Wilson to Davis is a connection we're raving about all year.

In Round 9, I took a flier on Hardman, who will hopefully benefit with Watkins gone. The Chiefs could opt to give Demarcus Robinson more playing time as the starter opposite Tyreek Hill, but Hardman has more upside. If he hits in his third year in the NFL then Hardman could be a borderline Fantasy starter in all leagues.

Mecole Hardman

KC • WR • #17

TAR62

REC41

REC YDs560

REC TD4

FL2

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As for Watkins, he was drafted in Round 12 here. I don't have high expectations for him in Baltimore, but this was a good spot to select him as a Fantasy reserve.

I liked the way I built my Fantasy team with Barkley, Mixon, Antonio Gibson, Benny Snell, Darrel Willams and Todd Gurley at running back, and Higgins, Moore, Sutton, Davis and Hardman at receiver. Dallas Goedert, who I drafted in Round 7, is my tight end, and I love his outlook as long as the Eagles move on from Zach Ertz as expected.

I waited on a quarterback, and Watson was still available in Round 11. It's tricky to determine Watson's Fantasy value right now, and talking about Watson and the serious accusations against him from a Fantasy Football perspective is difficult to do at this time.

Watson has been accused of sexual misconduct by several women, 22 of whom have filed civil lawsuits against him. The NFL is investigating those allegations, and obviously he could face discipline pending that investigation in addition to what might come through the legal system if the claims against him are found to have merit.

There's no point in speculating further than that, but we know you have questions regarding his status for 2021. All we know is that these accusations exist, and that the NFL has been willing to discipline players for off-field misconduct accusations even if the legal system clears them of any wrongdoing.

As such, Watson is going to be a wild card in any Fantasy drafts prior to a ruling or decision made on his playing status for this year. With that in mind, I made sure to draft a second quarterback in Burrow in Round 12.

I would have no problem drafting Burrow as my No. 1 quarterback this year. His 268.8 passing yards per game was No. 7 in the NFL last year, and I expect him to improve in his second season as long as he's healthy after injuring his knee in Week 11 in 2020.

I never expected to get excited about a Fantasy roster featuring three Bengals, but Mixon, Higgins and potentially Burrow could be key contributors on what should be a highly-competitive Fantasy team.

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, FLEX (RB/WR/TE) and DST. There also are six reserve spots for a 15-round draft.

Our draft order is as follows:

1. Andrew Baumhor, CBS Sports HQ Producer
2. Chris Towers, Senior Editor, Fantasy
3. R.J. White, Managing Editor, SportsLine and CBS Fantasy
4. Jamey Eisenberg, Senior Fantasy Writer
5. Jack Capotorto, CBS Sports HQ Producer
6. Jacob Gibbs, SportsLine Fantasy Analyst
7. Dan Schneier, Fantasy Editor
8. Frank Stampfl, Fantasy Baseball Podcast Host
9. Dave Richard, Senior Fantasy Writer
10. Meron Berkson, CBS Sports HQ Producer
11. Adam Aizer, Podcast Host
12. Heath Cummings, Senior Fantasy Writer

Round By Round

Round 1
Pos	Team	Player
1	Thomas Shafer
2	Jamey Eisenberg
3	Heath Cummings
4	R.J. White
5	Joel Cox
6	Brandon Howard
7	Dave Richard
8	Adam Aizer
9	Rob Thomas
10	Dan Schneier
11	Meron Berkson
12	Zach Brook
Round 2
Pos	Team	Player
13	Zach Brook
14	Meron Berkson
15	Dan Schneier
16	Rob Thomas
17	Adam Aizer
18	Dave Richard
19	Brandon Howard
20	Joel Cox
21	R.J. White
22	Heath Cummings
23	Jamey Eisenberg
24	Thomas Shafer
Round 3
Pos	Team	Player
25	Thomas Shafer
26	Jamey Eisenberg
27	Heath Cummings
28	R.J. White
29	Joel Cox
30	Brandon Howard
31	Dave Richard
32	Adam Aizer
33	Rob Thomas
34	Dan Schneier
35	Meron Berkson
36	Zach Brook
Round 4
Pos	Team	Player
37	Zach Brook
38	Meron Berkson
39	Dan Schneier
40	Rob Thomas
41	Adam Aizer
42	Dave Richard
43	Brandon Howard
44	Joel Cox
45	R.J. White
46	Heath Cummings
47	Jamey Eisenberg
48	Thomas Shafer
Round 5
Pos	Team	Player
49	Thomas Shafer
50	Jamey Eisenberg
51	Heath Cummings
52	R.J. White
53	Joel Cox
54	Brandon Howard
55	Dave Richard
56	Adam Aizer
57	Rob Thomas
58	Dan Schneier
59	Meron Berkson
60	Zach Brook
Round 6
Pos	Team	Player
61	Zach Brook
62	Meron Berkson
63	Dan Schneier
64	Rob Thomas
65	Adam Aizer
66	Dave Richard
67	Brandon Howard
68	Joel Cox
69	R.J. White
70	Heath Cummings
71	Jamey Eisenberg
72	Thomas Shafer
Round 7
Pos	Team	Player
73	Thomas Shafer
74	Jamey Eisenberg
75	Heath Cummings
76	R.J. White
77	Joel Cox
78	Brandon Howard
79	Dave Richard
80	Adam Aizer
81	Rob Thomas
82	Dan Schneier
83	Meron Berkson
84	Zach Brook
Round 8
Pos	Team	Player
85	Zach Brook
86	Meron Berkson
87	Dan Schneier
88	Rob Thomas
89	Adam Aizer
90	Dave Richard
91	Brandon Howard
92	Joel Cox
93	R.J. White
94	Heath Cummings
95	Jamey Eisenberg
96	Thomas Shafer
Round 9
Pos	Team	Player
97	Thomas Shafer
98	Jamey Eisenberg
99	Heath Cummings
100	R.J. White
101	Joel Cox
102	Brandon Howard
103	Dave Richard
104	Adam Aizer
105	Rob Thomas
106	Dan Schneier
107	Meron Berkson
108	Zach Brook
Round 10
Pos	Team	Player
109	Zach Brook
110	Meron Berkson
111	Dan Schneier
112	Rob Thomas
113	Adam Aizer
114	Dave Richard
115	Brandon Howard
116	Joel Cox
117	R.J. White
118	Heath Cummings
119	Jamey Eisenberg
120	Thomas Shafer
Round 11
Pos	Team	Player
121	Thomas Shafer
122	Jamey Eisenberg
123	Heath Cummings
124	R.J. White
125	Joel Cox
126	Brandon Howard
127	Dave Richard
128	Adam Aizer
129	Rob Thomas
130	Dan Schneier
131	Meron Berkson
132	Zach Brook
Round 12
Pos	Team	Player
133	Zach Brook
134	Meron Berkson
135	Dan Schneier
136	Rob Thomas
137	Adam Aizer
138	Dave Richard
139	Brandon Howard
140	Joel Cox
141	R.J. White
142	Heath Cummings
143	Jamey Eisenberg
144	Thomas Shafer
Round 13
Pos	Team	Player
145	Thomas Shafer
146	Jamey Eisenberg
147	Heath Cummings
148	R.J. White
149	Joel Cox
150	Brandon Howard
151	Dave Richard
152	Adam Aizer
153	Rob Thomas
154	Dan Schneier
155	Meron Berkson
156	Zach Brook
Round 14
Pos	Team	Player
157	Zach Brook
158	Meron Berkson
159	Dan Schneier
160	Rob Thomas
161	Adam Aizer
162	Dave Richard
163	Brandon Howard
164	Joel Cox
165	R.J. White
166	Heath Cummings
167	Jamey Eisenberg
168	Thomas Shafer

Team by Team

Thomas Shafer
Rd	Pk	Player
1	1
2	24
3	25
4	48
5	49
6	72
7	73
8	96
9	97
10	120
11	121
12	144
13	145
14	168
Jamey Eisenberg
Rd	Pk	Player
1	2
2	23
3	26
4	47
5	50
6	71
7	74
8	95
9	98
10	119
11	122
12	143
13	146
14	167
Heath Cummings
Rd	Pk	Player
1	3
2	22
3	27
4	46
5	51
6	70
7	75
8	94
9	99
10	118
11	123
12	142
13	147
14	166
R.J. White
Rd	Pk	Player
1	4
2	21
3	28
4	45
5	52
6	69
7	76
8	93
9	100
10	117
11	124
12	141
13	148
14	165
Joel Cox
Rd	Pk	Player
1	5
2	20
3	29
4	44
5	53
6	68
7	77
8	92
9	101
10	116
11	125
12	140
13	149
14	164
Brandon Howard
Rd	Pk	Player
1	6
2	19
3	30
4	43
5	54
6	67
7	78
8	91
9	102
10	115
11	126
12	139
13	150
14	163
Dave Richard
Rd	Pk	Player
1	7
2	18
3	31
4	42
5	55
6	66
7	79
8	90
9	103
10	114
11	127
12	138
13	151
14	162
Adam Aizer
Rd	Pk	Player
1	8
2	17
3	32
4	41
5	56
6	65
7	80
8	89
9	104
10	113
11	128
12	137
13	152
14	161
Rob Thomas
Rd	Pk	Player
1	9
2	16
3	33
4	40
5	57
6	64
7	81
8	88
9	105
10	112
11	129
12	136
13	153
14	160
Dan Schneier
Rd	Pk	Player
1	10
2	15
3	34
4	39
5	58
6	63
7	82
8	87
9	106
10	111
11	130
12	135
13	154
14	159
Meron Berkson
Rd	Pk	Player
1	11
2	14
3	35
4	38
5	59
6	62
7	83
8	86
9	107
10	110
11	131
12	134
13	155
14	158
Zach Brook
Rd	Pk	Player
1	12
2	13
3	36
4	37
5	60
6	61
7	84
8	85
9	108
10	109
11	132
12	133
13	156
14	157