It is never too early to participate in a Fantasy Football Mock Draft.

Even in the month of April.

In fact, it is always very helpful to complete a set of mocks that are based solely on last year’s returning players. It allows for greater clarity after the NFL draft, and can identify which returning players will have competition to maintain their starting positions.

The best place to draft from in the first mock of the 2017? The first position, of course.

(This mock was completed at FantasyPros and was 12 team, Point Per Reception (PPR), three wide receiver format with five bench spots. All data taken from PlayerProfiler.com)

2017 Fantasy Football PPR Mock Draft: Position No. 1

Round 1

1 E. Elliott RB Dallas 2 D. Johnson RB Arizona 3 L. Bell RB Pittsburgh 4 A. Brown WR Pittsburgh 5 O. Beckham WR NY Giants 6 T.Y. Hilton WR Indianapolis 7 D. Freeman RB Atlanta 8 J. Jones WR Atlanta 9 A.J. Green WR Cincinnati 10 L. McCoy RB Buffalo 11 M. Evans WR Tampa Bay 12 M. Gordon RB San Diego

PICK: Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas

Reaction: In a PPR format, most analysts would take David Johnson at the top spot. I prefer the security of Ezekiel Elliott with the Cowboys massive offensive line, especially with 37-year-old Carson Palmer serving as target practice behind the 25th ranked pass blocking Arizona offensive line. If Palmer goes down, Johnson will be much less effective. While Elliott brings risk as well, he provides the absolute safest floor. Just remember to always pair running backs with their respective handcuff, in this case Alfred Morris or Darren McFadden. The “big three” running backs go in order here, but Le’Veon Bell is always risky because of injury and off the field issues. T.Y. Hilton at number six overall? No thank you. It’s amazing how underrated Devonta Freeman is every year, but in PPR he is gold. A.J. Green has earned the injury-prone tag, but usually produces when healthy. Mike Evans is too low here. In PPR formats, he should go no lower than sixth.

Round 2

13 J. Howard RB Chicago 14 D. Bryant WR Dallas 15 L. Miller RB Houston 16 J. Ajayi RB Miami 17 D. Murray RB Tennessee 18 J. Nelson WR Green Bay 19 M. Thomas WR New Orleans 20 R. Gronkowski TE New England 21 T. Gurley RB Los Angeles 22 D. Hopkins WR Houston 23 M. Ingram RB New Orleans 24 A. Cooper WR Oakland

PICK: Amari Cooper, Oakland

Reaction: Selecting two running backs in a row is not advised in a three wide receiver format. Amari Cooper was best available receiver and could break away from Michael Crabtree‘s 30 year old shadow this season. The running back drop off is massive after this round, so it is difficult to adhere to a full-fledged zero running back blueprint. Selecting Rob Gronkowski in round two is the kiss of death: don’t do it. How can DeAndre Hopkins go this early with Tom Savage as his current quarterback? Even if the Texans draft Deshaun Watson, his 45 mph throw velocity doesn’t inspire a Hopkins’ bounce back season. Very happy with Cooper in the last spot, as he is potentially the second best receiver in this round.

Round 3

25 S. Ware RB Kansas City 26 A. Jeffery WR Philadelphia 27 K. Allen WR Los Angeles Chargers 28 D. Baldwin WR Seattle 29 D. Thomas WR Denver 30 B. Cooks WR New England 31 T. Montgomery RB Green Bay 32 J. Edelman WR New England 33 S. Watkins WR Buffalo 34 D. Adams WR Green Bay 35 A. Robinson WR Jacksonville 36 T. Kelce TE Kansas City

PICK: Spencer Ware, Kansas City

Reaction: Really thought for a long time before making this pick. Ware is a better PPR running back then most people realize. He had 33 receptions in 14 games, and finished sixth among all running backs with 447 receiving yards. After Jamaal Charles’ release, Ware is the definitive goal line running back in a run first offense. There are a ton of wide receiver question marks in this round. Will Alshon Jeffery produce and stay healthy in Philadelphia? Does Brandin Cooks get better or worse after leaving Drew Brees and a domed offense? Demaryius Thomas can catch it, but who will be throwing it? The other option would have been Sammy Watkins, who should have a big year with Tyrod Taylor now that he is completely healthy.

Round 4

37 J. Landry WR Miami 38 C. Hyde RB San Francisco 39 T. Brady QB New England 40 R. Kelley RB Washington 41 E. Sanders WR Denver 42 G. Tate WR Detroit 43 B. Powell RB New York Jets 44 T. Pryor WR Washington 45 T. Coleman RB Atlanta 46 J. Reed TE Washington 47 L. Fitzgerald WR Arizona 48 M. Crabtree WR Oakland

PICK: Michael Crabtree, Oakland

Reaction: The running back position gets incredibly thin here, so grabbing the 11th best fantasy wide receiver in 2016 is a round three steal. Both Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper finished in the top 14 wide receivers last season and all signs point to an even better Raiders offense in 2017. Crabtree’s 79th percentile Agility Score and 70th percentile Catch Radius equate to quarterback Derek Carr‘s favorite Red Zone target. Bilal Powell in the fourth round is fantasy football insanity regardless of the scoring format. Three Washington players were drafted in this round which means somebody will be very wrong. Tom Brady is wonderful, but taking a quarterback this early is a mistake. He would have to reproduce his 2007 season (4,806 yards, 50 touchdowns, eight interceptions) to justify that pick.

Round 5

49 R. Matthews WR Tennessee 50 A. Rodgers QB Green Bay 51 C.J. Anderson RB Denver 52 D. Walker TE Tennessee 53 E. Lacy RB Seattle 54 G. Olsen TE Carolina 55 J. Crowder WR Washington 56 D. Brees QB New Orleans 57 S. Diggs WR Minnesota 58 D. Moncrief WR Indianapolis 59 A. Luck QB Indianapolis 60 T. Hill WR Kansas City

PICK: Rishard Matthews, Tennessee

Reaction: Despite totaling 98 receiving yards in his first three games last season, Rishard Matthews finished as the 12th best fantasy wide receiver. With Kendall Wright signing in Chicago and the Titans failing to sign a wide receiver in free agency, Matthews has the potential for an even better 2017. This completes my wide receiver corps (Cooper, Crabtree, Matthews) with a players who ranked seventh among all wide receivers with 12 Red Zone Targets. The quarterbacks fly off the board in the fifth round with Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, and Andrew Luck all getting selected. Still impossible to justify taking a tight end in this round, and Tyreek Hill could either be great or just another Cordarrelle Patterson.

Round 6

61 M. Ryan QB Atlanta 62 T. Eifert TE Cincinnati 63 E. Decker WR New York Jets 64 E. Ebron TE Detroit 65 I. Crowell RB Cleveland 66 B. Roethlisberger QB Pittsburgh 67 L. Blount RB New England 68 R. Burkhead RB Cincinnati 69 K. Cousins QB Washington 70 R. Wilson QB Seattle 71 C. Meredith WR Chicago 72 D. Woodhead RB Baltimore

PICK: Danny Woodhead, Baltimore

Reaction: Needed a backup running back and was thrilled to get Danny Woodhead in the sixth round. He is just one year removed from a 13th overall positional finish is standard scoring leagues. In a PPR format he is fantasy gold. Baltimore’s running back situation is currently muddled, and wherever Woodhead has gone he has produced. Picking a tight end in this round is fine, but not Eric Ebron (most receptions in a season is 61) or the touchdown dependent Tyler Eifert. Always wait until later to draft a quarterback, but Russell Wilson as the fourth quarterback selected in this round is great value.

Round 7

73 M. Bennett TE Green Bay 74 D. Lewis RB New England 75 B. Marshall WR New York Giants 76 P. Garcon WR San Francisco 77 M. Mariota QB Tennessee 78 C. Newton QB Carolina 79 Z. Ertz TE Philadelphia 80 T. Riddick RB Detroit 81 D. Prescott QB Dallas 82 J. Graham TE Seattle 83 G. Bernard RB Cincinnati 84 K. Benjamin WR Carolina

PICK: Martellus Bennett, Green Bay

Reaction: The debate was between the tight end and the quarterback position. Eight quarterbacks were selected before my pick, and having Bennett tethered to Aaron Rodgers was simply too good to pass up. Rodgers has never had a tight end with a 90 reception season on his resume like Bennett. Always a fast starter, it is easy to envision multiple top five tight end weeks during the early games of 2017. This is where the pass-catching running backs flew off the draft board. Dion Lewis, Theo Riddick, and Giovani Bernard all have 60 plus catch ability, but almost as equally high bust opportunity. Example? Over the past three seasons, Bernard has 15 games of 10 or more fantasy points and 24 games of less than 10 fantasy points. If you can’t figure out when to play him, why waste a draft pick?

Round 8

85 D. Jackson WR Tampa Bay 86 J. Stewart RB Carolina 87 L. Murray RB Minnesota 88 A. Peterson RB Free Agent 89 K. Rudolph TE Minnesota 90 D. Martin RB Tampa Bay 91 F. Gore RB Indianapolis 92 C.J. Prosise RB Seattle 93 K. Dixon RB Baltimore 94 J. Charles RB Free Agent 95 C. Brate TE Tampa Bay 96 J. Matthews WR Philadelphia

PICK: Jordan Matthews, Philadelphia

Reaction: This was my steal of the draft. Jordan Matthews enters his fourth NFL season averaging 75 receptions and 6.3 touchdowns per season. In a Philadelphia offense loaded with weapons, he should feast in the slot (Y) receiver role. Many running backs were drafted in this round, but all with major question marks. Frank Gore will be 34 years old and Adrian Peterson still has not been signed. Jonathan Stewart seems to be the safest among this group, but keep your eye on Carolina at the NFL draft in late April. Wanted to handcuff Danny Woodhead with Kenneth Dixon, but Matthews is a great consolation prize.

Round 9

97 A. Abdullah RB Detroit 98 W. Snead WR New Orleans 99 K. White WR Chicago 100 T. Rawls RB Seattle 101 M. Forte RB New York Jets 102 D. Johnson RB Cleveland 103 E. Rogers WR Pittsburgh 104 J. Hill RB Cincinnati 105 J. McKinnon RB Minnesota 106 C. Coleman WR Cleveland 107 P. Perkins RB New York Giants 108 W. Smallwood RB Philadelphia

PICK: Ameer Abdullah, Detroit

Reaction: I fully admit I’m a bit of an Abdullah truther, but his workout metrics are just incredible. He has a 98th percentile Burst Score and Agility Score, as well as 81st percentile Bench Press (24 reps of 225). The Lions have an explosive offense, play on turf, and Abdullah possesses incredible elusiveness. He has the potential to be even more explosive than Theo Riddick. How far has Jeremy Hill fallen? In a PPR league his ceiling is capped, but with Rex Burkhead now in New England he could still fall in the end zone. Stay away from Paul Perkins. Shane Vereen, Shaun Draughn, and Orleans Darkwa are all better running backs. Perkins is fool’s gold. Matt Forte will be close to 32 years old when the season starts, but is the most talented player in this round by a landslide.

Round 10

109 T. Williams WR Los Angeles Chargers 110 R. Cobb WR Green Bay 111 M. Mitchell WR New England 112 J. Maclin WR Kansas City 113 A. Thielen WR Minnesota 114 C. Sims RB Tampa Bay 115 S. Shepard WR New York Giants 116 B. Perriman WR Baltimore 117 K. Britt WR Cleveland 118 D. Henry RB Tennessee 119 J. Brown WR Arizona 120 M. Stafford QB Detroit

PICK: Matthew Stafford, Detroit

Reaction: Getting a quarterback who has averaged 635 pass attempts over the last six seasons in the tenth round is a steal in any format. To prove how important it is to wait on quarterback, Derek Carr and Philip Rivers were selected in Round 11. The argument against Zero RB is bolstered here with Tyrell Williams, Randall Cobb, and Jeremy Maclin all available in a PPR format. Isn’t it so easy to see Derrick Henry starting by mid-season? DeMarco Murray has been way too healthy over the past three seasons (one game missed). Biggest upside wide receiver in this round? Baltimore’s Breshad Perriman who is currently their second best receiver behind soon to be 31-year-old Mike Wallace.

Round 11 & 12

121 T. Lockett WR Seattle 122 D. Sproles RB Philadelphia 123 D. Parker WR Miami 124 W. Fuller WR Houston 125 M. Gillislee RB Buffalo 126 Z. Zenner RB Detroit 127 M. Jones WR Detroit 128 H. Henry TE Los Angeles Chargers 129 R. Anderson WR New York Jets 130 J. White RB New England 131 D. Washington RB Oakland 132 C. Thompson RB Washington

133 K. Stills WR Miami 134 J. Doyle TE Indianapolis 135 J. Doctson WR Washington 136 P. Rivers QB Los Angeles Chargers 137 S. Vereen RB New York Giants 138 Z. Miller TE Chicago 139 D. Carr QB Oakland 140 J. Winston QB Tampa Bay 141 J. Rodgers RB Tampa Bay 142 T. Taylor QB Buffalo 143 A. Gates TE Los Angeles Chargers 144 A. Morris RB Dallas Cowboys

PICKS: Tyler Lockett, Seattle; Alfred Morris, Dallas

Reaction: Most of these are lottery tickets, and I am hoping we were all simply one year off on Tyler Lockett. Hunter Henry and Antonio Gates are still available in rounds 11 and 12, so how can anyone justify drafting Zach Ertz in Round Seven? A bevy of quarterbacks are still available, which makes me question my Stafford selection. Handcuffing Ezekiel Elliott was a must, so getting Alfred Morris here brought a huge sigh of relief.

Round 13 & 14

145 Jacksonville Defense 146 Denver Defense 147 Houston Defense 148 Seattle Defense 149 Kansas City Defense 150 Minnesota Defense 151 Arizona Defense 152 New England Defense 153 Los Angeles Rams Defense 154 Carolina Defense 155 Baltimore Defense 156 San Diego Defense

157 J. Tucker K Baltimore 158 B. Walsh K Seattle 159 S. Gostkowski K New England 160 M. Crosby K Buffalo 161 S. Hauschka K Buffalo 162 C. Catanzaro K New York Jets 163 M. Bryant K Atlanta 164 D. Bailey K Dallas 165 B. McManus K Denver 166 C. Santos K Kansas City 167 A. Vinatieri K Indianapolis 168 G. Gano K Carolina

Summary

Having a top three fantasy draft pick forces a first round running back selection. As long as they are handcuffed, each of those running backs have an extremely high seasonal floor. The running back position thins out quickly after Spencer Ware, so it difficult to project an orthodox zero running back draft strategy. There are some strong team backfields available in the mid to late rounds, but the NFL draft will provide true clarity for teams such as Detroit, Baltimore, and Jacksonville.

There exists a ton of wide receiver value in the middle rounds. Players like Jeremy Maclin, Randall Cobb, and Willie Snead were all available after the eighth round. My biggest mistake was taking Martellus Bennett in round seven. Tight end remains an optimal late round selection again this season. With a nucleus of Ezekiel Elliott, Spencer Ware, Amari Cooper, Michael Crabtree, and Matthew Stafford, this was certainly a solid first PPR mock draft.