Best ball season is in full swing, so I’m going to bring you some mock drafts to give you an idea what to expect as you plan out your summer fantasy football drafting. I’m using the FantasyPros Mock Draft Simulator set to best ball consensus ADP. The simulator didn’t make it easy, as many of the players I am high on were scooped.

For this mock I went with a “Zero RB” strategy, which has you go after wide receivers early and focus more on backup running backs who can bring value as running backs fall to injuries or get beaten out for snaps as the season goes along.

2024 Fantasy football mock draft review: Best ball

Here is my complete team. When going Zero RB you need to be ready to draft running backs that won’t be starting in Week 1. That means you WILL have a weak running back group to start off.

I started the draft with pick number four in a 12 team PPR snake draft and grabbed Ja’Marr Chase. I expect a huge year from him, but if I wasn’t trying out Zero RB here, I would have thought long and hard about Bijan Robinson or Breece Hall.

QB: Anthony Richardson, IND
RB: Gus Edwards, LAC
RB: Jaleel McLaughlin, DEN
WR: Ja’Marr Chase, CIN
WR: Michael Pittman Jr., IND
WR: Amari Cooper, CLE
TE: Travis Kelce, KC
FLX: WR, Tank Dell, HOU
BN: WR, Chris Godwin, TB
BN: RB, Jaylen Wright, MIA
BN: RB, Elijah Mitchell, SF
BN: Braelon Allen, NYJ
BN: WR, Marvin Mims Jr., DEN
BN: RB, Justice Hill, BAL
BN: TE, Pat Freiermuth, PIT
BN: WR, Alec Pierce, IND
BN: RB, Isaac Guerendo, SF
BN: QB, Will Levis, TEN
BN: WR, Greg Dortch, ARI
BN: TE, Jelani Woods, IND

You can check out the full draft board here.

What I am happy about

I love getting Anthony Richardson as my quarterback. I would like to get later than the 7th round, but his upside is out of this world this season based solely on his rushing ability and the fact he won’t lose his job due to poor play. Often, rushing quarterbacks aren’t drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft and don’t have a lot of leeway, but Richardson was and does. He can make up for a poor passing performance in fantasy with just a few scrambles late in the game. I also paired him with Michael Pittman and Alec Pierce to maximize the Colts offense on my team.

My favorite “sleeper” right now is Broncos running back Jaleel McLaughlin. It is a crowded backfield in Denver, but he showed the best of the returning backs last season and has impressed in off-season workouts. Add in Sean Payton’s ridiculous amount of receiver work for his backs, and I think he ends up as a startable back each week.

I don’t love hoping for a Christian McCaffrey injury with two of my picks, Mitchell and Guerendo, but I do love having 49ers running backs. The 49ers job is always going to lead to better play calling to get you into daylight than most, if not all, teams.

What I’m not happy about

I’d love to have more stability at running back, as Gus Edwards is my only probable Week 1 starter. But this strategy does work, as it preys on the inevitable running back injuries. To feel better, I could go with a “Hero RB” draft strategy that gives you one early stud running back to go with your crop of Zero RB backs you’ll draft later.

I’m not sure why I drafted Jelani Woods. I like him as a late round sleeper, but I already had two capable tight ends in Kelce and Friermuth. The pick would have been much better if I had grabbed another lottery ticket running back.

Travis Kelce?

We saw Kelce fall back to earth last season as he dealt with some nagging injuries. But we also saw him go crazy in the playoffs on his way to another Super Bowl ring. Yes, he’s getting up there in age and the Chiefs should have better receivers for Patrick Mahomes this year, but, getting Kelce in the third round is a great spot and his upside remains high.

Overall thoughts

I think I’ll try a “Hero RB” draft next, but after spending some time with this draft, I feel pretty good about its upside. Sure, getting a more stable QB and RB would have made this team look better, but that’s not a great way to go for big best ball tournaments. You need to hit right on a couple of breakout players and get your backup running backs some playing time while avoiding QB and WR injuries. Luck of course plays a role in that, but you need to set yourself up to win the season instead of the first week.