Fantasy: 12-team mock draft

The second of our offseason mocks addresses arguably the most popular league size. A 12-team league makes things a little more challenging, without forcing owners to get too desperate on the waiver wire.

As always, we're trying to make these mocks as real as possible, so we've included defenses and kickers.

This is a standard (non-PPR) scoring league with the following roster spots: QB, RB, RB, WR, WR, TE, FLEX, DEF, K, BN, BN, BN, BN, BN, BN.

Draft Participants: Ken Conrad, Andrew Joe Potter, Gino Bottero, David Chernish, David. P. Woods, Esten McLaren, Josh Ghatak, Josh Wegman, James Bisson, Justin Boone, Jason Wilson, Dan Wilkins.

Round 1

Round 1: You might see a few minor differences in your home league, but this is a very chalk opening round. Miller and Robinson are the only other players worth considering in the first 12 picks ... For the people who take issue with a rookie going this high, my guess is that after the preseason Elliott's ADP will move into the top-six. The combination of his talent and situation with the Cowboys is just too good to pass up.

Round 2

Round 2: Another WR-WR start for me. Green and Nelson have top-five potential with extremely high floors ... Freeman and Lacy are a couple of volatile selections in this round, but you'll likely need to pay this price to get them. Both have clear paths to RB1 numbers and significant red flags ... Ingram is a very underrated pick for Team Conrad at the end of the second round. He was the fourth-ranked fantasy back up to Week 12, before an injury cost him the rest of the year.

Round 3

Round 3: Rawls said he expects to be ready for the first week of training camp, but players are always overly optimistic about their own recoveries. I'd like to see him on the field before I committed a third-round pick. Team Potter took him as their top RB, which is a very big gamble ... I wasn't excited by any of the running backs available, so I stuck with receivers and grabbed Maclin, who would likely be my Flex in this league. You always want to limit your risk in the first few rounds and I am confident Maclin will reach 1,000 yards and eight or more touchdowns once again.

Round 4

Round 4: I would have considered Latavius Murray with this pick, but Team Wilkins (a life-long Raiders fan) scooped him up at the end of the last round. Not liking any of my other options, I chose to shore up the tight end position with Reed ... Taking a quarterback this early seems unnecessary with the depth at the position, but it's tough to argue with Rodgers' resume. He's finished in the top-two fantasy QBs in five of the last seven years ... Hill is an interesting choice here. Despite his struggles at times in 2015, he still finished with the 14th most fantasy points among running backs.

Round 5

Round 5: With so many receivers going early, there's still quality running back options on the board in the fifth round. Of course, none of them are without their warts, but Lewis, Stewart, Langford, Ajayi and Mathews all have a chance to reach low-end RB1 or high-end RB2 status if everything goes right for them ... I snagged Ajayi as my first running back. In addition to his aggressive running style, I have faith in Adam Gase's ability to get the most out of the Dolphins offense. An upgraded and healthy offensive line shouldn't hurt either.

Round 6

Round 6: Plenty of RB talent lingering into the sixth round. Getting a clear starter with a strong chance to produce RB2 numbers is impossible to pass up. Gore and Jones are obvious picks here. Pass-catching backs like Johnson, Woodhead, and Bernard will be heavily involved in their offenses and offer a lot of value, as well.

Round 7

Round 7: Through seven rounds, nine of the 12 teams have secured their starting QB, which is a little surprising given the depth at the position and the size of the league. That's the earliest I've seen QBs go off the board in a 12-team expert draft this season. As you'll see later on, there is value to be found at QB after the 10th round ... I was excited about Steve Smith returning for another season, until the interview where he said his main goal for coming back is to reach 1,000 career receptions. That comment reminded me that Smith is a 37-year-old coming off a torn Achilles and expectations should be held in check. The seventh round might be a little early for the veteran receiver.

Round 8

Round 8: In general, regrets aren't a great thing to carry around in life, but my decision to go after a TE early led to major regret when I saw Kelce fall to the eighth round. Phenomenal value for Team Bisson with the 88th overall pick ... After an outstanding rookie season, Karlos Williams returned to the team out of shape and overweight. I'm not against going after a high-upside backup RB in the eighth, but there are others I prefer over Williams at this point.

(Editor's Note: After this draft was completed, Karlos Williams received a 4-game suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy.)

Round 9

Round 9: Rookie receivers Coleman and Treadwell were selected in this round. Coleman should see more volume, but I give Treadwell a slight edge this year due to his red-zone upside ... After ignoring running backs in the opening four rounds, I took my fifth straight RB. Strength in numbers will hopefully result in at least two players in that group turning into reliable fantasy starters.

Round 10

Round 10: Through 10 rounds, Team Woods hasn't selected a QB or a TE, which is a strategy that can work, but it puts a lot of pressure on your picks at those positions. In the meantime, he's loaded up at RB and WR ... Some owners like to take a second quarterback, but unless you have doubts about your starter, there isn't much to gain from wasting a bench spot on a backup QB. Team Conrad has Drew Brees, so didn't really need Philip Rivers.

Round 11

Round 11: Barnidge and Green lasting till the 11th round is downright criminal. Team Woods' decision to wait on the position pays off, as he secures Green, who is set up for a breakout season with his new team in Pittsburgh.

Round 12

Round 12: The Seahawks get the honor of being the first defense selected, which will likely be the case in most drafts. With few players in this round moving the needle, it made sense for Team Ghatak to get out early and grab the defense he wanted.

Round 13

Round 13: The 13th round passes without Team Wilkins taking a backup QB to pair with Brady. While it's easy to find a decent fill-in on the waiver wire, Team Wilkins is pot committed on the Patriots with Brady, Edelman, and Gronk. Let's hope his team can survive the first month of the season ... Team Wegman ends up with three of the best handcuff RBs out there in Tevin Coleman, DeAngelo Williams, and Jerick McKinnon ... Remember when we talked about the QBs available late in drafts? Romo, Winston, Carr, and Taylor in the 13th round are the perfect example of that.

Round 14

Round 15