Fantasy: 12-team mock draft with analysis

This is a standard (non-PPR) scoring league with the following roster spots: QB, RB, RB, WR, WR, WR, TE, FLEX, BN, BN, BN, BN. We left off defenses and kickers since they normally get selected in the final two rounds.

Draft Participants: Josh Wegman, Esten McLaren, Gino Bottero, Mitch Sanderson, Arun Srinivasan, Michael McClymont, Jack Browne, Michael Amato, Dan Wilkins, Justin Boone, David P. Woods, Caitlyn Holroyd.

View the full rosters for each team here.

Round 1

Round 1: This mock gets underway with an uneventful first half of the round, as the standard top-six players are selected. Some people may take issue with Brown going ahead of Elliott in a standard format, but Brown's stats have proven to be better with Martavis Bryant in the Steelers' lineup, and Elliott has a few dents in his armor heading into 2017. ... I took Gordon over Ajayi because I see Gordon as a safer pick and that's very important in the opening round. Ajayi has a higher ceiling, but there are plenty of ways his season could be derailed. I also thought there might be a chance I could get Ajayi in the next round, but that plan was quickly thwarted when Team Woods grabbed Ajayi with the next pick.

Round 2

Round 2: Taking Thomas this high still feels a little wrong, but he's the exact kind of player you want to invest in. The second-year receiver is a hard worker in a great situation and has a chance to improve on last year's numbers with Brandin Cooks gone. ... Halfway through the second round, things get interesting. The surefire fantasy talents have dried up, forcing owners to commit to players who carry more risk than you want from an early-round selection. Gurley's coming off an incredibly disappointing campaign, Fournette's a rookie playing in an offense that's let us down before, Robinson's in that same offense and even more directly tied to the fate of Blake Bortles, and Hyde hasn’t exactly endeared himself to the new coaching staff in San Francisco.

Round 3

Round 3: Taking McCaffrey at the top of the third round is far too rich a price to pay for the Panthers' rookie back. We still don't know how the team plans to deploy him, and his production as a receiver will likely outweigh his contributions as a runner. That makes him an excellent pick in PPR leagues, but somewhat of a gamble in standard leagues. ... This is a nice spot to get Gronk, and arguably gives Team Bottero fantasy's best receiver and best tight end. ... Team Wilkins, a lifelong Raiders supporter, unsurprisingly picks Lynch. Even if the recently unretired rusher fails to recapture his former glory, it's easy to imagine him delivering a LeGarrette Blount-like campaign with average yardage but a huge touchdown total. ... There's good and bad news about Watkins falling to me in this round. The good news is I get a player with top-10 WR upside later than he should be going, likely due to concerns about his injury history. The bad news is that, as a Bills fan, I can no longer take shots at Team Wilkins for his homer pick one spot earlier.

Round 4

Round 4: Team Woods pulls the trigger on a tight end, taking Kelce. This draft happened prior to Jeremy Maclin's release, which gives Kelce's 2017 projection a slight bump. ... Mixon was the top player left on the board and a back who I believe will be a major fantasy story all year long. His ADP is certain to rise when it becomes clear in training camp that he's the starter over Jeremy Hill and Gio Bernard. ... Lots of boom-or-bust running backs get drafted in this round. Ware is my least favorite due to the arrival of Kareem Hunt, while Abdullah has the highest upside. If Detroit commits to him as a lead back, he has the skill set to be a fantasy season-winner, assuming he can stay on the field.

Round 5

Round 5: Team Bottero breaks the quarterback seal, but it's tough not to like what he's doing. Fantasy is about collecting the most elite talent you can get, and Team Bottero now has the best quarterback, in addition to the top receiver (Brown) and top tight end (Gronkowski). ... Olsen and Reed are solid picks in the fifth round. Olsen has been one of the most consistent players at his position for a while now. Reed's injury history is questionable, but when he's on the field, he gives fantasy owners WR2 stats from the TE1 spot. … I'm very high on Garcon this season as a volume-based fantasy starter, but Team Browne jumped on him too early. You can wait a full round or two and still pick him up in most drafts. ... Fitzgerald continues to be undervalued due to his age, and he's still a quality fantasy receiver, so take advantage.

Round 6

Round 6: Team Woods filled out his running-back depth chart with Coleman, one of the best backups in the league and a guaranteed RB1 if Freeman goes down. The same can be said for Henry, whom I selected one pick later - he's a Murray injury away from fantasy stardom. Those are the right kind of players to target at this point in the draft. ... Team Amato reached for Bennett in the sixth. The Packers' new weapon definitely could be the sixth-best player at his position, but the gap between him and the tier above him is bigger than just one round. Bennett's tier of tight ends belongs in the eight or ninth round with the likes of Jimmy Graham and Kyle Rudolph.

Round 7

Round 7: Hill looks like an even better pick now we know Maclin isn't standing in his way. He's the perfect WR3, who will have week-winning performances throughout the season. ... Maclin going this high was questionable at the time, but now that he's a free agent, we'll need to see where he ends up before passing judgement. However, it doesn't seem like there are many landing spots that would improve his fantasy stock. … Lewis is another pick that went very early in this draft. It's possible that he emerges as the leader in New England's wide-open backfield competition, but if we're reading the tea leaves, it seems like he's fighting an uphill battle. ... Gillislee was taken with the next pick, which seems slightly more defensible since he could step into the Blount role as the goal-line back, but hitching yourself to a Patriots back is a volatile proposition.

Round 8

Round 8: We're now entering the sweet spot to secure tight-end value. Graham and Walker have top-five potential. ... I rarely take a quarterback this early, but Luck in the eighth round is impossible to pass up. Even with an offseason surgery, Luck has a chance to finish as fantasy's No. 1 QB. If you can get Luck, Ryan, and Newton this deep in the draft, it's hard to justify spending a higher pick on the position. ... Crowder is a sneaky-good selection at the end of the eighth round. There will be a lot of competition for targets in Washington, but Crowder's proven he can deliver.

Round 9

Round 9: Getting a breakout candidate like Parker at this point in the draft is outstanding. Team Srinivasan may have gotten the biggest steal in this mock. Brown going to Team Amato later in this round is a close second. ... Several running backs taken in the ninth need to be watched closely between now and the start of the season. Powell will split carries with Forte, but he's the most enticing fantasy back to own on the Jets; Kamara and Prosise should see heavy usage as receiving backs; Hunt has a chance to overtake Ware as the Chiefs' top option; and after Dixon serves his suspension, there's reason to believe he'll emerge as Baltimore's lead back.

Round 10

Round 10: While young running backs dominated the ninth round, veterans were the focus in the 10th. Riddick and Sproles will remain involved as receivers, but their roles may decrease. Murray and Hill are dealing with more talented rookie teammates in Cook and Mixon, respectively. Charles isn't a lock to crack the Broncos' roster and seems like a long shot to make a fantasy impact in 2017. ... Waiting on tight end proves wise as I snag Rudolph in this round. He's the final player left in this tier and there's a significant drop-off after this group. ... Team Wilkins rounds out his receiving corps with Perriman, another player who could be ready for a breakout season.

Round 11

Round 11: Even in a 12-team league, plenty of quality picks are still on the board at this point in the draft. Doctson and Mike Williams stand out in this round as players who could earn major roles on their talent alone. Running backs like Rawls and Johnson likely need an injury to a starter to launch them into the fantasy conversation, but they're great lottery-ticket picks. ... Angry at the idea that Team Woods would get a quarterback with top-five upside in the second-to-last round, I decided to prevent that outcome by scooping up Winston one pick before him. Normally I wouldn't draft a second QB, but with Luck recovering from offseason surgery and Winston looking like he could take a big leap, I broke my own rule. Ideally I'll be able to trade one of my quarterbacks early in the season to avoid wasting a bench spot, but it's a risk I was willing to take this late.

Round 12

Round 12: Team McClymont is the only team to take a second tight end, which makes sense since his TE1 is the injury-prone Reed. ... Foreman, Mack, and Williams are all home-run backs who are an injury away from becoming fantasy starters. Foreman and Williams have virtually no other backs to challenge them if an injury occurs in front of them on the depth chart. ... That wraps up another mock draft for us. Keep on the lookout for a 14-teamer and a 12-team PPR mock that will be released in the coming weeks.

View the full rosters for each team here.