2016 Fantasy Football Draft Prep: 12-team PPR mock draft

When is the right time to draft Rob Gronkowski in PPR leagues this year? Jamey Eisenberg checks in on Gronk and breaks down all the latest results of our recent 12-team PPR mock draft.

We haven't talked much about Rob Gronkowski so far in our recent mock drafts, but he remains a prominent figure in the first round in the majority of leagues. And in this 12-team PPR mock draft, he went at No. 3 overall.

Now, some of you might consider that too soon, which is understandable. He doesn't have Tom Brady for the first four games of the season because of his suspension, and the Patriots added some new weapons in Martellus Bennett and Chris Hogan to go with Gronkowski, Julian Edelman and Dion Lewis, which means more mouths to feed.

We also could see better play from tight ends around the league this season with Jordan Reed, Greg Olsen, Coby Fleener and possibly Ladarius Green, among others, closing the gap on Gronkowski as the best player at his position. It's also potentially risky to draft him ahead of Julio Jones, which happened here (Antonio Brown and Odell Beckham went first and second overall), and you can argue that DeAndre Hopkins and A.J. Green are better options as well.

But if you want Gronkowski, who I still consider the best tight end by far and the best option in this New England passing game, then you draft him when available. And for Will Brinson, that was at No. 3.

Will filled out his team with Carson Palmer at quarterback, Carlos Hyde and Thomas Rawls at running back, Jarvis Landry and Demaryius Thomas at receiver and Duke Johnson as his flex, with Gronkowski. His bench consists of Kenyan Drake, Christine Michael, Darren Sproles, Michael Crabtree, Devin Funchess and Mohamed Sanu.

I didn't love the Landry pick in Round 2 (Mike Evans and Brandin Cooks were available), but Will's starting lineup is solid in this format if Hyde and Rawls can play 16 games. And he has the best tight end in the NFL, which should give him an advantage over most other owners.

I picked at No. 10 overall, and I expected to take a receiver in the first round, which happened with Dez Bryant. And then I gambled on Ezekiel Elliott in Round 2 even though he's dealing with a hamstring injury.

The time to panic on Elliott will be if he's still out for the third preseason game, which is three weeks from now, but the Cowboys expect him back well before then. And don't be afraid to take two stud players on the same team, even with early-round picks.

Remember last year, Devonta Freeman and Jones for the Falcons and Brown and DeAngelo Williams for the Steelers were top-five players at their positions in Fantasy points. The same could easily happen with Bryant and Elliott.

I filled out my roster with Eli Manning at quarterback, Elliott and C.J. Anderson at running back, Bryant and Sammy Watkins at receiver, Fleener at tight end and Michael Floyd at flex. My bench is Charles Sims, DeAndre Washington, Kenneth Dixon, Karlos Williams, Sterling Shepard and Michael Thomas.

Waiting for a quarterback like Manning can pay huge dividends, and this receiving corps should be excellent if Watkins is healthy. He's expected to return to practice this week, and if that happens then he'll move up my rankings. I also love the upside for guys like Shepard and Thomas.

Fleener is my favorite mid-round tight end to target, and I expect him to finish as a top-five option. And my running backs should do well if Elliott is healthy and Anderson rebounds from last year's down season. So far, all the reports are positive. There's also plenty of upside in PPR leagues for Sims and Washington.

I wanted to handcuff Anderson with Devontae Booker in Round 11, but George Maselli drafted Booker in Round 10. We'll see if that move comes back to haunt me, but otherwise I'm pleased with this roster.

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 have one point for every reception. We feature a starting lineup of QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, TE, K, DST and a FLEX (RB/WR/TE). There will also be six reserve spots for a 15-round draft.

Our draft order is as follows:

1. Joe Polito, Social Media Coordinator
2. Ryan Bass, Video Host
3. Will Brinson, NFL Writer
4. Nick Kostos, Video Host
5. George Maselli, Editor
6. Matthew Coca, College Football Analyst
7. Michael Long, Video Producer
8. Meron Berkson, Video Producer
9. R.J. White, NFL Editor
10. Jamey Eisenberg, Senior Fantasy Writer
11. Chris Towers, Fantasy Writer
12. Dave Richard, Senior Fantasy Writer

Mock Draft Results

Round by Round
Round 1
Pick	Team	Player
1	Polito	Antonio Brown, WR, PIT
2	Bass	Odell Beckham, WR, NYG
3	Brinson	Rob Gronkowski, TE, NE
4	Kostos	Julio Jones, WR, ATL
5	Maselli	David Johnson, RB, ARI
6	Coca	Todd Gurley, RB, LAR
7	Long	Cam Newton, QB, CAR
8	Berkson	DeAndre Hopkins, WR, HOU
9	White	A.J. Green, WR, CIN
10	Eisenberg	Dez Bryant, WR, DAL
11	Towers	Lamar Miller, RB, HOU
12	Richard	Adrian Peterson, RB, MIN
Round 2
Pick	Team	Player
13	Richard	Jordy Nelson, WR, GB
14	Towers	Jamaal Charles, RB, KC
15	Eisenberg	Ezekiel Elliott, RB, DAL
16	White	Allen Robinson, WR, JAC
17	Berkson	Alshon Jeffery, WR, CHI
18	Long	Amari Cooper, WR, OAK
19	Coca	Le'Veon Bell, RB, PIT
20	Maselli	Keenan Allen, WR, SD
21	Kostos	Brandon Marshall, WR, NYJ
22	Brinson	Jarvis Landry, WR, MIA
23	Bass	Mike Evans, WR, TB
24	Polito	Devonta Freeman, RB, ATL
Round 3
Pick	Team	Player
25	Polito	Randall Cobb, WR, GB
26	Bass	Brandin Cooks, WR, NO
27	Brinson	Demaryius Thomas, WR, DEN
28	Kostos	T.Y. Hilton, WR, IND
29	Maselli	Doug Martin, RB, TB
30	Coca	Kelvin Benjamin, WR, CAR
31	Long	Jordan Reed, TE, WAS
32	Berkson	Eddie Lacy, RB, GB
33	White	LeSean McCoy, RB, BUF
34	Eisenberg	Sammy Watkins, WR, BUF
35	Towers	Golden Tate, WR, DET
36	Richard	Mark Ingram, RB, NO
Round 4
Pick	Team	Player
37	Richard	Latavius Murray, RB, OAK
38	Towers	Greg Olsen, TE, CAR
39	Eisenberg	C.J. Anderson, RB, DEN
40	White	Julian Edelman, WR, NE
41	Berkson	Aaron Rodgers, QB, GB
42	Long	Jeremy Maclin, WR, KC
43	Coca	John Brown, WR, ARI
44	Maselli	Doug Baldwin, WR, SEA
45	Kostos	Andrew Luck, QB, IND
46	Brinson	Thomas Rawls, RB, SEA
47	Bass	Danny Woodhead, RB, SD
48	Polito	Dion Lewis, RB, NE
Round 5
Pick	Team	Player
49	Polito	Giovani Bernard, RB, CIN
50	Bass	DeMarco Murray, RB, TEN
51	Brinson	Carlos Hyde, RB, SF
52	Kostos	Matt Forte, RB, NYJ
53	Maselli	Donte Moncrief, WR, IND
54	Coca	Russell Wilson, QB, SEA
55	Long	Chris Ivory, RB, JAC
56	Berkson	Ryan Mathews, RB, PHI
57	White	Jeremy Langford, RB, CHI
58	Eisenberg	Michael Floyd, WR, ARI
59	Towers	Larry Fitzgerald, WR, ARI
60	Richard	Allen Hurns, WR, JAC
Round 6
Pick	Team	Player
61	Richard	DeVante Parker, WR, MIA
62	Towers	Emmanuel Sanders, WR, DEN
63	Eisenberg	Coby Fleener, TE, NO
64	White	Eric Decker, WR, NYJ
65	Berkson	Tyler Lockett, WR, SEA
66	Long	Jordan Matthews, WR, PHI
67	Coca	Kevin White, WR, CHI
68	Maselli	Drew Brees, QB, NO
69	Kostos	Delanie Walker, TE, TEN
70	Brinson	Duke Johnson, RB, CLE
71	Bass	Ladarius Green, TE, PIT
72	Polito	Ben Roethlisberger, QB, PIT
Round 7
Pick	Team	Player
73	Polito	Travis Kelce, TE, KC
74	Bass	Matt Jones, RB, WAS
75	Brinson	Michael Crabtree, WR, OAK
76	Kostos	Jeremy Hill, RB, CIN
77	Maselli	Ameer Abdullah, RB, DET
78	Coca	Josh Gordon, WR, CLE
79	Long	Jonathan Stewart, RB, CAR
80	Berkson	Frank Gore, RB, IND
81	White	Arian Foster, RB, MIA
82	Eisenberg	Sterling Shepard, WR, NYG
83	Towers	Willie Snead, WR, NO
84	Richard	Melvin Gordon, RB, SD
Round 8
Pick	Team	Player
85	Richard	Rashad Jennings, RB, NYG
86	Towers	DeAngelo Williams, RB, PIT
87	Eisenberg	Charles Sims, RB, TB
88	White	Zach Ertz, TE, PHI
89	Berkson	DeSean Jackson, WR, WAS
90	Long	Javorius Allen, RB, BAL
91	Coca	T.J. Yeldon, RB, JAC
92	Maselli	Gary Barnidge, TE, CLE
93	Kostos	Jay Ajayi, RB, MIA
94	Brinson	Carson Palmer, QB, ARI
95	Bass	Tom Brady, QB, NE
96	Polito	Vincent Jackson, WR, TB
Round 9
Pick	Team	Player
97	Polito	Phillip Dorsett, WR, IND
98	Bass	Derrick Henry, RB, TEN
99	Brinson	Darren Sproles, RB, PHI
100	Kostos	Theo Riddick, RB, DET
101	Maselli	Paul Perkins, RB, NYG
102	Coca	Kamar Aiken, WR, BAL
103	Long	Blake Bortles, QB, JAC
104	Berkson	Antonio Gates, TE, SD
105	White	Shane Vereen, RB, NYG
106	Eisenberg	DeAndre Washington, RB, OAK
107	Towers	Marvin Jones, WR, DET
108	Richard	Philip Rivers, QB, SD
Round 10
Pick	Team	Player
109	Richard	Julius Thomas, TE, JAC
110	Towers	Jordan Howard, RB, CHI
111	Eisenberg	Eli Manning, QB, NYG
112	White	Tyler Eifert, TE, CIN
113	Berkson	C.J. Prosise, RB, SEA
114	Long	James Starks, RB, GB
115	Coca	DST DEN Broncos
116	Maselli	Devontae Booker, RB, DEN
117	Kostos	Justin Forsett, RB, BAL
118	Brinson	Devin Funchess, WR, CAR
119	Bass	Tevin Coleman, RB, ATL
120	Polito	Chris Thompson, RB, WAS
Round 11
Pick	Team	Player
121	Polito	Jerick McKinnon, RB, MIN
122	Bass	Laquon Treadwell, WR, MIN
123	Brinson	Christine Michael, RB, SEA
124	Kostos	Corey Coleman, WR, CLE
125	Maselli	Travis Benjamin, WR, SD
126	Coca	Torrey Smith, WR, SF
127	Long	LeGarrette Blount, RB, NE
128	Berkson	Tavon Austin, WR, LAR
129	White	Tony Romo, QB, DAL
130	Eisenberg	Kenneth Dixon, RB, BAL
131	Towers	Isaiah Crowell, RB, CLE
132	Richard	Chris Hogan, WR, NE
Round 12
Pick	Team	Player
133	Richard	Sammie Coates, WR, PIT
134	Towers	Wendell Smallwood, RB, PHI
135	Eisenberg	Michael Thomas, WR, NO
136	White	Bilal Powell, RB, NYJ
137	Berkson	Josh Ferguson, RB, IND
138	Long	Stefon Diggs, WR, MIN
139	Coca	Eric Ebron, TE, DET
140	Maselli	DST SEA Seahawks
141	Kostos	Tim Hightower, RB, NO
142	Brinson	Kenyan Drake, RB, MIA
143	Bass	Jason Witten, TE, DAL
144	Polito	Jimmy Graham, TE, SEA
Round 13
Pick	Team	Player
145	Polito	Darren McFadden, RB, DAL
146	Bass	Martellus Bennett, TE, NE
147	Brinson	Mohamed Sanu, WR, ATL
148	Kostos	Spencer Ware, RB, KC
149	Maselli	Jameis Winston, QB, TB
150	Coca	Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, TEN
151	Long	Cameron Artis-Payne, RB, CAR
152	Berkson	DST ARI Cardinals
153	White	DST CAR Panthers
154	Eisenberg	Stephen Gostkowski, K, NE
155	Towers	Matt Ryan, QB, ATL
156	Richard	DST HOU Texans
Round 14
Pick	Team	Player
157	Richard	Derek Carr, QB, OAK
158	Towers	DST KC Chiefs
159	Eisenberg	Karlos Williams, RB, BUF
160	White	Matthew Stafford, QB, DET
161	Berkson	Tyler Boyd, WR, CIN
162	Long	DST PIT Steelers
163	Coca	Alfred Morris, RB, DAL
164	Maselli	Justin Tucker, K, BAL
165	Kostos	Mason Crosby, K, GB
166	Brinson	DST MIN Vikings
167	Bass	DST GB Packers
168	Polito	DST NYJ Jets
Round 15
Pick	Team	Player
169	Polito	Chris Boswell, K, PIT
170	Bass	Graham Gano, K, CAR
171	Brinson	Steven Hauschka, K, SEA
172	Kostos	DST LAR Rams
173	Maselli	Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE, TB
174	Coca	Brandon McManus, K, DEN
175	Long	Josh Brown, K, NYG
176	Berkson	Dan Bailey, K, DAL
177	White	Chandler Catanzaro, K, ARI
178	Eisenberg	DST CIN Bengals
179	Towers	Blair Walsh, K, MIN
180	Richard	Adam Vinatieri, K, IND

Team by Team
Ryan Bass
Rd.Pk	Player
1.2	Odell Beckham, WR, NYG
2.11	Mike Evans, WR, TB
3.2	Brandin Cooks, WR, NO
4.11	Danny Woodhead, RB, SD
5.2	DeMarco Murray, RB, TEN
6.11	Ladarius Green, TE, PIT
7.2	Matt Jones, RB, WAS
8.11	Tom Brady, QB, NE
9.2	Derrick Henry, RB, TEN
10.11	Tevin Coleman, RB, ATL
11.2	Laquon Treadwell, WR, MIN
12.11	Jason Witten, TE, DAL
13.2	Martellus Bennett, TE, NE
14.11	DST GB Packers
15.2	Graham Gano, K, CAR
Meron Berkson
Rd.Pk	Player
1.8	DeAndre Hopkins, WR, HOU
2.5	Alshon Jeffery, WR, CHI
3.8	Eddie Lacy, RB, GB
4.5	Aaron Rodgers, QB, GB
5.8	Ryan Mathews, RB, PHI
6.5	Tyler Lockett, WR, SEA
7.8	Frank Gore, RB, IND
8.5	DeSean Jackson, WR, WAS
9.8	Antonio Gates, TE, SD
10.5	C.J. Prosise, RB, SEA
11.8	Tavon Austin, WR, LAR
12.5	Josh Ferguson, RB, IND
13.8	DST ARI Cardinals
14.5	Tyler Boyd, WR, CIN
15.8	Dan Bailey, K, DAL
Will Brinson
Rd.Pk	Player
1.3	Rob Gronkowski, TE, NE
2.10	Jarvis Landry, WR, MIA
3.3	Demaryius Thomas, WR, DEN
4.10	Thomas Rawls, RB, SEA
5.3	Carlos Hyde, RB, SF
6.10	Duke Johnson, RB, CLE
7.3	Michael Crabtree, WR, OAK
8.10	Carson Palmer, QB, ARI
9.3	Darren Sproles, RB, PHI
10.10	Devin Funchess, WR, CAR
11.3	Christine Michael, RB, SEA
12.10	Kenyan Drake, RB, MIA
13.3	Mohamed Sanu, WR, ATL
14.10	DST MIN Vikings
15.3	Steven Hauschka, K, SEA
Matthew Coca
Rd.Pk	Player
1.6	Todd Gurley, RB, LAR
2.7	Le'Veon Bell, RB, PIT
3.6	Kelvin Benjamin, WR, CAR
4.7	John Brown, WR, ARI
5.6	Russell Wilson, QB, SEA
6.7	Kevin White, WR, CHI
7.6	Josh Gordon, WR, CLE
8.7	T.J. Yeldon, RB, JAC
9.6	Kamar Aiken, WR, BAL
10.7	DST DEN Broncos
11.6	Torrey Smith, WR, SF
12.7	Eric Ebron, TE, DET
13.6	Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, TEN
14.7	Alfred Morris, RB, DAL
15.6	Brandon McManus, K, DEN
Jamey Eisenberg
Rd.Pk	Player
1.10	Dez Bryant, WR, DAL
2.3	Ezekiel Elliott, RB, DAL
3.10	Sammy Watkins, WR, BUF
4.3	C.J. Anderson, RB, DEN
5.10	Michael Floyd, WR, ARI
6.3	Coby Fleener, TE, NO
7.10	Sterling Shepard, WR, NYG
8.3	Charles Sims, RB, TB
9.10	DeAndre Washington, RB, OAK
10.3	Eli Manning, QB, NYG
11.10	Kenneth Dixon, RB, BAL
12.3	Michael Thomas, WR, NO
13.10	Stephen Gostkowski, K, NE
14.3	Karlos Williams, RB, BUF
15.10	DST CIN Bengals
Nick Kostos
Rd.Pk	Player
1.4	Julio Jones, WR, ATL
2.9	Brandon Marshall, WR, NYJ
3.4	T.Y. Hilton, WR, IND
4.9	Andrew Luck, QB, IND
5.4	Matt Forte, RB, NYJ
6.9	Delanie Walker, TE, TEN
7.4	Jeremy Hill, RB, CIN
8.9	Jay Ajayi, RB, MIA
9.4	Theo Riddick, RB, DET
10.9	Justin Forsett, RB, BAL
11.4	Corey Coleman, WR, CLE
12.9	Tim Hightower, RB, NO
13.4	Spencer Ware, RB, KC
14.9	Mason Crosby, K, GB
15.4	DST LAR Rams
Mike Long
Rd.Pk	Player
1.7	Cam Newton, QB, CAR
2.6	Amari Cooper, WR, OAK
3.7	Jordan Reed, TE, WAS
4.6	Jeremy Maclin, WR, KC
5.7	Chris Ivory, RB, JAC
6.6	Jordan Matthews, WR, PHI
7.7	Jonathan Stewart, RB, CAR
8.6	Javorius Allen, RB, BAL
9.7	Blake Bortles, QB, JAC
10.6	James Starks, RB, GB
11.7	LeGarrette Blount, RB, NE
12.6	Stefon Diggs, WR, MIN
13.7	Cameron Artis-Payne, RB, CAR
14.6	DST PIT Steelers
15.7	Josh Brown, K, NYG
George Maselli
Rd.Pk	Player
1.5	David Johnson, RB, ARI
2.8	Keenan Allen, WR, SD
3.5	Doug Martin, RB, TB
4.8	Doug Baldwin, WR, SEA
5.5	Donte Moncrief, WR, IND
6.8	Drew Brees, QB, NO
7.5	Ameer Abdullah, RB, DET
8.8	Gary Barnidge, TE, CLE
9.5	Paul Perkins, RB, NYG
10.8	Devontae Booker, RB, DEN
11.5	Travis Benjamin, WR, SD
12.8	DST SEA Seahawks
13.5	Jameis Winston, QB, TB
14.8	Justin Tucker, K, BAL
15.5	Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE, TB
Joe Polito
Rd.Pk	Player
1.1	Antonio Brown, WR, PIT
2.12	Devonta Freeman, RB, ATL
3.1	Randall Cobb, WR, GB
4.12	Dion Lewis, RB, NE
5.1	Giovani Bernard, RB, CIN
6.12	Ben Roethlisberger, QB, PIT
7.1	Travis Kelce, TE, KC
8.12	Vincent Jackson, WR, TB
9.1	Phillip Dorsett, WR, IND
10.12	Chris Thompson, RB, WAS
11.1	Jerick McKinnon, RB, MIN
12.12	Jimmy Graham, TE, SEA
13.1	Darren McFadden, RB, DAL
14.12	DST NYJ Jets
15.1	Chris Boswell, K, PIT
Dave Richard
Rd.Pk	Player
1.12	Adrian Peterson, RB, MIN
2.1	Jordy Nelson, WR, GB
3.12	Mark Ingram, RB, NO
4.1	Latavius Murray, RB, OAK
5.12	Allen Hurns, WR, JAC
6.1	DeVante Parker, WR, MIA
7.12	Melvin Gordon, RB, SD
8.1	Rashad Jennings, RB, NYG
9.12	Philip Rivers, QB, SD
10.1	Julius Thomas, TE, JAC
11.12	Chris Hogan, WR, NE
12.1	Sammie Coates, WR, PIT
13.12	DST HOU Texans
14.1	Derek Carr, QB, OAK
15.12	Adam Vinatieri, K, IND
Chris Towers
Rd.Pk	Player
1.11	Lamar Miller, RB, HOU
2.2	Jamaal Charles, RB, KC
3.11	Golden Tate, WR, DET
4.2	Greg Olsen, TE, CAR
5.11	Larry Fitzgerald, WR, ARI
6.2	Emmanuel Sanders, WR, DEN
7.11	Willie Snead, WR, NO
8.2	DeAngelo Williams, RB, PIT
9.11	Marvin Jones, WR, DET
10.2	Jordan Howard, RB, CHI
11.11	Isaiah Crowell, RB, CLE
12.2	Wendell Smallwood, RB, PHI
13.11	Matt Ryan, QB, ATL
14.2	DST KC Chiefs
15.11	Blair Walsh, K, MIN
R.J. White
Rd.Pk	Player
1.9	A.J. Green, WR, CIN
2.4	Allen Robinson, WR, JAC
3.9	LeSean McCoy, RB, BUF
4.4	Julian Edelman, WR, NE
5.9	Jeremy Langford, RB, CHI
6.4	Eric Decker, WR, NYJ
7.9	Arian Foster, RB, MIA
8.4	Zach Ertz, TE, PHI
9.9	Shane Vereen, RB, NYG
10.4	Tyler Eifert, TE, CIN
11.9	Tony Romo, QB, DAL
12.4	Bilal Powell, RB, NYJ
13.9	DST CAR Panthers
14.4	Matthew Stafford, QB, DET
15.9	Chandler Catanzaro, K, ARI