The key to any fantasy football season is preparation. Whether you have the first overall pick or the last of the first round, having a sense of who will be available in each round is key.

I’ll be doing mock drafts throughout the summer while offering scenarios and feedback for each position. The point of these mocks is to prepare for the unexpected.

The mock drafts will assume that 12 teams are in the league with the following roster construction: quarterback, two running backs, two wide receivers, tight end, a flex (running back, wide receiver or tight end) defense, kicker and seven bench spots. It is a 16-round snake draft in a half-point-per-reception (half-PPR) league.

If you read my draft guide, you know I’m not a fan of drafting kickers and defense if it’s not necessary. I’d rather add a few running backs who could end up being a starter in the event of an injury. However, for the sake of this exercise, I’ll round out each draft by doing so. Remember, do not draft either before your final two picks!

Most important of all, be creative with your mock drafts. Don’t take the same players in every mock. Your favorite sleeper is probably someone else’s too. I’m guilty of this myself — see Rashod Bateman — but I will try to go with different approaches in many of these mock drafts.

The draft is just the start of the season. If you are drafting early, work the waiver wire to your advantage if any major injuries arise. If you’re a fantasy nerd like me, turn on notifications from your favorite NFL insider for breaking news around the league. But the draft is where you build the foundation of your roster, and the goal is to have as deep a roster as possible.

This is scenario No. 9, in which we move onto the No. 7 pick. (See also: No. 1 pick – 3 RBs, No. 1 pick – 2 RBs/1 WR, No. 2 pick, No. 3 pick, No. 4 pick, No. 5 pick, No. 6 pick, 16-team league). We’ll mix in a 10-team draft at some point as well as a Superflex, non-PPR draft and auction.

Let’s get started with the latest mock draft of the 2022 season.

Round 1, Pick 7: Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings

Round 2, Pick 6: Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants

Round 3, Pick 7: Michael Pittman, WR, Indianapolis Colts

Round 4, Pick 6: Mike Williams, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

Round 5, Pick 7: AJ Dillon, RB, Green Bay Packers

Round 6, Pick 6: Kareem Hunt, RB, Cleveland Browns

Round 7, Pick 7: Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, New England Patriots

Round 8, Pick 6: Melvin Gordon, RB, Denver Broncos

Round 9, Pick 7: Dallas Goedert, TE, Philadelphia Eagles

Round 10, Pick 6: Alexander Mattison, RB, Minnesota Vikings

Round 11, Pick 7: Derek Carr, QB, Las Vegas Raiders

Round 12, Pick 6: Corey Davis, WR, New York Jets

Round 13, Pick 7: Khalil Herbert, RB, Chicago Bears

Round 14, Pick 6: Jalen Tolbert, WR, Dallas Cowboys

Round 15, Pick 7: New Orleans Saints DST

Round 16, Pick 6: Harrison Butker, K, Kansas City Chiefs

I went completely off my usual script in this mock. Not only did I go wide receiver first, but I selected three receivers in my top four picks. It’s all about having a feel for every different situation and this particular draft played out this way. And truth be told, I like how this roster shaped up.

Justin Jefferson is the top-rated receiver on my draft board and No. 7 overall. He’s been an absolute star in his first two years in the NFL and now gets an upgrade on offense with Kevin O’Connell taking over as head coach. His 3,016 receiving yards leads the NFL since the start of 2020 and it would shock no one if he tops the league once again. Jefferson is the only wideout I’m taking inside the top 10 of any fantasy drafts.

I am high on Saquon Barkley heading into this season, but having him as my lead back does worry me some. The former No. 2 overall pick hasn’t shown the burst that made him so coveted before his knee injury. Another year removed from that surgery and a new offense should get him back on track.

I must admit, going back-to-back on receivers here had me worried about what my running back situation was going to look like, but it turned out much better than I anticipated. My two Mikes — Michael Pittman and Mike Williams — are both players I’ve targeted throughout mock draft season. Pittman is the unquestioned alpha receiver for the Colts, while one could argue the same could be said for Williams in Los Angeles. Both are big-bodied receivers who can make plays down the field and are threats in the red zone. I would be happy with this duo as my top two receivers, but to have them as No. 2 and FLEX gives me a massive leg up on the competition.

The next four picks made up for the lack of quality running backs in the first couple rounds. I took four consecutive running backs who could be elite in the event of an injury, and all have standalone value. AJ Dillon led the Packers in touches in the second half of the season. The same can be said for Rhamondre Stevenson. Kareem Hunt and Melvin Gordon are also in timeshares but have shown us they can win you games even splitting carries. If Hunt gets moved to a team and becomes the lead running back, he becomes a steal in the sixth round. All four backs have league-winning upside, and if anything, the depth here could make decision-making a little difficult each week.

Dallas Goedert and Derek Carr are two names you’ve seen quite a bit in my mock drafts. It is almost a guarantee for each to finish top 10 at their position and both have the potential to finish in the top five as well. Grabbing them in Rounds 9 and 11, respectively, is excellent value.

Alexander Mattison and Corey Davis are two more players who have been featured prominently throughout these mock drafts. Mattison is an elite handcuff to Dalvin Cook, as he’s repeatedly finished with 20-plus points when his number has been called. Davis is one of my sleeper picks in the double-digit rounds this season, as he saw a ton of targets in the Jets’ offense last year.

Khalil Herbert is someone to keep an eye on in the upcoming weeks. The new regime in Chicago is not committed to David Montgomery as its lead back and Herbert could be the beneficiary of that. Jalen Tolbert is a player I mentioned in my sleepers-and-busts article as a breakout candidate. With injuries to the Cowboys’ receiving corps, Tolbert becomes fantasy relevant in a high-volume passing offense.

Your draft strategy should evolve based on how your leaguemates operate and sometimes you must go the unconventional route to field a quality roster. I’m a big advocate of going running back heavy early, but this mock draft showed why there are several different ways you can go about your draft. Having a strong set of starting wideouts and rounding the team out with all the high-upside backs in the middle portion of the draft is intriguing.

What do you think of this roster? Let’s discuss on Twitter @JoeSerp.

You can do your own mock draft in seconds by clicking here.

Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox

See all posts by Joe Serpico. Follow Joe Serpico on Twitter at @JoeSerp

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Covering Baltimore sports, from high school to the pros since 2006.