Fantasy football mock draft: Half-PPR results demonstrate how not to panic and maximize value at each pick

In this mock draft review of our latest half-PPR league, I want to focus on building depth vs. potentially sacrificing a certain position. We've all been in this situation, and it happened to me with this roster from No. 7 overall.

My first five picks were fantastic with Christian McCaffrey, Drake London, Davante Adams, Lamar Jackson, and RJ Harvey. I love that start, especially the value for Jackson (quarterbacks tend to fall in our drafts) and Harvey, who could be special in his rookie season.

In Round 6, I was faced with the dilemma of drafting my third receiver (this is a three-receiver league) or my flex, and I went with Isiah Pacheco over Jerry Jeudy. Some Fantasy managers put less value on their flex spot than other starting positions, which is a mistake. You want the most points from any starting spot, and I like Pacheco better than Jeudy in half-PPR.

In Round 7, I didn't love the value for any of the receivers on the board (the top guys were Cooper Kupp, Rome Odunze, Chris Godwin, and Keon Coleman), so I went with my top tight end in David Njoku. So far, so good with this roster, but you can see where this is headed at receiver.

We get to Round 8, and my draft board has three names at the top in Jaylen Warren, Deebo Samuel, and Jordan Addison. I need a third receiver, but I'm getting excited about Warren, who could be the best running back in Pittsburgh this year. Do I draft a fourth running back for depth or a starting receiver?

I went with Warren, with the expectation (hope) that a receiver I like enough will be on the board in Round 9. And that didn't work out as planned, so I reached a little based on average draft position for Luther Burden III.

I like Burden as a sleeper, but I don't want to count on him as a starter coming into the season. In hindsight, I could have drafted Samuel over Warren, and I could have selected Zach Charbonnet in Round 9. Warren, for now, has more upside than Charbonnet, but he's also a sleeper. With Samuel, my receiving corps would have been better heading into the season, but I'm not concerned.

That said, from this point on, I was chasing receivers with upside, including Darnell Mooney in Round 10, Demario Douglas in Round 12, Wan'Dale Robinson in Round 13, and Jalen McMillan in Round 14. I like this group, especially Mooney and Douglas, but they have flaws. Mooney (shoulder) is injured, and it's not ideal to start him and London together. And Douglas loses value in half-PPR, although he could lead New England in receptions.

Overall, I love this team, and I even got Bhayshul Tuten in Round 11 as my fifth running back since he could eventually become the best option in Jacksonville's backfield. My quarterback, running backs, and tight end are excellent, and my first two receivers are potential studs.

I'll make it work with my third receiver, and hopefully, Burden is a star as the likely slot option for Ben Johnson in Chicago. And I could make a trade if needed, if we were playing this league out.

While there are some changes I could have made to this roster throughout the draft, I never panicked. Nor should you if faced with similar decisions. I'll generally lean toward the best player available over filling a need to maximize my roster on Draft Day, and the waiver wire is always your friend. This should be a playoff-caliber team in this league.

As a reference point for this mock draft, 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 award 0.5 points for every reception. We feature a starting lineup of QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, TE, and FLEX (RB/WR/TE) with six reserves for a 14-round draft.

Our draft order is as follows:

1. Tommy Tran, CBS Sports HQ Host
2. Thomas Shafer, FFT Podcast Producer
3. Robert Thomas, FFT Facebook Moderator
4. Heath Cummings, Senior Fantasy Writer
5. Dave Richard, Senior Fantasy Analyst
6. Jake Grogins, CBS Sports HQ Production Staff
7. Jamey Eisenberg, Senior Fantasy Writer
8. Jaclyn DeAugustino, CBS Sports HQ Host
9. Meron Berkson, CBS Sports HQ Producer
10. Jack Capotorto, CBS Sports HQ Producer
11. R.J. White, Managing Editor, SportsLine and CBS Fantasy
12. James Lamberts, CBS Sports HQ Producer