Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Taking chances matters in two-quarterback league
Jamey Eisenberg looks at the results of our latest two-quarterback league mock draft, including two teams that took some risks with their rosters.
We want to set you up for success before you enter the draft room. That's why we're hosting a Fantasy Football Today Telethon on Aug. 22 at noon ET on CBS Sports HQ. The Fantasy Football Today team will be with you for six hours, going over everything you need to know to draft the perfect team. They'll be joined by special guests from around the CBS Sports family, the Fantasy Football community, and even the worlds of sports and entertainment. We will be raising money for St. Jude's Children's Hospital, so make sure you tune at CBSSports.com/live!
I like it when Fantasy managers take chances in drafts. It makes it more fun.
Remember, the idea is to win the league -- not play for any consolation prize.
In this 12-team, two-quarterback league, two managers took some risks. We'll see if it leads to a big reward.
Picking from the No. 2 spot, Chris Towers drafted a team that might have the most upside in this league. It also might have the most downside.
After taking Christian McCaffrey in Round 1 and Deshaun Watson in Round 2, Towers made two potentially controversial selections with Todd Gurley in Round 3 and Melvin Gordon in Round 4. If Gurley's knee is fine, he could end up as a steal at No. 26 overall. The same goes for Gordon at No. 47 overall if he ends his holdout soon.
Towers is taking big swings with this team, even though it could lead to huge misses. But he's trying to win the league, which is clearly the point of every draft.
The rest of his team includes Joe Flacco and Jacoby Brissett at quarterback, and Brissett could be a sleeper in this format given Andrew Luck's injury status right now. Towers also has Derrius Guice, Justin Jackson and Adrian Peterson at running back, with O.J. Howard at tight end.
Receiver might be a weak point for Towers with Christian Kirk, Alshon Jeffery, Dante Pettis, Emmanuel Sanders and Miles Boykin on his team, and we start three receivers in this league. But Towers didn't draft his first receiver until Round 6 with Kirk, so he took a zero-receiver approach with his roster.
I like what Towers did here since this team has the potential to win the league, and Jackson gives him some level of insurance for Gordon. But if Gurley is healthy all season and Gordon shows up for Week 1, Towers will be tough to beat.
The other team to focus on here is Michael Kiser, who picked at No. 4 overall. Given the format of a two-quarterback league, it was a little surprising that Kiser didn't draft his first quarterback until Round 9 with Jimmy Garoppolo.
Kiser then went quarterback crazy, drafting Ryan Fitzpatrick, Eli Manning, Josh Rosen and Daniel Jones with four of his next five picks. Kiser said he's concerned about Garoppolo's health, and he wanted to lock up the quarterback situations for the Giants and Dolphins to be safe. He didn't plan to target the quarterbacks for those teams, but that's what was left for him in Round 10.
It could work out well if the Dolphins and Giants have one starter for 16 games, and then Kiser can act accordingly with dropping the backups for those guys. And Kiser could get away with building his team this way given the talent he has at the non-quarterback spots.
Kiser has Dalvin Cook, Kerryon Johnson, Mark Ingram and Alexander Mattison at running back, as well as Austin Hooper at tight end. At receiver, Kiser has Davante Adams, Tyler Lockett, Dede Westbrook, Robby Anderson and Sammy Watkins.
If Kiser gets quality production from his quarterbacks, this team could be the best in this league. But clearly that's a big if given who those quarterbacks are as of now.
While Kiser has five quarterbacks, I only have two in Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold. That's not ideal, but I didn't want to reach for a third quarterback like Nick Foles, Marcus Mariota, Andy Dalton, Fitzpatrick or Flacco in Round 10. After that, it wasn't worth taking a third quarterback, and hopefully I can trade for one during the season.
The rest of my team from the No. 10 overall spot is James Conner, Chris Carson, Latavius Murray, Kalen Ballage, Royce Freeman and Jaylen Samuels at running back, and I went with Ballage in Round 10 over those third-quarterback options. Ballage could be a steal with Kenyan Drake (foot) currently in a walking boot and questionable for Week 1.
At receiver, I have JuJu Smith-Schuster, Curtis Samuel, Sterling Shepard, Keke Coutee, Kenny Stills and Albert Wilson, and this is the weakness of my team. I love my top three guys, but I'm concerned about my bench. Coutee could be good, especially in PPR, if healthy. And hopefully one of Stills or Wilson becomes a decent Fantasy option this season.
I was excited to get Hunter Henry in Round 5, and I like how this team was built. Hopefully, I'll be talking about this team in December when the games really matter.
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 award one point for every reception. We feature a starting lineup of 2 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, TE, FLEX (RB/WR/TE), K and DST. There also are six reserve spots for a 17-round draft.
Our draft order is as follows:
- Dave Richard, Senior Fantasy Writer
- Chris Towers, Senior Editor, Fantasy
- Ben Gretch, Fantasy Editor
- Michael Kiser, Director, Video Production
- George Maselli, Fantasy Editor
- Andrew Baumhor, CBS Sports HQ Producer
- Jack Capotorto, CBS Sports HQ Producer
- Heath Cummings, Senior Fantasy Writer
- Will Brinson, Senior NFL Writer
- Jamey Eisenberg, Senior Fantasy Writer
- Adam Aizer, Podcast Host
- Meron Berkson, CBS Sports HQ Producer
| Round 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pos | Team | Player |
| 1 | Adam Aizer | |
| 2 | Meron Berkson | |
| 3 | Jake Grogins | |
| 4 | Dan Schneier | |
| 5 | R.J. White | |
| 6 | Fantasy Poison | |
| 7 | Joel Cox | |
| 8 | Robert Thomas | |
| 9 | Tommy Tran | |
| 10 | Jamey Eisenberg | |
| 11 | Heath Cummings | |
| 12 | Jack Capotorto | |
| Round 2 | ||
| Pos | Team | Player |
| 13 | Jack Capotorto | |
| 14 | Heath Cummings | |
| 15 | Jamey Eisenberg | |
| 16 | Tommy Tran | |
| 17 | Robert Thomas | |
| 18 | Joel Cox | |
| 19 | Fantasy Poison | |
| 20 | R.J. White | |
| 21 | Dan Schneier | |
| 22 | Jake Grogins | |
| 23 | Meron Berkson | |
| 24 | Adam Aizer | |
| Round 3 | ||
| Pos | Team | Player |
| 25 | Adam Aizer | |
| 26 | Meron Berkson | |
| 27 | Jake Grogins | |
| 28 | Dan Schneier | |
| 29 | R.J. White | |
| 30 | Fantasy Poison | |
| 31 | Joel Cox | |
| 32 | Robert Thomas | |
| 33 | Tommy Tran | |
| 34 | Jamey Eisenberg | |
| 35 | Heath Cummings | |
| 36 | Jack Capotorto | |
| Round 4 | ||
| Pos | Team | Player |
| 37 | Jack Capotorto | |
| 38 | Heath Cummings | |
| 39 | Jamey Eisenberg | |
| 40 | Tommy Tran | |
| 41 | Robert Thomas | |
| 42 | Joel Cox | |
| 43 | Fantasy Poison | |
| 44 | R.J. White | |
| 45 | Dan Schneier | |
| 46 | Jake Grogins | |
| 47 | Meron Berkson | |
| 48 | Adam Aizer | |
| Round 5 | ||
| Pos | Team | Player |
| 49 | Adam Aizer | |
| 50 | Meron Berkson | |
| 51 | Jake Grogins | |
| 52 | Dan Schneier | |
| 53 | R.J. White | |
| 54 | Fantasy Poison | |
| 55 | Joel Cox | |
| 56 | Robert Thomas | |
| 57 | Tommy Tran | |
| 58 | Jamey Eisenberg | |
| 59 | Heath Cummings | |
| 60 | Jack Capotorto | |
| Round 6 | ||
| Pos | Team | Player |
| 61 | Jack Capotorto | |
| 62 | Heath Cummings | |
| 63 | Jamey Eisenberg | |
| 64 | Tommy Tran | |
| 65 | Robert Thomas | |
| 66 | Joel Cox | |
| 67 | Fantasy Poison | |
| 68 | R.J. White | |
| 69 | Dan Schneier | |
| 70 | Jake Grogins | |
| 71 | Meron Berkson | |
| 72 | Adam Aizer | |
| Round 7 | ||
| Pos | Team | Player |
| 73 | Adam Aizer | |
| 74 | Meron Berkson | |
| 75 | Jake Grogins | |
| 76 | Dan Schneier | |
| 77 | R.J. White | |
| 78 | Fantasy Poison | |
| 79 | Joel Cox | |
| 80 | Robert Thomas | |
| 81 | Tommy Tran | |
| 82 | Jamey Eisenberg | |
| 83 | Heath Cummings | |
| 84 | Jack Capotorto | |
| Round 8 | ||
| Pos | Team | Player |
| 85 | Jack Capotorto | |
| 86 | Heath Cummings | |
| 87 | Jamey Eisenberg | |
| 88 | Tommy Tran | |
| 89 | Robert Thomas | |
| 90 | Joel Cox | |
| 91 | Fantasy Poison | |
| 92 | R.J. White | |
| 93 | Dan Schneier | |
| 94 | Jake Grogins | |
| 95 | Meron Berkson | |
| 96 | Adam Aizer | |
| Round 9 | ||
| Pos | Team | Player |
| 97 | Adam Aizer | |
| 98 | Meron Berkson | |
| 99 | Jake Grogins | |
| 100 | Dan Schneier | |
| 101 | R.J. White | |
| 102 | Fantasy Poison | |
| 103 | Joel Cox | |
| 104 | Robert Thomas | |
| 105 | Tommy Tran | |
| 106 | Jamey Eisenberg | |
| 107 | Heath Cummings | |
| 108 | Jack Capotorto | |
| Round 10 | ||
| Pos | Team | Player |
| 109 | Jack Capotorto | |
| 110 | Heath Cummings | |
| 111 | Jamey Eisenberg | |
| 112 | Tommy Tran | |
| 113 | Robert Thomas | |
| 114 | Joel Cox | |
| 115 | Fantasy Poison | |
| 116 | R.J. White | |
| 117 | Dan Schneier | |
| 118 | Jake Grogins | |
| 119 | Meron Berkson | |
| 120 | Adam Aizer | |
| Round 11 | ||
| Pos | Team | Player |
| 121 | Adam Aizer | |
| 122 | Meron Berkson | |
| 123 | Jake Grogins | |
| 124 | Dan Schneier | |
| 125 | R.J. White | |
| 126 | Fantasy Poison | |
| 127 | Joel Cox | |
| 128 | Robert Thomas | |
| 129 | Tommy Tran | |
| 130 | Jamey Eisenberg | |
| 131 | Heath Cummings | |
| 132 | Jack Capotorto | |
| Round 12 | ||
| Pos | Team | Player |
| 133 | Jack Capotorto | |
| 134 | Heath Cummings | |
| 135 | Jamey Eisenberg | |
| 136 | Tommy Tran | |
| 137 | Robert Thomas | |
| 138 | Joel Cox | |
| 139 | Fantasy Poison | |
| 140 | R.J. White | |
| 141 | Dan Schneier | |
| 142 | Jake Grogins | |
| 143 | Meron Berkson | |
| 144 | Adam Aizer | |
| Round 13 | ||
| Pos | Team | Player |
| 145 | Adam Aizer | |
| 146 | Meron Berkson | |
| 147 | Jake Grogins | |
| 148 | Dan Schneier | |
| 149 | R.J. White | |
| 150 | Fantasy Poison | |
| 151 | Joel Cox | |
| 152 | Robert Thomas | |
| 153 | Tommy Tran | |
| 154 | Jamey Eisenberg | |
| 155 | Heath Cummings | |
| 156 | Jack Capotorto | |
| Round 14 | ||
| Pos | Team | Player |
| 157 | Jack Capotorto | |
| 158 | Heath Cummings | |
| 159 | Jamey Eisenberg | |
| 160 | Tommy Tran | |
| 161 | Robert Thomas | |
| 162 | Joel Cox | |
| 163 | Fantasy Poison | |
| 164 | R.J. White | |
| 165 | Dan Schneier | |
| 166 | Jake Grogins | |
| 167 | Meron Berkson | |
| 168 | Adam Aizer | |
| Round 15 | ||
| Pos | Team | Player |
| 169 | Adam Aizer | |
| 170 | Meron Berkson | |
| 171 | Jake Grogins | |
| 172 | Dan Schneier | |
| 173 | R.J. White | |
| 174 | Fantasy Poison | |
| 175 | Joel Cox | |
| 176 | Robert Thomas | |
| 177 | Tommy Tran | |
| 178 | Jamey Eisenberg | |
| 179 | Heath Cummings | |
| 180 | Jack Capotorto | |
| Round 16 | ||
| Pos | Team | Player |
| 181 | Jack Capotorto | |
| 182 | Heath Cummings | |
| 183 | Jamey Eisenberg | |
| 184 | Tommy Tran | |
| 185 | Robert Thomas | |
| 186 | Joel Cox | |
| 187 | Fantasy Poison | |
| 188 | R.J. White | |
| 189 | Dan Schneier | |
| 190 | Jake Grogins | |
| 191 | Meron Berkson | |
| 192 | Adam Aizer | |
| Round 17 | ||
| Pos | Team | Player |
| 193 | Adam Aizer | |
| 194 | Meron Berkson | |
| 195 | Jake Grogins | |
| 196 | Dan Schneier | |
| 197 | R.J. White | |
| 198 | Fantasy Poison | |
| 199 | Joel Cox | |
| 200 | Robert Thomas | |
| 201 | Tommy Tran | |
| 202 | Jamey Eisenberg | |
| 203 | Heath Cummings | |
| 204 | Jack Capotorto | |
| Adam Aizer | ||
|---|---|---|
| Rd | Pk | Player |
| 1 | 1 | |
| 2 | 24 | |
| 3 | 25 | |
| 4 | 48 | |
| 5 | 49 | |
| 6 | 72 | |
| 7 | 73 | |
| 8 | 96 | |
| 9 | 97 | |
| 10 | 120 | |
| 11 | 121 | |
| 12 | 144 | |
| 13 | 145 | |
| 14 | 168 | |
| 15 | 169 | |
| 16 | 192 | |
| 17 | 193 | |
| Meron Berkson | ||
| Rd | Pk | Player |
| 1 | 2 | |
| 2 | 23 | |
| 3 | 26 | |
| 4 | 47 | |
| 5 | 50 | |
| 6 | 71 | |
| 7 | 74 | |
| 8 | 95 | |
| 9 | 98 | |
| 10 | 119 | |
| 11 | 122 | |
| 12 | 143 | |
| 13 | 146 | |
| 14 | 167 | |
| 15 | 170 | |
| 16 | 191 | |
| 17 | 194 | |
| Jake Grogins | ||
| Rd | Pk | Player |
| 1 | 3 | |
| 2 | 22 | |
| 3 | 27 | |
| 4 | 46 | |
| 5 | 51 | |
| 6 | 70 | |
| 7 | 75 | |
| 8 | 94 | |
| 9 | 99 | |
| 10 | 118 | |
| 11 | 123 | |
| 12 | 142 | |
| 13 | 147 | |
| 14 | 166 | |
| 15 | 171 | |
| 16 | 190 | |
| 17 | 195 | |
| Dan Schneier | ||
| Rd | Pk | Player |
| 1 | 4 | |
| 2 | 21 | |
| 3 | 28 | |
| 4 | 45 | |
| 5 | 52 | |
| 6 | 69 | |
| 7 | 76 | |
| 8 | 93 | |
| 9 | 100 | |
| 10 | 117 | |
| 11 | 124 | |
| 12 | 141 | |
| 13 | 148 | |
| 14 | 165 | |
| 15 | 172 | |
| 16 | 189 | |
| 17 | 196 | |
| R.J. White | ||
| Rd | Pk | Player |
| 1 | 5 | |
| 2 | 20 | |
| 3 | 29 | |
| 4 | 44 | |
| 5 | 53 | |
| 6 | 68 | |
| 7 | 77 | |
| 8 | 92 | |
| 9 | 101 | |
| 10 | 116 | |
| 11 | 125 | |
| 12 | 140 | |
| 13 | 149 | |
| 14 | 164 | |
| 15 | 173 | |
| 16 | 188 | |
| 17 | 197 | |
| Fantasy Poison | ||
| Rd | Pk | Player |
| 1 | 6 | |
| 2 | 19 | |
| 3 | 30 | |
| 4 | 43 | |
| 5 | 54 | |
| 6 | 67 | |
| 7 | 78 | |
| 8 | 91 | |
| 9 | 102 | |
| 10 | 115 | |
| 11 | 126 | |
| 12 | 139 | |
| 13 | 150 | |
| 14 | 163 | |
| 15 | 174 | |
| 16 | 187 | |
| 17 | 198 | |
| Joel Cox | ||
| Rd | Pk | Player |
| 1 | 7 | |
| 2 | 18 | |
| 3 | 31 | |
| 4 | 42 | |
| 5 | 55 | |
| 6 | 66 | |
| 7 | 79 | |
| 8 | 90 | |
| 9 | 103 | |
| 10 | 114 | |
| 11 | 127 | |
| 12 | 138 | |
| 13 | 151 | |
| 14 | 162 | |
| 15 | 175 | |
| 16 | 186 | |
| 17 | 199 | |
| Robert Thomas | ||
| Rd | Pk | Player |
| 1 | 8 | |
| 2 | 17 | |
| 3 | 32 | |
| 4 | 41 | |
| 5 | 56 | |
| 6 | 65 | |
| 7 | 80 | |
| 8 | 89 | |
| 9 | 104 | |
| 10 | 113 | |
| 11 | 128 | |
| 12 | 137 | |
| 13 | 152 | |
| 14 | 161 | |
| 15 | 176 | |
| 16 | 185 | |
| 17 | 200 | |
| Tommy Tran | ||
| Rd | Pk | Player |
| 1 | 9 | |
| 2 | 16 | |
| 3 | 33 | |
| 4 | 40 | |
| 5 | 57 | |
| 6 | 64 | |
| 7 | 81 | |
| 8 | 88 | |
| 9 | 105 | |
| 10 | 112 | |
| 11 | 129 | |
| 12 | 136 | |
| 13 | 153 | |
| 14 | 160 | |
| 15 | 177 | |
| 16 | 184 | |
| 17 | 201 | |
| Jamey Eisenberg | ||
| Rd | Pk | Player |
| 1 | 10 | |
| 2 | 15 | |
| 3 | 34 | |
| 4 | 39 | |
| 5 | 58 | |
| 6 | 63 | |
| 7 | 82 | |
| 8 | 87 | |
| 9 | 106 | |
| 10 | 111 | |
| 11 | 130 | |
| 12 | 135 | |
| 13 | 154 | |
| 14 | 159 | |
| 15 | 178 | |
| 16 | 183 | |
| 17 | 202 | |
| Heath Cummings | ||
| Rd | Pk | Player |
| 1 | 11 | |
| 2 | 14 | |
| 3 | 35 | |
| 4 | 38 | |
| 5 | 59 | |
| 6 | 62 | |
| 7 | 83 | |
| 8 | 86 | |
| 9 | 107 | |
| 10 | 110 | |
| 11 | 131 | |
| 12 | 134 | |
| 13 | 155 | |
| 14 | 158 | |
| 15 | 179 | |
| 16 | 182 | |
| 17 | 203 | |
| Jack Capotorto | ||
| Rd | Pk | Player |
| 1 | 12 | |
| 2 | 13 | |
| 3 | 36 | |
| 4 | 37 | |
| 5 | 60 | |
| 6 | 61 | |
| 7 | 84 | |
| 8 | 85 | |
| 9 | 108 | |
| 10 | 109 | |
| 11 | 132 | |
| 12 | 133 | |
| 13 | 156 | |
| 14 | 157 | |
| 15 | 180 | |
| 16 | 181 | |
| 17 | 204 | |

















