Fantasy Football 2022: Examining Preseason Mock Draft and Cheatsheet

The best fantasy football managers always practice their strategies in mock drafts. After all, if you don't run through at least a few mocks, how will you know what could unfold when it's time to draft for real?

With the 2022 NFL campaign now less than a month away, fantasy draft season is in full swing. Some leagues draft during the preseason, while others wait until the exhibition slate is over. But, either way, now is the best time to be putting in the research and preparation that will help you have a successful season.

Mock drafts are a beneficial way to prep, especially if you already know the draft order for your league. And it's always nice to have a few cheatsheets in hand.

So, here's a top-40 PPR cheatsheet to help with your draft prep. Then, we'll use the FantasyPros Mock Draft simulator to construct a roster for a 12-team, half-PPR league and break down some of the key picks that were made.

1. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts

2. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers

3. Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams

4. Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings

5. Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

6. Ja'Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

7. Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans

8. Stefon Diggs, WR, Buffalo Bills

9. Davante Adams, WR, Las Vegas Raiders

10. Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

11. Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota Vikings

12. D'Andre Swift, RB, Detroit Lions

13. Najee Harris, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

14. Leonard Fournette, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

15. CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys

16. Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints

17. Deebo Samuel, WR, San Francisco 49ers

18. Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers

19. Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

20. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs

21. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys

22. Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns

23. James Conner, RB, Arizona Cardinals

24. Mark Andrews, TE, Baltimore Ravens

25. Tyreek Hill, WR, Miami Dolphins

26. Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

27. Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants

28. DJ Moore, WR, Carolina Panthers

29. Courtland Sutton, WR, Denver Broncos

30. Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

31. A.J. Brown, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

32. Michael Pittman Jr., WR, Indianapolis Colts

33. Javonte Williams, RB, Denver Broncos

34. Brandin Cooks, WR, Houston Texans

35. Mike Williams, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

36. Marquise Brown, WR, Arizona Cardinals

37. Jaylen Waddle, WR, Miami Dolphins

38. Diontae Johnson, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

39. Josh Jacobs, RB, Las Vegas Raiders

40. Allen Robinson II, WR, Los Angeles Rams

The FantasyPros Mock Draft Simulator is a great way to prepare for drafts. Although there are no other humans taking part, the simulated picks come from the analysis of rankings, which makes the draft unfold in a realistic manner.

In this draft, we randomized the order and received the No. 7 overall selection in the first round. It's an interesting spot to pick from, as there are several different ways you could go with it. We went with Tennessee Titans star running back Derrick Henry, giving us a workhorse back to build the rest of the roster around.

Here's the rest of the roster for the team that was constructed from there:

Round 1 (Pick 7): Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans

Round 2 (Pick 18): Leonard Fournette, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Round 3 (Pick 31): Michael Pittman Jr., WR, Indianapolis Colts

Round 4 (Pick 42): Terry McLaurin, WR, Washington Commanders

Round 5 (Pick 55): Damien Harris, RB, New England Patriots

Round 6 (Pick 66): Gabriel Davis, WR, Buffalo Bills

Round 7 (Pick 79): Tom Brady, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Round 8 (Pick 90): Brandon Aiyuk, WR, San Francisco 49ers

Round 9 (Pick 103): Darrell Henderson Jr., RB, Los Angeles Rams

Round 10 (Pick 114): Dameon Pierce, RB, Houston Texans

Round 11 (Pick 127): Dawson Knox, TE, Buffalo Bills

Round 12 (Pick 138): DJ Chark Jr., WR, Detroit Lions

Round 13 (Pick 151): Justin Fields, QB, Chicago Bears

Round 14 (Pick 162): New Orleans Saints D/ST

Round 15 (Pick 175): Matt Prater, K, Arizona Cardinals

It's hard to pass up the value of Derrick Henry at No. 7 if he's still on the board. A foot injury may have limited him to eight games last season, but he had played at least 15 games in each of the first five years of his NFL career. And he led the league in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns in both 2019 and 2020. So he was a great choice to open the draft.

The first four picks for this team built a strong core of Henry, Leonard Fournette, Michael Pittman Jr. and Terry McLaurin. It's nice going with two running backs to start, because it's impossible to find clear starting RBs in the later rounds. Plus, getting a pair of top receivers in Pittman and McLaurin in the third and fourth provides strong building blocks for the WR corps.

There are enough talented quarterbacks that you shouldn't reach early, making it more than OK to wait until the middle rounds. Tom Brady in the seventh round is a safe pick, especially because the 45-year-old shows no signs of slowing down.

Brandon Aiyuk in the eighth round was a tremendous value selection. He may have gotten off to a slow start last year for the 49ers, but he really picked it up in the second half. And San Francisco's offense should be even better this season with Trey Lance at QB.

In the 10th round, Dameon Pierce may have been the steal of the draft. The rookie has the potential to end up as the No. 1 running back for the Texans, maybe even by Week 1. Snagging him this late has so much upside.

Justin Fields is another sleeper to target late in the draft (which we did in the 13th round). It's possible the Bears' offense is mediocre, and you may have to cut ties with Fields early on if that's the case. But his ability to use his legs and possibly get into the end zone on the ground a good bit makes him an enticing late-round flier. Fields' rookie struggles may be put in the past with a solid second NFL season.