Fantasy Football 2023: PPR mock draft shows managers aren't scared off by Jerry Jeudy, Terry McLaurin injuries

We held our first 12-team, PPR mock draft Thursday following the news of injuries to two prominent receivers in Jerry Jeudy (hamstring) and Terry McLaurin (toe). It was interesting to see how these Fantasy managers approached the Denver and Washington receiving corps now.

I was actually surprised to see little change in the value for McLaurin and Jeudy. McLaurin was selected first here in Round 5 at No. 57 overall. Juedy went three picks later at No. 60 overall, and I thought that was too soon for both receivers.

McLaurin is uncertain for Week 1, but we don't know how long this toe injury will linger. Jahan Dotson should be treated as the No. 1 receiver for the Commanders now, and he was drafted at No. 56 overall ahead of McLaurin. I already liked Dotson as a breakout candidate this year, and this should help his cause with increased targets from Sam Howell. No other Washington receiver was selected in this draft, but you can take a late-round flier on Curtis Samuel now in deeper leagues.

Jeudy is expected to miss several weeks with his hamstring injury, but we know soft tissue injuries are often problematic. I would still draft him ahead of Courtland Sutton, who went in Round 8 here, but Jeudy should see his value decline rapidly as more Fantasy drafts happen over the next two weeks. And you should take a flier on Marvin Mims now, and he was drafted in Round 12 here. Mims could be a sneaky sleeper to open the season while Jeudy is out.

The earliest I would draft Jeudy and McLaurin in PPR is Round 7, and here are the receivers who went after them in this draft that I like better: Chris Godwin, Tyler Lockett, Jordan Addison, Brandon Aiyuk, Gabe Davis, George Pickens, Mike Evans and Mike Williams. You might disagree with all of those players, but I'm concerned about the production for Jeudy and McLaurin now that both are banged up.

I didn't draft any Denver or Washington receivers here, but I did start my team with three receivers from the No. 1 spot with Justin Jefferson, DeVonta Smith and Chris Olave. I love doing that whenever you can start three receivers in PPR, and I should have the best receiving corps in this league.

At the Round 4-5 turn, I expected to draft two running backs, but I couldn't pass up Lamar Jackson there. I paired him with J.K. Dobbins, who I consider a breakout candidate, and I loved this start to my team.

Even though I didn't draft a running back until Round 5, I was thrilled with this running back corps of Dobbins, David Montgomery, Cam Akers, Samaje Perine, Brian Robinson Jr. and Zamir White. I only need to start two of them, and I love the potential of this group, especially at the values where I selected them.

Dalton Kincaid and Chigoziem Okonkwo give me a quality tight end duo, and I also drafted Kadarius Toney as a fourth receiver with upside. If he can overcome his knee injury and produce at a high level for the Chiefs, he'll be one of the biggest steals on Draft Day.

Two other teams of note worth mentioning here are Greg Crossland and Lucas Burbank. As part of our upcoming Draft-A-Thon on Aug. 30 to raise money for St. Jude, both generously donated to take part in this mock draft. So let's take a look at their teams.

Greg had the No. 4 overall pick, and I love the way he played the board. He started with Austin Ekeler, Jaylen Waddle, Rhamondre Stevenson, Amari Cooper, Drake London, T.J. Hockenson, Javonte Williams, Skyy Moore, Anthony Richardson and Kenneth Gainwell, and it's hard to find a flaw with those players when he selected them. He took Aaron Rodgers as insurance for Richardson, and this is an excellent roster.

Lucas had the No. 6 overall pick, and he also did a great job with his team. He took a few more chances than Greg after drafting Travis Kelce in Round 1 because he selected Josh Jacobs in Round 2 and might have reached a little for Keenan Allen in Round 3. I love his receiving corps of Allen, DK Metcalf, Brandon Aiyuk, Zay Flowers, Treylon Burks and Jameson Williams, and he has Dak Prescott at quarterback. Running back could be a little shaky with only Jacobs, Kenneth Walker III, Antonio Gibson and Deuce Vaughn, but I'm sure Lucas could play the waiver wire to help there if needed.

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 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, TE and FLEX (RB/WR/TE) with six reserves for a 13-round draft.

Our draft order is as follows:

1. Jamey Eisenberg, Senior Fantasy Writer
2. Heath Cummings, Senior Fantasy Writer
3. George Maselli, Fantasy Editor
4. Greg Crossland, St. Jude donation entry
5. Zach Brook, FFT Social Media Coordinator
6. Lucas Burbank, St. Jude donation entry
7. Dave Richard, Senior Fantasy Writer
8. Thomas Shafer, FFT Podcast Producer
9. Chris Towers, Senior Editor, Fantasy Sports
10. Meron Berkson, CBS Sports HQ Producer
11. Daniel Schneier, Senior Fantasy Editor
12. Adam Aizer, FFT Podcast Host

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