Fantasy Football PPR Mock Draft: Travis Kelce rises all the way to the top in first offseason mock

Fantasy champions for 2022 freshly crowned, we're already mocking 2023

Our first 12-team, PPR mock draft of 2023 was certainly enlightening. Starting with the No. 1 overall pick -- Travis Kelce. Is that something we should expect to see next season?

Adam Aizer made the selection, and he wanted Kelce because he's the biggest difference maker of any player at his position. In 2022, Kelce averaged 18.6 PPR points per game. The No. 2 tight end, George Kittle, averaged 13.4 PPR points per game. You don't need a calculator to realize that's huge for Kelce.

I don't need to sell you on Kelce's positives. He's been the No. 1 Fantasy tight end for most of his career, and he's averaged at least 15.5 Fantasy points per game for six seasons in a row, including three years over 18.4 PPR points per game.

He's the No. 1 weapon for Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid, and that should continue in 2023. There's no disputing he will be drafted as the No. 1 Fantasy tight end, and he should be selected in the first round.

But the downside is he'll be 34 next season, and at some point, Father Time will come calling. He also wasn't the No. 1 Fantasy tight end in 2021 when Mark Andrews (17.7 PPR points per game) was slightly better (16.4). How will Adam feel if Kelce falls off his perch again? That's something to consider.

For me, it all comes down to drafting the player you want in Round 1 -- even if that means being unconventional at No. 1 overall. If Adam drafted Kelce at No. 7 overall, would I even bring this up? Probably not.

What we need to do is see how Adam built his roster after drafting Kelce. His starting lineup in this three-receiver league is Joe Burrow at quarterback, Nick Chubb and J.K. Dobbins at running back, Jaylen Waddle, Tyler Lockett and Jahan Dotson at receiver and Kelce. His flex options include Ezekiel Elliott, Darnell Mooney and Donovan Peoples-Jones, and he has sleepers in Alexander Mattison and Samaje Perine. He drafted Daniel Jones as a No. 2 quarterback and also took a second tight end in Juwan Johnson.

Now, I don't agree with all of his picks, but it's a solid roster. And if Kelce remains the stud tight end that he's always been -- and crushes the field -- then Adam got what he wanted with his No. 1 overall selection.

The rest of the first round, in order, was Justin Jefferson, Christian McCaffrey, Austin Ekeler, Jonathan Taylor, Ja'Marr Chase, Stefon Diggs, Cooper Kupp, Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, Tyreek Hill and Najee Harris. The only two picks I didn't like were Henry at No. 10 overall and Harris at No. 12.

This is the first mock draft of many for us in 2023. We wanted to see what a mock draft would look like right after the regular season ended, but so much will change between now and training camp, including free agency and the NFL Draft.

In full disclosure, we did this draft without rankings, so some players might have slipped further than expected. For example, Javonte Williams should be selected higher than Round 5, especially if he's on track to return in Week 1 from the ACL injury he suffered in Week 4 this past season.

It was also fun to see when the 2022 rookies came off the board. Kenneth Walker III and Breece Hall were drafted in Round 2, Garrett Wilson and Dameon Pierce in Round 3, Chris Olave in Round 4, Christian Watson and Drake London in Round 5 and Jameson Williams, George Pickens and Tyler Allgeier in Round 6.

I drafted Allgeier, along with Rachaad White (Round 7) and Wan'Dale Robinson (Round 8), and these are players with plenty of upside for 2023. Allgeier closed 2022 on a high note and should be considered a low-end starter/high-end flex in all formats next season. White could be the starting running back in Tampa Bay if the Buccaneers move on from Leonard Fournette. And Robinson could be a primary weapon for the Giants when he's healthy after suffering a torn ACL in Week 11.

Allgeier would be my flex if we started the season today. The rest of my lineup is Deshaun Watson at quarterback, McCaffrey and Cam Akers at running back, Tee Higgins, DeVonta Smith and Christian Kirk at receiver and David Njoku at tight end. Along with White and Robinson on my bench, I also have Brandin Cooks, Hunter Renfrow, Trey Lance and Cole Kmet.

I'm hopeful that Cooks, with a quarterback upgrade in Houston, can still be a starting Fantasy receiver in 2023, even though he'll turn 30 in September. And he closed 2022 with at least 13 PPR points in two of his final three games.

I also could see Renfrow as a sleeper in 2023 if the Raiders get the right quarterback to replace Derek Carr -- say Tom Brady -- and that's something to monitor this offseason. And Lance could obviously be a star if he returns at 100 percent from the ankle injury he suffered in Week 2 and becomes the starting quarterback in San Francisco.

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, 3 WR, TE and FLEX (RB/WR/TE) with six reserves for a 14-round draft.

Our draft order is as follows:

1. Adam Aizer, FFT Podcast Host
2. Heath Cummings, Senior Fantasy Writer
3. Jamey Eisenberg, Senior Fantasy Writer
4. Chris Towers, Senior Editor, Fantasy Sports
5. Dave Richard, Senior Fantasy Writer
6. Jacob Gibbs, SportsLine Fantasy Analyst
7. Thomas Shafer, FFT Podcast Producer
8. Frank Stampfl, FBT Podcast Host
9. Daniel Schneier, Fantasy Editor
10. Meron Berkson, CBS Sports HQ Producer
11. Jack Capotorto, FFT HQ Producer
12. Zach Brook, FFT Social Media Coordinator

Round By Round

Round 1
Pos	Team	Player
1	Stephen Hauser
2	Rob Thomas
3	R.J. White
4	Adam Aizer
5	Chris Towers
6	Thomas Shafer
7	Dave Richard
8	Heath Cummings
9	Jamey Eisenberg
10	Zach Brook
11	Joel Cox
12	Matt Gremo
Round 2
Pos	Team	Player
13	Matt Gremo
14	Joel Cox
15	Zach Brook
16	Jamey Eisenberg
17	Heath Cummings
18	Dave Richard
19	Thomas Shafer
20	Chris Towers
21	Adam Aizer
22	R.J. White
23	Rob Thomas
24	Stephen Hauser
Round 3
Pos	Team	Player
25	Stephen Hauser
26	Rob Thomas
27	R.J. White
28	Adam Aizer
29	Chris Towers
30	Thomas Shafer
31	Dave Richard
32	Heath Cummings
33	Jamey Eisenberg
34	Zach Brook
35	Joel Cox
36	Matt Gremo
Round 4
Pos	Team	Player
37	Matt Gremo
38	Joel Cox
39	Zach Brook
40	Jamey Eisenberg
41	Heath Cummings
42	Dave Richard
43	Thomas Shafer
44	Chris Towers
45	Adam Aizer
46	R.J. White
47	Rob Thomas
48	Stephen Hauser
Round 5
Pos	Team	Player
49	Stephen Hauser
50	Rob Thomas
51	R.J. White
52	Adam Aizer
53	Chris Towers
54	Thomas Shafer
55	Dave Richard
56	Heath Cummings
57	Jamey Eisenberg
58	Zach Brook
59	Joel Cox
60	Matt Gremo
Round 6
Pos	Team	Player
61	Matt Gremo
62	Joel Cox
63	Zach Brook
64	Jamey Eisenberg
65	Heath Cummings
66	Dave Richard
67	Thomas Shafer
68	Chris Towers
69	Adam Aizer
70	R.J. White
71	Rob Thomas
72	Stephen Hauser
Round 7
Pos	Team	Player
73	Stephen Hauser
74	Rob Thomas
75	R.J. White
76	Adam Aizer
77	Chris Towers
78	Thomas Shafer
79	Dave Richard
80	Heath Cummings
81	Jamey Eisenberg
82	Zach Brook
83	Joel Cox
84	Matt Gremo
Round 8
Pos	Team	Player
85	Matt Gremo
86	Joel Cox
87	Zach Brook
88	Jamey Eisenberg
89	Heath Cummings
90	Dave Richard
91	Thomas Shafer
92	Chris Towers
93	Adam Aizer
94	R.J. White
95	Rob Thomas
96	Stephen Hauser
Round 9
Pos	Team	Player
97	Stephen Hauser
98	Rob Thomas
99	R.J. White
100	Adam Aizer
101	Chris Towers
102	Thomas Shafer
103	Dave Richard
104	Heath Cummings
105	Jamey Eisenberg
106	Zach Brook
107	Joel Cox
108	Matt Gremo
Round 10
Pos	Team	Player
109	Matt Gremo
110	Joel Cox
111	Zach Brook
112	Jamey Eisenberg
113	Heath Cummings
114	Dave Richard
115	Thomas Shafer
116	Chris Towers
117	Adam Aizer
118	R.J. White
119	Rob Thomas
120	Stephen Hauser
Round 11
Pos	Team	Player
121	Stephen Hauser
122	Rob Thomas
123	R.J. White
124	Adam Aizer
125	Chris Towers
126	Thomas Shafer
127	Dave Richard
128	Heath Cummings
129	Jamey Eisenberg
130	Zach Brook
131	Joel Cox
132	Matt Gremo
Round 12
Pos	Team	Player
133	Matt Gremo
134	Joel Cox
135	Zach Brook
136	Jamey Eisenberg
137	Heath Cummings
138	Dave Richard
139	Thomas Shafer
140	Chris Towers
141	Adam Aizer
142	R.J. White
143	Rob Thomas
144	Stephen Hauser
Round 13
Pos	Team	Player
145	Stephen Hauser
146	Rob Thomas
147	R.J. White
148	Adam Aizer
149	Chris Towers
150	Thomas Shafer
151	Dave Richard
152	Heath Cummings
153	Jamey Eisenberg
154	Zach Brook
155	Joel Cox
156	Matt Gremo
Round 14
Pos	Team	Player
157	Matt Gremo
158	Joel Cox
159	Zach Brook
160	Jamey Eisenberg
161	Heath Cummings
162	Dave Richard
163	Thomas Shafer
164	Chris Towers
165	Adam Aizer
166	R.J. White
167	Rob Thomas
168	Stephen Hauser

Team by Team

Stephen Hauser
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
Rob Thomas
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
R.J. White
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
Adam Aizer
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
Chris Towers
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
Thomas Shafer
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
Dave Richard
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
Heath Cummings
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
Jamey Eisenberg
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
Zach Brook
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
Joel Cox
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
Matt Gremo
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