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Fantasy football: The ideal mock draft for 2018

By Chris Wilson

LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 17: Todd Gurley #30 of the Los Angeles Rams leaps over Bashaud Breeland #26 of the Washington Redskins before scoring a touchdown during the third quarter at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 17: Todd Gurley #30 of the Los Angeles Rams leaps over Bashaud Breeland #26 of the Washington Redskins before scoring a touchdown during the third quarter at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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Fantasy Football ideal 2018 mock draft
LOS ANGELES, CA – SEPTEMBER 17: Todd Gurley #30 of the Los Angeles Rams leaps over Bashaud Breeland #26 of the Washington Redskins before scoring a touchdown during the third quarter at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

Can you recall the one fantasy football draft that went just as you envisioned — no one sniped any of your picks, and every one of your draft targets fell to you, perfectly according to plan? Me neither, but we can all dream — and with that, we bring you the ideal mock draft for 2018.

If you are currently in possession of your fantasy football league trophy, there’s a pretty good chance you drafted Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley in the second — or perhaps third round — of last year’s fantasy draft.

Over a third of last year’s fantasy football champions had Gurley on their roster, thanks to the running back’s top-scoring regular season numbers, and his domination during the fantasy football playoffs.

For every owner who drafted Gurley, there’s another owner that missed on Gurley by one pick. Perhaps you owned the next pick in the draft, and selected Oakland Raiders wide receiver Amari Cooper. I’m guessing you didn’t win your fantasy league.

It’s just as likely, however, that you passed on Gurley after his 2016 letdown season, and instead drafted the latest hyped prospect — perhaps a Terrelle Pryor or an Isaiah Crowell. I bet you didn’t win your fantasy league either.

Winning in fantasy football takes a lot of knowledge and skill, a winning strategy and/or a whole lot of luck. Today, we remove luck from the equation, because every player is going to end up right where he’s supposed to  — within a couple of picks — per Fantasy Football Calculator’s current Average Draft Position (ADP) for 12-team points-per-reception (PPR) fantasy football leagues.

We have the fifth pick in the draft, after getting “Gurlied” in the first round of the playoffs last season. With the luck of the draft removed, let’s see if we have the knowledge, skill and winning strategy to draft a league-winning fantasy football team for 2018.