Fantasy football season is upon us and there's a good chance your upcoming fantasy draft snuck up on you faster than expected. 

If you only have so much time to prep and you don't feel like spending a ton of time sitting in a mock draft lobby, fear not. A staff of NBC Sports Washington writers and video editors/producers got together for a 12-team fantasy football mock draft to give a good idea of how a given draft could go down. 

Draft order

1. Shelby Daniels
2. Mike DePrisco
3. Isaiah Cromer
4. JJ Regan
5. Matt Cone
6. Tyler Byrum
7. Prince Grimes
8. Cory Skloff
9. Ethan Cadeaux
10. Megan Joseph
11. Andrew Gillis
12. Matt Weyrich

The order was randomized one hour before the draft began and it's a PPR league, giving one point to player per each reception they make during games. 

Round 1 

Analysis: Shelby gave us a surprise right at the top, taking Derrick Henry over consensus top choices Christian McCaffrey and Dalvin Cook. Henry has led the NFL in carries, rushing yards and rushing touchdowns the last two seasons, though. 

Round 2

Analysis: One of our resident Washington Football Team experts made Antonio Gibson the first player taken from the hometown team in Round 2. Gibson impressed as a rookie last season with over 1,000 scrimmage yards and 11 touchdowns. Here, Ethan's banking on Gibson to take his game to another level in 2021. 

Round 3

Analysis: Tight end is probably the hardest position to get steady production out of week-to-week, so if you have a chance to get an elite one, it may be worth passing on a few running backs and wide receivers to secure. Tyler took the top guy in the first round in Travis Kelce, while Isaiah and Ethan snagged the next two in Darren Waller and George Kittle. 

Round 4

Analysis: We have the first two quarterbacks off the board, and neither are Patrick Mahomes. Weird. Matt Cone and Isaiah opted for two of the best quarterbacks in the AFC who have yet to win a Super Bowl. Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen are both elite quarterbacks, they just aren't Mahomes. 

Round 5

Analysis: The fifth round saw three rookies come off the board in Kyle Pitts, Ja'Marr Chase and Travis Etienne Jr. The 2021 class was loaded with talented playmakers and there's a good chance a few of them make an instant impact in fantasy this year. If you're in a dynasty format, this is a good year to have a high draft pick. 

Round 6

Analysis: This is the stage of the draft where championships are both won and lost. Some teams play it safe by taking standout performers from the year before like Chase Claypool at No. 68 or Tyler Boyd at No. 71, while others go for the boom-or-bust options like Antonio Brown at No. 63 and Odell Beckham Jr. at No. 70. Who's to say which approach is right? 

Round 7

Analysis: Speaking of boom or bust, Megan's team is looking like the prime example for that phrase. She took a rookie running back in the second round, a tight end in the third, Antonio Brown in the sixth and now Leviska Shenault Jr. in the seventh. With Kyler Murray and Davante Adams holding things down at the other starting spots, this is looking like a squad with a lot of variability.

Round 8

Analysis: Another rookie goes off the board with Isaiah taking DeVonta Smith 94th overall. Smith is probably the best receiver on the Eagles, but Philadelphia hasn't had a ton of success getting stable production out of that position since Jeremy Maclin in 2014. Maybe securing a Heisman Trophy winner will do the trick. 

Round 9

Analysis: A lot of people in this draft made fun of a particular owner for taking the Washington defense in the ninth round. That particular owner would tell them that with his key starters secured at quarterback, running back and wide receiver with a good backup at each spot, why not take the best defense available? How many players in rounds 8-12 actually make a start for you in the regular season? If you were buying a car that had all four tires but no brakes, you wouldn't ask for more tires. 

Round 10

Analysis: Prince taking Irv Smith Jr. at No. 114 could be one of the big steals of this draft. The former second-round pick emerged as the Vikings' best tight end over Kyle Rudolph last year and is poised to get a good share of the red zone targets in 2021. As Dalvin Cook and Justin Jefferson draw most of the opposing defenses' attention, Smith could fill in that gap and become a top fantasy option this year. 

Round 11

Analysis: We're starting to see more defenses come off the board here as two AFC North units get picked up in Round 11. So far, Washington, Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Cleveland are the top defenses per this mock draft. Trying to score in that division is not going to be an easy task. 

Round 12

Analysis: Andrew and J.J. must talk to each other quite a bit because they had the same idea of taking rookie quarterbacks here in Round 12. Lawrence is the presumed No. 1 in Jacksonville, but Fields has yet to earn a starting job yet in Chicago. Andrew might know something we don't since he took him ahead of Lawrence and Trey Lance. 

Round 13

Analysis: Megan got great value here by getting the 49ers at No. 154, who might just be the best defense in the NFL after an injury-riddled 2020. Ethan also may have gotten the rookie quarterback with the highest ceiling in 2021 by taking Lance. 

Round 14

Analysis: Given Alvin Kamara's heavy workload over the past few years, drafting his handcuff isn't the worst idea. By taking Latavius Murray, Matt gets a productive back who might earn an increased workload with Jameis Winston at quarterback. 

Round 15

Analysis: Kirk Cousins is still worth drafting in fantasy football?! That's news to me. Meanwhile, Matt gets some more value late in the draft by taking the Dolphins defense, which was a turnover machine last season and is returning just about every key player from a year ago with a few additions. 

Round 16

Analysis: Zach Ertz used to warrant a third or fourth-round pick in PPR leagues, but this year he's Mr. Irrelevant. Considering he may not be on the Eagles by the time the season begins, it makes at least a little sense that he dropped this far.