Fantasy Football Mock Draft: 12-team half-PPR league — here are the results

Yahoo

17 hours ago

Some Yahoo Fantasy staff members joined forces with some of the top analysts from around the fantasy industry to take part in a 12-team, 12-round mock draft. The goal: of gaining valuable insights on what to expect in each round.
The scoring format for this mock is half-PPR (point per reception) with the following roster spots: QB, RB, RB, WR, WR, WR, TE, FLEX, BN, BN, BN, BN. We excluded defenses and kickers, since they are most often drafted in the final rounds.
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A big thank you goes out to everyone who participated:
Matt Harmon, Yahoo Fantasy
Ian Hartitz, Fantasy Life
Ray Garvin, Yahoo Fantasy
Rich Hribar, Sharp Football Analysis
Jennifer Eakins, 4for4
Nathan Jahnke, Pro Football Focus
Chris Allen, Fantasy Life/Yahoo Fantasy
Dave Kluge, Football Guys
Ryan Heath, Fantasy Points
Ben Gretch, Stealing Signals
Derek Brown, Fantasy Pros
Justin Boone, Yahoo Fantasy
*This mock draft took place before the Rashee Rice sentence was announced.
Round 1
Pick
Player
Team
1
Ja'Marr Chase, WR
Matt Harmon
2
CeeDee Lamb, WR
Ian Hartitz
3
Justin Jefferson, WR
Ray Garvin
4
Bijan Robinson, RB
Rich Hribar
5
Saquon Barkley, RB
Jennifer Eakins
6
Jahmyr Gibbs, RB
Nathan Jahnke
7
Christian McCaffrey, RB
Chris Allen
8
Puka Nacua, WR
Dave Kluge
9
De'Von Achane, RB
Ryan Heath
10
Ashton Jeanty, RB
Ben Gretch
11
Brian Thomas Jr., WR
Derek Brown
12
Malik Nabers, WR
Justin Boone
The opening frame was fairly typical for what you'll see in most first rounds this year. You can nitpick little things like whether Robinson should go before Lamb or Jefferson, but that will come down to personal preference on how you want to build your team. While injuries will inevitably turn some of these players into fantasy disappointments, talent-wise, they all belong here.
My pick: Being at the end of the first round means you don't have a chance to select the uber-elite stars, but I was more than happy to get Nabers (my WR4 and eighth overall player in my Top 300) in the 12 spot, as the WR6 in this draft.
The 21-year-old finished as the WR8 in fantasy points per game last season with 109 receptions, 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns. Now, he'll do it all over again with an upgraded situation at quarterback thanks to veteran Russell Wilson and first-rounder Jaxson Dart. Nabers has the volume-talent profile to push himself into the elite WR group by the end of this year.
Round 2
Pick
Player
Team
13
Nico Collins, WR
Justin Boone
14
Drake London, WR
Derek Brown
15
Brock Bowers, TE
Ben Gretch
16
Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR
Ryan Heath
17
Ladd McConkey, WR
Dave Kluge
18
A.J. Brown, WR
Chris Allen
19
Bucky Irving, RB
Nathan Jahnke
20
Derrick Henry, RB
Jennifer Eakins
21
Rashee Rice, WR
Rich Hribar
22
Tyreek Hill, WR
Ray Garvin
23
Josh Jacobs, RB
Ian Hartitz
24
Jonathan Taylor, RB
Matt Harmon
As we mentioned earlier, this mock occurred before the latest news broke about Rice. We'll see where his ADP settles in the next week or so, but I'd expect to see him fall to the fourth or fifth round.
This is also the earliest I've seen Bowers go off the board outside of tight end premium formats, but he certainly has a path to breaking fantasy football this year. As a rookie, Bowers finished third in receptions and eighth in receiving yards among all players at any position. If the arrival of Jeanty and a new coaching staff helps the Raiders get to the red zone more often, Bowers could have a truly transcendent sophomore campaign, similar to Rob Gronkowski's 124-catch, 1,327 yard, 17-touchdown effort in his second year.
My pick: Picking at the Round 1-2 turn, I was able to pair Nabers with Collins and give myself a formidable WR duo to build around. Collins missed five weeks due to injury last year, but finished as the WR7 in fppg (fantasy points per game). If you extrapolate the average receiving yards of his 12 appearances over a full 17-game season, he would have finished third in the league with 1,425 yards — behind only Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson. Don't underestimate Collins' fantasy ceiling.
Round 3
Pick
Player
Team
25
Lamar Jackson, QB
Matt Harmon
26
Josh Allen, QB
Ian Hartitz
27
Chase Brown, RB
Ray Garvin
28
Tee Higgins, WR
Rich Hribar
29
Davante Adams, WR
Jennifer Eakins
30
Trey McBride, TE
Nathan Jahnke
31
Garrett Wilson, WR
Chris Allen
32
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR
Dave Kluge
33
Jayden Daniels, QB
Ryan Heath
34
Kenneth Walker III, RB
Ben Gretch
35
George Kittle, TE
Derek Brown
36
Breece Hall, RB
Justin Boone
Chase Brown is one of my favorite third-round picks in 2025 and might end up returning Round 1 value when all is said and done. Once he took over as the starter last season, Brown was the RB7 in fppg from Week 4 on. A top-five RB finish is well within his range of outcomes this year.
The elite quarterbacks begin flying off the board in this round, as well as the rest of the high-end tight ends. I don't recommend addressing both those spots in the early rounds, but ideally, you'll get one or the other. Having a top-tier fantasy QB or TE can give you a multi-point weekly advantage at those positions.
My pick: Picking at the end of a round can be fun and frustrating at the same time. Since I had to wait until 3.12 to make my selection, I didn't get a chance to draft any of the players I mentioned above. Instead, I invested in a potential bounce-back year for Hall in New York. The 24-year-old was a top-10 fantasy back over his first seven games in 2022 before suffering an ACL tear, posted RB6 per-game results in 2023 and was the RB18 during a challenging 2024 campaign for the Jets. With a new quarterback and coaching staff, I expect him to be a high-end fantasy RB2 with a chance to get back into the top 10.
Round 4
Pick
Player
Team
37
Kyren Williams, RB
Justin Boone
38
RJ Harvey, RB
Derek Brown
39
Marvin Harrison Jr., WR
Ben Gretch
40
Omarion Hampton, RB
Ryan Heath
41
James Cook, RB
Dave Kluge
42
DJ Moore, WR
Chris Allen
43
Jalen Hurts, QB
Nathan Jahnke
44
Mike Evans, WR
Jennifer Eakins
45
Terry McLaurin, WR
Rich Hribar
46
Chuba Hubbard, RB
Ray Garvin
47
Tetairoa McMillan, WR
Ian Hartitz
48
Alvin Kamara, RB
Matt Harmon
While several rosters look good through four rounds, Team Heath might have had the best start of anyone. He secured potentially elite talent at RB, WR and QB (Achane, St. Brown, Daniels), before adding a rookie running back with league-winning potential in Hampton. As much as I like what I've done so far, it's hard not to be impressed by what Team Heath put together.
My pick: People continue to doubt Williams, but he just keeps producing fantasy RB1 campaigns. Playing in a Sean McVay system that's always been fruitful for ball carriers, Williams put up the second-most fantasy points per game among RBs in 2023 and the eighth-most in 2024. Getting him as the RB14 feels like a value.
Round 5
Pick
Player
Team
49
George Pickens, WR
Matt Harmon
50
DK Metcalf, WR
Ian Hartitz
51
Joe Mixon, RB
Ray Garvin
52
Jaylen Waddle, WR
Rich Hribar
53
Courtland Sutton, WR
Jennifer Eakins
54
Jameson Williams, WR
Nathan Jahnke
55
Xavier Worthy, WR
Chris Allen
56
TreVeyon Henderson, RB
Dave Kluge
57
DeVonta Smith, WR
Ryan Heath
58
Travis Hunter, WR
Ben Gretch
59
Kaleb Johnson, RB
Derek Brown
60
James Conner, RB
Justin Boone
The RB value is drying up quickly in the fifth round, which caused many managers to begin a run on receivers; eight were selected in this frame. It's only the beginning, as wideouts rightfully dominate the next few rounds. Though they're being drafted in the WR3-WR4 range, it's not difficult to envision almost every WR chosen from Round 5 to 7, ending the year as a fantasy WR2. Keep that in mind when building your receiving corps.
My pick: Having two picks in a row on the turn, I decided to take a third running back based on his long history of fantasy production. Conner has averaged top-15 fantasy RB stats for four straight years in Arizona. When he's healthy, he's locked in your lineup. Having him as a flex was too enticing to pass up.
Round 6
Pick
Player
Team
61
Chris Olave, WR
Justin Boone
62
Calvin Ridley, WR
Derek Brown
63
Zay Flowers, WR
Ben Gretch
64
Jauan Jennings, WR
Ryan Heath
65
D'Andre Swift, RB
Dave Kluge
66
Joe Burrow, QB
Chris Allen
67
Jordan Addison, WR
Nathan Jahnke
68
David Montgomery, RB
Jennifer Eakins
69
Isiah Pacheco, RB
Rich Hribar
70
Rome Odunze, WR
Ray Garvin
71
Chris Godwin, WR
Ian Hartitz
72
Tony Pollard, RB
Matt Harmon
Team Allen is the first to take a quarterback after the top four were chosen a few rounds earlier. At the time, it seemed like a fine pick, but little did we know the next quarterback wouldn't go off the board until Round 9. It's hindsight analysis now, but if Team Allen knew that would be the case, I doubt he would have picked Burrow in this spot.
That's not a knock on Burrow, it's just a value assessment on how flat the QB landscape is this year after that initial group. Once the high-end fantasy quarterbacks (Allen, Jackson, Daniels, Hurts) are taken, you might as well wait until the later rounds before addressing that position.
My pick: With two WRs and two RBs already set in my lineup, I can shift towards pure upside options. Drafting Olave a little ahead of ADP might seem odd to some, but don't forget, this is a 25-year-old receiver who had back-to-back 1,000-yard stat lines to start his career. As Matt Harmon pointed out, Olave is 10th in first downs per route run among qualified receivers, 11th in yards per route, 13th in targets per route and 7th in successful targets per route. While the concussion history is concerning, if he stays healthy, there's a top-20 fantasy wideout waiting to re-emerge.
Round 7
Pick
Player
Team
73
Jayden Reed, WR
Matt Harmon
74
Brian Robinson Jr., RB
Ian Hartitz
75
Jerry Jeudy, WR
Ray Garvin
76
Stefon Diggs, WR
Rich Hribar
77
Jakobi Meyers, WR
Jennifer Eakins
78
Deebo Samuel Sr., WR
Nathan Jahnke
79
Jaylen Warren, RB
Chris Allen
80
Ricky Pearsall, WR
Dave Kluge
81
Josh Downs, WR
Ryan Heath
82
Michael Pittman Jr., WR
Ben Gretch
83
Jayden Higgins, WR
Derek Brown
84
Sam LaPorta, TE
Justin Boone
Team Heath continues to execute a savvy strategy. After a near-flawless first four rounds, he's attacked the loaded receiver range from Rounds 5 to 7, securing Smith at WR29, Jennings at WR34 and Downs at WR44. Smith was WR17 in fppg last year, Jennings has a chance to be the 49ers No. 1 wideout this season and Downs was recently featured in my 2025 breakouts column. Well played, Mr. Heath. Well played.
My pick: LaPorta isn't generally someone I've been targeting in the area of drafts he normally gets taken, but in this case, he fell a round or two past his usual ADP. And depending how you look at it, that could be a win for me value-wise. Unfortunately, the next tight end didn't get drafted until Round 10. If you had given me the option between LaPorta at the end of Round 7 or Hockenson at the Round 9-10 turn, I would have taken the Vikings tight end every time. As it stands, I got my TE4 overall at a discount, which I should be happy about — but I'm not.
Round 8
Pick
Player
Team
85
Emeka Egbuka, WR
Justin Boone
86
Cam Skattebo, RB
Derek Brown
87
Brandon Aiyuk, WR
Ben Gretch
88
Aaron Jones, RB
Ryan Heath
89
Travis Etienne Jr., RB
Dave Kluge
90
Tyrone Tracy, RB
Chris Allen
91
Matthew Golden, WR
Nathan Jahnke
92
Khalil Shakir, WR
Jennifer Eakins
93
Darnell Mooney, WR
Rich Hribar
94
J.K. Dobbins, RB
Ray Garvin
95
Jordan Mason, RB
Ian Hartitz
96
Rashid Shaheed, WR
Matt Harmon
The fact that Mason is going in the same round as his teammate Jones is either going to look like an absolutely foolish fantasy decision or one of the shrewdest moves of draft season. The Vikings coaching staff has already talked up a committee between the two backs, with Mason being favored for the goal-line work in an offense that should be in scoring position often. Count me among those investing far more in Mason than Jones this year.
My pick: If you listen to the Yahoo Fantasy Forecast, you know how I feel about Egbuka's fantasy outlook for 2025. It's possible he could be stuck behind two talented veterans, but with Mike Evans turning 32 this summer and Chris Godwin working his way back from an injury, it seems like there will be an opportunity for the first-round wideout to make his mark early. I want to be ahead of ADP on a player who could be the best value out there at the moment.
Round 9
Pick
Player
Team
97
Rashod Bateman, WR
Matt Harmon
98
Rhamondre Stevenson, RB
Ian Hartitz
99
Keon Coleman, WR
Ray Garvin
100
Patrick Mahomes, QB
Rich Hribar
101
Zach Charbonnet, RB
Jennifer Eakins
102
Quinshon Judkins, RB
Nathan Jahnke
103
Tyjae Spears, RB
Chris Allen
104
Kyler Murray, QB
Dave Kluge
105
Luther Burden, WR
Ryan Heath
106
Bhayshul Tuten, RB
Ben Gretch
107
Tre Harris, WR
Derek Brown
108
Trey Benson, RB
Justin Boone
Judkins fell to this round as the RB38 off the board due to the uncertainty around his off-field situation. While it's dangerous to speculate on potential outcomes stemming from the allegations and charges against him, it's impossible to ignore the risk associated to his fantasy profile now. I can honestly say I don't plan on drafting Judkins until we learn more about his case, but if you were interested in taking him, this is a range that adequately factors in the downside.
My pick: After taking Conner in the fifth round, I hedge my investment by selecting his backup and the heir apparent to the Cardinals' backfield in Benson. Conner missed at least two games in every year of his career prior to 2024, but he's been far more than healthy than people give him credit for. Even so, taking Benson in this round guarantees me the production of an Arizona backfield that has been an automatic fantasy start for several years now.
Round 10
Pick
Player
Team
109
Javonte Williams, RB
Justin Boone
110
Tank Bigsby, RB
Derek Brown
111
T.J. Hockenson, TE
Ben Gretch
112
Roschon Johnson, RB
Ryan Heath
113
Travis Kelce, TE
Dave Kluge
114
Mark Andrews, TE
Chris Allen
115
Cooper Kupp, WR
Nathan Jahnke
116
Evan Engram, TE
Jennifer Eakins
117
Ray Davis, RB
Rich Hribar
118
J.J. McCarthy, QB
Ray Garvin
119
Najee Harris, RB
Ian Hartitz
120
Tucker Kraft, TE
Matt Harmon
Round 10: A run on tight end finally begins and though Hockenson would be my favorite choice of the bunch selected here — don't sleep on Kraft. The 24-year-old was the TE12 in fppg last year and showcased high-end YAC ability, leading all tight ends in that category. Jordan Love also told reporters that Kraft's usage is a focus for the team this offseason. The intersection of talent and opportunity is normally a good place to live for fantasy.
My pick: While I have very little faith in either Javonte Williams or the Cowboys' backfield producing fantasy goodness in 2025, getting a potential starting running back in the 10th round as the RB42 is a move you have to make — even if that guy is Williams.
Round 11
Pick
Player
Team
121
Jaydon Blue, RB
Matt Harmon
122
David Njoku, TE
Ian Hartitz
123
Dallas Goedert, TE
Ray Garvin
124
Isaac Guerendo, RB
Rich Hribar
125
Baker Mayfield, QB
Jennifer Eakins
126
Marvin Mims Jr., WR
Nathan Jahnke
127
Christian Kirk, WR
Chris Allen
128
Rachaad White, RB
Dave Kluge
129
Colston Loveland, TE
Ryan Heath
130
Bo Nix, QB
Ben Gretch
131
Justin Fields, QB
Derek Brown
132
Caleb Williams, QB
Justin Boone
Round 11: If you were to criticize a mock draft full of analyst drafts, you might point out that they tend to wait longer than most leagues to draft quarterbacks. That's the only explanation for guys like Mayfield (QB3 in fppg in 2024), Nix (QB9 in fppg in 2024) and Fields (QB7 over the 6 games he started) being available in the 11th round. However, even if those guys were here you would still have a plethora of passers to choose from in this area. Go early (elite fantasy QBs) or go very late when choosing a fantasy quarterback this season.
My pick: On that note, I was hoping to get Fields but had to "settle" for Caleb Williams. It might take some time for the sophomore to get comfortable in the new scheme implemented by Ben Johnson, but I'm confident the production will come the same way it did for Jared Goff in Detroit. The Bears also fixed the interior of their offensive line and got two new pass-catching weapons for Williams in the first two rounds of the draft. Big things are coming in Chicago and it revolves around their young QB.
Round 12
Pick
Player
Team
133
Kyle Williams, WR
Justin Boone
134
Dak Prescott, QB
Derek Brown
135
Tyler Allgeier, RB
Ben Gretch
136
Cedric Tillman, WR
Ryan Heath
137
Justin Herbert, QB
Dave Kluge
138
Romeo Doubs, WR
Chris Allen
139
Braelon Allen, RB
Nathan Jahnke
140
Dont'e Thornton, WR
Jennifer Eakins
141
Dalton Kincaid, TE
Rich Hribar
142
Dylan Sampson, RB
Ray Garvin
143
Jaylen Wright, RB
Ian Hartitz
144
Quentin Johnston, WR
Matt Harmon
Team Harmon closed things out with Johnston before the news of Mike Williams retirement broke. Johnston was the WR40 in fantasy points per game a year ago and might sneak into WR3 territory, especially if rookie Tre Harris doesn't hit the ground running for the Chargers. Either way, it's a great value pick at the end of the 12th round.
My pick: If you're wondering, I didn't intend to draft three straight players named Williams in the final three rounds. Stefon Diggs appears to be as healthy as one could be coming off a serious knee injury, which might delay the true breakout of rookie Kyle Williams. Still, Drake Maye showed signs of being a talent elevator and, at this value, I'm willing to take a chance on the third-rounder quickly developing into a playmaker in an offense that desperately needs some.