Fantasy Football Mock Draft: 12-team, 3-WR PPR league — here are the results
This week, I decided to take a different approach and use the Yahoo Fantasy Plus Instant Mock Draft tool to quickly test my skills with the fourth pick overall.
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The scoring format for this mock is full PPR (point per reception) with the following roster spots: QB, RB, RB, WR, WR, WR, TE, FLEX, BN, BN, BN, BN. And as always, I excluded defenses and kickers, since they should only be drafted in the final rounds.
My Full Roster
QB: Josh Allen
WR: Justin Jefferson
WR: Drake London
WR: Emeka Egbuka
RB: Kenneth Walker III
RB: James Conner
TE: Dalton Kincaid
FLEX: TreVeyon Henderson
Bench: Ricky Pearsall
Bench: Keon Coleman
Bench: Jordan Mason
Bench: J.K. Dobbins
Round 1
1.04 - Justin Jefferson (MIN - WR)
After the Christian McCaffrey debacle last summer, it's understandable if some fantasy managers want to avoid anyone in the opening round who's dealing with an injury. By all accounts, the Vikings are being extra cautious and Jefferson's hamstring should have plenty of time to heal before Week 1. In a full-PPR league, taking a player who's finished as a top-five fantasy receiver each of the last four years is an easy selection. However, if you are worried about Jefferson's injury, Jahmyr Gibbs is a fine choice here.
Round 2
2.09 - Drake London (ATL - WR)
London is my favorite second-round pick this year, as I recently explained on the Yahoo Fantasy Forecast. More stable quarterback play helped him have a breakout season last year, finishing as the fifth-highest scoring fantasy wideout on a per game basis. Once Michael Penix Jr. became the starter over the final three games, London was tied as the No. 1 overall fantasy wideout during that stretch. Volume is king and with Jefferson and London, I have two players who should finish top five in targets this year.
Round 3
3.04 - Josh Allen (BUF - QB)
The third round can be a weird area of drafts this season, with a very clear tier break that normally occurs early once guys like Ladd McConkey and Chase Brown are off the board. With no glaring receivers or running backs enticing me, I often take an elite QB or TE in this range. This time around, it was Josh Allen, who has finished as the QB2, QB1, QB3, QB1 and QB4 overall through the last five years. Allen is poised for another great season with some promising young pass-catchers (Keon Coleman, Dalton Kincaid) expected to take steps forward in 2025.
Round 4
4.09 - Kenneth Walker III (SEA - RB)
Hero RB has been my favorite approach over the last few seasons, but this year I've often found myself taking two running backs in the first four rounds. In a PPR format, I'm willing to push that back a little further, while still trying to make sure I get two of my top 20 RBs. Walker was the RB12 in fantasy points per game last season, but doesn't get the love he deserves because of his inability to stay healthy. I'm willing to roll the dice on the 24-year-old putting it together for a full season and even if he doesn't, I'll gladly start him as a top-15 option whenever he's on the field.
Round 5
5.04 - James Conner (ARI - RB)
While he might not have as much juice as Walker, Conner has been a similar fantasy option in recent years. Since arriving in Arizona, whenever Conner has been healthy, he produces top-15 fantasy stats on average. You just have to accept that he might miss some time. In the fifth round, I'm willing to take on more risk and, if Conner continues to produce, he's an excellent RB2 and a value in this round. You can also scoop up his backup Trey Benson at a reasonable ADP in the later rounds.
Round 6
6.09 - TreVeyon Henderson (NE - RB)
Since I waited a little longer than usual to address running back and took two players who have dealt with durability issues in the past, it made sense to grab a third back here. Henderson is an exciting playmaker whom the Patriots invested high draft capital in, but his pass-catching skills make him even more valuable in PPR leagues. Rhamondre Stevenson will have a role in the New England backfield, but Henderson is far more explosive and it won't take long for the coaching staff to feature him.
Round 7
7.04 - Emeka Egbuka (TB - WR)
The hype around Egbuka has been undeniable and the first-rounder seems destined for an impactful rookie campaign in Tampa Bay. Chris Godwin missing time early in the season due to his ankle injury has become a realistic scenario and would put Egbuka in position to star right away next to Mike Evans. In addition to all the praise he's been getting, the fact Egbuka is learning every receiver position in the offense is yet another path towards him producing in Year 1. While this is higher than his current ADP on most sites, this is the range he's been going in my recent drafts.
Justin Boone's 2025 Fantasy Rankings
QB | RB | WR | TE | DEF | K | Top 300
Round 8
8.09 - Ricky Pearsall (SF - WR)
Brandon Aiyuk is likely to start the season on the PUP list and Jauan Jennings is dealing with a calf injury and a contract situation that has him on the sidelines at the moment. In their absences, Pearsall has been shining in practices and showing why the 49ers took him in the first round last year. We saw glimpses of it last season as well, when the 24-year-old posted 4.3 receptions, 56.4 yards and 0.4 touchdowns per game in the seven contests where he received at least four targets. If he could continue those numbers over 17 games, it would have made him the WR23 in 2024. Whether Jennings is available for Week 1 or not, Pearsall is on the verge of a breakout campaign.
Round 9
9.04 - Dalton Kincaid (BUF - TE)
Tight ends went off the board a little earlier than usual in this mock, likely due to the tool valuing pass-catchers in a PPR format. I nearly missed out on my target tier, but fortunately, Kincaid was the last man left from the group that also includes Tucker Kraft, Tyler Warren and Colston Loveland. Aside from some minor injuries, the offseason drumbeat has been very positive around Kincaid. As I wrote in my TE breakouts column, the 25-year-old was on pace for over 100 targets last year before suffering a PCL sprain. Only four tight ends reached the 100-target mark in 2024: Brock Bowers, Trey McBride, Travis Kelce and Jonnu Smith.
Round 10
10.09 - Keon Coleman (BUF - WR)
Some might blame my Bills' fandom, but stacking Allen with Kincaid and Coleman is not a bad move this year. Both Coleman and Kincaid have been earning a lot of positive reports for their practice performances and Buffalo would love nothing more than to see its highly-drafted young pass-catchers reach their potential. With Khalil Shakir likely to miss time early in the season with a high ankle sprain, Coleman could find himself as the No. 1 receiver in one of the league's best offenses. There will still be inconsistency play to play and week to week, but Coleman's double-digit touchdown upside is worth chasing in this area of drafts.
Round 11
11.04 - Jordan Mason (SF - RB)
After passing on Mason in favor of Coleman in the last round, I expected the Vikings back to be gone by this pick. Fortunately, that wasn't the case. Minnesota's desire to lighten Aaron Jones Sr.'s workload and deploy something close to a 50-50 committee appears to be coming to fruition. With the improvements to their offensive line and the general success Kevin O'Connell's offenses have had, Mason can be a strong RB3/flex option with RB1 upside if Jones gets hurt.
Round 12
12.09 - J.K. Dobbins (DEN - RB)
Dobbins' stock is rising as people realize he might start the season with a legitimate role in Denver. His injury history makes it impossible to project a full season from the 26-year-old, but in this range, you don't need him to play all year. Getting a veteran back who was the RB14 in fppg through 11 weeks last season before getting injured is incredible value — even if he only stays healthy for half a season or gets blown away by rookie RJ Harvey as the season progresses.
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