Fantasy Football: Favorite pick in every round of a 12-team draft

Yahoo

17 hours ago

Here, I'll go through my favorite pick in every round in Yahoo fantasy football leagues right now. I'll try to put together a complete team in the exercise as well, so don't worry … you won't just get 13 wide receiver picks from me in this space. Also, I've used Yahoo ADP from the last seven days (up to August 18) for the most up-to-date draft slots for these players. That made the exercise harder for me, but will be more useful to you.
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We'll go 13 rounds deep here.
Round 1 - Bijan Robinson (2nd overall ADP)
You'll need a top-two selection to grab Bijan Robinson but if this is about my favorite pick in each round, nothing gasses me up more than being able to secure the star back. Robinson has been an ultra-productive player so far in his career but this could be the season he strikes at his ceiling. The Falcons led the NFL by a wide margin in zone rushing rate (71%) per Fantasy Points Data but ranked first in success rate on gap runs. The latter tends to produce more explosive plays and the lack of home runs has been a critique in Robinson's profile.
We often see first-time offensive coordinators add more wrinkles in their second season, so it's not out of the question that Zac Robinson mixes up the run game more in 2025. Bijan should also be the primary checkdown option for Michael Penix Jr., who reads defenses well to get to those checkdowns and is more likely to hit those than to scramble.
Round 2 - Drake London (17th overall ADP)
I have Drake London ranked 10th overall this year and he goes at pick 17, which is up from his 20th overall ADP for most of the summer. I just don't get why London isn't universally ranked at the Round 1 to 2 turn. London owned an outrageous 38.9% target share in Michael Penix Jr.'s three starts and, while he won't carry that over perfectly into 2025, he's been the clear top guy in camp for Penix.
London could easily get north of 30% as he's a true No. 1 wideout who wins at all three levels and from multiple alignments. With Darnell Mooney out for an undetermined length of time, London should only continue to dominate the targets; he could lead the league in that category this year. He's just as talented as guys like Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr., who go ahead of him in Yahoo ADP, and is paired with a quarterback who can unlock his game on deep out routes.
Monster year incoming for the Falcons' two best players on offense for a team that will have to push the limit on that side of the ball to make up for a generous defense.
Round 3 - Jayden Daniels (29th overall ADP)
The third round is an uninspiring dead zone in fantasy drafts this year. The wide receiver picks are dicey, with pretty similar projections to most of the guys in the following couple of rounds, and while Kyren Williams and Omarion Hampton aren't flawless picks at ADP, they are the only running backs I actually like clicking in this range. So, I often mind myself defaulting to taking one of the elite quarterbacks in this spot. Jayden Daniels is the last guy in the tier, so he typically ends up being my selection.
Daniels is a special runner and the reason Washington's offense is widely projected to repeat its dynamic performance from 2024. This is evidenced by the fact that, despite Daniels' beefy ADP, only one other Commanders' player — holdout WR1 Terry McLaurin — goes inside the top 90 selections.
Round 4 - Kenneth Walker III (40th overall ADP)
The Seahawks have sent a clear signal from the moment they fired Ryan Grubb all the way up to a dominant 48-carry, 268-yard rushing performance in Week 2 of the preseason that their intent is to dominate on the ground and marry their run and pass games together. That's the staple of the Shanahan offense, which Klint Kubiak will install this season.
Kenneth Walker III is a natural fit as an explosive outside zone runner. When he's healthy, he will be ranked as a near top 12 player at the position. And he should see an increase in his checkdown opportunities after setting career-highs as a receiver last year. Yes, there are injury concerns with Walker, so Zach Charbonnet is one of my favorite late-round picks at running back. However, be serious about the players you're looking at in Round 4; none of them come without risk. So, lean into the ceiling and get a back that, when healthy, should moonwalk into being a top-scorer behind an improved offensive line.
Round 5 - George Pickens (56th overall ADP)
I won't repeat myself on George Pickens too much here, as I highlighted him as 'the one player I won't leave a draft without' in my annual Draft Day Blueprint mega-piece earlier this month. Pickens took a big step forward as an individual player last year via Reception Perception, was a top-12 receiver in yards per route run vs. man coverage and now plays in the best offensive environment of his career. That's the summary.
I'll just note here that we finally got Pickens into a much fairer ADP territory after it was clear for months he was the most misvalued player in fantasy. However, I still rank him ahead of this 56th overall ADP and think he has just as high of a ceiling projection as some of the wide receivers who go a round or two ahead of him.
Round 6 - TreVeyon Henderson (61st overall ADP)
If you can acquire TreVeyon Henderson as your RB3, you just have to do it. Henderson is an explosive runner who has experience hitting outside gap runs, which should be a staple of this Josh McDaniels offense. He's also a weapon as a receiver for a team that needs juice in the passing game. In fantasy, we want to prioritize big-play potential from our backs and receiving production along with it. Henderson checks both boxes.
To be totally clear, I don't know how much longer we can even get Henderson in this range. His ADP is on a rocket ship after a fantastic showing in the preseason. Should he get north of the sixth round, Jaylen Waddle (62nd overall ADP) is my top backup choice, because he has the upside to lead Miami in receiving this season with the way Tyreek Hill is trending. Also, you can take any of the wide receivers I list in the next section ahead of ADP, too.
Round 7 - Travis Hunter (77th overall ADP)
Quite frankly, there are so many wide receiver picks I like in the late sixth to seventh round in current ADP (pick 69 to 82). This is right in the money section of the section I highlighted in my wide receiver position preview, where you can feel the strength of the group. You'll find Tetarioa McMillan, Calvin Ridley, Chris Olave and Rome Odunze in this range — all of those players are firmly in my draft plans. However, the most fun player to select in this range is Travis Hunter. Already a wide receiver prospect I was incredibly bullish on predraft as a truly special football player with prime Odell Beckham Jr. upside, Hunter landing in Liam Coen's offense was a dream fit and you've already seen that with his preseason deployment.
Hunter will get a ton of easy-button targets from the slot and in motion. He's a natural fit on screens and crossers that were the staples of this offense in 2024. It's been clear for months that Hunter will be a receiver first who dabbles on defense in Jacksonville, and will be a near full-time offensive player on passing downs. He has a solid floor given his projected usage and an immense ceiling with his ability if the offense clicks under Coen in Year 1.
Round 8 - Tucker Kraft (92nd overall ADP)
When it comes to breakout tight ends, we want guys who are on the field often, play in strong offensive environments for touchdown equity and (with a bonus) if they have the upside to be a top-two target on their team. Tucker Kraft checks every box. Only four tight ends ran a route on over 80% of their team's dropbacks in 2024: Trey McBride (87.1%), Brock Bowers (84.5%), Travis Kelce (83.9%) and Tucker Kraft (83.5%).
The Packers are projected to be an excellent offense again this season and Kraft is a proven touchdown threat with a 10% touchdown rate. He ranked third among tight ends with 50-plus targets. Lastly, while we're all anxious to discuss the Packers' wide receivers and try to solve that rotation, it's just as possible that a third-year leap from Kraft secures him one of the top two or three spots on this target tree.
Round 9 - Ricky Pearsall (98th overall ADP)
Ricky Pearsall is one of, if not my favorite, breakout picks at wide receiver this season. While he got off to an understandably slow start to his rookie season after recovering from a gunshot wound, he was smoking man coverage by the final month of his rookie season.
This is not new. He had an 87th percentile success rate vs. man coverage player as a prospect in Reception Perception. He's ticketed for a unique role in the 49ers wide receiver room as a movement Z and slot who can run vertical patterns and master whip, option and return routes. The 49ers haven't had a player like this before in that room and it's critical he's in place now that they're transitioning to more of a true dropback offense. The fantasy community just doesn't realize how high of a ceiling this player has and he's set to take the field for an efficient passer and play-caller who prints production.
Round 10 - Matthew Golden (113th overall ADP)
The fantasy industry has over-indexed on how run-heavy, and how volatile the Green Bay Packers were in the receiver room last year.
It's caused some serious value to be available late for their passing-game players. The Packers are widely expected to be a top 10 to 12 offense this year, and yet, Josh Jacobs is their only offensive player going inside the top 90 overall picks. The industry-wide fade has even extended to Round 1 rookie, Matthew Golden. While Golden isn't the same level of prospect as some of the rookies who ripped through the NFL last year, he's no slouch. He was third among all the prospects I charted last year in success rate vs. zone coverage, behind only Emeka Egbuka (another excellent post-top-90 wide receiver pick) and Travis Hunter. Golden wins on the deep in-breaking routes that Jordan Love gravitates to, ripping down the field. He just shouldn't be going this late.
Round 11 - Bhayshul Tuten (126th overall ADP)
In reality, you should just be taking your shots on Jaguars running backs. It's an ambiguous backfield that will play under a play-calling head coach who was the architect for one of the best rushing games in the NFL last season. We cannot and should not try to copy and paste those results to the Jaguars. However, we should still expect Jacksonville's offense overall to improve and the run game to get a boost along with it. While Bhayshul Tuten is running as the RB3 in preseason, there's plenty of time for him to make up ground once we get into the season. He's the Jaguars' best perimeter runner when they want to get into outside zone concepts and brings big-play ability. Since he's the one going last among the backs, he's the easiest to prioritize.
Round 12 - Rashid Shaheed (130th overall ADP)
I'm often hesitant to invest into offenses that might well be ticketed for a bottom-five overall finish. New Orleans looks headed for that trajectory. However, there are reasons to make an exception for this group because it should be concentrated between the top three guys and all three of Alvin Kamara, Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed are going so late relative to their talent. That's especially true for Shaheed, who people still profile as just a deep threat.
Shaheed can run a three-level route tree and is capable of winning with the ball in his hands in space. Kellen Moore is well-known for getting his players free releases and creating space with slot work. Shaheed took almost 40% of his snaps in preseason Week 2 inside. He stands out in the deep 100s in ADP as someone who should push for 110 targets with ease.
Round 13 - Theo Johnson (Undrafted ADP)
I'm intrigued by Theo Johnson, who could be the second target for Russell Wilson in New York and isn't being drafted in Yahoo leagues. He is an absolute freakshow of an athlete. The 6-foot-6, 259-pound Johnson posted a 91st percentile 40-yard dash, 96th percentile vertical jump and 93rd percentile broad jump at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine. Closing your eyes and taking athletes has been a profitable strategy at this position in the past. Johnson also played 84% of the snaps and drew 43 targets as a rookie from Weeks 1 to 13 before going on IR.