While everyone loves fantasy expert reviews of who is going where, we wanted to “fantasy fact check” some of our assumptions  — and bring in a pro. 

Meet Austin Ekeler. Washington Commanders RB. ADP of 116.3 on ESPN. 11th round pick in our latest mock. Fan of Omarion Hampton. 

And fellow fantasy player. 

Austin's running a series of charity fantasy leagues (signups will run through August!), where you can play against current and former NFL players like Geno Smith, A.J. Dillon, Ray Lewis, and more. You can collect some memorabilia just for joining, get upgraded autographed prizes for winning, and hey — you're doing some good! 

We asked Austin to take a look at our latest mock draft — a 12-team half-PPR league from early June. 

**You can view the full draft board here**

Fantasy Life: Let's start with the the first round. any any first impressions?

Austin Ekeler: Drake London was a little low here. 

Drake London's in a position where he's in a contract year coming off of one of his best receiving years. So I was surprised to see him in the mid-second round here. He could have definitely jumped up, even in front of Nico Collins in the first round. Even a Tee Higgins. I like Drake London over Tee Higgins. I can see him popping off this year.

Fantasy Life: Were you surprised to see only four running backs going in the first round?

Austin Ekeler: As far as the three top running backs (Saquon Barkley, Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs), I feel like those are the three right now. Maybe you could put Derrick Henry up in there somewhere. 

I've seen Christian kind of falling back a little bit, too. He's kind of like an “all or nothing,” it seems. Depends on if you want to take the risk on him or not. 

The Ashton Jeanty pick is interesting. 

I've seen him in a lot of first rounds in a couple of mock drafts that I've done. I think there's this anticipation that Pete Carroll is just going to feed him the rock, you know? Just continue to to let him pound that young body down the field. So we'll see. I think it's a good pick in the second round. I think that's good value right there. 

Fantasy Life: Do you see any red flags there with Jeanty being the main guy? Are there some things that you're like, as a player who's been through it, “you guys are making a big mistake”?

Austin Ekeler: It's it's tough to tell because I remember when Najee Harris got into the league and he was getting everything, right? All the checkdowns, the runs — he was getting 25 plus touches a game as a rookie, and they were feeding that man the rock. He was definitely a league winner that year because he was durable, made it through the whole season, and then Big Ben at the time was was checking it down to him like crazy. So we could see something like that with Jeanty and Geno Smith out there. 

It really comes down to what's the situation in the running back room — I think they got a lot of guys that have seen a lot of play over there. And I think Jeanty is going to get an opportunity to really own that position if he does well and he earns the trust of the coaches.

I could definitely see why people would justify putting him in the first round.

Fantasy Life: There are guys in the 4th and 5th that always guys pop in that range and become first or or high second rounders the next year. Anybody you could see in there who flies up the the draft board in 2026?

Austin Ekeler: Yeah, I can see Alvin Kamara being that. Kind of like what we talked about with Najee Harris. I think Alvin Kamara is going to be a stable part of that offense that is consistent. That offense is still trying to find their identity, it seems like. And you know, Alvin's been a part of that. He's always continued to pop out. 

And the guy that went next to him is an interesting take as well. Omarion Hampton.

This dude just looks like an absolute unit. I think that's great value getting him in the fifth round. And I know they have Najee in that room over there, but I could definitely see Harbaugh, who likes to run the ball, I can see them utilizing Hampton a ton there. Both the Harbaughs got big backs now.

But I think Hampton is going to be a star in the league. I really do. I think he's gonna be a dynamic player. He's going into a great offense, he's going to get the ball thrown to him and he's going to be a pivotal part in that in that offense, especially down in the in the red zone. And we know Harbaugh likes to to run the ball so I think it's just an opportunity for him to become one of these emerging stars that we've seen with so many other running backs. Like a Breece Hall, you know, when he was in his rookie year popping off? I could see that type of production from him.

RELATED: Thor Nystrom's scouting profile on Omarion Hampton

Let’s see what else we got in here. A lot of running backs went in this range. You guys were receiver-heavy up front and then got some good running back value down in here. Pacheco will be interesting to see how he comes back off of his his injury. 

I'm looking at Jaylen Waddle here. It's interesting to see some of these kind of two almost-receiver-1-type teams like Cincinnati and Miami because it seems like they can split they can still have great years.

And Zay Flowers. He's s just an absolute stud.

Fantasy Life: How much of a bargain did Jorge get in the 11th round with that Austin Ekeler guy?

Austin Ekeler: Oh, moving down to 11th round, huh?

Fantasy Life: Just that one specific to you!

Austin Ekeler: Hey, the role has has definitely changed over the years, but my efficiency is still still there. I think I had actually one of my more efficient years last year. It was like over 10 yards a reception and then 4.8 yards per rush. So, definitely still able to put out some some production. I caught a bunch of balls, as well. So absolutely going to get some value there down the road.

Fantasy Life: Which team do you like the best?

Austin Ekeler: Chris Allen

.

I like that team. I'm really liking that team. I think he got some heavy hitters in really all the positions. We'll see how Mark Andrews does this year. But I love I love the Joe Burrow/TeeHiggins stack right there. We'll see how Tyreek comes out. You see him on social media saying he's back to his old ways and stuff like that. 

Fantasy Life: Speaking of Andrews, as you're picking your tight end, you don't know what to expect with more than half of them. How do you assess them from being in the game and knowing what's going on more than just some dudes talking about it for fantasy shows?

Austin Ekeler: I think there's some truth to the “what have you done for me lately?” kind of sentiment. That's what the NFL is and that's how we get paid. That's how you get fantasy stock. That's how you get the endorsements — “what have you done for me lately?”  And it's brutal, but it's the way it works. And that's why we have up and coming stars every single year. There's a cycle that continues to flow through and the cycle is different for all of us, you know? Whether it's injuries, whether it's mental stuff, on the field stuff, all all these different factors that can play into it. 

And so, you know, in the case of a Kyle Pitts, who comes out and has an amazing rookie year and is on the map and is a dynamic player — then has kind of been in this mid tier of, “okay, is he injured? Is he back?” He's been kind of battling trying to get back to that expectation that was set his rookie year. And that's his journey. 

And again, this is a tight end. So, when we're talking about fantasy football, there's not many tight ends that are going to win you your league. So, not someone that you're probably leaning on to make or break your league. 

So, I think there's an anticipation of, “what if he does what he used to?”  and that's why Pitts keeps staying relevant in the fantasy world — because people are looking for those tight ends because if it's a good sleeper position if you do have one of those playmakers there.

Kyle Pitts, he's still still battling back. I still think he has that potential.

Fantasy Life: When a team has a dual backfield, what's the best way for fantasy players to really approach that?

Austin Ekeler: I feel like we have a trio backfield in Washington because Jayden runs the ball so dang much too, you know? So, we got another factor. He's he's a dynamic runner, man. But when you're looking at these backfields, I think it comes down to what I just said:  is their quarterback going to run? Because in our situation, he's definitely involved in the running game. He's dynamic enough and earned those reps to go out there and and get it done with his feet. But it comes down to the team and the player because you can look at some of these teams — and really the Lions are the ones that stand out the most. And the Falcons with their backfield as well. They have a dual backfield but still have guys that are able to produce points and continue to play at a high level.

Typically, if you do have a dual backfield, it's because they trust two backs to play at a high level. If you have one guy, that's the guy. He's playing at such a high level that he either can't be touched or there's just not a lot of depth behind that person in the first place. 

So the dual backfields are more “alright, we got two guys that we can trust to be out there on the field.”  It's definitely going to affect their efficiency. 

But I do think it helps with longevity. Jahmyr Gibbs — he's just a dynamic player in general. But a bonus is he's in a dual backfield and he's going to be in a position where he's going to last longer in the season — he's going to be a little bit more healthy.

Fantasy Life: Taking another look at the draft board is there any other team that you liked?

Austin Ekeler: JFuller —

Fantasy Life: Yeah?

Austin Ekeler: — that one might be one that I don't necessarily like. 

Bo Nix had a great year last year. I'm still not I'm still not convinced, though. We'll see — we'll see on the Bo Nix train. Him and Jayden, it’s kind of like, hey, are you going to solidify yourself as one of these predominant quarterbacks in the league? Or was that kind of like a just a pop off year? Curious to see what Caleb Williams does this year, too.

Fantasy Life: If you're picking in that Nix spot — Caleb Williams, Fields, Herbert, and Drake Maye were the QBs who went after. 

Austin Ekeler: You could have had Herbert over Bo Nix right there. Interesting. Or even Herbert over a Caleb Williams. Herbert doesn't have me over there throwing the ball to so he doesn't have a running back that's gonna rush or receive for 600 to 800 yards and get you to that 5,000 mark. So, I can see why he’ll maybe drop down a little bit just because of the the Harbaugh situation and how he loves to run the ball so much.

Hey, I've been with two rookie offensive player of the years now, you know? So I think there's something about having a receiving back as a rookie quarterback. I hope he gets some of them the passing yards up!