
Half-PPR Fantasy Football Mock Draft 2025: Ashton Jeanty and Christian McCaffrey Fall
We're inching closer and closer to kickoff of the 2025 NFL season, and with under two months until prime drafting season, Chris Allen, Jonathan Fuller, and I broke down the latest fantasy football mock draft from the Fantasy Life crew.
Mock Draft Format
We ran a pretty straightforward mock draft, with the settings listed below.
- Size: 12 teams
- Scoring: 0.5 PPR
- Roster: 1 QB/2 RB/3 WR/1 TE/2 FLEX/6 BENCH
- Draft Order:
- 1.01: Ian Hartitz
- 1.02: Chris Allen
- 1.03: Rob Waziak
- 1.04: Sam Holt
- 1.05: Jorge Martin
- 1.06: Jonathan Fuller
- 1.07: Geoff Ulrich
- 1.08: Joe Metz
- 1.09: Matt Swing
- 1.10: Kendall Valenzuela
- 1.11: Sam Wallace
- 1.12: Jake Trowbridge
Round-By-Round Fantasy Football Mock Draft Analysis
See below for a round-by-round breakdown of our picks throughout the draft.
First Round
- 1.01: Ja'Marr Chase
- 1.02: Saquon Barkley
- 1.03: Bijan Robinson
- 1.04: Justin Jefferson
- 1.05: CeeDee Lamb
- 1.06: Jahmyr Gibbs
- 1.07: Puka Nacua
- 1.08: Amon-Ra St. Brown
- 1.09: Brian Thomas
- 1.10: Malik Nabers
- 1.11: Nico Collins
- 1.12: De'Von Achane
Ian: Mr. Triple-crown himself, Ja'Marr Chase, with the 1.01. Snagged the best asset in fantasy football AND prevented my good friend Chris (Bengals fan) from getting his favorite player. Talk about a great day to be great. Suck it, Chris!
Chris: If you prefer Bijan Robinson over Saquon Barkley at the 1.02, I can't argue with you. Barkley averaged 2.1 more touches per game than Robinson while being five years his senior. After hitting career-highs in every rushing metric, Father Time gently reminding Barkley he's not fresh out of Penn State wouldn't be much of a surprise. However, structurally, Barkley's projected workload is hard to beat.
At an 8.8 UR Score, only two other RBs graded higher than Barkley. He was one of eight RBs to rack up 60.0% or more of his team's carries. Even better, of those eight, Barkley was one of four to also earn a double-digit target share. Additionally, to complement his usage, he has the best situation. The Eagles still have one of the (if not the) best run-blocking units, with an offense predicated on the run (32nd in PROE in '24). Despite the likelihood of Jalen Hurts bogarting short TDs via the Tush Push, Barkley's usage and offensive environment made him an easy click at the 1.02.
Jonathan: Jahmyr Gibbs had a historic season in 2024, but it was somewhat overshadowed by what Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry did. Gibbs topped 1,900 scrimmage yards and tied for the most total TDs in the NFL with 20. He had the second-most half-PPR fantasy points among RBs despite ranking 12th in UR Score, which speaks to how insanely efficient he was for his workload. At 23 years old, Gibbs is just reaching his prime and could still be improving. I'm thrilled to start my team with one of the most exciting players in the NFL.
Second Round
- 2.01: Brock Bowers
- 2.02: Derrick Henry
- 2.03: Ashton Jeanty
- 2.04: Christian McCaffrey
- 2.05: Bucky Irving
- 2.06: Drake London
- 2.07: Jonathan Taylor
- 2.08: A.J. Brown
- 2.09: Ladd McConkey
- 2.10: Trey McBride
- 2.11: Tee Higgins
- 2.12: Josh Jacobs
Ian: It would have been cool to add another elite WR to the squad, but I feel like there's a decent tier dropoff after Ladd McConkey (consensus WR11 in our fantasy rankings) goes off the board. Accordingly, I went with Josh Jacobs, who looks ready to (again) clear 300 touches inside an offense that has perennially ranked among the league's top-scoring units under Matt LaFleur. Vibes are high!
Chris: Surprise! I grabbed one of Cincinnati's offensive triumvirate. Big shocker to most, I'm sure. But the approach made sense, given my position.
Even with 0.5 PPR scoring, there's not a critical need to load up on RBs. You're still likely starting more WRs than rushers on a weekly basis. Plus, my options were either Josh Jacobs or Chase Brown, with better WR prospects still on the board. So, despite my bias, Higgins was the optimal choice.
I'm guessing the largest hang-up for some regarding Higgins's ADP is his role. Simply put, he's the WR2. And by job description alone, you could lump him in with DeVonta Smith or Jaylen Waddle. But across the 13 healthy games we got out of Higgins, neither Smith nor Waddle eclipsed a 20.0% target share. The duo amassed six TDs. Meanwhile, Higgins caught ten on his own. His 24.9% share of the looks from Joe Burrow was more than WR1s like Terry McLaurin (24.0%), DK Metcalf (20.5%), and Courtland Sutton (23.7%). Outside of the annual injury concerns, valuing Higgins as a WR1 should be our going-in position for drafts.
Jonathan: Last year felt like a bit of a down season for A.J. Brown, but that was mostly because he missed four games. His 83 receiving yards per game were only slightly below his first two seasons in Philadelphia, and his 2.99 YPRR in the regular season was actually the best of his career. When he's on the field, Brown is still one of the NFL's elite WRs. There is also room for the Eagles passing game to grow after they finished dead last in pass attempts in 2024 due to their dominant run game. Dwain's early projections have the Philly offense attempting 58 more passes this year, and they could easily exceed that if the running game isn't as efficient or if Barkley misses time. Pairing Brown with Gibbs gives me a balanced start with two game-breaking talents capable of putting up week-winning scores.
Third Round
- 3.01: Lamar Jackson
- 3.02: Tyreek Hill
- 3.03: Jaxon Smith-Njigba
- 3.04: Garrett Wilson
- 3.05: Mike Evans
- 3.06: Terry McLaurin
- 3.07: Chase Brown
- 3.08: Davante Adams
- 3.09: Josh Allen
- 3.10: Marvin Harrison
- 3.11: Jayden Daniels
- 3.12: Rashee Rice
Ian: Vibes are no longer high. Every time I enter one of these drafts, I tell myself, “Hey man, the early-round QBs will look enticing, but just wait, and you'll be pleasantly surprised with some of the names still available in the last few rounds.”
So what did I do? Took Lamar Jackson, which like, yeah, is kinda cool because Lamar f*cking Jackson is now on the squad, but I also could have chilled and taken any other position and then had the chance to stick it to Chris (again) and stack Chase with Joe Burrow at the Round 4-5 turn. Brock Purdy was the QB10 last season and went in Round 15. Ugh. Time to haze myself.

Chris: I wanted to pair Higgins with another WR to solidify my assets at the position. With Barkley as my anchor at RB, the need for a stronger RB2 wasn't as necessary. I could've taken Chase Brown here, but chose to bolster my pass-catching corps.
I'll make the comp that Tyreek Hill is the WR equivalent of Christian McCaffrey with a slight discount. When healthy, we know where Tua Tagovailoa is throwing the ball. Hill started the season with target shares north of 30.0% in three of his first five games. But a wrist and ankle injury hampered his mobility and rapport with Tagovailoa when he returned in Week 8. Their lack of chemistry likely contributed to a steep decline in passing aDOT from 8.2 yards in '23 to 6.1 last season. But with both healthy to kick off 2025, Hill should be able to quickly remind folks who's the WR1 in Miami.
Jonathan: You want 1,000+ receiving yards and double-digit TDs? Draft Mike Evans. His 1k yardage streak is legendary, but the fact that he has scored 11 or more TDs in four of the past five seasons is just as important for fantasy football. In half-PPR scoring, TDs are gold, and Evans is as good a bet to deliver them as you will find in the third round. Age is a minor concern, but he posted the best regular season YPRR of his career in 2024 and has played at least 13 games in every single season of his career. He's a nice value in the third round and is a threat to score multiple TDs in any game.
Fourth Round
- 4.01: Kyren Williams
- 4.02: DeVonta Smith
- 4.03: Jalen Hurts
- 4.04: Joe Mixon
- 4.05: George Kittle
- 4.06: Breece Hall
- 4.07: DJ Moore
- 4.08: Courtland Sutton
- 4.09: James Cook
- 4.10: Xavier Worthy
- 4.11: Tetairoa McMillan
- 4.12: Travis Hunter
Ian: I felt it was necessary to get two WRs here after leaving the first three rounds with just one. Luckily, rookies really lag in Sleeper's current ADP, so I was able to get Travis Hunter as the WR26. Here's to hoping the reigning Heisman Trophy winner is actually a full-time offensive player.
Wait, I just used a fourth-round pick on someone who might not even be a full-time starter on offense? That doesn't seem wise. Okay, really need to shape up and ace this fifth-round pick …
Chris: Admittedly, I wanted Joe Burrow here, but I saw that Mr "Great Day to Be Great" had already taken Lamar Jackson earlier. So, I could focus elsewhere. In hindsight, an RB might've been the better move. I'm not fully on board with a balanced strategy (2 RBs and 2 WRs) to open, but seeing Alvin Kamara and Omarion Hampton go in the early fifth, I have some regrets.
Anyway, I see the vision with Tetairoa McMillan. His physical archetype complements a passer like Bryce Young. Plus, McMillan excels in an area where Young falters. Throws to the boundary can be problematic for any QB. They require timing and trust between the thrower and receiver. Young hasn't had a capable wide receiver capable of hauling in sideline attempts. Combined with the draft capital the Panthers used to secure him, volume shouldn't be an issue for the new Carolina wideout in Year 1.
Jonathan: I really wanted Breece Hall to fall to me in the fourth, but he went two picks before me to Geoff. I debated going with a flashy young WR like Xavier Worthy or Travis Hunter, but decided to keep banking TD upside with Courtland Sutton. In two seasons with Sean Payton as his coach, Sutton has scored 18 receiving TDs in the regular season while catching passes from the ghost of Russell Wilson and rookie Bo Nix.
Denver did bring in more offensive weapons this offseason, but Sutton should still be the top target in the passing game. If Denver improves on offense, that only raises Sutton's ceiling. This wasn't the highest upside pick I could make, but Sutton should give me WR2 production as the WR3 on my team.
Fifth Round
- 5.01: DK Metcalf
- 5.02: Joe Burrow
- 5.03: Alvin Kamara
- 5.04: Omarion Hampton
- 5.05: George Pickens
- 5.06: Zay Flowers
- 5.07: Jameson Williams
- 5.08: Kenneth Walker
- 5.09: Chris Godwin
- 5.10: Jaylen Waddle
- 5.11: Chuba Hubbard
- 5.12: Jordan Addison
Ian: … Oh god, we did not ace the fifth round pick. DK Metcalf is exceptionally big and strong, and fast in a league full of finely tuned athletic machines, but there's one itty-bitty problem: He doesn't have a QB. It's probably not ideal when your fantasy team's fate is directly tied to old man Aaron Rodgers putting his ayahuasca down long enough to sign an NFL contract.
Chris: Yet another shocker. I got my quarterback. Admittedly, taking Joe Burrow at QB5 in the fifth and seeing Waz take Patrick Mahomes two full rounds later feels like a misstep on my part. At least Mahomes has a penchant for scrambling (13th-highest scramble rate amongst starters last year). However, Burrow's play style supports his ADP.
Burrow's 652 passing attempts in 2024 unsurprisingly led the league. The next closest QB was Aaron Rodgers at 584. The gap in throws between Burrow and Rodgers is the same as the delta between Rodgers and Matthew Stafford (12th-most attempts). But being pass-oriented is part of Cincinnati's DNA. They've ranked inside the Top 5 at PROE since Burrow took over. And after the Bengals moved mountains to retain their top WRs, Burrow has no reason not to continue chucking it in 2025, allowing him to battle with the mobile QBs in fantasy.
Jonathan: I would have loved for Travis Hunter or Omarion Hampton to make it back to me in the 5th round, but that didn't happen. The league settings have us starting 3 WRs and 2 FLEX, so I could still take any position with this pick and ultimately decided to keep hammering WR because of the upside George Pickens offers in Dallas.
I played it relatively safe with my fourth-round pick, so I complemented that with a bigger swing taking Pickens here. He'll be behind Lamb in the target pecking order but should easily see the second-most targets in the Dallas offense and gets a major QB upgrade. There is always some risk when a player changes teams, but if he can get to 110+ targets like Dwain is projecting, I like his chances of paying off this draft position.
Sixth Round
- 6.01: Chris Olave
- 6.02: Jerry Jeudy
- 6.03: James Conner
- 6.04: Calvin Ridley
- 6.05: Isiah Pacheco
- 6.06: RJ Harvey
- 6.07: Sam LaPorta
- 6.08: Tony Pollard
- 6.09: Aaron Jones
- 6.10: David Montgomery
- 6.11: Quinshon Judkins
- 6.12: D'Andre Swift
Ian: I was really hoping for David Montgomery here, but Waz had to be a dick flex his standing as one of the most accurate rankers on the planet and beat me to the punch. I guess D'Andre Swift will do; he's currently locked in as the clear-cut lead back in an offense expected to make a nice leap thanks to newfound upgrades in the scheme and offensive line departments. Fine. Whatever.
Chris: Before I picked, I assessed my roster. My starting WRs were set. I had a high-end (dare I say elite?) QB. So, it was time to tilt the positional scale back toward my weak spots.
Vegas has the line for Cleveland's win total set at 5.5. They currently have five QBs on their roster. Their offensive line is a work in progress. But taking Quinshon Judkins was more of a volume play than a vote of confidence in his offense. Judkins slides into the early-down role vacated by Nick Chubb and has the physical profile and collegiate pedigree of a rusher capable of handling the rock in scoring situations. Jerome Ford may likely take over two-minute or obvious passing situations, but an RB2-level of carries for Judkins in Year 1 made him a reasonable option to close out the early rounds.
Jonathan: After building out a strong WR room with four players, I feel confident starting every week, so it's time to address my RB depth. As I mentioned, this league has us starting 2 RBs, 3 WRs, and 2 FLEX, so having a deep team at RB and WR is crucial.
Tony Pollard has become a quiet workhorse over the last couple of seasons, handling 300+ touches in back-to-back seasons and accounting for 1,300+ scrimmage yards in three straight. The only thing missing from his profile has been TDs, as he has scored just 11 total TDs in 33 games over the past two seasons. If the Tennessee offense improves with Cam Ward under center (and it should), Pollard should have more scoring opportunities this year, which could make him a high-end RB2 for fantasy purposes.
Seventh Round
- 7.01: Rome Odunze
- 7.02: Mark Andrews
- 7.03: Patrick Mahomes
- 7.04: T.J. Hockenson
- 7.05: TreVeyon Henderson
- 7.06: Brandon Aiyuk
- 7.07: Khalil Shakir
- 7.08: Baker Mayfield
- 7.09: Travis Kelce
- 7.10: Jakobi Meyers
- 7.11: Ricky Pearsall
- 7.12: Brian Robinson
Ian: Rome Odunze, because anytime you can draft consecutive members of the league's reigning 28th-ranked scoring offense, you have to do it. Maybe the 2024 NFL Draft's ninth overall pick proves his underwhelming rookie campaign was a fugazzi, or maybe Odunze barely out-scores Ray-Ray f*cking McCloud again. What a bet to make in Round 7.
Chris: With the trade rumors behind him, I'm willing to be back in on Mark Andrews.
And I'm not completely following the logic of the "he could be traded during the season" crowd. Baltimore's offense is already lacking pass-catchers. Their only additions were DeAndre Hopkins (cooked), a sixth-round WR, and a couple of UDFAs. Removing a red-zone option for Lamar Jackson doesn't make much sense.
Anyway, Andrews entered the season with injury concerns and struggled to separate throughout the year. However, he still led the Ravens in red-zone targets despite the drop in efficiency. With an offseason to heal, I can see Andrews getting back into our good graces.
Jonathan: I'm impressed with my self-restraint, waiting until the seventh round to take my first rookie. With two solid starters filling my top RB spots I decided to grab one of the most explosive players in the 2025 rookie class. TreVeyon Henderson averaged a ridiculous 7.1 YPC in his final season at Ohio State and is the third-highest rated RB in the rookie super model. He may not be a Week 1 starter for my team, but he has the potential to supercharge my roster.
Eighth Round
- 8.01: Stefon Diggs
- 8.02: Evan Engram
- 8.03: Deebo Samuel
- 8.04: Tyrone Tracy
- 8.05: Jaylen Warren
- 8.06: Kyler Murray
- 8.07: Kaleb Johnson
- 8.08: Jayden Reed
- 8.09: Cooper Kupp
- 8.10: Jauan Jennings
- 8.11: Josh Downs
- 8.12: Matthew Golden
Ian: I again utilized the rookie loophole in Sleeper mock drafts to get first-rounder Matthew Golden at the end of Round 8. I love this pick, especially with Sam Holt drafting a geriatric has-been in a bad offense a few picks before. The boys are buzzing, and I'm ready to start addressing other positions with five WRs locked down. 5'9" might not be good for a dating profile, but it is a good way of remembering my usual goal of landing five WRs inside the first nine rounds of any given fantasy draft.
Chris: I don't know why Waz keeps drafting in the slot right next to me. This is the tenth time (I'm definitely not exaggerating) he's taken a draft target of mine. I preferred Jauan Jennings here, but alas, I'll take Josh Downs as a consolation prize. When healthy, Downs averaged more targets and yards on a per-route basis than Michael Pittman. Plus, let's entertain the idea of Daniel Jones starting over Anthony Richardson. The same Daniel Jones who turned Wan'Dale Robinson (another slot merchant) into a PPR scam. Not a bad outlook for Downs.
Jonathan: Back to the WR position we go. Jayden Reed is the best WR on the Packers and one of these years, Matt LaFleur is going to realize it. Reed has been very efficient in his first two seasons, posting 2.05 and 2.20 YPRR. Last year, he also finished sixth among qualifying WRs (min. 50 targets) in yards after the catch per reception, showcasing his ability to make plays with the ball in his hands. The only issue is that he ran just 73% of the available routes last season, which ranked 72nd among WRs (just ahead of Tyler Boyd, for reference). Despite that, he still finished as the WR26 in half-PPR scoring last season, so taking him in the eighth round is more than a fair price.
Ninth Round
- 9.01: Rhamondre Stevenson
- 9.02: Travis Etienne
- 9.03: Darnell Mooney
- 9.04: Jared Goff
- 9.05: Bo Nix
- 9.06: Caleb Williams
- 9.07: Keon Coleman
- 9.08: Michael Pittman
- 9.09: Najee Harris
- 9.10: Cam Skattebo
- 9.11: Luther Burden
- 9.12: Jack Bech
Ian: I really wanted to draft Cam Skattebo here just so I could make fun of resident Fantasy Life Arizona State alumni Kendall Valenzuela AKA K-Dog for again not landing her favorite player, but sadly, I didn't. Ugh. Example No. 1,045 that being responsible simply isn't as fun as chasing a cheap laugh by screwing over your friend.
Instead, Rhamondre Stevenson, come on down! TreVeyon Henderson is cool and all, but New England gave Rhamondre a four-year, $36 million extension last June for a reason, and Fantasy Life Projections have the veteran edging out the rookie in terms of overall touches. Throw in the RB1-level upside if anything happens to Henderson, and Stevenson is actually a pretty, pretty, pretty great zero-RB target this season.
Chris: Looking back on this pick, even if Rhamondre Stevenson was available, I'm not sure if I'd take him. Stevenson plays with a mobile QB that could bogart a TD or two. Plus, TreVeyon Henderson (a second-round pick) will be waiting on the sideline for Stevenson to fumble.
But at the same time, Travis Etienne has two running backs on the roster who could do his job. Tank Bigsby already showcased his talent throughout most of '24. And now, Bhayshul Tuten will be everyone's favorite "sleeper" candidate. However, knowing Etienne has one year left on his deal gave me some confidence that HC Liam Coen will give him a shot to start the year. In a revamped, efficient offense, Etienne could reclaim the backfield, making him a value add at his cost.
Jonathan: I thought about punting QB to the last couple rounds due to the starting roster requirements, and in hindsight, I probably should have. When I was on the clock, I was feeling good about my RB and WR rooms, so I decided to make a correlated bet by stacking Bo Nix with my earlier selection of Courtland Sutton. Nix offers a decent rushing floor for how late he goes, and as I mentioned in the Sutton section, there is room for the entire Broncos offense to improve. If that happens, I'm now getting a major boost to two of my selections.
10th Round
- 10.01: Justin Fields
- 10.02: Javonte Williams
- 10.03: Jonnu Smith
- 10.04: Jayden Higgins
- 10.05: Tyjae Spears
- 10.06: Marvin Mims
- 10.07: Emeka Egbuka
- 10.08: Jordan Mason
- 10.09: Justin Herbert
- 10.10: Rashid Shaheed
- 10.11: Hollywood Brown
- 10.12: David Njoku
Ian: Similar to QB: I always tell myself that THIS will be the draft that I ignore the TE position until the final few rounds, but I maintain a soft spot for David Njoku. After all, the YAC beast has ripped off back-to-back top-five finishes in PPR points per game and sure looks a lot like the No. 2 pass-game option in Cleveland. Njoku and Evan Engram are two of my most-drafted TEs this offseason.
Chris: Ah, yes. This was the obligatory "I don't know which Chiefs' WR to get, so I'll take this one" pick.
Do I think Rashee Rice will retake his spot as the WR1? Yes.
Will Xavier Worthy continue to develop into a viable WR1B/2 with Rice back? Absolutely. He just needs to remember where the sidelines are.
So, this leaves less work for Hollywood Brown by process of elimination. But the type of work Brown could pick up would be lucrative for fantasy. Mahomes's deep-ball rate was starting to pick back up by the end of 2023. But Travis Kelce falling off the age cliff and relying on Justin Watson or Skyy Moore made 15-plus-air-yard throws untenable. Meanwhile, Brown was averaging 12.9 air yards per target in the playoffs. In the double-digit rounds, I'll take a bet on the Chiefs trying to restart their high-flying antics from a few years ago.
Jonathan: Jordan Mason might be my favorite mid-round selection. He's been very efficient through his first three seasons, and Minnesota made a clear commitment by trading for him, extending him, and then not bringing in any real competition at the position. Mason is going to play a big role in what should be a good Minnesota offense once again, and he also has massive contingent value if Aaron Jones misses time. He is my ideal RB4, and I'm thrilled to get him in the tenth round.
11th Round
- 11.01: Jaydon Blue
- 11.02: Tre Harris
- 11.03: Christian Kirk
- 11.04: Dalton Kincaid
- 11.05: Bhayshul Tuten
- 11.06: Austin Ekeler
- 11.07: Zach Charbonnet
- 11.08: Jake Ferguson
- 11.09: Kyle Williams
- 11.10: Xavier Legette
- 11.11: Pat Bryant
- 11.12: Rashod Bateman
Ian: RB dart time! While other drafters are taking No. 3 or 4 WRs in their own offense who they will probably never feel good about starting as anything more than a throw-up FLEX, I'm taking backup RBs who are *one* injury away from potentially landing on the cover of that week's waiver wire column. In Jaydon Blue's case, that injury might not even need to happen, considering the sad state of affairs inside the Cowboys' RB room. Bad history of day three rookies be damned, Blue is one of the cheapest backs in all of fantasy who could realistically seize a starting job all on his own.
Chris: It's not hard to see a path to playing time for Tre Harris. Quentin Johnston didn't make any significant improvement during the 2024 season. Mike Williams will turn 31 partway through the season. Ladd McConkey primarily plays in the slot. Tacking on Mekhi Becton at RT may sound good on paper, given his previous stop, but I'd like to see Justin Herbert's protection unit in action before. Regardless, reps, routes, and, subsequently, targets shouldn't be hard to come by for Harris.
Jonathan: I like my RB room, but it is not as strong as my WR room at this point, so I made another high upside pick with Jaguars rookie RB Bhayshul Tuten. The speedster has a shot to carve out a role in Jacksonville with the new coaching staff that selected him in the fourth round. It is a crowded RB room, but considering he is my RB5, I can afford to be patient and see how the early part of the season plays out before deciding if I should keep him or cut him. Similar to Jaydon Blue, who went a few picks before, Tuten has the kind of league-winning upside fantasy managers should be looking for at this point in drafts.
12th Round
- 12.01: Drake Maye
- 12.02: Tank Bigsby
- 12.03: Rico Dowdle
- 12.04: Colston Loveland
- 12.05: Jalen McMillan
- 12.06: Tucker Kraft
- 12.07: Adam Thielen
- 12.08: Joshua Palmer
- 12.09: Rachaad White
- 12.10: Ray Davis
- 12.11: Trey Benson
- 12.12: Isaac Guerendo
Ian: The first question you should ask yourself in every fantasy draft:
1. Am I in a position to draft Christian McCaffrey?
And if that answer is no …
2. Am I in a position to draft CMC's handcuff?
Enter: Isaac Guerendo, who is the next man up behind McCaffrey with Jordan Mason (Vikings) and Elijah Mitchell (Chiefs) out of the picture. The speedy 24-year-old talent was trusted with 17 and 20 touches in his only two full games as the offense's lead back and would instantly be in the weekly RB1 conversation should anything happen to CMC.
Chris: At this point in the draft, I'm placing bets on ambiguous backfields or gathering fodder for the waiver wire. To be clear, I don't think the Cardinals have an ambiguous backfield. If Conner's healthy, he's the guy. Conner only had three games with less than 50.0% of the carries last year. But Benson did have bursts of 20-30% of the totes and ran a route on 10.0% of Kyler Murray's dropbacks. With Arizona sorting out their passing game most of the year, I'm willing to see what the next step for the run game looks like in '25.
Jonathan: With my RB room in much better shape now and plenty of TE options that I like still on the board, I went back to the WR well one more time. Joshua Palmer got a big enough contract to suggest he will be a starter for Buffalo, and I'm always interested in players who will be running a lot of routes in a Josh Allen offense. Palmer isn't a special talent, but neither is his competition for targets. Would anyone be surprised if he has a career year in the TD column?
13th Round
- 13.01: Tyler Allgeier
- 13.02: Audric Estime
- 13.03: Jaylen Wright
- 13.04: Cameron Ward
- 13.05: Brenton Strange
- 13.06: Tyler Warren
- 13.07: Jerome Ford
- 13.08: Jordan Love
- 13.09: Wan'Dale Robinson
- 13.10: Romeo Doubs
- 13.11: DeAndre Hopkins
- 13.12: Cedric Tillman
Ian: One of my favorite stats at the risk of jinxing the man: Tyler Allgeier has 586 combined carries and targets in his three-year career—with *zero* fumbles or drops. This is a good RB who is one injury to Bijan Robinson away from instantly entering the RB1 conversation.
Chris: Again, Audric Estime is another bet on a specific archetype. There's no doubt in my mind RJ Harvey will get the first crack and likely lead the Broncos in carries. But Estime has roughly 20 lbs on the rookie. HC Sean Payton has hinted at a larger role for the former fifth-rounder in 2025. Seeing Estimate banging in a few short-yardage TDs would be a welcome surprise and, in an offense as dynamic as the Broncos, would be a boon for fantasy managers.
Jonathan: I finally pulled the trigger on a TE, taking Jaguars new starter Brenton Strange. This is a speculative pick, but he should be a full-time player in an offense I like, and he flashed a bit in 2024 when Evan Engram missed time. There are always players like Zach Ertz, Hunter Henry, and Cade Otton on waivers if I really get desperate at the position.
14th Round
- 14.01: Kyle Pitts
- 14.02: J.J. McCarthy
- 14.03: Isaiah Likely
- 14.04: J.K. Dobbins
- 14.05: Dylan Sampson
- 14.06: Dontayvion Wicks
- 14.07: Dak Prescott
- 14.08: Dallas Goedert
- 14.09: Quentin Johnston
- 14.10: Jalen Coker
- 14.11: Jalen Tolbert
- 14.12: Keenan Allen
Ian: Chris took Jalen Tolbert??? Why? I don't care if it was Round 14. In what world would you ever start this man? And don't hit me with. "I was prepping for a meeting with NASA and have a wife and three kids to worry about." This is fantasy football. No excuses, play like a champion.
But yeah, I went with Keenan Allen instead! Someone has to sign him at some point, right? I'm thinking yes, and that point he will probably go from a Round 14 pick to somewhere in Round 12 or so! Yeah baby! Value! Ha!
Chris: I regret this pick. Dak Prescott should get back to his tight-window-trying ways, but Jalen Tolbert will be behind CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, and likely, Jake Ferguson. I should've taken Michael Wilson.
Jonathan: Dallas Goedert gives me a floor of competence at the TE position if the Brenton Strange pick doesn't work out. I don't really like pairing him with A.J. Brown like I did on this team, but he was clearly the best option after Isaiah Likely went off the board earlier this round.
15th Round
- 15.01: Miles Sanders
- 15.02: Keaton Mitchell
- 15.03: Pat Freiermuth
- 15.04: DeMario Douglas
- 15.05: C.J. Stroud
- 15.06: Roschon Johnson
- 15.07: Trevor Lawrence
- 15.08: Michael Wilson
- 15.09: Brock Purdy
- 15.10: Tua Tagovailoa
- 15.11: Devin Neal
- 15.12: Braelon Allen
Ian: I double-dipped on the Cowboys backfield with Miles Sanders, who has as good a shot as anyone of claiming the lead job, or at least that's what I told myself after drafting him.
Chris: Keaton Mitchell indicated he's past the gruesome knee injury from 2023. It will likely take time for Mitchell to earn the pass-down role over Justice Hill, but Mitchell's development will be worth following over the summer.
Jonathan: I don't generally like taking a second QB in a one QB league, but I felt great about my RB and WR positions, and taking a third TE wouldn't have helped. C.J. Stroud is a great bounceback candidate now that Houston has added more weapons and made a change to the offensive system.
Takeaways from Half PPR Mock Draft
Ian: I give myself a B for this draft, but the squad has the potential to become dangerous should even one of the late-round RB darts work out.
Notes on the rest of my competition:
- Waz had himself a pretty, pretty, pretty good draft, especially after managing to land Darnell Mooney and this year's Darnell Mooney (Christian Kirk) in the later rounds after not going too hard in the paint at the position earlier.
- Hey Sam, if you have three QBs in a non-superflex league, you don't have one.
- Jorge basically said f*ck dem RBs.
- Geoff, it's 2025. Quit trying to make Dontayvion Wicks happen.
- Matt Swing got Brock Purdy in Round 15. This is what I was talking about when saying you will always be surprised at some of the names still available this late.
- I slandered Sam Wallace on multiple occasions last time we did one of these, and might have mistakenly created his fantasy expert origin story. Helluva draft, Sam! Cya in our Empire League streets.
- If Jake manages to win this championship, I sure hope he doesn't let any of his WRs drive at the victory parade, hardy har har.
Chris: Eh, if I were a draft grader, I think I got a B-. QB and WR are my obvious strengths, but RB will be something of a dice roll throughout the season. My later bets will either have to hit, or I'll need to make moves quickly to shore up the position. Also, let's see how this Mark Andrews thing actually works out. I could've waited until a few rounds later and gotten a TE with a similar outlook, but now, I'm reliant on Ravens TE1A to return top-five value.
Jonathan: I like how my team turned out, but my TE position is too weak to give myself an A so I'm going B+. My team has a nice combination of depth, immediate production, and late-season upside. My only real regret is taking a QB in the ninth round when players like Jordan Love, Dak Prescott, Brock Purdy, Trevor Lawrence, and C.J. Stroud all went in the 13th round or later. If you don't take one of the elite QBs this year, you really should wait until one of your final picks.
