Across the league, NFL training camps are giving us all the news we can handle and then some. Participating in a fantasy football mock draft lets us get a good feel for positional value and how much players are moving up or sliding back in drafts due to some reactionary things going on in camps.
Note that average draft position (ADP) is a bit more volatile thanks to training camp reports, so getting into mock drafts now and doing a bunch of them can get you prepared for your upcoming drafts.
We’ll be using the 1.02 draft slot for this mock, which is a bit of a chalk spot in terms of player selection, but it should widen up at the end of the second round. With an early draft slot, we tend to know what players are available and can build to that.
Let us see what kind of redraft roster we can build in a standard format and an early-round draft pick at the 1.02.
- Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- 2025 Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- Fantasy Football ADP
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
Fantasy Football Mock Draft
The lineup settings for this mock: 1-QB, 2-RB, 3-WR, 1-TE, 1-Flex and six Bench Spots. See the results and full draft board here.
1.02 – Justin Jefferson (WR – MIN)
Justin Jefferson was an easy 1.02 pick after Ja’Marr Chase. Honestly, we’re splitting hairs here with the top two wide receivers according to ADP. Jefferson had a third-straight season above 10 yards per target, kept up yet another strong target-earning season with Sam Darnold at quarterback with a 30% target share and put up a ‘career-low’ 2.50 yards per route run last season.
With J.J. McCarthy installed as the starting quarterback following a season-ending injury in his first preseason game, Jefferson will no doubt be McCarthy’s go-to receiver and turn in yet another season as one of the best fantasy wide receivers.
2.11 – Brock Bowers (TE – LV)
What more is there to say about Brock Bowers? When he was 18, he led the Georgia Bulldogs — with 13 other current NFL players on offense — in every meaningful receiving category that season. All he did in his rookie season was break Sam LaPorta‘s rookie record for most receptions (86) by a rookie right end. He then bested Mike Ditka’s record for most receiving yards (1,076) and most receptions by a rookie regardless of position, beating Puka Nacua‘s 105 mark with 112 catches.
Bowers is good, folks. He is the Amon-Ra St. Brown of tight ends. Bowers is a smash in the second round if he gets there; I’d take him in the first round. The best part? You don’t even need to select him there with an ADP in the second round. He’s the best positional advantage you can draft outside of the first round, and he’s a staple on my teams this season, no matter the format.
3.02 – Tee Higgins (WR – CIN)
Tee Higgins will maintain the status quo that we’ve been accustomed to with the Cincinnati passing game as one half of the best wide-receiver tandem in the NFL with Ja’Marr Chase. The Bengals’ offense is one of the most fruitful offenses for fantasy production, and with Mike Gesicki also staying in Cincinnati, the train should keep rolling in 2025. Cincinnati has been a top-three team in pass rate over expected (PROE) in each of the last three seasons, so there’s no danger of the team rolling back the passing game in the immediate future.
The Tee Higgins baseline projection makes him a late Round 2 pick… and then he has all this contingent upside. pic.twitter.com/2BLBYQgIDh
— Hayden Winks (@HaydenWinks) July 24, 2025
As for Higgins, he’s been amazingly consistent when he’s on the field throughout his career. With four out of five pro seasons with at least a 1.80 yards per route run (YPRR) and 20% targets per route run (TPRR), plus all five seasons with at least six targets per game, Higgins enters his age-26 season squarely in his prime. Higgins is ready to produce in a prolific passing offense perfect for fantasy football, alliteration aside.
4.11 – Jalen Hurts (QB – PHI)
At the end of the fourth round, without a lot of great options for wide receivers, we’ll select Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts and secure an elite quarterback. As the beneficiary of the “tush push”, Hurts had 14 touchdowns and 630 rushing yards last season while adding almost 3,000 passing yards and 18 more passing scores.
Last season’s QB8, Hurts’ numbers suffered a bit from lack of passing volume. Still, Hurts is always a threat and if variance this season manifests into some closer games, adding some pass attempts to the Eagles’ offense will see Hurts as the key benefactor.
5.02 – Chuba Hubbard (RB – CAR)
Chuba Hubbard has been one of the most efficient running backs in the league over the last couple of seasons, but he’s been a continual afterthought in fantasy circles because he’s been a backup. He was only supposed to hold the workhorse role until Jonathon Brooks was healthy. However, Brooks tore the same right ACL he tore in his final season at Texas, and Hubbard kept on going en route to his first 1,000-yard season and scoring 11 total touchdowns.
rushing yards over expected per att
1. Derrick Henry: 1.8
2. Saquon Barkley: 1.6
3. Jordan Mason: 1.4
4. Chuba Hubbard: 1.1
5. Bucky Irving: 0.9
6. Jahmyr Gibbs: 0.9
7. James Cook: 0.8
8. Tank Bigsby: 0.7
9. Josh Jacobs: 0.7
10. Antonio Gibson: 0.7
11. Bijan Robinson: 0.7
12.…— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) July 10, 2025
The Panthers added Rico Dowdle in free agency, but Hubbard is the unquestioned starter for the first time in what is his fifth season as a pro. In the fifth round on what looks to be an improving Carolina team on paper, Hubbard could flirt with back-end RB1 numbers this season.
6.11 – Rashee Rice (WR – KC)
In Rashee Rice’s three full games last season, he averaged 9.6 targets and 96 receiving yards per game, as well as scoring touchdowns in two of his three games. It’s likely Rice would have continued his ascent and would have been a clear step up in 2024 from a promising rookie campaign. Fantasy managers who drafted Rice were robbed of that thanks to a fluke knee injury on an interception return.
Rice was incredibly efficient in the few games he played last season, and if he retains that utilization into this season, he will be one of the best target-earning wide receivers in fantasy. If we’re talking about third-year leaps, Rice will be the poster child with a full season of games. Yes, he’s going to see a suspension of at least a few games, but getting him at the end of the sixth round for what he can provide a fantasy team is stealing.
7.02 – Jauan Jennings (WR – SF)
This season, we’ll find out if Jauan Jennings’ 2024 was a fluke or not. The receiving corps of the 49ers could shake out to be much different than the last few seasons in San Francisco with no Deebo Samuel, potentially no Brandon Aiyuk to start the season and some things up in the air with how targets shake out between Jennings, George Kittle, Ricky Pearsall and Christian McCaffrey.
Last season, Jennings was 14th among all wide receivers with at least 150 routes with a 2.26 YPRR and 14th in TPRR as well, earning a target on over 25% of his routes. Frankly, he wasn’t just “Third-and-Jauan,” he was first and second as well.
Jennings is a massive value with some ambiguity in his target share entering this season. That said, in the seventh round, you can’t beat the value on an offense that should be much better than last season’s iteration with better health. Much has been said about a potential holdout, but Jennings has reported to training camp.
8.11 – J.K. Dobbins (RB – DEN)
After a torn Achilles’ tendon ended his 2023 season with just one game played, J.K. Dobbins was pretty much left for dead as far as his fantasy prospects were concerned. Dobbins latched onto a run-heavy Chargers team and rushed for 905 yards with 4.8 yards per carry and more targets (38) than he had in his previous three seasons combined (35).
Now in Denver, Dobbins should have an early-down role secured in Week 1 as he’ll presumably split some work with rookie R.J. Harvey. At the end of the eight round, any back with a defined role is one we’re going to take advantage of.
9.02 – Deebo Samuel (WR – WAS)
10.11 – Austin Ekeler (RB – WAS)
11.02 – Tyler Allgeier (RB – ATL)
12.11 – Luther Burden III (WR – CHI)
13.02 – Rashid Shaheed (WR – NO)
14.11 – Miles Sanders (RB – DAL)
The last six picks feature three upside veteran running backs with some contingent and standalone value. Austin Ekeler has a standalone receiving and part-time rushing role in Washington locked up as one half of the running back tandem with Brian Robinson Jr. Tyler Allgeier has easy contingent value if something happens to Bijan Robinson but should see some standalone work as well.
Miles Sanders could have a big role with the Cowboys despite the presence of Javonte Williams and fourth-round pick Jaydon Blue. Williams’ ability has been hampered by multiple injuries throughout the years, which leaves the door open for anybody to be a factor, even Sanders.
The exact reps with the starting offense wasn't listed in this Athletic article but worth noting both Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders were mentioned as standing out with the RBs
Even KaVonte Turpin got mentioned as an RB and neither Jaydon Blue or Phil Mafah were mentioned pic.twitter.com/xGizjuLFOf
— Chris Wecht (@ChrisWechtFF) July 25, 2025
For the trio of wide receivers, Deebo Samuel travels to Washington and will be a top target for second-year quarterback Jayden Daniels. It’s possible Samuel’s best days could be behind him, but if he can transfer some of the manufactured touches and easy looks into paydirt, then we’re happy drafting him in the ninth round.
As for Luther Burden, he was drafted in the second round this past April as the second of two offensive pieces added by new Bears head coach Ben Johnson. Burden is athletic and was hugely productive in the slot at Missouri. With plenty of other firepower in the Bears’ offense, Burden could be a sneaky fantasy option either out of the slot or on the outside.
Rashid Shaheed tore his meniscus and played just six games in 2024, but he’s the unquestioned No. 2 WR on a Saints team that could see a bunch of volume. It’s a bad offense in New Orleans with rookie Tyler Shough likely to get the Week 1 nod. Still, with the ball in his hands, Shaheed is a capable weapon to take a shot on at the end of fantasy drafts.
Draft Wizard Results
The Draft Wizard gave us an A- grade and 90 out of 100 score, projecting us as the third-highest scoring team overall.
Subscribe: YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | iHeart | Castbox | Amazon Music | Podcast Addict | TuneIn
Kevin Tompkins is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Kevin, check out his profile and follow him on Bluesky @ktompkinsii.bsky.social
