A fantasy football mock draft is the perfect way to test different roster constructions, and in this 12-team full PPR exercise, I decided to experiment with an aggressive running back start. From the 1.02 spot, I opened with Jahmyr Gibbs — bypassing Bijan Robinson — and doubled down by adding Bucky Irving and Chase Brown with my next two picks. The result is a build centered around three potential top-12 fantasy backs, with wide receiver depth coming later in the draft.
This approach isn’t without risk, but it creates upside at every level of the roster. Gibbs has overall RB1 potential if his receiving workload spikes under a new offensive coordinator, Irving looks poised for a breakout as Tampa Bay’s featured back and Brown enters 2025 as Cincinnati’s unquestioned workhorse. From there, I pivoted to proven volume receivers like Courtland Sutton and upside plays such as Ricky Pearsall, while finding value at quarterback with Bo Nix and tight end with Tyler Warren.
Let’s dive into a few of my favorite fantasy football draft picks from this recent mock.
- Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- 2025 Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- Fantasy Football ADP
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
Fantasy Football Draft Picks to Target
1.02 – Jahmyr Gibbs (RB – DET)
It seems like Bijan Robinson is the popular pick for overall RB1, but I am going with Jahmyr Gibbs for his immense upside. He will still share backfield duties with David Montgomery, but Gibbs has proven to be a high-end RB1 even when splitting touches. For him to deliver the kind of statistical upside to be the overall RB1, Gibbs would likely need to see a big increase in receptions.
Gibbs has averaged just 52 catches over his first two seasons, but new offensive coordinator John Morton had Gibbs working with the receivers this summer in camp. I am leaning into Gibbs continuing to be the most efficient back in football and his receiving role seeing a significant bump.
2.11 – Bucky Irving (RB – TB)
Oh yes, this is the type of start I love. Pairing Gibbs with Bucky Irving with the first two picks gives this roster a solid foundation. Once Irving became the featured back in Tampa Bay, he was outstanding last year. He finished with over 1,200 yards rushing and added 47 receptions.
If the Buccaneers give him more work in the passing game, Irving has the potential to blossom into a top-eight fantasy running back. With Rachaad White seemingly falling out of favor, it isn’t out of the question that Irving could catch 60-65 passes. Starting out RB-RB on this team also allows me to target wide receivers in the middle rounds, a position where there is a lot of value.
3.02 – Chase Brown (RB – CIN)
Tee Higgins was available, but I decided to try a different construction than I have done so far this year. With a porous defense, the Bengals will need to score points this year, and Chase Brown should be heavily featured once again. Like Bucky Irving, Brown became the featured back midway through the 2024 season and never looked back.
Brown was a major piece of the offense last year, averaging 24 touches over his final eight starts. Brown finished as the RB14 in PPR points per game, and with minimal competition for touches, he should produce low-end RB1 numbers with room for much more.
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Jason Kamlowsky is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Jason, check out his archive and follow him on Twitter @JasonKamlowsky.