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
Bhayshul Tuten (RB – JAX)
This is an upside pick, but one with sound reasoning behind it. New Jacksonville coach Liam Coen spent a fourth-round NFL Draft pick on Bhayshul Tuten and has no ties to either running back on the roster ahead of him; Travis Etienne is a trade candidate, while Tank Bigsby is a between-the-tackles grinder.
Could Tuten be the Bucky Irving of 2025? It’s possible, although that is probably asking a bit much. The hope is that he ends up being the starter for the latter half of the season, producing RB2 value. His 4.32 speed will be put to good use, and I expect Jacksonville to take a huge leap forward offensively. In the 10th round, he is well worth the swing.
Darnell Mooney (WR – ATL)
I have been getting Darnell Mooney pretty consistently in this range all summer. In home leagues, you may need to go a round or two higher than this, but anything after pick 100 seems reasonable. In his first year with the Falcons, Mooney posted 64 receptions for 992 yards and five touchdowns on 106 targets.
Mooney’s only full game with rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. came in Week 16 against the Giants, when he caught five passes for 82 yards on six targets. Serving as Atlanta’s No. 2 receiver, Mooney provided the offense with a consistent vertical threat and helped stretch defenses, something that meshes well with Penix’s ability to push the ball downfield.
Wan’Dale Robinson (WR – NYG)
Wan’Dale Robinson is viable in PPR leagues, but his relevancy will depend on a few variables. Robinson thrives on volume, seeing 140 targets last season. The issue is the efficiency of those targets, as he failed to go over 700 yards on the season despite 93 catches.
Part of the problem was the wretched quarterback play in New York, something that should improve in 2025. If Robinson can hold down the slot receiver role and see even a modest bump to his average depth of target (aDOT), he will make for a reasonable WR4/WR5 in PPR leagues.
Tyler Allgeier (RB – ATL)
This is purely a speculative pick, but Tyler Allgeier is one of the better handcuffs in fantasy. He doesn’t have much of a pass-catching role, but in deeper leagues, he has some standalone Flex value. Allgeier would not replace the production of Bijan Robinson (for real life or fantasy), but he would be a serviceable RB2.
Woody Marks (RB – HOU)
I listened to an Establish The Run podcast this week that turned me onto Woody Marks, and I have been targeting him with my last pick ever since. The Texans traded a 2026 third-round pick to move into the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft to select him, taking him over Jaydon Blue, Dylan Sampson and DJ Giddens.
Is there something to that? I think there is. If Nick Chubb‘s knees are all that stands between Marks and 15 touches per game, I am willing to roster him for a few weeks to see if I can get something of value.
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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.
