When mock draft season rolls around, every fantasy football manager starts searching for “the blueprint.” In a recent crossover episode of the FantasyPros Football Podcast, Joe Pisapia teamed up with Jake Ciely (The Athletic) and Jacob Hubman and Kyle Richardson (The Fantasy Headliners) for a full 12-team PPR fantasy football mock draft. With four distinct draft slots — 1, 4, 9 and 12 — the crew showed how different strategies play out in real time.
Here’s the round-by-round logic, the player debates that matter and where each roster found its edge.
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Fantasy Football Mock Draft
Pick 1: Going Hero WR from the Top
Jacob Hubman had the first pick and broke from his usual “running back early” tendencies to take Ja’Marr Chase over Bijan Robinson and Christian McCaffrey.
“If I’m at the number one, I’m going to have a little bit of fun and go Chase,” Hubman explained, setting up a Hero WR build.
That decision opened the door for two straight volume-heavy running backs in Chase Brown and Kyren Williams at the round two/round three turn. The rest of his draft balanced floor with tradeable upside pieces like Calvin Ridley, George Pickens and later Isaac Guerendo (as leverage against the McCaffrey drafter).
Key Takeaway: At 1.01, you can skip the “safe running back” route if you’re confident you’ll land high-touch backs in rounds two or three.
Pick 4: Stacking WR1s Early
Joe Pisapia started with Justin Jefferson and kept pounding receivers (Ladd McConkey and Garrett Wilson) before addressing running back with rookies Omarion Hampton and RJ Harvey.
Anchoring tight end with Mark Andrews gave the build weekly positional upside, and mid-round adds like Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears created a complete Tennessee backfield hedge.
Key Takeaway: In PPR, loading up on three locked-in WR1s before the fourth round can work if you’re willing to embrace younger backs with higher variance later.
Pick 9: Mixing Safe Floor with Target Hogs
Kyle Richardson’s first-round plan went sideways when an auto-pick gave him Malik Nabers instead of Amon-Ra St. Brown. He stuck with receivers, adding Drake London in round two and flipping to running back value with Alvin Kamara, James Conner and David Montgomery.
Richardson doubled down on floor plays with DeVonta Smith, then grabbed Trey Benson as a critical Conner handcuff. Late stashes like DeMario Douglas and Wan’Dale Robinson bolstered his PPR upside.
“If you’re taking Conner, you’ve got to take Trey Benson in case something happens,” Richardson noted.
Key Takeaway: Even when the first round doesn’t go as planned, you can recover by doubling up on stability and then using bench spots for injury pivots and target hogs.
Pick 12: Balancing RB/WR at the Turn
Jake Ciely used the turn to lock in Derrick Henry and Brian Thomas Jr., then followed with Kenneth Walker and Davante Adams. By the end of round five, he added Jameson Williams and still found Joe Burrow waiting at 6.01 — a massive value.
The back half of his draft was all about high-ceiling bench swings: Matthew Golden, Tank Bigsby, Tahj Brooks and Jaylen Wright.
“My bench doesn’t have guys that can fill in for Week 5. I want people who could turn into top-25 players,” Ciely said.
Key Takeaway: From the turn, you can build a balanced core in the first four rounds, and then use the double picks to hoard breakout candidates.
Notable Debates & Draft Room Themes
- Bijan Robinson vs. WR at 1.01: Hubman made the case for taking Ja’Marr Chase over a workhorse back to play for wide receiver dominance.
- Christian McCaffrey Risk Tolerance: The group agreed that Christian McCaffrey’s average draft position (ADP) has climbed back into round one territory, but some still prefer a safer opening-round profile.
- Quarterback Patience: Only Ciely went quarterback before round eight, but all agreed Burrow’s round six fall was an outlier in sharp rooms.
- Value Tight Ends: Jake Ferguson, David Njoku and late-round fliers like Brenton Strange came up as profitable TE2/streaming targets.
PPR Mock Draft – First Six Rounds by Draft Slot
| Round | Pick 1 – Hubman | Pick 4 – Pisapia | Pick 9 – Richardson | Pick 12 – Ciely |
| 1 | Ja’Marr Chase (WR) | Justin Jefferson (WR) | Malik Nabers (WR) | Derrick Henry (RB) |
| 2 | Chase Brown (RB) | Ladd McConkey (WR) | Drake London (WR) | Brian Thomas Jr. (WR) |
| 3 | Kyren Williams (RB) | Garrett Wilson (WR) | Alvin Kamara (RB) | Kenneth Walker (RB) |
| 4 | Calvin Ridley (WR) | Mark Andrews (TE) | James Conner (RB) | Davante Adams (WR) |
| 5 | George Pickens (WR) | Omarion Hampton (RB) | DeVonta Smith (WR) | Jameson Williams (WR) |
| 6 | Isaac Guerendo (RB) | RJ Harvey (RB) | Trey Benson (RB) | Joe Burrow (QB) |
- Hubman (Pick 1, Hero WR) built around WR1 dominance early, then grabbed workhorse running backs.
- Pisapia (Pick 4, Zero RB / WR Avalanche) loaded up on elite receivers before addressing running back with rookies.
- Richardson (Pick 9, WR Start to Stability RB) pivoted to running back-heavy after a wide receiver-heavy start for stability.
- Ciely (Pick 12, Balanced Upside Swings) balanced running back/wide receiver at the turn, then scooped up elite quarterback value.
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