Now that the 2025 NFL regular season is history, let’s set the stage for 2026 fantasy drafts with an early five-round fantasy football mock draft.
We’ll assume it’s for a half-point PPR league where each team is required to start one QB, two RBs, three WRs, one TE and a flex.
Bear in mind that the way things go down in the NFL Playoffs will affect perceived player values. So will a couple of events that are still a few months off: free agency and the NFL Draft.
Please pay no attention to how the so-called “teams” in this mock draft are balanced at various positions. There are no teams in this mock. This is just an approximation of where players will land in fantasy drafts.
And this is more about where I think players will go rather than where they should go. Here is my early 2026 fantasy football mock draft.
Fantasy Football Mock Draft
I cover the first five rounds in this initial 2026 fantasy football mock draft.
Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Round 1
1.01: Bijan Robinson (RB – ATL)
Every player has blemishes on his profile, but Robinson is nearly wart-free. He just rolled up 2,298 yards from scrimmage and 11 touchdowns in his age-23 season. Tyler Allgeier has been a thorn in the side of Robinson investors because of occasional TD-poaching, but Allgeier is about to become an unrestricted free agent. That isn’t to say there won’t be a new thorn, but Allgeier’s replacement might be less thorny.
1.02: Jahmyr Gibbs (RB – DET)
Even with a drop-off in the Lions’ offensive line performance, Gibbs came close to matching his spectacular 2024 season. He finished with 90 fewer yards from scrimmage and two fewer touchdowns than he had in 2024, but Gibbs was still good for 1,839 yards and 18 TDs. His 320 touches, 77 catches, and 616 receiving yards were career highs. The Lions also reduced the role of Gibbs’ backfield mate, David Montgomery.
1.03: Ja’Marr Chase (WR – CIN)
Chase continues to stack up big seasons. He’s started his career with five consecutive 1,000-yard campaigns, and yet Chase won’t turn 26 until March. Even with Joe Burrow missing nine games, Chase finished the season with 125 catches for 1,412 yards and eight touchdowns. He’s the closest thing to a foolproof WR there is.
1.04: Puka Nacua (WR – LAR)
Despite sharing targets with future Hall of Famer Davante Adams, Nacua established career highs in catches (a league-high 129), receiving yards (1,715), and touchdowns (10). He averaged 107.2 receiving yards per game and has averaged 95.3 yards per game over his three-year career. Nacua is seemingly always open and routinely makes circus catches. The only thing that could push him down into the bottom part of the first round would be a retirement announcement from Matthew Stafford.
1.05: Jaxon Smith-Njigba (WR – SEA)
Smith-Njigba had an astonishing 35.8% target share in 2025. He had 119 catches, a league-high 1,793 receiving yards, and 10 touchdowns despite playing in the NFL’s third run-heaviest offense. It would be reasonable to draft JSN in the top three.
1.06: Christian McCaffrey (RB – SF)
Concerns about McCaffrey’s health will persist as he heads into his age-30 season. CMC had 413 touches in the 2025 regular season, so it’s fair to be concerned about mileage. However, we’ve just seen what a healthy McCaffrey is capable of over a full season: 2,126 yards from scrimmage, 17 touchdowns, and a preposterous 102 receptions. The risk is high, but the potential rewards are bountiful.
1.07: Jonathan Taylor (RB – IND)
Arguably the best pure runner in the league, Taylor played a full regular season for the first time since 2021 and finished with 1,585 rushing yards and an NFL-high 18 TD runs. Taylor also had a career-high 46 catches. Although it seems like he’s been around forever, Taylor will be entering his age-27 season, so he’s still in his prime, albeit his late prime.
1.08: De’Von Achane (RB – MIA)
For all the issues the Dolphins’ offense had in 2025, Achane wasn’t one of them. He had 1,350 rushing yards and averaged a league-best 5.7 yards per carry. Achane also delivered 67 receptions for 488 yards. Achane scored 12 touchdowns and has delivered double-digit TDs in all three of his NFL seasons.
1.09: Amon-Ra St. Brown (WR – DET)
There might be no more dependable fantasy asset than St. Brown, who’s had more than 100 catches in four consecutive seasons and has missed only two games over his five-year career. He’s scored double-digit TDs in three straight seasons.
The Bills handed Cook a big contract extension in August, and he responded with a marvelous season. Cook led the league in rushing with 1,621 yards and scored 14 touchdowns. Cook isn’t a prolific pass catcher, but he’s established himself as one of the NFL’s premier runners. His pairing with Josh Allen makes Cook all the more attractive to fantasy gamers.
Lamb’s average draft position will depend on what the Cowboys choose to do with George Pickens, whose contract is up. If the Cowboys tag and re-sign Pickens, Lamb could slide into the second round. If Pickens moves on, Lamb could go earlier than this in most fantasy drafts. Despite sharing targets with Pickens and losing three games to injury, Lamb had 75 catches for 1,077 yards, although he scored only three touchdowns.
1.12: Drake London (WR – ATL)
Although he fell short of a 1,000-yard season after missing five games due to injuries, London finished WR7 in PPR points per game (16.8). He was basically right in line with his excellent 2024 numbers as far as targets per game (9.3) and receiving yards per game (76.6). London also scored seven touchdowns even though Atlanta’s quarterbacking was substandard.
Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Round 2
2.01: Ashton Jeanty (RB – LV)
If we drafted today, Jeanty would not come off the board this early. However, the Raiders will hire an offensive-minded head coach to replace Pete Carroll, they’ll draft a toolsy young quarterback No. 1 overall, and perhaps most important, they’ll make moves to upgrade an offensive line that gave Jeanty no room to run in his rookie season. (He averaged just 1.7 yards before contact per attempt.) Despite the headwinds he faced as a rookie, Jeanty delivered 1,321 yards from scrimmage and 10 touchdowns. Expect greater enthusiasm for Jeanty this summer.
2.02: Trey McBride (TE – ARI)
There will be debate about whether McBride should be a first-round pick after a season in which he set the record for most receptions by a tight end and finally started scoring touchdowns, catching 126 passes for 1,239 yards and 11 TDs. We used to have the same debates about Travis Kelce. It’s hard to justify taking McBride in the first round because the TE position is much stronger now than it was when Kelce was at the height of his powers. McBride will be a top-15 pick in this summer’s drafts, but I’ll have zero interest in paying that price for him.
2.03: Justin Jefferson (WR – MIN)
Jefferson just concluded a nightmarish season in which he had 84 catches for 1,048 yards and two touchdowns. The TD and reception totals don’t seem so bad, but by Jefferson’s standards? He had 30 more receiving yards in 2023, when he played only 10 games due to injury. Minnesota’s quarterbacking is the big concern here. Jefferson hasn’t clicked with J.J. McCarthy thus far. Either McCarthy shows improvement early in the 2026 season or he’s going to be out of a job, and you can bet the Vikings are going to make a significant investment in a backup quarterback this offseason.
2.04: Malik Nabers (WR – NYG)
Nabers could go earlier or later than this. His talent is undeniable, and Jaxson Dart‘s strong rookie showing has quelled concerns about the Giants’ quarterbacking. However, video of Nabers walking with a cane more than three months after he tore the ACL and meniscus in his right knee has raised concerns about the pace of his recovery. Stay tuned.
2.05: Omarion Hampton (RB – LAC)
Hampton shared work with Najee Harris early in the season and lost seven games to injury at midseason. Then, when Hampton was healthy and Harris was out of the picture, Hampton was productive in a workhorse role, doing damage as both a runner and receiver. The Chargers will have injured offensive tackles Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater back next season, which should reinvigorate the Chargers’ offense.
2.06: Nico Collins (WR – HOU)
Collins has given us three straight 1,000-yard seasons even though he’s missed at least two games in each of those years. The big questions are whether C.J. Stroud can hit the heights he reached as a rookie, and whether the young WR duo of Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel might steal some of Collins’ thunder.
2.07: Breece Hall (RB – NYJ)
Seems early for Breece, right? Just wait until some team backs up the Brinks truck for Hall in free agency and gets us excited about new possibilities. It’s unlikely the Jets re-sign him – their mammoth rebuilding project probably doesn’t start at the RB position. Likely suitors: the Commanders, the Texans and (if they can work some serious salary-cap magic) the Chiefs.
2.08: Saquon Barkley (RB – PHI)
As expected, 2025 was a letdown after Barkley’s epic 2024 season, but it wasn’t a collapse. Barkley ran for 1,140 yards and scored nine touchdowns. He’ll be heading into his age-29 season, so there’s some risk involved, but the middle of the second round seems like a reasonable landing spot for Barkley in drafts.
2.09: Josh Jacobs (RB – GB)
One of the best inside runners in the league has fit comfortably into Packers head coach Matt LaFleur’s system. Jacobs has scored 30 touchdowns in 32 regular season games with Green Bay.
2.10: Rashee Rice (WR – KC)
Rice was a reception machine upon his return from suspension, averaging 6.6 catches and 71.4 receiving yards per game, with five touchdowns in eight games. The variables that will affect Rice’s average draft position are Patrick Mahomes’ recovery from a late-season ACL tear and the possibility of a new addition or two to the Chiefs’ WR corps.
2.11: Brock Bowers (TE – LV)
The late second round is where Bowers is likely to go in 2026 drafts after a frustrating, injury-marred 2025 season. He’ll be a steal at that price, and there’s a case to be made that he should be drafted ahead of Trey McBride – a case I’ll be making throughout the offseason.
2.12: George Pickens (WR – DAL)
After a career year in which he had 93 catches for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns, Pickens becomes an unrestricted free agent. There are still concerns that he doesn’t bring it in every game, but Pickens demonstrated just how terrific he can be over a full season.
Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Round 3
3.01: A.J. Brown (WR – PHI)
Despite occasional periods of neglect, Brown generally delivers the goods. He’s had four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons and has scored at least seven TDs in each of them. His career average of 9.8 yards per target shows that good things usually happen when you throw the ball in AJB’s direction.
3.02: TreVeyon Henderson (RB – NE)
He may never be an NFL workhorse, but Henderson should continue to be a versatile and explosive time-share back capable of doing considerable damage on 12-15 touches a game, much like Jahmyr Gibbs in his first couple of years with the Lions.
3.03: Kyren Williams (RB – LAR)
There are annual concerns about Williams losing his job as the Rams’ lead back, and Williams keeps cranking out RB1 years. He’s scored 44 touchdowns over the last three regular seasons.
3.04: Chase Brown (RB – CIN)
Brown ceded some work to backup Samaje Perine, but he was still extremely productive in a lead role, finishing with 1,456 yards from scrimmage and 11 touchdowns.
3.05: Derrick Henry (RB – BAL)
Henry just turned 32, so the age cliff is looming. On the other hand, he just ran for 1,595 yards and 16 touchdowns as a senior-citizen RB. The age risk becomes more tolerable if you can get Henry in the third round.
3.06: Chris Olave (WR – NO)
Olave alleviated concerns about his concussion history with a 100-catch, 1,163-yard, and nine-touchdown season. Olave and Tyler Shough really clicked down the stretch.
3.07: Bucky Irving (RB – TB)
Irving’s efficiency plummeted, as he went from averaging 5.4 yards per carry in 2025 to just 3.4 yards per carry in 2024. Irving still passes the eye test, however, and the Buccaneers showed a willingness to feed him the rock, with Irving averaging 17.3 carries per game in 2025.
Allen threw only 25 TD passes this season – a six-year low – but he had 14 TD runs and has now had double-digit rushing touchdowns in three straight seasons. He’s still the overall QB1.
3.09: Tetairoa McMillan (WR – CAR)
McMillan’s 70 catches, 1,014 yards, and seven touchdowns as a rookie give him serious fantasy cred. The question is whether the Panthers can find a quarterback capable of fully unlocking McMillan’s potential.
3.10: RJ Harvey (RB – DEN)
Stuck in a limited role for much of the season, Harvey got a chance to show what he could do as a lead back after the Broncos lost J.K. Dobbins to injury. Harvey showed dual run/catch ability and finished his first NFL regular season with 12 touchdowns.
3.11: Tee Higgins (WR – CIN)
Higgins seems to lose games to injury every year, but he only missed two games in 2025 and still managed to score 11 touchdowns. It was the second straight season in which Higgins has posted double-digit TDs. Although the presence of Ja’Marr Chase holds down Higgins’ target count, it wards off double teams.
3.12 Drake Maye (QB – NE)
Maye was electric in his second NFL season, leading the league in completion percentage (72.0%) and yards per attempt (8.9). He also adds some value as a runner, and there will probably be seasons in which Maye has more than the four TD runs he provided in 2025.
Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Round 4
4.01: Jameson Williams (WR – DET)
Williams proved his 2024 breakout was no fluke, amassing a career-high 1,117 receiving yards in 2025 and scoring seven touchdowns. Lions head coach Dan Campbell seems intent on keeping Williams involved in the Lions’ offense.
4.02: Garrett Wilson (WR – NYJ)
Wilson caught his last pass on Oct. 12 and still managed to lead the Jets in receiving yards with 395. Bad quarterbacking and a knee injury made it a lost season for Wilson, but better health and a new Jets signal caller should revive his fantasy value in 2026.
4.03: Lamar Jackson (QB – BAL)
Buyers will insist on a discount after Jackson’s lackluster, injury-plagued 2025 campaign – and they’re likely to get one.
A significant ankle/leg injury prematurely ended Skattebo’s promising rookie season. A true warrior with dual run/catch ability, Skattebo should play a prominent role for the Giants once he’s back. The question is whether he’ll look as good after tightrope surgery.
4.05: Travis Etienne Jr. (RB – JAC)
After a poor season in 2024, Etienne rebounded with 1,107 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns in 2025. He’s about to hit free agency, and his landing spot will help determine his average draft position.
4.06: Kenneth Walker III (RB – SEA)
Another impending free agent, Walker lost TD opportunities to Zach Charbonnet throughout the 2025 season. A boom-or-bust, big-play RB, Walker could become a consensus second- or third-round pick if he goes to a team committed to featuring him.
4.07: Davante Adams (WR – LAR)
Adams has been a touchdown machine this season, scoring 14 TDs in 14 regular-season games. His yardage output was less impressive, however. Adams averaged 56.4 receiving yards per game – his lowest per-game average since 2015. He turned 33 on Christmas Eve day, so the yardage totals might not rebound.
4.08: Ladd McConkey (WR – LAC)
The talented McConkey was unable to replicate the magic of his 2024 season. Injuries to the Chargers’ offensive tackles short-circuited the entire offense. But there were games when McConkey took a back seat to Quentin Johnston, and Oronde Gadsden II and Tre Harris could be threats to McConkey’s target share in 2026.
4.09: George Kittle (TE – SF)
He’s still wildly productive when healthy, but Kittle is 32 now and played only 11 regular-season games this season. Kittle has missed at least two games in six of his last seven seasons.
4.10: Joe Burrow (QB – CIN)
We know what Burrow is capable of, and his pass-catching weaponry is fabulous, but the injuries are starting to become worrisome. Burrow has missed significant time in two of the last three seasons.
4.11: Javonte Williams (RB – DAL)
It seemed as if a 2022 knee injury might permanently derail Williams’ once-promising career, but he gave us a welcome breakthrough season in 2025, rushing for 1,201 yards and scoring 13 touchdowns with the Cowboys. He now heads into free agency.
4.12: Zach Charbonnet (RB – SEA)
Charbonnet has been a touchdown specialist this season, with 12 TD runs despite only 730 rushing yards. However, with Kenneth Walker III headed toward free agency ,Charbs could have a meatier role in 2026. He can be an impressive downhill runner, and he has some pass-catching chops, too.
Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Round 5
5.01: Tucker Kraft (TE – GB)
Kraft could go earlier than this if he makes a hasty recovery from a torn ACL. He’s an absolute beast after the catch, making Kraft seem like a younger version of George Kittle.
5.02: Zay Flowers (WR – BAL)
Flowers scored a touchdown in Week 1, then had a 12-game TD drought before scoring four touchdowns over his last four games of the season. While the TD production was sporadic, Flowers delivered career highs in receptions (86) and receiving yards (1,211).
5.03: Jalen Hurts (QB – PHI)
After rushing for at least 60 yards and double-digit TDs in each of his previous four seasons, Hurts slipped to 421 rushing yards and eight TD runs in 2025. Without the waterfall of rushing touchdowns, Hurts finished QB8 in fantasy scoring. It will be interesting to see if drafters are willing to bet on a return to beefier rushing totals.
5.04: Luther Burden III (WR – CHI)
The Luther truthers rejoiced when Burden had eight catches for 138 yards and a touchdown in the Bears’ nationally televised win over the 49ers in Week 17. Burden was used sparingly for much of the season but came on strong down the stretch. He averaged 2.69 yards per route run over his rookie season, suggesting that big things lay ahead.
5.05: Jayden Daniels (QB – WAS)
After Daniels’ electric rookie season in 2024, injuries limited him to seven games in 2025, and his per-game production wasn’t as impressive. Still, Daniels’ potential as both a runner and passer will keep drafters interested.
5.06: Patrick Mahomes (QB – KC)
After a couple of statistically drab seasons, Mahomes was back to being a fantasy stud in 2025 before tearing his ACL and LCL late in the year. The big question is whether he’ll be ready for Week 1.
5.07: D’Andre Swift (RB – CHI)
Swift might go earlier than this after piling up 1,386 scrimmage yards and 10 touchdowns in 2025, but rookie Kyle Monangai worked his way into a time-share role and could be a drain on Swift’s value going forward.
5.08 Quinshon Judkins (RB – CLE)
Judkins missed training camp, joined the Browns in Week 2 and quickly became a workhorse. He wasn’t very efficient behind a patchwork offensive line, but Judkins scored seven TDs and showed flashes before sustaining a major ankle/leg injury in Week 16. The pace of his recovery will govern his average draft position.
5.09: Christian Watson (WR – GB)
Just when we thought his career would never take off because he’s made of glass, Watson make an unexpectedly speedy return from a torn ACL and kept making big plays for the Packers week after week. Watson scored six touchdowns over his last seven regular-season games. He’s averaged 10.0 yards per target over his career.
5.10: D.K. Metcalf (WR – PIT)
After being a high air yards, low yardage after the catch type of receiver for most of his career, Metcalf’s air yards plummeted this season while playing with the elderly Aaron Rodgers, but he did more damage after the catch than he ever had in Seattle. Metcalf deserves credit for making a radical adjustment. The question is what the Steelers’ QB situation will look like in 2026.
5.11: Mike Evans (WR – TB)
Evans’ streak of 11 consecutive 1,000-yard seasons was snapped due to injury, but he still looked good when healthy. Still, Evans is heading into his age-33 season, so even a late fifth-round investment could be risky.
5.12: Terry McLaurin (WR – WAS)
The Jayden Daniels/Terry McLaurin connection worked fabulously in 2024, with McLaurin amassing 1,096 receiving yards and a career-high 13 touchdowns. However, McLaurin played only 10 games in 2025, and Daniels played only seven. Better health for both men in 2026 could reignite their chemistry.
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