With the 2025 fantasy football season behind us, it’s natural to be thinking ahead to the 2026 campaign, even when the playoffs are still happening at the same time. Strong performances, busts and breakouts are already starting to help us form judgments about players for next season. To see how far off we are, or how close we are, in our assessments, there is no better way to find out than a by doing a fantasy football mock draft.
What follows is the way-t00-early mock draft for the 2026 season. Several of the FantasyPros fantasy football staff got together in mid-January to mock out the first two rounds of a draft for the 2026 fantasy football season. There were five total drafters, each taking two teams in a 10-team format.
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2026 Fantasy Football Mock Draft
In this exercise, we cover the first two rounds of a very early 2026 fantasy football mock draft. Even though it is just two rounds, we assumed that it’s for a half-PPR league where each team is required to start one quarterback, two running backs, three wide receivers, one tight and one Flex player.
The drafters were:
- David Leisering — 1.01, 1.06
- Ryan Kirksey (@CableBoxScore) — 1.02 & 1.07
- Garrett Ball (@GarrettBFF) — 1.03 & 1.08
- Jesse Garcia (@jesseg628) — 1.04 & 1.09
- Chris Schommer (@ChrisSchommer1) — 1.05 & 1.10
Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Round 1
- 1.01: Bijan Robinson (RB – ATL)
- 1.02: Jahmyr Gibbs (RB – DET)
- 1.03: Ja’Marr Chase (WR – CIN)
- 1.04: Puka Nacua (WR – LAR)
- 1.05: Christian McCaffrey (RB – SF)
- 1.06: Jaxon Smith-Njigba (WR – SEA)
- 1.07: De’Von Achane (RB – MIA)
- 1.08: Jonathan Taylor (RB – IND)
- 1.09: James Cook (RB – BUF)
- 1.10 Amon-Ra St. Brown (WR – DET)
Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Round 2
- 2.01 Ashton Jeanty (RB – LV)
- 2.02: CeeDee Lamb (WR – DAL)
- 2.03: Trey McBride (TE – ARI)
- 2.04: Drake London (WR – ATL)
- 2.05: Saquon Barkley (RB – PHI)
- 2.06: Omarion Hampton (RB – LAC)
- 2.07: Derrick Henry (RB – BAL)
- 2.08: Rashee Rice (WR – KC)
- 2.09: Chris Olave (WR – NO)
- 2.10: Josh Allen (QB – BUF)
Mock Draft Analysis
David Leisering breaks down his picks from the No. 1 and No. 6 spots:
Bijan Robinson (RB – ATL)
I was torn between taking Bijan Robinson or Jahmyr Gibbs with the first overall pick, but I went with Robinson as he led the NFL in total yards from scrimmage by 172 over second-place Christian McCaffrey. While he only totaled 11 touchdowns in 2025 — a decrease of four from his previous season — his rushing yardage increased to a career-best 1,478 (on 17 fewer carries), and his targets (103), receptions (79) and receiving yards (820) all established new career-highs.
Robinson added a little more than 400 yards from scrimmage from 2023 to 2024 and, again, from 2024 to 2025. If he does it again from 2025 to 2026, he’ll break Chris Johnson‘s NFL record of 2,509, which he set in 2009. Even if he doesn’t, add in the rumored possibility of Tyler Allgeier looking for a starting job with another team in 2026, and it all potentially spells even bigger and better for Robinson in 2026.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba (WR – SEA)
I was considering either Christian McCaffrey or Jaxon Smith-Njigba with this pick, and with McCaffrey being selected before me, it made my decision that much easier. Smith-Njigba led the NFL in receiving yards (1,793), finished fourth in receptions (119) and was tied for sixth in receiving touchdowns (10).
Smith-Njigba defined the meaning of being a true No. 1 receiver, accounting for 44.1% of Seattle’s total receiving yards in 2025. The other thing I liked about taking Smith-Njigba (besides the fact that I’m a Seahawks fan) was his consistency. He had one real bad game when he caught two passes for 23 yards in a shutout win over Minnesota in Week 13. I’ll take my chance on Smith-Njigba, at the very least, having a repeat performance in 2026.
Saquon Barkley (RB – PHI)
I was really hoping that Trey McBride would fall to me, but since he didn’t, I went with a sure bet in Saquon Barkley. I thought about Derrick Henry, but Barkley is a far superior receiver out of the backfield, so I grabbed him instead.
Barkley had a bit of a down year in 2025, but still managed 1,140 yards rushing and added 37 catches for 273 yards. While I don’t think he’ll ever replicate his 2,000-yard campaign in 2024, I’m hoping for a bit of a bounce back in 2026. Regardless, as my second running back, I’ll take a surefire 1,000 rushing yards, 35 receptions and close to 10 total touchdowns any time.
Josh Allen (QB – BUF)
With the last pick, I grabbed, arguably, the best quarterback in the NFL to lock up that position. While he may not be the true passer that some of the other signal-callers are, sign me up for 41 rushing touchdowns over his last three seasons.
Allen has had at least six rushing scores in each of his eight years in the NFL and has rushed for at least 500 yards in seven of his eight seasons. I could’ve gone a different route and taken Brock Bowers, Justin Jefferson or Malik Nabers, who were still on the board, but why not take the best player at his position with the last pick of the second round?
Ryan Kirksey breaks down his picks from the No. 2 and No. 7 spots:
Jahmyr Gibbs (RB – DET)
Jahmry Gibbs was the RB4 in half-PPR points per game in 2025, but he still managed to leave a sour taste in the mouths of fantasy managers. In the playoffs (Weeks 15 and 17), Gibbs couldn’t even manage eight points, and he was well below his season average of 19.4. But heading into the playoffs, Gibbs was the RB3 with over 21 fantasy points per game. He was 11th in carries and third in targets this season, while ranking in the top seven in rushing yards, receiving yards and total touchdowns.
Gibbs will be just 24 years old next season. David Montgomery is likely to land elsewhere, and a new offensive coordinator is coming to town. Gibbs could actually be better in 2026.
De’Von Achane (RB – MIA)
There was exactly one running back who scored at least 10 half-PPR fantasy points in every single game of the 2025 season — De’Von Achane. That level of consistency plus room for explosion games (three games over 20 points) absolutely makes Achane worthy of a pick in the middle of the first round in 2026. He has very little competition on the ground and in the air, and has moved into a bell-cow back role for the Dolphins.
With a new head coach and new offensive system coming in, I have faith they will understand how to use their most dynamic weapon on offense. Perhaps Achane’s most valuable skill last season was availability, which is never something you can count on, but at least he has shown he can withstand the rigor of a 17-game season.
Drake London (WR – ATL)
Drake London missed five games due to injury in 2025. And he also had three games where he scored fewer than five fantasy points. But he still finished as the WR7 in half-PPR formats in fantasy points per game because he had such heavy usage and was so dominant at securing the ball and making plays after the catch.
London was fifth among wide receivers with a 30.4% target share and eighth in air yards share. But his tremendous value also came from how he was used in the red zone. Among all wide receivers in 2025, London was third with a 36.6% share of targets in the red zone, which led to seven touchdowns in just 12 games.
Chris Olave (WR – NO)
While Chris Olave was one of the best fantasy picks last year after returning WR16 value, it was his performance after Tyler Shough became the quarterback that should get us the most excited for 2026.
Shough took over the starting job in New Orleans in Week 8. From Week 8 to the end of the regular season, Chris Olave was the WR6 in half-PPR formats with more than 15 fantasy points per game. He and Shough found that late-season magic together, and now they likely get a whole season as a quarterback-wide receiver duo in 2026.
Garrett Ball breaks down his picks from the No. 3 and No. 8 spots:
Ja’Marr Chase (WR – CIN)
It’s a bit of a cherry-picked stat here, but from Weeks 5-18, Ja’Marr Chase was the WR3 in fantasy points per game. He got off to a rocky start with Joe Burrow having his patented slow start and then Jake Browning not doing him any favors for two weeks. Chase has finished as a top-five fantasy receiver in back-to-back years. That and not having to worry about injuries is what ultimately put him ahead of the likes of Puka Nacua. It was very close, though.
Jonathan Taylor (RB – IND)
Jonathan Taylor was on another planet to start the season, averaging 25.9 half-PPR points per game from Weeks 1-10. He fell off dramatically after the Colts’ bye, but the first three teams out of the bye were all top-10 run defenses, and he lost quarterback Daniel Jones in that stretch. Taylor is better than his end-of-year finish shows, and I’m betting on him returning value as a top-end RB1 yet again.
Trey McBride (TE – ARI)
Speaking of players on another planet, the gap between Trey McBride and the TE2 was 86.1 points. That’s nearly the gap between the RB1 and RB6. Even on a points per game basis, he was more than two full points per game better than the TE2 (Tucker Kraft).
McBride offers a positional advantage and, at least for now, a little more clarity than what Brock Bowers is working with at the same position, assuming the Cardinals keep Jacoby Brissett and the Raiders draft a rookie quarterback.
This start was unconventional for sure. However, I have a stud running back, and with McBride, I don’t have to worry about the tight end position for the rest of the draft. That clears up more room to take shots at receivers and running backs. There is still plenty of depth left at this point, so even if the start defies tradition, I’m completely fine with it
Rashee Rice (WR – KC)
I think drafters are going to remember the collapse of Kansas City over anything else. We do have the Patrick Mahomes injury to worry about, but he shouldn’t miss the whole season, so I’m taking the discount shot at upside. When Rashee Rice was on the field in 2025, he was the WR4 in half-PPR points per game. At the end of the second round, I’ll take that all day.
Usually, I like to have a solid RB1, especially in half-PPR formats. If we went to round three in this exercise, that’s likely when I would have snagged one. But I don’t mind the wide receiver-heavy approach, especially with the potential value I got with Rice at the end of the second round. Ja’Marr Chase and Rice will anchor my team, letting me wait on taking a WR3 as I fill out the other positions.
Jesse Garcia breaks down his picks from the No. 4 and No. 9 spots:
Puka Nacua (WR – LAR) & James Cook (RB – BUF)
I believe that the first two rounds of the draft allow you to pick two pillars at the two most important positions — running back and wide receiver. With my first two picks, I took Puka Nacua and James Cook. Nacua continues to be one of the most impressive wide receivers in the league and finds ways to get open.
There are injury concerns throughout each season with Nacua, but when he is on the field, he is a top-five fantasy asset. Cook was the best running back left on the board. Despite not seeing the volume of touches that some running backs may get, Cook finds a way to deliver in a high-powered Bills offense. The next two closest players on the board were Amon-Ra St. Brown and Ashton Jeanty. Jeanty will still struggle behind a very weak Las Vegas’ offensive line and St. Brown is close to Nacua in my rankings. I trust Matthew Stafford more than Jared Goff currently.
CeeDee Lamb (WR – DAL) & Derrick Henry (RB – BAL)
For my second set of picks, I stuck with wide receiver and running back, and went with CeeDee Lamb and Derrick Henry. Lamb should still have George Pickens in Dallas next season, which will continue to benefit Lamb as it gives opposing defenses another player to focus on.
Henry does come with some risk with a new head coach and new offensive coordinator in 2026, but he appears to show few signs of slowing down and finished the 2025 season strong. Drake London and Saquon Barkley would have been the next two players I would have considered, but both come with question marks surrounding what their offenses will look like in 2026. Lamb and Henry provide you with two pillars to build around as you continue into the next round.
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