We’re a month away from the NFL Draft, but it’s never too early to participate in a fantasy football mock draft and put forth all the practice we can handle. Participating in mock drafts throughout different stages of the offseason really lets us get a good feel for positional value and how much players are moving up or sliding back in drafts. We’ll be using a draft slot towards the beginning, which is really going to open things up for us in terms of the players available.
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Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Zero RB Strategy
Before diving into the mock draft, we’ll recap how Zero RB did in 2025. Then, we’ll see what kind of roster we can build in a PPR format and use the Zero RB approach at pick 1.04.
How Did Zero RB Fare in 2025?
The running back landscape during the NFL season changes on a dime, which is what makes the chaos of the NFL that much more exciting when playing fantasy football. Zero RB was developed by Shawn Siegele in 2013 as a concept to take advantage of the chaos and volatility of an NFL season. NFL running backs have massively higher injury rates — especially at a higher average draft position (ADP) — than any other position, just by virtue of the toll it takes to play the position.
Eschewing higher-ADP running backs for later-round running backs and making your roster anti-fragile in the face of the ever-evolving fantasy landscape will supercharge your teams in the long run. We don’t care as much about the early-season performance because your roster will be stronger later in the season when you need it to be.
Of course, being able to use the waiver wire really lets you get ahead of the game to churn the bottom of your roster. Perhaps you can find a top-end starter like many fantasy managers have in past seasons with James Robinson and Kyren Williams. Or maybe you can fill in the gaps with players that will be helpful for a handful of weeks, like Kenneth Gainwell III or J.K. Dobbins did last season.
Outside of the top 24 picks in preseason ADP last season, backs like Travis Etienne Jr. (RB30), Javonte Williams (RB37) and Kenneth Gainwell (RB89) all finished in the end-of-season top-16 running backs in fantasy points.
We had multiple running backs like Cam Skattebo, Rico Dowdle, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Quinshon Judkins, Kyle Monangai, Emanuel Wilson, Blake Corum, Tyrone Tracy Jr., Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell, who had top-five weeks in a given week, were all outside of the preseason top 24 at the position. These backs are out there each season and can help you weather some of the injuries and FLEX spot issues without having to spend draft capital in the first five or six rounds.
Zero RB has been a money-making strategy for intrepid fantasy managers brave enough to weather the slings and arrows of their leaguemates on draft day, especially if that draft is in person. But there is a massive benefit to those who heed the call, and this mock draft built a successful roster in the eyes of the FantasyPros Draft Wizard.
Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Zero RB Strategy
The lineup settings for this mock: 1-QB, 2-RB, 3-WR, 1-TE, 2-FLEX and 6 Bench Spots. See the results and full draft board here.
1.04: Jaxon Smith-Njigba (WR – SEA)
Jaxon Smith-Njigba was a revelation in 2025, ascending to historical heights along with Puka Nacua. Smith-Njigba finished as the WR2 and averaged 21.2 fantasy points per game. He had the fourth-highest yards per route run (3.66) since the stat was charted by Pro Football Focus (PFF) in 2006.
UPDATE!
Best YPRR seasons since ’06:
(min 200 routes)
Steve Smith (2008) – 3.87
Tyreek Hill (2023) – 3.82
*Puka Nacua (2025) – 3.81*
*Jaxon Smith-Njigba (2025) – 3.66*
Puka Nacua (2024) – 3.56
Andre Johnson (2007) – 3.21
Tyreek Hill (2022) – 3.20
Julio Jones (2016) – 3.12
Cooper Kupp (2021) – 3.12
— Kevin Tompkins (@ktompkinsii.bsky.social) January 1, 2026 at 2:41 PM
Fresh off a Super Bowl victory, entering Year 2 of having Sam Darnold as his quarterback as the unquestioned alpha and having just received the biggest contract ever given to a wide receiver, Smith-Njigba is a bankable top-four player in fantasy and should be drafted as such.
2.09: Nico Collins (WR – HOU)
While Nico Collins has missed some games in all five NFL seasons he’s played in his career, there’s no doubt that when Collins is on the field, he’s a monster for fantasy managers. One of the most efficient and productive receivers, Collins is a perfect WR2 for this team despite any shortcomings quarterback C.J. Stroud has.
Collins is hyper-targeted with a 24.8% targets per route run, which is a target on basically one of every four routes he runs. He put up the same 24.8% first-read target rate and is Houston’s clear top target.
3.04: Josh Allen (QB – BUF)
The consensus top quarterback in fantasy football rankings heading into 2026, Josh Allen led all rushing quarterbacks with 579 yards last season. That mark was the lowest season-long rushing yard total to lead the position since 2009, when David Garrard led the NFL with just 323.
Allen also had his lowest fantasy output since 2019, but he was still a QB1 in fantasy last season. His 14 touchdowns on the ground were Allen’s third straight season with double-digit rushing touchdowns, and we can certainly expect more of the same in 2026.
Drafting a quarterback this early, especially one with consistent upside, really requires you to be sure about who you’re selecting. Allen has been a top-two fantasy quarterback each season since 2020, so we’re plenty confident he continues his awesome fantasy production.
4.09: Jameson Williams (WR – DET)
The first of two 2025 Detroit Lions in this mock, Jameson Williams, is still a Lion in 2026, while David Montgomery was traded to the Houston Texans.
The fourth round may be a little rich for some drafters, but Williams offers the highest upside swing to take as our WR3, so he is a nice get as a receiver who isn’t as reliant on receptions and pure target volume.
5.04: Ladd McConkey (WR – LAC)
Ladd McConkey was a rookie revelation in 2024, with 1,149 yards, seven touchdowns and a robust 2.38 yards per route run. He took major dips in Greg Roman’s offense last season, as quarterback Justin Herbert managed multiple receiving targets, including Quentin Johnston, Keenan Allen, Oronde Gadsden II and Tre’ Harris.
At times last season, McConkey would get lost in the shuffle, especially later in the season. After Week 9, McConkey never earned more than six targets in a game in the regular season. His first-read target percentage dropped significantly.
Now enters new play-caller and offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, the former Miami Dolphins head coach, who has run successful offenses with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle at wide receiver. McConkey filling either role would be amazing for his fantasy value.
Getting McConkey in the fifth round is certainly more palatable than getting him at the end of the second round last season. Even if he doesn’t quite rebound to his rookie season efficiency, it’s not going to be as much of a whiplash as it was last season. Make no mistake, McDaniel is a monumental upgrade in terms of scheming and efficiency for this Chargers’ passing game, and it should only help McConkey this season.
6.09: Harold Fannin Jr. (TE – CLE)
No tight end impacted the position more than the rest of the rookies impacted their positions quite like Harold Fannin Jr. did. It was a bit of a lackluster season for immediately impactful players. Fannin, however, was picked up from the waiver wire in the first couple of weeks when he was getting over 60% of the routes each game. He finished in the top 12 of tight ends in both weeks. Fannin was a force at the tight end position, but there’s a lot of meat on the bone.
Fannin led all NFL tight ends in targets per route run, as he was targeted on one of almost every four routes he ran (23.8%) in 2025. He trailed only Trey McBride in first-read target rate as well, so plays were being drawn up with him in mind as the first target in the offense. It was not his fault the Browns rolled out two bottom-five quarterbacks (Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders) in expected points added (EPA) per play this past season.
Frankly, the quarterback play can’t get much worse than what Fannin had to endure in his rookie season. Any tight end who can put up 72/731/6 on 104 targets with that grotesque level of quarterbacking is on my radar moving forward. Fannin’s runway toward a difference-making breakout season is wide open in 2026, no matter who the quarterback is.
7.04: David Montgomery (RB – HOU)
David Montgomery was traded to the Houston Texans. In this particular build, he’ll be our first running back, and he should have some spike weeks now that he’s a Houston Texan. Montgomery will likely carry the majority of the touchdown equity on the ground as well. Woody Marks was not great on the ground as a rusher, so Montgomery is going to be a hefty improvement in that aspect for a Texans team that should score quite a bit and be one of the better teams in the AFC.
of 48 qualifying RB, Woody Marks was:
– 45th in Yds after contact per attempt (2.9)
– 33rd in RYOE (+31)
– 47th in YPC (3.6)
– 43rd in success rate (35.2% – % of runs that resulted in positive EPA)
– 45th in Elusive Rating (PFF)
– 36th in Breakaway % (PFF)
no thanks on Marks
— Kevin Tompkins (@ktompkinsii.bsky.social) March 2, 2026 at 11:45 AM
8.09: J.K. Dobbins (RB – DEN)
9.04: Aaron Jones (RB – MIN)
10.09: Rachaad White (RB – WSH)
11.04: Xavier Worthy (WR – KC)
The RB2 slot will be filled by any of these backs, who still have quite a bit left in the tank. J.K. Dobbins thrived in what was basically an every-down role for the Denver Broncos before a Lisfranc injury put him out of action for the season after Week 10. He was brought back to likely continue handling that role in tandem with RJ Harvey.
Aaron Jones was also surprisingly brought back after it looked like he would hit free agency. Jones hits his age-32 season in 2026, coming off of 4.2 yards per carry last season while missing five games due to injury. Between Jones and Jordan Mason, the backfield should continue to feature a split workload approach, but Jones may have the leg up right now.
Rachaad White joins a crowded backfield in Washington, but has the notable advantage of being the one who has money allocated towards bringing him in to fill a role. If it’s as a sometimes rusher with Austin Ekeler‘s role from the past couple of seasons, White is going to be fantasy relevant in most weeks.
While it’s en vogue to write off Xavier Worthy as another Mecole Hardman Jr.-like bust, Worthy is entering his third season and still has the touchdown equity from being on the Chiefs and in an offense tied to Patrick Mahomes when he returns from his knee injury. I’ll take a shot on Worthy to be a bounce-back at a price that’s plenty reasonable in the 11th round.
12.09: Mike Washington Jr. (RB – Arkansas)
Mike Washington Jr. crushed the Senior Bowl and then did the same at the NFL Scouting Combine, which raised his stock tremendously in that second group of rookie running backs. Which is pretty much every running back not named Jeremiyah Love.
Washington has an excellent chance to get some meaningful draft capital. Derek Brown’s dynasty rookie primer does much more justice to talking about Washington’s particular strengths.
13.04: Emanuel Wilson (RB – SEA)
14.09: Rashid Shaheed (WR – SEA)
15.04: Ray Davis (RB – BUF)
This pair of Seahawks and Ray Davis concludes this mock draft. Wilson comes to the Seahawks from Green Bay after he was non-tendered by the Packers and allowed to hit free agency. Providing the Packers with their only 100-yard game on the ground in 2025, Wilson has averaged 4.5 yards per carry in his 242-carry sample across three seasons. With Zach Charbonnet‘s Week 1 status up in the air thanks to his ACL injury in the playoffs, Wilson could get immediate Week 1 carries if the backfield stays as constructed.
Rashid Shaheed had difficulty getting involved in the Seahawks’ offense once he was acquired from the New Orleans Saints. His involvement saw him used as a gadget player, seeing rushing attempts and line-of-scrimmage touches mixed in with downfield looks. With just a 12% targets per route run rate in his nine games as a Seahawk, Shaheed is going to have to earn targets this season at a much higher clip than he did in 2025.
With Cooper Kupp another year older and now a sizable contract given to Shaheed to keep him in Seattle, it looks like the Seahawks want to use Shaheed much more than they have. I’m willing to buy into Shaheed at a low price because somebody is going to have to get the ball outside of Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Ray Davis is strictly a Zero RB pick in the 15th round in an offense that will score a bunch of points. If James Cook goes down, Davis is going to get a ton of run in a potent Buffalo offense.
Draft Wizard Insights
The Draft Wizard gave us an A- grade (91/100 score), projecting us as the third-highest scoring team overall. Despite not taking a running back until late in the sixth round, we ended up with massive upside with three players in Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Josh Allen and Harold Fannin Jr., who could all lead their respective positions in fantasy scoring in 2026.
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Kevin Tompkins is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Kevin, check out his profile and follow him on Bluesky @ktompkinsii.bsky.social
