Picking on the turn always brings about the joy of double-tapping quicker than any other player in the league, and potentially securing two of the top 13 players, something nobody else can boast. Much will change between now and September, but average draft position (ADP) is starting to fall into place. This is what to expect when you’re drafting from pick 1.12.
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Fantasy Football Draft Strategy: Pick 1.12
Players to Consider at 1.12 Fantasy Football Draft Pick
These players will likely be available when you make your selection:
The top of the draft will start with Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs and Ja’Marr Chase as the most likely first three picks off the board. After that, Puka Nacua and Jaxon Smith-Njigba typically go next before things open up slightly.
Amon-Ra St. Brown usually goes between the 1.06 and the 1.08, and in most leagues, you’ll see Jonathan Taylor and Christian McCaffrey going before you get a chance to take them. The next tier of players includes CeeDee Lamb, James Cook, Ashton Jeanty and Saquon Barkley, all of whom have positives.
Players to Target at 1.12 Fantasy Football Draft Pick
CeeDee Lamb (WR – DAL)
It was a really disappointing 2025 for CeeDee Lamb, posting the second-lowest numbers of his career in targets (117), receptions (75) and receiving yards (1,077), with only his rookie season in 2020 worse. He also had a career-low three touchdowns.
The newly arrived George Pickens recorded a 22.1% target share in the red zone compared to Lamb’s 18.6%, which was also behind Jake Ferguson, who led the team with 23.1%. Contrast this to 2024, when Lamb had a 27.7% red-zone target share and led the team by 10%. In 2023, it was 28.8% and also led the team by 10%.
If you’re happy to believe 2025 was a blip rather than the new normal, it becomes easier to see Lamb as a value pick in this range. Betting on Lamb’s well-established connection with Dak Prescott and this team as a whole to bounce back isn’t the worst bet in the world.
James Cook (RB – BUF)
In 2024, James Cook dominated, scoring 16 touchdowns and rushing for 1,009 yards. That production seemed unsustainable. In 2025, he recorded 1,621 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns, and gave us even more reason to be confident.
With the Bills’ offense under Joe Brady never finding a dominant receiver, Cook has had to stand up and lead the offense, and there’s no reason to think that can’t continue this season.
The Bears didn’t seem to be concerned about losing DJ Moore, and the Bills paid a price far higher than most expected for a 29-year-old wide receiver who has never had double-digit touchdowns, with a season over 1,000 yards just once in the last four years.
While the passing offense will be spread around, Cook remains the safest and strongest bet outside of Josh Allen. If Allen ever sees regression on his 41 rushing touchdowns over the last three years, Cook is ready and waiting to clean up.
Ashton Jeanty (RB – LV)
One player available at this spot with undeniable upside is Ashton Jeanty. When the Raiders selected him sixth overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, the expectations were tempered slightly because of where the Raiders were as an offense.
What wasn’t expected, though, was how dramatically bad the offense performed, starting with the offensive line, which ranked dead last in Pro Football Focus’ (PFF) offensive line rankings.
As PFF pointed out in their end-of-season rankings, no team other than the Raiders gave up more than 35 sacks. They allowed a whopping 47. This woeful play led to Jeanty ranking 48th out of 49 running backs with 100+ attempts in yards before contact per attempt.
Jeanty dealt with that contact fairly well, ranking 17th in yards after contact per attempt, and almost two-thirds of his 975 yards came after contact. Getting close to 1,000 yards in that environment is admirable, and with Tyler Linderbaum resetting the center market and left tackle Kolton Miller healthy, the Raiders will have enough pieces on this offensive line to be a marked upgrade.
Not to mention that Super Bowl-winning Klint Kubiak is now in charge of the team and, most importantly, the offense. It’s not hard to imagine a world where Jeanty is a top-five fantasy performer.
Saquon Barkley (RB – PHI)
Yes, last season was pretty awful for Saquon Barkley and those who drafted him, but the warning signs were there. Barkley had an absurd number of touches in 2024 and ran hot on explosive runs. Once he and the Eagles were hit with regression, it was no wonder things crashed back to Earth.
Of course, it wasn’t all Barkley’s fault. Jalen Hurts had one of his worst seasons as a professional, and offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo went one-and-done. With a new offensive coordinator and a healthy offensive line, it’s not hard to start seeing the positives for Barkley.
The Eagles running back is the undoubted No. 1 RB on an offense that will score points. Without A.J. Brown, the Eagles might not try to force passing situations quite as often as they felt compelled to last season. Of course, there’s some risk with Barkley, but he’s only 29 years old, and it’s been over two years since he last missed a game.
Players to Avoid at 1.12 Fantasy Football Draft Pick
Omarion Hampton (RB – LAC)
Omarion Hampton and the Chargers are very much the target of offseason hype, and it’s worth remembering there have been plenty of times in the past that the Chargers haven’t paid off that hype. Of course, this is a different year, and these are different players, but there are reasons not to get too carried away with offseason hype.
The Chargers saw Keaton Mitchell as a priority for new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, with him printing off wanted posters and putting them up around the facility.
Mitchell has rarely put it all together despite the promise, but he’s a more electric option than Kimani Vidal was, who started last year on the practice squad. Even if you’re very high on Hampton, he’ll likely make it back to you.
Brock Bowers (TE – LV) & Trey McBride (TE – ARI)
Whether you prefer Brock Bowers or Trey McBride doesn’t really matter. Neither should be drafted this high. Last season, McBride averaged 18.6 PPR points per game, and Bowers averaged 15.5 in 2024, the better season of his two years in the NFL.
Five running backs and five wide receivers averaged more than 18.5 points per game in 2024, and 11 managed the same achievement in 2025. It’s incredibly hard for tight ends to score as highly as the top wide receivers and running backs, and both elite tight ends still have issues to face.
McBride caught fire with positive touchdown regression while the Cardinals led the league in passing, and he ran 67 more routes than any tight end in at least 20 years.
Bowers, meanwhile, is onto his third quarterback in three years and will be hoping that Fernando Mendoza adjusts quickly to the NFL. There’s no sense in reaching for one of these players unless your league features a TE-Premium scoring setting. Only then can both be in the argument for first-round picks.
De’Von Achane (RB – MIA)
Last season, De’Von Achane exceeded his previous career-high of 907 rushing yards by 443 rushing yards (1,350). He surpassed 1,000 rushing yards for the first time in his career while hitting 85+ targets for the second consecutive year.
It’s hard, though, not to be concerned that his numbers in the receiving game could dip significantly without Tua Tagovailoa, having averaged five targets per game with him and 2.45 without him. The offense has no weapons, and if they can’t move the ball and stay on the field, it could be catastrophic for Achane’s value.
Roster Constructions to Consider at 1.12 Fantasy Football Draft Pick
The back end of the draft board is a good place to double up on running backs, pairing either Ashton Jeanty or James Cook with the likes of Chase Brown, Saquon Barkley or Kenneth Walker III in the second round before adding a receiver like Tetairoa McMillan or Garrett Wilson in the third round.
If you choose to side with the wide receivers, the running back options are also good second-round options, with elite tight ends available.
Running back tends to dry up quicker than usual this year, but only having one wide receiver through three rounds can leave your wide receiver room struggling to catch up. It’s a good year to consider a more balanced approach.
Fantasy Football Mock Draft From the 1.12 Pick
We used our FREE fantasy football mock draft simulator to show you an example of a draft from the 1.12 position. You can sync your league for free and mock draft against your fantasy football league settings to prepare more specifically for your draft.
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