Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Half-PPR, Early Pick (2026)

For this fantasy football mock draft, I’ll be drafting from an early position in a 12-team half-PPR league. Last time out, I broke down my Zero RB strategy, so I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to put that strategy to the test.

I’ll be selecting from the No. 4 overall pick and committing to a true Zero RB build, passing on the elite running backs early and loading up on premium talent at the other positions. Let’s get to it.

Fantasy Football Mock Draft

Rounds 1-4

In most drafts, Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, Ja’Marr Chase and Puka Nacua are the first four picks, in some order. Drafting fourth overall in leagues, the assumption is that Chase or Nacua will end up being the pick, which is a perfect start to a Zero RB build.

After your first pick, you are basically waiting to see which wide receivers are available or if Trey McBride and/or Brock Bowers are available with your second pick. In my case, I had the option to choose from McBride, Chris Olave and George Pickens. My hope was to take McBride in the second round and have one of Olave or Pickens fall to me in the third, which was the case.

The fourth round is where you can continue to load up on wideouts or take an elite quarterback. What I’m looking for at the quarterback position at this point is Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels. None of those signal-callers were available, so I passed on quarterback and drafted another wide receiver in Zay Flowers, which was great value.

Flowers has legitimate league-winning upside. The biggest thing holding him back? His lack of end-zone opportunities. Over the past three seasons, Flowers has commanded a 25% target share in Baltimore’s passing offense, but just 16% of the team’s end-zone targets. That discrepancy has capped his fantasy ceiling.

In 2025, Flowers ranked:

Tenth among qualified wide receivers in team air yard share (35%).
Third in yards per route run (2.53).

Those are elite metrics. However, Flowers finished as just the WR14 in half-PPR and WR33 in receiving fantasy points per target, per Sharp Football Analysis. Why? A lack of end-zone targets.

Your league title starts here. Get the tools and strategy you need in the 2026 Draft Kit.

Rounds 5-8

The fifth round is where you start locking in at running back and taking starters or backs who at least have a clear path to a starting situation. I was very happy to select Travis Etienne Jr. as my RB1. He is in an ideal fantasy situation in Kellen Moore’s high-tempo offense and should see a good amount of volume after signing a four-year, $48 million deal with $24 million guaranteed this offseason.

Tony Pollard is a solid veteran and should be the starter in Tennessee with no real threat from Tyjae Spears. Jaylen Warren is a much more explosive back than newly acquired Rico Dowdle and should be a favorite target of Aaron Rodgers in the passing game. Rodgers targeted running backs on 25% of his pass attempts last season, the fourth-highest rate among qualifying quarterbacks.

While Pittsburgh will have a new coaching staff, Rodgers is reuniting with Mike McCarthy in an offensive system he’s extremely familiar with. Expect Rodgers to have significant input in shaping the offense, making it likely that running backs remain heavily involved in the passing game. Another boost for Warren is the departure of Kenneth Gainwell. With one fewer back competing for passing-down work, Warren has a clear path to an expanded receiving role.

Jonathon Brooks has the talent to be a No. 1 RB, but coming back from ACL tears is tough. Reports say he is fully healthy entering 2026 and should see some volume early on. Brooks has a much higher ceiling than Chuba Hubbard but also a much lower floor due to his injury history.

Rounds 9-12

At this point, we are looking for playmakers and upside that could potentially be league winners if dominoes fall their way.

Minnesota brought in Kyler Murray, and if Kevin O’Connell can salvage another quarterback and get Murray to throw the ball downfield, this pick has tremendous value. Despite having the worst season of his young career, Jordan Addison still hauled in 600+ receiving yards and three touchdowns.

Xavier Worthy is another high-ceiling player if Rashee Rice doesn’t see the gridiron on a regular basis. After Rice and Worthy, the wide receiver room looks pretty bleak in Kansas City. Tank Bigsby is a high-profile handcuff. If anything happens to Saquon Barkley, Bigsby has league-winning upside. I’ll take the reigning NFL MVP as my QB1 in the 12th round. I don’t expect him to repeat last season’s stat line, but stacking him with Nacua is nice.