RB-Heavy Or Not? Testing Roster Builds in a Mock Draft

There are just 13 more Sundays until a full Week 1 slate of games kicks off, but who’s counting? It’s never too early to mock draft to get back into the fantasy manager mindset for the upcoming season. Mandatory minicamp for most NFL teams will get underway this week. Training camp for all 32 teams gets going next month.

I gathered a few FTN analysts and friends of the site to partake in an early-June mock draft to see where things stand in regard to player values and roster construction. Below is a 12-team redraft 1QB, full PPR mock.

Drafters

1. Kevin Coleman – The Devy Royale
2. Brian Drake – Fantasy Points
3. Colin McTamany – FTN Fantasy
4. Mike Talas – FTN Fantasy
5. Drew Davenport – Footballguys
6. Tyler Orginski – FTN Fantasy
7. Adam Koffler – RotoBaller
8. Jeremy Popielarz – FTN Fantasy
9. Michael F. Florio – NFL Fantasy, RotoBaller
10. Michael Hauff – First Read Fantasy
11. Pete Terranova – First Read Fantasy
12. Marshall Gershon – FTN Fantasy

The Full Draft

First Round

The first five picks of most 2025 fantasy drafts will likely include Ja’Marr Chase, Saquon Barkley, Bijan Robinson, Justin Jefferson and Jahmyr Gibbs. If any of these players fall outside of the top-five picks, it’s a huge bonus for the manager who has the sixth overall pick. Chase and Jefferson are my favorites to finish as the top wide receiver this season. Barkley, Robinson and Gibbs are my favorites to finish as the top running back. 

Despite what feels like a clear Tier 1 of players in the top five, it’s a fantastic opportunity to land Malik Nabers, CeeDee Lamb or Amon-Ra St. Brown with any of the next three picks. All three of these players had over 140 targets in 2024 and ranked inside the top 10 across the league. While most would snag Lamb or St. Brown, perhaps in that order, I love FTN’s own Tyler Orginski selecting Nabers with the 1.06 pick. It’s important to “get your guy,” especially early on when you know you won’t have a chance of them coming back to you in the next round.

Nabers logged the second-most targets (170) in the league last season. He also got an entire quarterback room upgrade with Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston and rookie Jaxson Dart all available to throw his way this season with little competition for targets.

Two tight ends came off of the board in the second round: Brock Bowers (2.07) and Trey McBride (2.10). Both players finished inside the top eight in targets last season amongst all positions. They each have a chance to do so again in their respective offense’s passing attack.

Overall, seven of the 12 managers doubled up on either running back or wide receiver in the first two rounds. I often find building the foundation of a fantasy team with one running back and one wide receiver in the first two rounds is easy on the mind. However, the four managers who double-tapped wide receivers feel like more of a threat on paper right now.

Roster Builds

Adam Koffler, RotoBaller

Adam Koffler (RotoBaller) and his squad stood out immediately after landing CeeDee Lamb with the 1.07 pick. Lamb was the 14^th-highest scoring non-quarterback on a points-per-game basis last season in which Dak Prescott only played eight games. He was also the WR8 (17.6 points per game). The year prior, with a full season from Prescott, Lamb averaged 23.0 points per game as the WR2 (by 0.7 points per game) and was the third-highest scoring non-quarterback. Even with the addition of George Pickens, Lamb is one of the safest picks for the 2025 season.

Four of the next five picks after Lamb are wide receivers. I maybe would have preferred Tee Higgins instead of Ladd McConkey in an expected pass-heavier offense. Even drafting Bowers, who goes a pick later at 2.07, would have provided a positional advantage with a potential similar scoring output to McConkey.

This team’s floor rests with the wide receivers, but the ceiling is dependent on the running backs. The talent is obvious with Kenneth Walker III, but, when he’s healthy he has been stuck behind a dreadful offensive line in Seattle. If Javonte Williams commands the lead back role for the Cowboys, there’s no reason this team can’t make the playoffs.

After locking in quarterback, tight end and six wide receivers in the first 10 picks, I imagine there would be plenty of dart throws at the running back position had this draft continued. Targeting a player like rookie Jaydon Blue makes sense in case he emerges ahead of Williams in Dallas. The hunt for this team would be about finding players who may be an injury away from a lead role.

Michael Florio, NFL Fantasy/RotoBaller

Michael Florio (NFL Fantasy, RotoBaller) has a similar roster build to the aforementioned Adam Koffler. There is a clear emphasis on wide receivers early on. There’s a lot to like with Puka Nacua, A.J. Brown and Terry McLaurin as a starting wide receiver trio with DJ Moore in the flex spot. The top-three players were all inside the top 15 on a points-per-game basis last season. There is some added risk in 2025, however, as Nacua now shares the field with Davante Adams, while McLaurin welcomes Deebo Samuel alongside him. Moore has added competition of his own, but getting a piece of the Bears offense in head coach Ben Johnson’s first season could pay off big time.

Any team that emphasizes wide receivers early and often will wake up early on Sundays to say a prayer that their running backs stay healthy and keep their job. That is especially true with Florio’s trio of running backs from this mock draft. James Conner continues to get overlooked despite his RB9, RB10, RB14 and RB14 respective finishes over the last four seasons. He is the RB19 off of the board in this mock draft. If he does finally hit a wall at age 30, it’s a massive blow to this roster build that perhaps forces a trade of one of the early wide receiver picks.

My favorite part about this team is the Justin Fields pick in the ninth round. In a 1QB league, once teams start selecting quarterbacks, the league-wide demand decreases. Fortunately, in 2025, the position is seemingly deep. In theory, if you miss out on the top five or so players, you can wait to select high-upside guys like Trevor Lawrence, Dak Prescott or even Jordan Love later on.

Fields, however, presents legitimate top-five upside because of his rushing ability. He finished as the QB5 in 2022, QB8 in 2023 and QB7 in six starts last season. Fields has averaged at least 19.0 points per game in each of these campaigns. I don’t mind waiting for Fields with the ability to pair him with one of the aforementioned high-upside quarterbacks in one of the final rounds.

Drew Davenport, Footballguys

Drew Davenport (Footballguys) is the only team that had three or more running backs after the first five rounds (he had four). A fantasy manager after my own heart. I always feel much more secure as the team with running back depth. If they all stay healthy, there are plenty of opportunities to trade one, too.

The combination of Gibbs and De’Von Achane could be lethal to go up against in 2025. Neither Gibbs nor Achane ranked inside the top 12 in touches per game last season, but they were both inside the top seven running backs on a fantasy points-per-game basis. They’re a highly efficient pairing.

Ironically, as important as touches are for Gibbs and Achane, they’re a negative for Alvin Kamara and Joe Mixon. They rank third and fourth on the active all-time touches list. Mixon has 2,135 career regular-season touches, while Kamara has 2,116, both more than Christian McCaffrey’s 1,871. 

Gibbs, Achane, Kamara and Mixon might be tough to start in most fantasy football leagues that lack multiple flex spots. Rather than both Kamara and Mixon, targeting a wide receiver would have maybe played better in regard to roster construction.

Despite the firepower at the top of this roster, there’s a ton of risk shortly thereafter. Tyreek Hill came off of the board as the WR15 in the third round. After just having taken Achane, I would’ve probably taken Tee Higgins, who went one pick after Hill, to diversify the number of offenses my top players are drawn from. It’s hard to turn down Hill as the WR15, though, after he was the WR1 in 2023 and played through injuries in 2024. The reward of a potential bounce-back season from Hill may outweigh the risk.

My Draft

It wouldn’t be a complete mock draft analysis without taking a look at my own team. To be quite frank, I hate it, but this is why we mock draft! It’s OK that I hate my team in the first week of June. The lessons learned and continued research throughout the summer will only help when it’s time to make the real selections in August.

Bijan Robinson is my RB1 for the 2025 season. Landing him with the third overall pick was a great start. As I mentioned when looking at Drew Davenport’s team, I love me some running backs. So, passing on Josh Jacobs and Jonathan Taylor in favor of Trey McBride at 2.10 was out of the ordinary for me. It’s fantastic having McBride as a set-and-forget tight end, but seeing Mark Andrews (9.05), Travis Kelce (9.10) and David Njoku (9.11) go much later stings a little.

By the time I drafted Josh Allen, my thought process was to see how I felt with three players at different positions that I believe have a very strong chance of finishing at the top of their respective positions. The more responsible pick would have been Tee Higgins, especially looking at my wide receiver group in hindsight. 

Additionally, there are still plenty of start-worthy quarterbacks who went undrafted in the first 10 rounds. Waiting for Patrick Mahomes (7.12, Justin Fields (9.09) or Brock Purdy (10.06) may benefit this team more by rounding out the wide receivers and running backs earlier.

This mock draft took place throughout this past week with hours in between each pick. I drafted DK Metcalf (4.10) less than a minute after the news broke that Aaron Rodgers was signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers. That’s a good reminder to stay on top of the news, especially in a slow draft online. Even if you think you’re ready to make a selection, do one last quick sweep of the internet for any potential recent news or updates.

The toughest decision I made later on was selecting Travis Hunter over Brandon Aiyuk, Khalil Shakir and Deebo Samuel as my third wide receiver. Aiyuk carries some risk in his return from a season-ending ACL injury. Shakir would have been nice to stack with Allen, but Hunter has a far better ceiling with the Jaguars.

Even in what some recall as a breakout season from Shakir in 2024, he still only logged a 76/821/4 receiving line as Josh Allen’s top target. That’s with a team-high 100 targets, good enough for a 20.0% target share. Hunter is a bit more exciting as a key target on a Jaguars offense that moved on from Christian Kirk, Evan Engram and others this offseason ahead of head coach Liam Coen’s inaugural season.

Key Takeaways

• Do your best to consider your league and their opinion on tight ends. If it is not Tight End Premium scoring, there could be some value as the draft progresses. The top-three projected players, Brock Bowers, Trey McBride and George Kittle, carry a price tag that’s tough to get behind. While they provide a likely advantage in your lineup week-to-week, Kittle (25^th), Bowers (32^nd) and McBride (33^rd) all finished outside the top 20 non-quarterbacks on a points-per-game basis in 2024.
• In 1QB leagues, the earlier the top quarterbacks go, the more likely those without a quarterback are willing to wait to select one. Most likely, you won’t draft two quarterbacks in this format. There may not be harm in waiting, but the coffee tastes better on Sunday morning knowing you have Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson locked into your lineup. Simply put, it’s fun to watch players like that on your team all season long.
• The running back tiers come and go quickly. There is a significant drop-off in value just before Round 7 of this mock draft in regard to running backs I’m comfortable with as my starters. If you’re truly going to commit to the “Zero RB” strategy, mentally preparing for it with an abundance of mock drafts is recommended to see what your rosters may look like.

Fast Facts from this Mock Draft

• 12 quarterbacks, 42 running backs, 53 wide receivers, 13 tight ends
• Three tight ends taken in the first 60 picks, the other 10 in the next 60 picks
• Five quarterbacks taken in the first 48 picks, the other seven in the last 48 picks
• All but one team drafted at least three running backs
• 14 rookies selected by nine of the 12 teams
• Omarion Hampton was selected exactly five rounds after Ashton Jeanty
• TreVeyon Henderson was drafted almost exactly two rounds before Rhamondre Stevenson
• Cam Skattebo was drafted 11 picks after Tyrone Tracy
• Jaylen Warren was drafted 12 picks after Kaleb Johnson
• Josh Allen (3.03) at 27^th overall was the QB1 selected, but a Bills pass-catcher wasn’t drafted until Khalil Shakir (7.08) at 80^th overall.
• Lamar Jackson (3.08) at 32^nd overall was the QB2 selected, but a Ravens pass-catcher wasn’t drafted until Zay Flowers (5.03) at 51^st overall. 
• Zay Flowers (WR33) averaged 0.7 more PPR points per game in 2024 than Khalil Shakir (WR38).
• Puka Nacua (1.09) and Davante Adams (3.02) was the first wide receiver duo to get drafted.
• Jaxon Smith-Njigba (3.04) at 28^th overall was drafted far ahead of Cooper Kupp (10.03) at 111^th overall.
• The Dallas Cowboys were the last team to have a player from their backfield drafted: Javonte Williams (9.07) at 103^rd overall.
• The Jacksonville Jaguars were the second-to-last team to have a player from their backfield drafted: Travis Etienne Jr. (8.10) at 94^th overall. Rookie Bhayshul Tuten was drafted eight picks later.