PPR Mock Draft Review: Starting Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. From 1.12
Whenever there are a few minutes available and you need something to occupy the time, check out the Fantasy Life Draft Champion Mock Draft Simulator. It provides the chance to try different strategies, draft from any spot, and get analysis on the draft. It also displays draft capital spent by position and provides expert grades. There’s custom scoring, multiple draft types catered to your league settings, and the ADP can be changed based on the site. The best part? Using code RONIS will get you 20% off.
Here are the results of the latest one I did—a 12-team, PPR mock draft where I drafted from the 1.12 spot. This gives you a great overview of what to expect in Draft Champion. As you look through the draft, you can find the reasoning behind my strategy and picks below.
Reviewing a 12-Team PPR Fantasy Football Mock Draft
After the random order was determined, I was the lucky recipient of pick No. 12. While most people hate it, this is a season to like it. The back end of the draft is appealing this season, especially for the first two rounds. This draft is a perfect example, as I took Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr.
Nabers is coming off an impressive rookie season with 170 targets in 15 games, and did it with multiple quarterbacks. The quarterback play is improved, and if Nabers can score more touchdowns, he has a chance to be one of the top scorers.
Thomas finished last season strong and did it mostly with Mac Jones. Liam Coen now comes to the Jaguars, and he turned Tampa Bay into one of the best offenses last year. Thomas will spend some time in the slot and get a high target share.
When it came back to the three-four turn, I went with Davante Adams and Omarion Hampton. I made this pick before Matthew Berry named him the Ride or Die for 2025, so as they say, great minds think alike. I never come in with a set plan for the first few rounds. Most of the time, I take the best players off the board, and I wasn’t concerned with waiting on running backs.
Usually, taking a 32-year-old wide receiver isn’t my plan, but Adams is different. He didn’t show any signs of slowing down last season and finished strong. The Rams tend to have a concentrated offense, which is great for fantasy and means a high number of targets for Adams.
Hampton was a value to start round four, and it won’t happen in leagues with sharp players. He’s continually moving up with the lack of news on the fireworks-related eye injury of Najee Harris. Hampton was taken in the first round and will run behind an excellent offensive line. He’s a powerful runner who’s difficult to take down, and the Chargers like to run near the goal line.
The next two rounds were Xavier Worthy and TreVeyon Henderson. Worthy has been moving up with the potential suspension for Rashee Rice, who was sentenced to five years' probation with 30 days of jail time that can be served over the five years. Worthy finished his rookie season strong, and the Chiefs could open up the offense more. In the final 11 games, Worthy had 58 catches for 754 yards and seven touchdowns on 76 targets.
Henderson is going to make a big impact in his rookie season with the Patriots. He will be a big part of the passing game. Henderson is explosive and an excellent pass blocker. Rhamondre Stevenson will also be involved, but Henderson is a back who doesn’t need a lot of touches to make an impact with the chance to be the main back.
The Jauan Jennings pick was made before the news of him aggravating the calf injury. He will be pushed down a bit, but considering it’s early August, there is time for him to be ready for Week 1. Jennings got his first big chance last season and excelled. From Week 8 on, Jennings had a 25% target share. With the lack of depth at wide receiver, Jennings has a chance to be a big part of the offense again.
The other pick on this turn was Travis Etienne. While Tank Bigsby is drawing headlines early in camp, Etienne is still involved and is the better pass-catching back. There will be value in this backfield as we saw last season in the Coen offense. Just two years ago, Etienne had 1,484 total yards, 12 TDs, and 58 receptions.
Since I waited on tight end, I went with Colston Loveland. The rookie was drafted 10th overall, and coach Ben Johnson clearly has big plans for him. Johnson has praised Loveland, and if the Bears offense lives up to the lofty expectations, Loveland will play a big part.
The rookie theme continued with Emeka Egbuka. He is quickly rising up draft boards with the uncertain status of Chris Godwin to begin the season. Egbuka was taken 19th overall and has been impressive in camp. Baker Mayfield said Egbuka can play any receiver spot and is really smart. There’s a chance Egbuka is a big factor early in the season.
When I wait on a quarterback, Dak Prescott is one of the options. The Cowboys will pass often, and Prescott has been a good fantasy quarterback when he’s healthy. In two of the last three healthy seasons, Prescott has passed for 4,516 yards with 36 touchdowns and 4,449 yards and 37 touchdowns. He had at least 590 pass attempts in both seasons. The addition of George Pickens gives the offense a vertical threat it was missing.
Tyjae Spears is a player I love at this price. He could see an increased role this season. Health limited him last season, and coach Brian Callahan has mentioned Spears getting more touches. Tony Pollard will likely get most of the work, but Spears will see a big boost if Pollard misses time.
I want as many running backs as I can get on my bench when I have a strong core of wide receivers. While there weren’t as many injuries at the running back position last season, the players that tend to emerge in these rounds are running backs stepping into bigger workloads due to injuries. Dylan Sampson will rise as long as Quinshon Judkins doesn’t have a contract due to his legal issues. Jerome Ford might be the starter earlier, but Sampson is the better back.
Isaac Guerendo is the backup to Christian McCaffrey, who always has injury concerns. McCaffrey is 29 and has missed time in three of the last five seasons. If you draft McCaffrey, Guerendo should be a high priority.
Overall, I like this build a lot. Getting the top receivers early allowed me to hammer running backs later on, and two of the top rookie running backs are on the roster. Picking on the turn means being aggressive. You can see my final roster below:
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