RTSports Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Brian Thomas and Bucky Irving Kick Off Rounds 1 and 2
John Laghezza breaks down the round-by-round analysis of his latest fantasy football mock draft on RTSports.
After spending all summer running mocks around the clock with Fantasy Life’s Draft Champion fantasy football mock draft simulator, presented by Gopuff, it’s finally time to battle test those ranks with real skin in the game.
Today, I’ll recap my latest (QB/2RB/2WR/2FLEX/TE/K/DST) high-stakes PPR redraft league on RTSports—walking through my thinking on picks as the clock’s ticking and chips are down.
My FL compadre Ian Hartitz hooked me up with some last-second tips, warning me to beware of RB-heavy approaches and reminding me not to draft a kicker or defense. Both positions can be added via waivers before Week 1, allowing me to use those last two rounds on high-upside handcuffs. Definitely something worth knowing in your own drafts.
The random draw placed me in the 12 spot at the wheel … great.
Fantasy Football Mock Draft Review on RTSports
Round 1, Pick 12 — Brian Thomas Jr. | WR
No chance I’m leaving the 1-2 turn without a premier pass catcher in a PPR league. Brian Thomas finished as 2024’s WR4 with 133 targets, fueling an 87-1282-10 line—and that’s before installation into a Liam Coen offense. There’s overall WR1 potential here.
Round 2, Pick 13 — Bucky Irving | RB
Planning to take a running back at the wheel this year generally meant your choice of Ashton Jeanty or De'Von Achane. Well, Ian’s advice immediately proved sage—neither fell passed pick 11.
Of course, the room decided to test my mettle from the jump. I wasn’t ready to abandon the plan, refusing to play from behind at RB. Give me the explosive Bucky Irving, whose +0.49 fantasy points per snap ranked 5th among all starters and 4.02 yards after contact per attempt beat everyone, including Derrick Henry.
Round 3, Pick 36 — Josh Allen | QB
Nature dictates that as players get pushed into the consensus top-36, others must get forced out. Josh Allen’s on the shortest list of favorites to lead all of fantasy football in scoring. I’ve done a metric ton of drafts—Allen feels like a gift at pick 36.
Round 4, Pick 37 — Davante Adams | WR
Part of what made picking Josh Allen so easy had to do with the flex players remaining on the board. Under normal circumstances, Davante Adams gets scooped in the early third, but QB Matthew Stafford currently needs space-age technology to get back on the field.
The risk’s obvious, but so is the reward. Hopefully, a little Jimmy G won’t hurt anyone. Adams always commands targets regardless, even managing a Week 2 WR5 finish (9-110-1) with the Raiders and Gardner Minshew. Sean McVay’s going to feed Adams the ball.
Round 5, Pick 60 — Calvin Ridley | WR
Balance back at the fore, no mental gymnastics needed this time around with Calvin Ridley already perched atop my queue. Tennessee’s veteran alpha WR led the NFL in both air yards and unrealized air yards.
The camp reports couldn’t be more flattering, and even league-average QB play from Cam Ward should boost Ridley’s efficiency metrics toward a huge profit at ADP.
Round 6, Pick 61 — Isiah Pacheco | RB
Hoped for Tony Pollard but still felt lucky to snag Isiah Pacheco in this high-demand environment. Arguably the last real Week 1 “starter”, Pacheco’s touches in an Andy Reid/Patrick Mahomes offense come with built-in fantasy value.
My best bet? Injuries killed 2024—and now there’s a shot to return 2023’s output, when Pacheco finished as the game’s RB9 in fantasy points per game.
Round 7, Pick 84 — Travis Etienne | RB
Knowing RB2 could potentially present a hole, fortifying the squad with another flex-worthy back felt sharp. Pinched myself when J.K. Dobbins and Joe Mixon came off the board before Travis Etienne. Whew.
Social media may love Tank Bigsby, but it was actually Etienne who earned 100% of the first-team reps Week 1. Despite there likely being room for two RBs to produce in Liam Coen’s offense, we always chase the top dog. Etienne’s going too late for the upside.
Round 8, Pick 85 — Ricky Pearsall | WR
Why do we continue to discount Kyle Shanahan’s offenses? I’m buying low on the Niners’ camp darling and current favorite to lead Week 1 in targets, Ricky Pearsall. Not getting shot this summer’s got to be worth something, too.
Round 9, Pick 108 — Colston Loveland | TE
Come pick 100, it’s time to snatch up a tight end who regularly commands targets in a decent offense. Coming around the 8-9 bend, five of my favorite TE targets filled the queue: T.J. Hockenson, Evan Engram, Tyler Warren, David Njoku, and Colston Loveland.
With ten picks to go, I’m sitting pretty—until a sudden clenching arose. One after another, four of my five guys disappear in a sudden TE run. So even though he was drafted by default as the cheese that stood alone, you can sign me up for a versatile payer like Loveland in Ben Johnson’s scheme any day.
Plus, there’s no chance a big football brain like Johnson spent his first career draft pick on a player he doesn't intend to use.
Round 10, Pick 109 — Keon Coleman | WR
Desperate to bolster a strong bench with this tenth pick, Keon Coleman felt out of place among the remaining pass catchers like Hollywood Brown or Christian Kirk. Already rostering Josh Allen helped with the click a little, but considering all the vacated routes and targets in Buffalo this offseason, it hardly mattered.
The market has given up on Coleman’s draft capital entirely too soon.
Round 11, Pick 132 — Rashid Shaheed | WR
Still in the market for playmakers at WR so I can stack RB handcuffs later, who fits that mold better than Rashid Shaheed? As impactful as anyone on a per-snap basis, at the price, New Orleans’ quarterback issues are stirred into the sauce. At pick 132, you get to wait and see what you have on your hands.
And if Spencer Rattler or Tyler Shough wind up playing functional QB roles, Shaheed’s a massive discount. At the very worst, he makes a great bye week replacement.
Round 12, Pick 133 — Tank Bigsby | RB
Still a touch uneasy with the RB2 room, Tank Bigsby completed the Jacksonville Monopoly—hopefully more Broadway and Park than Baltic plus Mediterranean.
Either way, not having to start either of them until we get more information adds big-time potential for an in-season boost.
Summary of RTSports Fantasy Football Mock Draft Results
Loving how this team turned out …
QB - Josh Allen, BUF
RB1 - Bucky Irving, TB
RB2 - Isiah Pacheco, KC
WR1 - Brian Thomas Jr., JAX
WR2 - Davante Adams, LAR
FLEX1 - Calvin Ridley, TEN
FLEX2 - Ricky Pearsall, SF
TE - Colston Loveland, CHI
BENCH RB: Travis Etienne, JAX
BENCH RB: Tank Bigsby, JAX
BENCH WR: Keon Coleman, BUF
BENCH WR: Rashid Shaheed, NO
To close out, I leaned into old faithfuls—prioritizing playing time for wide receivers and potential to step into a volume role for running backs.
Deep benches will eventually stress the free agent supply passed the point of viability, and hitting on one of these +150 ADP picks in a deep league can change the course of your season.
Round 13, Pick 156 — Rashod Bateman, WR, BAL
Round 14, Pick 157 — Sean Tucker, RB, TB
Round 15, Pick 180 — Darius Slayton, WR, NYG
Round 16, Pick 181 — DJ Giddens, RB, IND
Round 17, Pick 204 — Elijah Mitchell, RB, KC
Round 18, Pick 205 — Isaac TeSlaa, WR, DET
Round 19, Pick 228 — Emanuel Wilson, RB, GB
Round 20, Pick 229 — Emari Demercado, RB, ARI
Join Our Newsletter
Trusted by 400,000+ fantasy football players. Get access to Fantasy Life's free award winning newsletter and tools, all in one step.
By registering or logging in, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
