We're very early in the process of looking ahead to the 2025 Fantasy season, and we held our first 12-team, 0.5-PPR mock draft this week. I was curious to see if the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs had any impact on this draft.
For the most part, the answer is no. Ladd McConkey had a huge game in the loss to Houston with nine catches for 197 yards and a touchdown on 14 targets, and his outlook for 2025 is awesome. But he was drafted in Round 3 as the No. 14 receiver off the board, which is perfect for this format.
The only spot where the NFL playoffs might have been a factor was at quarterback since Jayden Daniels and Jalen Hurts were drafted ahead of Joe Burrow. Right now, I have Burrow as the No. 3 quarterback behind Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen, with Daniels fourth and Hurts fifth.
I don't have any problem with Daniels going third, especially with the potential of Washington getting an upgraded receiving corps. But I think Hurts is behind Burrow, and maybe the Eagles being in the playoffs and the Bengals missing factored into that selection.
Some of the other picks that stood out were Bijan Robinson ahead of Ja'Marr Chase at No. 1 overall, Bucky Irving at No. 12 overall, Tyreek Hill at No. 16 overall and Christian McCaffrey at No. 21 overall. I would draft Chase ahead of Robinson, especially in PPR, but it's closer in a 0.5-PPR league.
Irving is my No. 5 running back behind Robinson, Saquon Barkley, Jahmyr Gibbs and De'Von Achane, so don't be surprised to see him in late Round 1 or early Round 2. I was surprised to see Hill in Round 2, especially as the No. 9 receiver off the board.
There's a lot of uncertainty with Hill, who turns 31 in March. Even if he stays with the Dolphins, we could see Hill slip to Round 3. He should not be drafted ahead of A.J. Brown, which happened here.
McCaffrey may end up as a steal in Round 2. Even though he will be 29 next season and was limited to four games due to Achilles and knee injuries, he still has the potential to be the No. 1 Fantasy running back. I'm only drafting him in Round 2 as of now, but that could change with a positive offseason and training camp.
I started my team from the No. 6 pick with three receivers in a row with Amon-Ra St. Brown, A.J. Brown and Drake London, and I love doing that in any PPR format. My first running back was Chuba Hubbard, who could be a steal in Round 4.
I drafted Burrow in Round 5, and the core of my roster is exceptional. Chris Godwin, depending on where he plays in 2025, could be a steal in Round 6 as my flex, and the value for Rhamondre Stevenson (Round 7) should rise with Mike Vrabel as the new head coach in New England.
David Njoku, who I drafted in Round 9, was great value as my tight end, and he has top-five upside with the right quarterback in Cleveland. And I filled out my bench with Keon Coleman, Isaac Guerendo, Jordan Mason, Jaleel McLaughlin, Jalen Coker and Drake Maye.
As a reference point for this mock draft, all touchdowns are worth six points, and we award one point for every 10 yards rushing and receiving and one point for every 25 yards passing. We also award 0.5 points for every reception. We feature a starting lineup of QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, TE and FLEX (RB/WR/TE) with six reserves for a 14-round draft.
Our draft order is as follows:
1. Brandon Howard, Fantasy Editor
2. Adam Aizer, FFT Podcast Host
3. Jake Grogins, CBS Sports HQ Production Staff
4. Thomas Shafer, FFT Podcast Producer
5. Jake Ignaszewski, FFT Social Media Producer
6. Jamey Eisenberg, Senior Fantasy Writer
7. Robert Thomas, FFT Facebook Moderator
8. Dave Richard, Senior Fantasy Writer
9. Dan Schneier, Senior Fantasy Editor
10. Alfredo Brown, Footballguys Fantasy Analyst
11. Joel Cox, CBS Sports VP Business Development
12. Jacob Gibbs, SportsLine Fantasy Analyst
