Welcome to the fourth installment of my 12-part mock draft series, where I’m drafting from every spot — 1 through 12 — in a standard 12-team Yahoo league to break down how draft strategies evolve based on pick position. As always, I used Yahoo Fantasy’s Instant Mock Draft tool and drafted solo. The format is half-PPR, with the following roster construction: QB, 2 RBs, 2 WRs, TE, FLEX, K, D/ST, and six bench spots.
In this edition, I drafted from the No. 4 overall slot and set out to fully commit to Scott Pianowski's strategy of drafting players from six high-powered/narrow-target-tree offenses. I executed especially well across the Cowboys, Bengals, Chargers, Cardinals and Titans. Let's get it!
[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season]
Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Pick No. 4
Full Roster
QB: Kyler Murray (ARI)
RB: Chase Brown (CIN)
RB: Omarion Hampton (LAC)
WR: CeeDee Lamb (DAL)
WR: Garrett Wilson (NYJ)
TE: Kyle Pitts Sr. (ATL)
FLEX: Calvin Ridley (TEN)
K: Brandon Aubrey (DAL)
D/ST: Arizona (ARI)
Bench: RB Jaylen Warren (PIT)
Bench: WR Stefon Diggs (NE)
Bench: RB Brian Robinson Jr. (WAS)
Bench: WR Cooper Kupp (SEA)
Bench: RB Tank Bigsby (JAX)
Bench: RB Braelon Allen (NYJ)
Rounds 1–3: Hitting target offenses right away
1.04 – CeeDee Lamb (DAL – WR)
2.09 – Chase Brown (CIN – RB)
3.04 – Omarion Hampton (LAC – RB)
Roster assessment following Round 3
I opened with CeeDee Lamb, who should be in the top three at his position this season. In Round 2, I stuck to the plan with Chase Brown, an ascending back in an elite offense. Then, at 3.04, I grabbed Omarion Hampton, a rookie in the Chargers system who could see plenty of volume under Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman's leadership. That’s three picks from three of the six teams I wanted exposure to. So far, so good.
Rounds 4–6: Securing QB and target hogs
4.09 – Garrett Wilson (NYJ – WR)
5.04 – Calvin Ridley (TEN – WR)
6.09 – Kyler Murray (ARI – QB)
Roster assessment following Round 6
Round 4 presented a couple of firsts for me — drafting Garrett Wilson and Calvin Ridley. I like that Wilson's reuniting with his former college QB, Justin Fields. That experience and chemistry should keep Wilson in the WR1 territory. I followed up the Wilson pick with a reach for Titans WR1, Ridley. I trust rookie QB Cam Ward far more than Will Levis. I think we'll see a spike in red-zone looks and targets overall, so I'm in on Ridley this season.
Then it was time to grab my quarterback, and it was either wait on Dak Prescott or take Kyler Murray. I like the dual-threat ability of Murray, and it fits perfectly into my scheme. That’s five out of my first six picks from the six offenses I planned to target.
Rounds 7–10: Uninspiring, bounce-back potential
7.04 – Jaylen Warren (PIT – RB)
8.09 – Kyle Pitts Sr. (ATL – TE)
9.04 – Stefon Diggs (NE – WR)
10.09 – Brian Robinson Jr. (WAS – RB)
Roster assessment following Round 10
With the RB market drying up quickly, Jaylen Warren turned out to be more of a panic-like pick. I think he's playing on borrowed time with rookie RB Kaleb Johnson lurking and carrying a higher ADP. Darnell Mooney's injury gave me more hope for a Kyle Pitts redemption arc, but we'll see. At cost, I'm starting him in Week 1 and seeing where it goes. Stefon Diggs might have something left post-knee injury and the ninth round is a price I'm willing to pay. Brian Robinson Jr. is a solid RB3, especially with my upside picks in the later rounds.
Rounds 11–15: Veterans and training camp risers
11.04 – Cooper Kupp (SEA – WR)
12.09 – Tank Bigsby (JAX – RB)
13.04 – Brandon Aubrey (DAL – K)
14.09 – Braelon Allen (NYJ – RB)
15.04 – Arizona (ARI – DEF)
Roster assessment following Round 15
Cooper Kupp could be washed, or he could be a strong value pick this late. Again, another cost I'm willing to pay. Tank Bigsby's draft stock is rising by the day, so he presents some back-end RB2/flex appeal if he wins the starting RB job in Jacksonville. I grabbed Brandon Aubrey to pair with Lamb and took Arizona's defense to close it out since I already had Murray. Braelon Allen was my last bench dart throw and he continues to get positive reviews out of Jets training camp. In the end, I selected seven of my nine starters from the six offenses highlighted by Scott Pianowski.
Positional runs and key takeaways
I executed my Scott Pianowski-inspired strategy better than in any other mock so far. Seven of my first nine picks came from the Cowboys, Bengals, Chargers, Cardinals and Titans. The result? Another well-balanced squad.
RBs continue to fly off the board
Seven-of-12 picks in Round 1 were RBs, reinforcing the trend that fantasy managers still covet bell-cow backs early, even in half-PPR formats.
After that initial surge, RB selections spread more evenly across Rounds 2-6, with a second mini-run in Round 12 (nine RBs taken) — a clear "insurance back" sweep.
Taking advantage of a saturated WR market
WR picks peaked between Rounds 5-6 and again in Rounds 10-11, where eight and six WRs were taken, respectively.
There was a steady flow across nearly every round, reflecting the deep WR pool. Managers likely felt they could grab quality options throughout the draft. Which makes sense given how much emphasis was spent on RBs in the early rounds.
TEs are going all over the place
TE is feast or famine. If you don’t grab one by Round 6, the tier drop-off looks sketchy. Be ready to chase camp hype or late risers who can be streamed. Most TEs were drafted in Round 8 (five) and I jumped in on the run with Pitts in the eighth as well.
Rounds 11–12 saw another TE push, with lesser names like Brenton Strange and Cade Otton taken as fliers.
Comments