Welcome to the seventh 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 the Yahoo Fantasy Plus 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.
[Subscribe to Yahoo Fantasy Plus and unlock Instant Mock Drafts today]
This time, I drew the 1.07 spot and decided to lean into a WR-heavy build — loading up on elite pass-catchers early before addressing the running back room.
Let's break it down.
Full Roster
QB: Dak Prescott (DAL)
RB: Kenneth Walker III (SEA)
RB: Tony Pollard (TEN)
WR: Malik Nabers (NYG)
WR: Drake London (ATL)
TE: David Njoku (CLE)
FLEX: Tee Higgins (CIN)
K: Brandon Aubrey (DAL)
D/ST: Los Angeles Rams (LAR)
Bench: Jaylen Waddle (MIA)
Bench: Jaylen Warren (PIT)
Bench: Javonte Williams (DAL)
Bench: Matthew Golden (GB)
Bench: Rashid Shaheed (NO)
Bench: Trey Benson (ARI)
Rounds 1–3: All-in on WRs
1.07 – Malik Nabers (NYG – WR)
2.06 –Drake London (ATL – WR)
3.07 – Tee Higgins (CIN – WR)
Roster assessment after Round 3
Since I was aiming for going WR-heavy, I started with Nabers, London and Higgins. I landed two top-12 options in Nabers and London, wideouts who finished second and third in targets in 2024. In selecting Higgins at 3.07, I'm buying into the Bengals' explosive offense.
I would've loved Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who went two picks before Higgins, but I'll take Tee as a contingency. My expansive receiver room is stacked off the rip. The drawback? I still don't have an RB. I'll make an effort to address that before it gets too thin.
Rounds 4–6: Building the RB core and reinforcing WR
4.06 – Kenneth Walker III (SEA – RB)
5.07 – Tony Pollard (TEN – RB)
6.06 – Jaylen Waddle (MIA – WR)
Roster assessment after Round 6
Time to address RB, and Walker, whom I've targeted a lot in previous mock drafts, was there for the taking. His average ADP is 4.05, so this was the perfect time to grab him in Round 4. I went with Pollard in Round 5, which was a round early when considering his ADP, but I wanted to secure a three-down back. Waddle in the sixth was a luxury pick — but in a WR-heavy build, depth at the position is the whole point.
Walker and Pollard are viable starters, and I now have four WRs capable of putting up WR1 numbers in any given week.
Rounds 7–10: Depth and positional balance
7.07 – Jaylen Warren (PIT – RB)
8.06 – Javonte Williams (DAL – RB)
9.07 – David Njoku (CLE – TE)
10.06 – Matthew Golden (GB – WR)
Roster assessment after Round 10
These rounds were about reinforcing depth and filling my TE spot. Warren continues to receive a lot of praise in the preseason, especially for his blocking. He may not get all of the work, but he's still a very productive back, especially in PPR leagues. The Javonte Williams pick was a flier on the only healthy back on the Cowboys roster right now.
[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season]
I drafted David Njoku because he is an underrated TE, should you decide not to spend up in the earlier rounds at the position. The Browns are going to be horrible, but that doesn't mean he won't eat up targets in the middle of the field.
Golden, a rookie WR in a rising Packers offense, is my stash-and-see pick. I feel way better about my receiving core than RBs, but at least I have contingencies in place if it goes left. Also, having four top-tier receivers opens up trade opportunities.
Rounds 11–15: Taking the best available
11.07 – Rashid Shaheed (NO – WR)
12.06 – Dak Prescott (DAL – QB)
13.07 – Trey Benson (ARI – RB)
14.06 – Brandon Aubrey (DAL – K)
15.07 – Los Angeles Rams (LAR – D/ST)
Roster assessment after Round 15
I'm not enamored with anyone I picked in the final rounds. Picking Rashid Shaheed was a "best available" option that felt meh. The Saints are an offense I want no part of buying into and it doesn't help that New Orleans starting center Will Clapp will miss the rest of the season with a foot injury. Sometimes the pressure of the clock gets to us all.
Dak Prescott is a fine late-round QB, but I'd be open to other options like Drake Maye, Caleb Williams and Jordan Love if you don't believe in the Cowboys or Dak's ability to stay healthy.
Benson was another depth pick at RB, nothing more, nothing less. Adding Brandon Aubrey, my third Cowboys player, feels gross even though he's the top-rated kicker in fantasy. The Rams D/ST faces Houston at home in Week 1. I don't know how I feel about that.
Positional runs and key takeaways
WRs dominated the first four rounds with 22 wideouts being drafted. The past mocks have been more RB-centric at the top portion of the draft. Four QBs going off the board in Round 3 was a surprise and meant I would have to pivot to targeting a QB until later in the draft. Also, you can safely ignore four defenses going in the eighth round — because that would never happen.
Drafting from the 1.07 spot, I did well while executing a WR-heavy approach. I hammered WRs early, using four of my first six picks on wideouts. My RB room won't scare anyone on paper and it's a huge risk in going so deep into a WR-heavy build, but as I said before, my depth at WR can be used to upgrade another position as the season wears on.
Comments