This weekend is a massive one for fantasy football drafts, so let's do a quick run-through to get ready.

Using our Draft Champion Simulator, I just did a 12-team 0.5-PPR mock draft with these specifications.

• Draft Type: Snake
• Draft Position: 8th
• Roster: 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE, 1 FL, 1 K, 1 DST
• ADP: Yahoo
• Draft Strategy: Late-Round QB
   

Here's the team I drafted.

• QB: Caleb Williams
• RB: Alvin Kamara, TreVeyon Henderson, Quinshon Judkins, Jordan Mason, Rhamondre Stevenson, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Tyjae Spears, Jaydon Blue
• WR: Malik Nabers, Brian Thomas, Tyreek Hill, Travis Hunter
• TE: David Njoku
• K: Chase McLaughlin
• D/ST: 49ers
   

My team is projected to score a league-high 1,756.49 points.

And according to our Fantasy Life Trade Rater, the expert I drafted most like was … Matthew Freedman. Mission accomplished.

Here are my overall thoughts on my roster.

To access Draft Champion and the rest of our tools (such as my 2025 fantasy draft rankings and season-long player projections), use the promo code "FREEDMAN" for a 20% discount on the FantasyLife+ package.

Positional Review Of My Fantasy Football Mock Draft

Quarterback
 

I entered the draft wanting to employ a late-round QB strategy, and so I waited on the position until Round 16, when I took Caleb Williams (Bears).

He's one of my favorite late-round picks.

If Williams hadn't been available, I would've gone with Drake Maye or J.J. McCarthy, two of my favorite 2025 QB sleepers.

Running Backs

I went heavy on the RB position for two main reasons.

1. I just couldn't help myself. I like a lot of the options available late.
2. Because I went heavy on WR early, I felt that I needed to fortify the RB position with extra selections late.
    

I like my starting triumvirate of Alvin Kamara (Saints), TreVeyon Henderson (Patriots), and Quinshon Judkins (Browns). I have Kamara projected for a league-high 87 targets, and Henderson and Judkins are both upside rookies.

After them, I have five RBs—Jordan Mason (Vikings), Rhamondre Stevenson (Patriots), Jacory Croskey-Merritt (Commanders), Tyjae Spears (Titans), and Jaydon Blue (Cowboys)—who all have a good chance to take over their backfields or provide flex value at some point during the season.

Wide Receivers

Just because I have three WRs in my starting lineup … that doesn't mean I need to start my draft with the three WRs and then basically ignore the position for the rest of the process.

That's essentially what I did.

I love all of Malik Nabers (Giants), Brian Thomas (Jaguars), and Tyreek Hill (Dolphins). Each of them (in my opinion) has a legitimate shot to finish the season as a top-three WR in fantasy.

As for Travis Hunter (Jaguars): He gives me coverage in the event of Thomas suffering an injury, and he was just selected No. 2 in the NFL draft after winning the Fred Biletnikoff Award last year as the best pass catcher in college football. I like his upside.

Tight End

I also selected David Njoku (Browns) in my recent TD-only mock.

He's one of my favorite arbitrage plays in that I think he will provide production comparable to that of T.J. Hockenson (and other similarly priced TEs) … but at a cheaper cost.

I'm being aggressive on Njoku—but my gut agrees with his projection.

In his 18 games without former QB Deshaun Watson (Achilles) over the past two seasons, Njoku has 167 targets, and in his six previous games with QB Joe Flacco in 2023, he had 37-483-4 receiving on 56 targets and a position-best 95 Utilization Score (per our Fantasy Life Utilization Report).

Kicker

Chase McLaughlin (Buccaneers) is one of the guys I highlighted in my recent Pulitzer Prize-winning K piece.

He's No. 2 in our projections and No. 4 in my rankings, so I was happy to get him in Round 17.

He underwhelmed with a 78.8% FG rate as a journeyman for his first four years in the league, but in the two years since, he has been incredibly accurate with a 93.7% FG rate for the Bucs.

With 18 attempts from 50+ yards as well as 89 XP tries since 2023, McLaughlin has a high floor.

Defense

I took the 49ers in my 14-team PPR mock draft a couple of weeks ago. They're No. 4 in our season-long projections and No. 5 in my draft rankings.

They disappointed last year, but this year they should benefit from an easy strength of schedule (thanks to their 2024 last-place divisional finish).

And they should also be improved thanks to the return of DC Robert Saleh and additions all over the defense (rookies EDGE Mykel Williams, DTs Alfred Collins & C.J. West, CB Upton Stout, LB Nick Martin, and veterans EDGE Bryce Huff, SS Richie Grant, FS Jason Pinnock).

I'm glad to get the 49ers in Round 18.

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