Mendoza is all but a lock to go No. 1—but immediately after him, I have three straight EDGEs going off the board in Arvell Reese, Rueben Bain and David Bailey.
And after them, I have another three EDGEs (as well as three DTs and two LBs) going in Round 1.
Offensive players are usually the guys who get most of the attention, but I expect Day 1 of the draft to be heavy on defensive contributors this year.
Wide Receivers
This is a decent year for the position, but athletic testing will determine a lot. If several WRs tear up the combine, we could see six WRs go in Round 1, maybe more.
But if this class has modest pre-draft workouts, the number of WRs in the top 32 could drop to just two.
With five currently in my mock, I'm taking something of an optimistic view on this class. All of the WRs have imperfections—but enough of them have Round 1 qualities.
And Carnell Tate and Jordyn Tyson specifically have the attributes to go in the top 10.
The No. 1 Pick in Dynasty Rookie Drafts
In superflex leagues, positional scarcity may push QBs up the board, but in non-SF formats, the No. 1 pick in dynasty rookie drafts is RB Jeremiyah Love.
He's just 20 years old, he won the 2025 Doak Walker Award as the top RB in college football, and over the past two seasons he put up 3,014 yards and 40 TDs from scrimmage in 28 games.
With a three-down skill set and workhorse frame (6-0, 214 pounds), Love could be one of the NFL's top backs as a rookie.
If he lands in a functional offense—unlike Ashton Jeanty this past year—he could reasonably draw Round 1 investment in fantasy drafts for season-long, best ball and Guillotine Leagues™.
I currently have him mocked to the Chiefs at No. 9 … but I strongly considered him to the Commanders and Saints at Nos. 7 and 8.
And I even thought about the Giants at No. 5 for half a second.
Anything can happen in the draft, and RB isn't widely regarded as a premium position, but I'd be surprised if Love made it out of the top 10.
Sign up and claim your free pick today! Pick higher or lower on your favorite players and cash in on Underdog today! New customers will receive a FREE Sam Darnold pick when you sign up. Sign up for Underdog using our promo code: LIFE and you can earn up to $1,000 Bonus Cash on your first deposit!
Conference Championship Guilloteenie Risers and Fallers
RISER: SEA RB Kenneth Walker
After the way the 2025 season shook out, it’s fitting that Kenneth Walker would turn in the best fantasy performance of his career in the playoffs. After fantasy’s most maddening backfield lost half of its production once Zach Charbonnet left the game with a knee injury, Walker finished the game with 145 total yards on 6.6 yards per touch and added 3 scores. Charbonnet can’t go this weekend, so Walker ranked accordingly as a top-five option. Velus Jones may siphon some carries, but I doubt he gets the full Charbonnet workload. Monitor Seattle’s left tackle situation: Charles Cross left with a foot injury, and his backup, Josh Jones, was already ruled out before last week’s game. Undrafted rookie Amari Kight would start in their place, which would downgrade the Seattle backfield.
FALLER: Denver Broncos
Bo Nix suffered a season-ending ankle injury at the end of last week’s Broncos win. Backup Jarrett Stidham will start Sunday; Stidham has not attempted a pass in a meaningful NFL game in over two calendar years. As such, all Broncos players receive a rankings downgrade ahead of Sunday’s game, especially against a Patriots defense that has terrorized its first two opponents this postseason. RJ Harvey and Courtland Sutton remain top-10 options based upon projected volume and the lack of alternatives, but their ceiling is capped by the presence of Stidham. Marvin Mims played a nice game last week, but he will also be limited by Stidham. Ancillary Broncos players like Jaleel McLaughlin, Troy Franklin and Lil’Jordan Humphrey should not be considered at this point. Stidham, himself, is ranked a clear fourth out of four quarterback options, and thus should not be drafted or started.
RISER: NE WR Kayshon Boutte
Kayshon Boutte put an exclamation mark on his breakout sophomore season last Sunday. Boutte posted 3-71-1 with the help of a spectacular one-handed touchdown grab against a smothering Houston secondary, leading all Patriots pass catchers with a 64 Utilization Score. New England has persistently rotated their receiving options to a frustrating degree this season, but Boutte’s touchdown upside is tremendous, so he’s a good option with so few alternatives.
FALLER: Tight Ends
With both George Kittle and Colston Loveland knocked out of the playoffs, the tight end position is bleak from a fantasy perspective. Hunter Henry is the clear top option, if that tells you anything. Colby Parkinson and AJ Barner round out the top 3; after them, there should be no other tight ends drafted. Henry is a top-15 overall option, but can be drafted higher if you want to set yourself apart from the inevitable Parkinson and Barner owners.
Bully tight end is a viable strategy in fresh drafts and existing leagues now. In fresh drafts, snag Henry early, then follow that up with one of Parkinson or Barner, leaving at least one opponent with a clear tier drop in projection. If any combination of Henry, Parkinson or Barner hit waivers in your existing league, you can use your FAAB to box your remaining opponents out of reliable production at a mandatory roster slot.
Yes, it’s time to relive some of the pain that was the 2025 season. We’re not going to rehash some of the injuries that felled some early-round picks during the season. We’re not cruel like that. But there are players whose production during the season just defied explanation, so Kendall Valenzuela broke down some of the biggest fantasy busts of 2025. She started with Brian Thomas Jr.:
“New head coach Liam Coen brought higher expectations to a team that seemed not to be getting the best out of Trevor Lawrence, and Lawrence seemingly turned things around; it was not Thomas Jr. who benefited. I really don't know what happened, but it was like a night-and-day shift between the receiver and his quarterback. BTJ was plagued by drops and just didn't seem to have consistent chemistry with Lawrence. He was drafted as the WR9 and finished outside the top-40 wideouts. To make matters worse (even though it feels hard to do), he had only five games with 10 or more points. The team also traded for Jakobi Meyers at the deadline, and the emergence of Parker Washington did not help. The organization is downplaying trade rumors, but the output we saw last season from Thomas is going to make drafting him in 2026 that much more difficult.”
It may be just the tip of the iceberg of 2025 pain, but Kendall singled out four more players who let down their fantasy managers. Let’s use this as a lesson for future drafts.⤵️
