Fantasy Football Mock Draft 2.0: Full list of picks, analysis for Tight End Premium league

Tight End Premium scoring is now available on Yahoo and our Fantasy staff didn’t waste any time getting together for a 12-team, 15-round TE premium mock draft. To learn more about TE Premium, head here.

While player ADPs are sure to move over the next few weeks, this should help provide valuable insights on what to expect in each round of your upcoming drafts. 

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The scoring format for this mock is a full point per reception for tight ends and half-PPR for every other position. Meanwhile, the roster breakdown is: QB, RB, RB, WR, WR, TE, FLEX, DEF, K, BN, BN, BN, BN, BN, BN.

A big thank you goes out to everyone who participated.

My Full Roster 

• RB: David Montgomery, HOU

• WR: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, SEA

• Bench: Jonathon Brooks, CAR

• Bench: Jonah Coleman, DEN

• Bench: KC Concepcion, DEN

• Bench: Rashid Shaheed, SEA

Round 1 

You immediately see the impact of tight end premium scoring with Brock Bowers vaulting up inside the top-three picks overall. While my projections have Bowers ranked sixth in this format, it’s hard to argue with getting a tight end that could put up top-five fantasy receiver numbers in real life. Remember, Bowers had 112 catches, 1,194 yards and five touchdowns during his rookie season, which would have made him equivalent to the fifth-highest scoring WR that year. The only thing that prevented another similar stat line last year was injuries. If Bowers stays healthy in Klint Kubiak’s new offense and capitalizes on the upgraded quarterback play and improved offensive line, he could break TE Premium leagues wide open. 

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My pick: My fellow drafters made this decision very easy on me, by allowing Jaxon Smith-Njigba to fall to me at 1.07. Though I don’t expect him to match his lofty totals from last year (119 receptions, 1,793 yards, 10 TDs), JSN is positioned for another massive campaign in a Seahawks offense that might need to throw the ball a little more. I was happy to scoop Smith-Njigba up two spots later than I have him in my TE premium rankings

Round 2

This is where the TE premium format really begins to shake up the draft, with three more tight ends going off the board in the first half of the second round. I feel confident that this trio deserves to be the next players selected at the position, so the only question is whether this is a few spots early for Loveland and Warren, who both project to have monster sophomore seasons, but aren’t yet proven household names like Bowers and McBride. Speaking of McBride, his epic 2025 campaign would have made him the second-highest scoring WR behind only Puka Nacua, so getting him after the first seven receivers is solid value — even though I expect his numbers to dip slightly from last year. 

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My pick: I would have drafted McBride or Loveland if they had been available to me in this round. However, in my eyes Warren is more of a late second-rounder in this format, so he wasn’t going to be my pick here — despite my affinity for his fantasy outlook. Instead, I chose the best player available in Ashton Jeanty, who has all the same upgrades to his environment that I mentioned above for Bowers. Though some fantasy managers were disappointed in Jeanty’s rookie year, the fact that he delivered 1,321 scrimmage yards, 10 TDs and 55 receptions (fifth most among RBs) in a bad Raiders’ offense was promising. Better days and bigger stats are on the way in 2026. 

Round 3

Round 3 is our first frame without a tight end getting picked, so it looks a little more like what you’re used to seeing in most drafts this summer. Thanks to the TE Premium scoring, we see a couple players like Nico Collins and A.J. Brown slip into the third, where they are excellent values. Also, given the positive developments about his recovery, fantasy managers should no longer fear drafting Malik Nabers. In my latest rankings update, I have him 23rd overall. 

My pick: DeVonta Smith is dealing with a hamstring injury that’s caused him to miss practice at Eagles’ camp recently, but it’s not enough to scare me away from an underrated star on the verge of a career year. With A.J. Brown no longer in Philadelphia, we’re about to see the best version of Smith yet. Playing alongside Brown, Smith finished as a top-21 fantasy WR three times in the last four seasons, including WR17 (2024), WR21 (2023) and WR16 (2022). However, in the five games without Brown over the last few years Smith averaged nine targets and 88 yards per contest. The Eagles wideouts also face the easiest fantasy WR schedule. 

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Round 4

This is the area in drafts where managers start to worry that they haven’t secured a tight end yet and don’t want to be left empty handed in the coming rounds when the TE1s start flying off the board. It’s no surprise we see three more tight ends taken here in Tucker Kraft, Harold Fannin Jr. and Sam LaPorta. We’ll get to Kraft, who was my pick, in the next section. LaPorta is fresh off an injury-impacted campaign where he averaged 11.9 fppg in PPR, while Fannin had an impressive rookie debut averaging 11.7 fppg. In this format, that would have made LaPorta the WR14 and Fannin the WR15 last year, yet they are drafted around WR20. That’s fine value, especially since we are quickly approaching a clear tier break at the position in the next round or two. 

My pick: When I can’t come away with one of the top-four tight ends, my next two targets at the position are Kraft and George Kittle. In this draft, I didn’t want to live with the possibility of missing out on both players, so I scooped up Kraft in the fourth. Before getting hurt last year, Kraft was tied as the TE1 overall in PPR through the first eight weeks, averaging 16.2 fppg. Returning from a torn ACL doesn’t come without risk, but Kraft is looking good on the practice field and inching towards a Week 1 return. When healthy, he’s one of the few tight ends who could compete with the elite options. I just wish I knew Kittle was going to last two more rounds, cause I would have waited on him instead.

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Round 5

After this round, we now have seven managers who have already secured their starting tight end. Kyle Pitts Sr. is a solid choice in this frame, but the real story here is Luther Burden III’s falling stock due to the groin injury that’s expected to sidelined him until Week 1. You never want a player to deal with an injury before the season, especially a younger talent who could use the practice reps. However, this seems like a scenario that people are going to overreact to. Even if Burden isn’t back by the opener, he’ll return in the opening month — barring a setback. We’re not winning a fantasy championship in September anyway, so don’t let a breakout candidate in a superior offense drop too much. You’ll regret it in October when he’s healthy and performing just as originally projected. 

My pick: One of the reasons I felt comfortable taking Kraft in Round 4 was because there were enough quality RB2 options on the board who could make it back to me a round later. You’re playing a dangerous game if you don’t select your RB2 before Round 6 arrives this year, but fortunately there were a couple names for me to choose from when I got on the clock. David Montgomery is a solid back with a proven track record, joining a Texans’ offense that watched Woody Marks start for a portion of last season and decided to trade for veteran help. This is reminiscent of Joe Mixon arriving in Houston a couple years ago, which resulted in 1,325 scrimmage yards, 12 touchdowns and an RB5 fantasy finish. Montgomery likely won’t come anywhere close to that, but he’s a strong fantasy RB2. 

Round 6

As I mentioned above, Kittle represents my biggest regret from this draft. With his recovery coming along very well and it seeming almost likely that he’ll be back on the field in the opening weeks, it was shocking to see Kittle still fall to the sixth round in this format. If Kittle can get back even close to full health, he’s the last tight end on the board with a truly elite ceiling. Kittle has been a top-three fantasy tight end in per game scoring in seven of the last eight years. For the record, he finished fifth in that eighth year. 

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My pick: While I could have taken Kittle as a flex option, I instead went with his new teammate Mike Evans. Entering his age-33 season, Evans has durability concerns of his own, but when healthy he should push for top-24 weekly WR stats. His touchdown scoring alone makes him a very intriguing flex option. If Kittle regains his form and Evans can’t bounce back to his 2024 state, I’ll regret this pick even more. 

Round 7

With a clear tier drop at tight end occurring before Round 7 and three teams left without a starter at the position, managers elected to go in a different direction this frame. The receiver talent is hard to ignore, led by first-round rookie Jordyn Tyson, who’s being steamed up by everyone around the Saints. Tyson will be a star at some point this season and should be a high-priority target in fantasy drafts. Stefon Diggs is also someone I was taking everywhere before he signed with Washington and I’m still adding him even though his ADP has gone up several rounds. Diggs is a fantasy WR3 with legitimate WR2 catching passes from Jayden Daniels. 

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My pick: Though I considered taking a quarterback in this spot, the reality in a mock with savvy drafters is that people will wait on QBs. Knowing that, I spent my seventh round pick on a pure upside RB in Jonathon Brooks. While I have my concerns about a player coming back from two major knee injuries, it’s impossible to ignore the steady drumbeat out of Carolina. Whether it’s the positive remarks from people in and around the Panthers organization or his practice highlights making catches and breaking runs, Brooks is checking all the boxes in his return. The former second-round pick is just 23 years old and still has a chance to emerge as a difference-making lead back. By contrast, there’s been very little hype about Chuba Hubbard this summer. 

Round 8

If you don’t have a starting tight end by Round 8 in TE Premium, this is the final call for players with real upside. Though the elite range might be out of their reach, Dalton Kincaid and Isaiah Likely have paths to being mid-to-high-end TE1s, while Travis Kelce is still a serviceable top-12 option. It’s interesting to see two managers grab their second tight ends in this round, which is not a bad move. The top 20 or so tight ends are all viable flex plays in this format. 

My pick: There were still a ton of quality quarterbacks available in this round, but I made the decision to pounce since I expected a run on QBs would happen soon. Not only does Hurts offer QB1 overall upside, but he gives me a nice pairing with DeVonta Smith. Hurts has a lot to prove this season, after a down year and now dealing with the departure of A.J. Brown and Sean Mannion’s arrival should help him rebound. The initial returns are positive with Mannion’s scheme expected to breathe some life into an Eagles’ passing attack that struggled at times in 2025. The 2024 Super Bowl MVP has also shown up to training camp looking leaner and quicker than previous years. It doesn’t hurt that Philadelphia has the friendliest schedule for fantasy quarterbacks this season.

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Round 9

The quarterback run that I anticipated came to fruition with five passers being selected during the second half of Round 8 and into Round 9. However, there are still a few strong low-end QB1s available. On the tight end front, if you don’t secure one of the high-end options, pairing an upside pick like Isaiah Likely with a solid veteran like Dallas Goedert is a smart approach. It gives you a better chance to hit on an impact TE starter, while also providing a path to a potential flex option. 

My pick: With very few players worthy of being drafted at 9.07, I chased the potential of Makai Lemon. Even with the hamstring issues that sidelined him for most of OTAs and a chunk of training camp so far, Lemon is still a first-round wideout in an offense that needs him to succeed. When he’s healthy, the opportunity will be there to prove himself and in the ninth round there’s no risk on my end. He also gives me a nice stack with Hurts and Smith, as well as some insulation if Smith ever missed time.

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Round 10 

Receivers dominated Round 10, as the enticing tight ends started to dry up. There are still some longer shots at the position, but everyone remaining comes with uncertainty. Meanwhile, you could easily see all of the wideouts drafted in this round turning into WR3/flex options this season. My favorite dart throws from this group include Jayden Higgins, Jalen Coker, Matthew Golden and Wan’Dale Robinson.   

My pick: Jonah Coleman has been one of my most frequent selections in Round 10 and beyond. In addition to earning a ton of praise from coaches, teammates and beat writers, Coleman is also one of the few backs who’s one injury away from a starting job, despite being No. 3 on the depth chart. RJ Harvey is locked into his pass-catcher plus role behind 27-year-old J.K. Dobbins (turns 28 in December), who has never completed a full NFL campaign due to injuries. We even got a reminder of Dobbins fragility when he left practice with a soft tissue ailment this week. If Dobbins gets sidelined again, Coleman would likely step into the bulk of the veteran’s snaps, making him an important late-round selection in one of the best offenses in football. 

Round 11

Normally I would never advise spending late-round picks on backup tight ends, but in TE Premium that’s a worthwhile way to use those selections. If you hit on a sleeper at the position, you could easily slide them into your flex spot. All four of the tight ends who were chosen in this range fit that description. 

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My pick: While I didn’t plan on using three consecutive picks on rookies, they all offer immediate return on value during their debut campaigns. Concepcion is having his value held in check due to being on the Browns offense, but this is a new era in Cleveland with Todd Monken as head coach. We should expect the team to throw more and with Concepcion, Denzel Boston and Harold Fannin Jr., they have the start of a quality passing attack. If they can even get average quarterback play, we should see at least two of those pass-catchers produce for fantasy. Boston is getting more camp hype, but Concepcion was the better prospect with higher draft capital. 

Round 12

Every time we hold a mock draft, I feel the need to hammer this point home — look at the quarterback value in the late rounds. Though it’s tough to pass on some of the bigger names in the early to middle rounds, guys like Brock Purdy, Bo Nix, Jared Goff and Kyler Murray are often available well outside the top-100 picks. Each name on that list has finished as a top-12 fantasy quarterback multiple times in the past. So unless you’re in a superflex league, don’t feel compelled to draft quarterbacks ahead of ADP ever. 

My pick: Rashid Shaheed is a very specific type of pick in the late rounds. He’s flashed startable fantasy production in the past, but hasn’t sustained it over a full season. Getting acclimated in Seattle after a midseason trade couldn’t have been easy last year, so I want to see what he can do with a full offseason to prepare. Many of the beat writers have indicated that Shaheed has been much busier in practices as he prepares to take on a larger role in the offense. I’m willing to use a 12th-round pick on the chance that occurs. If it doesn’t, then Shaheed will be one of my first drops for an early-season waiver wire pickup. 

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Here’s how the rest of the draft unfolded, as managers took shots on late-round sleepers while also selecting their kickers and defenses.

Round 13

Round 14

Round 15