Welcome back to my 12-part mock draft series, where I’m drafting from every position — 1 through 12 — in a 12-team Yahoo fantasy football league to uncover optimal strategies and roster constructions at each spot. Using Yahoo Fantasy’s Instant Mock Draft tool, I went solo through each draft, making every pick myself to create realistic and informative roster builds.
This time, I drew the No. 2 overall pick, and I knew exactly what I wanted to do: lock in a franchise RB and build around the position. It was a shift from my WR-heavy build at 1.01, so I challenged myself to prioritize depth and stability at running back — even if it meant passing on some elite wideouts.
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The scoring format is half-PPR, with the following setup: QB, 2 RBs, 2 WRs, TE, FLEX, K, D/ST and six bench spots.
Full Roster
QB: Jordan Love (GB)
RB: Bijan Robinson (ATL)
RB: Chase Brown (CIN)
WR: Malik Nabers (NYG)
WR: Zay Flowers (BAL)
TE: Dalton Kincaid (BUF)
FLEX: Kenneth Walker III (SEA)
Kicker: Tyler Bass (BUF)
D/ST: Arizona Cardinals (ARI)
Bench: Jaxon Smith-Njigba (SEA)
Bench: D’Andre Swift (CHI)
Bench: Chris Olave (NO)
Bench: Stefon Diggs (NE)
Bench: Javonte Williams (DAL)
Bench: Nick Chubb (HOU)
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Rounds 1–3: The RB foundation
1.02 – Bijan Robinson (RB – ATL)
2.11 – Malik Nabers (WR – NYG)
3.02 – Chase Brown (RB – CIN)
Roster assessment following Round 3
With the 1.02 pick, I took Bijan Robinson, a potential league-winner who offers elite three-down ability and pass-catching versatility in Atlanta’s top-10 rushing offense. If this were a real draft, I’d take Chase, but I wanted to lean into an RB-centric strategy and Bijan gave me the ideal anchor. Landing Malik Nabers at 2.11 — was a gift (again).
Instead of going back to a WR, I went with Chase Brown as my third-round pick. The Bengals’ backfield is weak behind him, and in a high-octane offense like Cincinnati, theres a lot of upside here. By the end of Round 3, I had already secured two starting RBs and a high-ceiling WR1, but passing on WRs in Rounds 2–3 created a must-fill need heading into the next stretch.
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Rounds 4–6: Rebalancing with WR depth
4.11 – Jaxon Smith-Njigba (WR – SEA)
5.02 – Kenneth Walker III (RB – SEA)
6.11 – Zay Flowers (WR – BAL)
Roster assessment after Round 6
I anticipated the WR run coming in Round 3, and I was right — seven went in that round alone. To respond, I opened the fourth by taking Jaxon Smith-Njigba, a polished route runner entering his first year as the WR1 in Seattle. The fifth round gave me a big decision — I passed on TE and QB to scoop Kenneth Walker III, my third RB. Walker is still the top option in Seattle despite the presence of Zach Charbonnet. I rock with this stable of RBs.
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I guess I’m becoming a Zay Flowers guy because he was there yet again. This time, I selected him a few spots earlier in Round 6, which helped balance out my WR room. Flowers has already proven he can be the WR1 in a Lamar Jackson-led offense. By the end of Round 6, my WR depth was respectable — not elite, but enough — while my RB group was arguably the best in the room.
Rounds 7–10: TE Settling and QB Love
7.02 – D’Andre Swift (RB – CHI)
8.11 – Dalton Kincaid (TE – BUF)
9.02 – Chris Olave (WR – NO)
10.11 – Jordan Love (QB – GB)
Roster assessment after Round 10
I continued building my RB arsenal in Round 7 with D’Andre Swift. Now in Chicago, Swift reunites with Ben Johnson, a coach who peppered him with targets out of the backfield from his days in Detroit. Swift was my fifth RB, which is probably OD this early, but he felt like the best available option in that spot. In hindsight, I should’ve gone TE because the position dried up fast. By Round 8, I got stuck with Dalton Kincaid, a backend TE1 option. I don’t love it.
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I didn’t plan to draft Chris Olave in Round 9 — but when someone like him falls to 9.02, you pounce. Even in a shaky Saints offense, Olave is a route-running savant with a WR1 target share — at cost, I think he’s worth the injury risk. Finally, I grabbed Jordan Love in Round 10. While I waited on QB longer than I’d like, I’m okay rocking with Love as my QB1.
Rounds 11–15: Veteran Mistakes or Tactical Gambles
11.02 – Stefon Diggs (WR – NE)
12.11 – Javonte Williams (RB – DAL)
13.02 – Nick Chubb (RB – HOU)
14.11 – Tyler Bass (K – BUF)
15.02 – Arizona Cardinals D/ST
Roster assessment after Round 15
In Round 11, I took a shot on Stefon Diggs — yes, he’s in New England and yes, the upside is questionable, but his ADP has dropped so far that he’s worth a WR5 dart throw. Round 12 brought me Javonte Williams, another middling running back fighting for touches in Dallas. Nick Chubb in Round 13 might be the most polarizing pick of this round, with Joe Mixon dealing with a foot injury that put him on the non-football injury list.
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With my last two picks, I rounded out the roster with Tyler Bass, a proven kicker in a top-five offense, and the Arizona Cardinals defense. Arizona is far from elite, but they open the season with a soft schedule against the Saints and Panthers — both strong streaming spots.
Key takeaways
Heat map outlining the round-by-round distribution for the various positions in fantasy football
(Dan Titus)
RB runs continue to come early
By the end of Round 4, 16 RBs were off the board. If you’re not proactive in the position early, you’ll be forced to reach or get boxed out downstream. RB depth was a massive priority for many drafters, as evidenced by seven RBs in Round 1, four more in Round 3 and a whopping five in Round 4. Beyond that, I found it interesting that Rounds 7 and 12 saw eight RBs drafted late.
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Waiting on QB benefits team building
There were only three rounds where at least three QBs were selected: Rounds 2, 5 and 9. The ninth round was the most significant, with six QBs getting drafted (Prescott, Maye, Lawrence, Herbert, Williams and Stroud). I’m not saying the draft will always unfold this way, but it’s essential to understand how league managers are moving. The QB run is inevitable for anyone filling out their roster with positional depth, so don’t get caught slippin’.
Middle TE Tier disappears quickly
There were 14 TEs drafted between Rounds 7 and 10, making it the crucial TE decision point. Kincaid was the last of the “maybe” starters. If you wait past Round 8, you’re playing roulette.
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