2025 Fantasy Football Mock Draft Ideal Scenarios, Selections for 12-Team League

The Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles are set to kick off the 2025 NFL season on Thursday night. This means that the wait for real, meaningful football is nearly over.

It also means that fantasy managers who haven't conducted their drafts yet are running out of time. The good news is that this week is the absolute best week in which to hold drafts.

The threat of preseason injury is now at a minimum, and we have a far better idea of how rosters shake out than we did even a few days ago. Now, it's time to do a little bit of last-minute studying, map out a draft strategy and get to it.

We're here to help by examining a few ideal scenarios and strategies, along with a 12-team point-per-reception (PPR) mock draft.

12-Team, PPR Mock Draft

AP Photo/Terrance Williams

Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase

Round 1

1. Ja'Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
2. Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles
3. Bijan Robinson, WR, Atlanta Falcons
4. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions
5. CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys
6. Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings
7. Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit Lions
8. Malik Nabers, WR, New York Giants
9. Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams
10. Ashton Jeanty, RB, Las Vegas Raiders
11. Christian McCaffrey, RB. San Francisco 49ers
12. Brian Thomas Jr., WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

Round 2

1. Nico Collins, WR, Houston Texans
2. Derrick Henry, RB, Baltimore Ravens
3. Brock Bowers, TE, Las Vegas Raiders
4. De'Von Achane, RB, Miami Dolphins
5. A.J. Brown, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
6. Bucky Irving, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
7. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts
8. Drake London, WR, Atlanta Falcons
9. Josh Jacobs, RB, Green Bay Packers
10. Chase Brown, RB, Cincinnati Bengals
11. Ladd McConkey, WR, Houston Texans
12. Trey McBride, TE, Arizona Cardinals

Round 3

1. Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Carolina Panthers
2. Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills
3. Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens
4. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle Seahawks
5. Omarion Hampton, RB, Los Angeles Chargers
6. Breece Hall, RB, New York Jets
7. Kyren Williams, RB, Los Angeles Rams
8. Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals
9. Tyreek Hill, WR, Miami Dolphins
10. Garrett Wilson, WR, New York Jets
11. Jayden Daniels, QB, Washington Commanders
12. Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Arizona Cardinals

Round 4

1. TreVeyon Henderson, RB, New England Patriots
2. Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
3. Travis Hunter, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
4. Terry McLaurin, WR, Washington Commanders
5. D.J. Moore, WR, Chicago Bears
6. George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers
7. DeVonta Smith, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
8. Sam LaPorta, TE, Detroit Lions
9. Jalen Hurts, QB, Philadelphia Eagles
10. Davante Adams, WR, Los Angeles Rams
11. James Cook, RB, Buffalo Bills
12. Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Early Rounds

AP Photo/Ryan Sun, File

Rams WR Puka Nacua

This mock draft was conducted using FantasyPros' Mock Draft Simulator and will help illustrate how the early-to-middle rounds might unfold in a live draft.

Using a mock draft tool is a great way to hone draft strategies before the real thing. Ideally, though, managers will kick off their drafts by landing one of the top four or five players on their board.

This is easier in theory than in practice, of course, especially if picking late in the draft order. Ja'Marr Chase, who led all receivers in practically every category last season, was the No. 1 pick here and will be in a lot of drafts. Managers simply aren't going to get him late in the first round.

Managers can, however, put together a list of realistic targets for their draft position and focus on picking the "safe" players likely to be available in that range. It's great to hit a home run in Round 1, but it's far more important to avoid busting.

A manager picking in the No. 10 spot, for example, might decide that Malik Nabers, Ashton Jeanty, Christian McCaffrey and Puka Nacua are the high-volume receivers and running backs they're happy to take with the selection. If one of them is available, great. If they're all gone, then there's a very good chance that a player like CeeDee Lamb, Justin Jefferson or Saquon Barkley slid into value territory.

It's always important to draft for value. Go after the players you want, but don't go overdrafting players by multiple rounds in the early stages.

In the first couple of rounds, it's best to focus on high-volume receivers and running backs—you'll see elite tight ends go in this range too—who will form the core of your fantasy squad.

Middle Rounds

AP Photo/Peter Joneleit

Buccaneers RB Bucky Irving

I tend to view Round 4 as the start of the middle rounds, though I often begin applying a middle-round strategy in Round 3 in larger leagues.

I don't advocate taking a quarterback before the middle rounds, though I feel Round 3 or 4 is a safe spot to consider tight ends. Las Vegas Raiders star Brock Bowers will likely go in Round 2, but managers may find more value in an every-down back like Bucky Irving or Jonathan Taylor in the second round.

The top quarterbacks—Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Jayden Daniels, Joe Burrow and Jalen Hurts—will usually come off in the middle rounds. Of course, most drafts include at least one manager willing to overdraft a signal-caller in the early rounds.

Taking a quarterback in the third or fourth round is risky when high-floor skill players like Kyren Williams and Terry McLaurin are still available.

In an ideal scenario, managers will come out of Round 6 with two starting-caliber running backs, two starting-caliber receivers and a starting-caliber flex. Having three at each position is acceptable, as is having a tight end and/or quarterback in the mix.

Again, though, QB and TE value can be found in the later rounds.

This is the range, though, in which managers can start getting aggressive to grab their guys. It's often unwise to pass on a "safe" player like DeVonta Smith or Mike Evans at the top of the middle rounds. However, if you think Ricky Pearsall is poised to be a star and want to flip the switch in Round 5, go for it.

Later Rounds

AP Photo/Rick Osentoski, File

Lions QB Jared Goff

Ideally, managers will have all starting skill slots filled by the end of Round 8. This leads up to the later rounds, where managers can target true sleepers, add kickers and defenses and, yes, find quarterback value.

Here's the thing about quarterbacks. Managers who reach for the best ones early in drafts aren't going to come back for a backup until the very end—unless they're actively trying to sabotage a specific rival, which does happen. This usually leaves tremendous value late in drafts.

In our mock, for example, Caleb Williams, Dak Prescott, Jared Goff and Drake Maye were all 12th-round selections. Prescott has been a top-tier performer in the past, and Goff ranked eighth in points per week among quarterbacks last season.

Williams and Maye are both boom-or-bust quarterbacks with an enticing high ceiling worth grabbing in this range.

Managers should wait until the last three rounds for defenses and kickers, and ideally, those will be the final two selections. Those picking late in the third-to-last round, though, might want to consider reaching for a top-tier defense.

There's really no reason to reach for a kicker because there isn't a massive gap between the best and the average. Brandon Aubry led all kickers in scoring last year but scored just 51 points more than K12, Jake Elliott. That's three points per week, on average, not enough to justify taking a kicker with three or four rounds left to go.