Mock drafts are essential preparation for being on the clock. Ahead of the final preseason games Chris and Jesse from FFA recently completed a 12 team PPR mock draft on FantasyFootballCalculator to refine their approach for the upcoming season. Chris is picking from the 9th position and Jesse from the 3rd.
What follows is a breakdown of how they approached each pick, the decision making process behind player selection, and how to use the FFA app to build a competitive roster from any draft position.
Rounds 1-3
Chris:
Drafting from the 1.09, the top of the board went about as expected with Gibbs, Bijan, Chase, Nacua, JSN, CMC, St. Brown and Taylor all gone before I was on the clock. Achane at nine could be a gift the middle of the first round doesn’t usually hand out. FFA projects him for 297 PPR points and a 138 VOR, good for 7th overall while his ADP sits around 13.9. The discount exists for a reason, nobody expects much from the Miami offense in 2026 but Achane’s volume and explosiveness remain appealing. He posted 1,838 yards from scrimmage and 12 TDs on 305 touches across 16 games in 2025, finishing as the RB5 averaging 5.7 yards per carry (YPC). His 56 uncertainty score is the highest of my first three picks, but I’m betting on the volume and efficiency rather than the offense around him.
At 2.04 I made the pick I’ll second guess all preseason. A.J. Brown carries a VOR of 61.6 (35th overall), and I took him 16th. That’s a reach based on the numbers, except he’s missed 1,000+ yards and 7+ TDs just once in 7 seasons. I’m buying the situation change following a WR11 finish with 1,003 yards and 7 TDs in a Philadelphia offense he spent the year publicly unhappy in. Now in New England, he becomes the coverage dictating target Drake Maye has never had.
Bowers was still on the board at 3.09, nine picks past his 24.6 ADP. He’s also the most certain player on my roster with a 242 floor, 257 ceiling and 1 uncertainty (46.1 point drop off to the next TE). There was no comparable cliff anywhere else on the board. He played 2025 on a bad knee from Week 1 and still posted a 23.6% target share, second among all tight ends. Healthy, under Klint Kubiak, with Kirk Cousins and Fernando Mendoza throwing and a thin receiver room around him, I’m drafting toward a return to his 2024 line of 112-1,194.
Jesse:
Chase at the 1.03 is the WR2 at 346 points and a 155 VOR, 5th overall. The 328 floor is what makes him worth the third pick. Picking here means taking whoever the top two leave behind, and this year that was the safest player on the board.
Barkley at the 2.10 came six picks past his 16.0 ADP as the RB10 at 262 points and a 105 VOR. A 241 floor against a 279 ceiling is a narrow range for a back at this cost. I wanted one running back I could pencil in weekly before taking swings at the position later.
Nabers at the 3.03 is where I started buying upside. He’s the WR13 at 241 points with a 267 ceiling, and the only reason he’s still in the third round is the knee. He tore his ACL in Week 4 last September and only reached full-speed practice this month. At 23, coming off a 109-1,204 rookie year, I’ll pay six picks ahead of his 33.6 ADP for that.
Rounds 4-6
Chris:
Jacobs at the 4.04 is arbitrage, FFA ranks him 19th overall at a 33.9 ADP and I got him at 40. He rushed for 929 yards on 234 carries in 15 games, tied for fourth in rushing TDs with 13. Green Bay’s offense funnels the ball to him inside the five and there’s nothing behind him on the depth chart. A legal situation from May has kept his ADP volatile all summer. Following the mock draft, Jacobs was charged with a misdemeanor battery and criminal damage to property on 8/27 per Adam Schefter.
DJ Moore at the 5.09 was a tough roster construction pick. Chicago traded him to Buffalo in March, reuniting him with newly appointed HC Joe Brady from their time in Carolina. Buffalo has been looking for a real WR1, paying $110 million over the next four years to get Moore. I’m willing to bet on a WR tied to Josh Allen in an offense that finished top four in total offense, rushing and scoring last season. The other player I considered here was Jaylen Waddle, but with TE locked up and an eye on my next pick I didn’t feel the need to force another position.
Montgomery at the 6.04 landed eight picks past his 56.1 ADP. He was another player traded this offseason to Houston and given a revised deal. Houston hopes this move will boost a run game that ranked 29th in YPC and 31st in rushing TDs last season. He’s stepping into the lead back role in an offense that badly needed one. His 2025 was a career low in touches playing behind Gibbs, a usage problem, not decline, and his competition has shifted to second year back Woody Marks who averaged just 3.59 YPC in 2025.
Jesse:
Adams at the 4.10 is the WR22 at 220 points with a 211 floor, the tightest projection I drafted after Chase. At 33 he isn’t a growth pick, but with Chase and Nabers already rostered, the WR3 spot was where I wanted production I could count on.
I left Judkins on the board at 4.10 betting his 50.6 ADP would hold one more time through, and it did. Getting him at the 5.03 as the RB21 at 222 points and a 64.6 VOR, my highest after Barkley, is the whole reason I could take Adams five picks earlier. A 196 floor against a 272 ceiling is a lot of room for a second-year back.
Henderson at the 6.10 came five picks past his 64.6 ADP as the RB24 at 204 points with a 247 ceiling. Taking him and Judkins back to back is a bet that one of two young backs breaks out, with Barkley absorbing the risk if neither does.
Rounds 7-9
Chris:
Tate at the 7.09 is the one I’ll be loudest about. I wrote him up as the clear WR1 in Tennessee with immediate target share and fourth overall draft capital. Nothing has changed, and Tate should be Ward’s No. 1 target from Day 1. FFA projects him 183 points with a 218 ceiling, nearly identical to Emeka Egbuka’s 182 point FFA projection last year (195 actual finish). Full rookie WR write-ups.
Diggs at the 8.04 is a reach against a 119 ADP, but the ADP is stale. He signed with Washington on August 5, and projection sites have lagged behind. He caught 85 balls for 1,013 yards in New England last year finishing as the WR17. Now stepping in opposite McLaurin as another proven option for Jayden Daniels, Diggs is set up for another strong season.
Johnston at the 9.09 is a volatility play. He posted 51/735/8 on 84 targets in 14 games, averaging 19.9 PPR points over the first four weeks before fading to a WR31 finish. Keenan Allen’s 122 targets are officially gone and Mike McDaniel is calling plays. The floor is low, but if Herbert has a dominant top option, that player could be extremely valuable.
Jesse:
Daniels at the 7.03 is the pick that made waiting on quarterback worth it. He’s the QB3 at 321 points with a 302 floor and the last player in FFA’s tier 1, and I got him 20 picks past his 54.9 ADP.
Meyers at the 8.10 is insurance that I wanted. My top three receivers are Chase, Nabers coming off an ACL, and the 33-year-old Adams. Meyers is a 156-point floor guy who slots in as a WR3 if Nabers needs weeks or Adams misses time, instead of leaving me to work the waiver wire in September.
Kraft at the 9.03 is my favorite pick of the draft. He’s the TE8 at 177 points and he fell 25 picks past his 73.8 ADP. Landing a starting tight end at 99 meant I never had to spend real capital at the position.
Rounds 10-12
Chris:
Lemon at the 10.04 is my second rookie. Biletnikoff winner, 79/1,156/13 at USC, walking into an Eagles WR room that just lost A.J. Brown. Twelve picks ahead of his ADP, I’d do it again. He has a clear path to targets in a proven offense, and the Eagles ranked first in red-zone efficiency last season, converting TDs on 70% of their trips. If Lemon earns a meaningful piece of that scoring opportunity, the pick could pay off quickly.
Murray at the 11.09 solved quarterback at cost. Minnesota named him the Week 1 and he provides rushing ability for weekly QB1 upside. It’s also important to note this was the 5th last QB taken (22 total). You can wait and still find strong values at the QB position, carrying the 17th highest QB ceiling.
Kincaid at the 12.04 is a swing. He was elite per route in 2025 at 2.70 yards per route run (YPRR), but played just 12 games. I’m betting the 16-pick discount from his ADP is worth the risk for a player with a top efficiency profile who simply needs to stay on the field. If he can put together a full season, there’s a path to significantly outperform this draft slot.
Jesse:
Nix at the 10.10 came 21 picks past his 96.7 ADP as the QB11 at 302 points with a 327 ceiling. Same idea Chris used with Murray and Shough, two quarterbacks projected north of 300 is cheap insurance and a matchup lever, and it covers Daniels’ Week 7 bye.
Mason at the 11.03 is the RB40 at 143 points, twelve picks past his 111 ADP. Straight depth behind three backs who all carry workload questions.
Juwan Johnson at the 12.10 landed near his 147 ADP as the TE16 at 157 points, only 20 behind Kraft. Cheap protection at the position where one injury does the most damage, and his Week 8 bye doesn’t overlap.
Rounds 13-15
Chris:
Shough at the 13.09 lets the Murray pick breathe. FFA projects Shough one slot ahead 333 points and a lower ceiling. After taking over a 1-7 start, the Saints went 5-4, with Shough completing 67.6% for 2,384 yards and 10 TDs at a 91.3 rating, adding 186 rushing yards and three TDs. New Orleans spent the offseason adding weapons across the board, including OG David Edwards, Travis Etienne, Tyson and Delp. Two quarterbacks projected north of 330 points in the 11th and 13th rounds are one of the cheapest ways to be right about at least one of them.
Washington at the 14.04 is the athletic dart I wrote up in the spring. He ran 4.33 at the combine, first among RBs and ninth among all players, with a 10’8″ broad jump and 39” vertical, both second at the position. Arkansas gave him 167 carries for 1,066 yards at 6.4 YPC with 8 TDs and All-SEC second team honors, and Las Vegas traded up in the fourth round for him. He has totaled 119 yards on 15 carries so far this preseason, and with Jeanty now dealing with an ankle injury, we’re seeing the type of contingent upside that makes Washington worth the dart this late. Full rookie RB write-ups.
Hunter at the 15.09 is a callback. I spent a seventh-round pick on him last year arguing the offensive workload would be large. It wasn’t, and he tore knee ligaments that forced him to miss the final 10 games. Jacksonville has remained optimistic that he can contribute on both sides of the ball, but they’ve been cautious when discussing his workload, making it difficult to get a clear read on his offensive role. It’s still the same player who was drafted third overall in 2025, just with more uncertainty and a much better price.
Jesse:
Dell at the 13.03 is the widest range on my roster: 116 points on a 54 floor and a 156 ceiling. I paid 22 picks ahead of his 169 ADP, more than I needed to, but the 15th round isn’t where I want to find the upside already gone.
Rodriguez at the 14.10 came 25 picks past his 141 ADP, the biggest discount of my draft. The RB50 at 97.2 points isn’t a projection anyone starts, but it’s the profile I want this late where one injury changes everything.
Nailor at the 15.03 closed things out near his 167 ADP with a 91 floor and a 172 ceiling. Final picks should be bought for ceiling. The floors are all the same and none of these guys are rostered in November if they miss.
Stay Connected with Fantasy Football Analytics
For more data-driven fantasy football analysis and projections, follow us on social media:
- X (Twitter): @FFAnalyticsNet
- Facebook: FFAnalytics
- Instagram: @fantasyfootballanalytics
Visit FantasyFootballAnalytics.net for our latest tools and articles.
The post 2026 PPR Mock Draft Using the FFA App appeared first on Fantasy Football Analytics.