Fantasy Football Mock Draft on Yahoo Using Matthew Berry's Rankings: James Cook & Derrick Henry Lead A Robust RB Team

This is probably the third mock I’ve done where Cook has been my first-round pick, totally helping hide my Buffalo Bills bias. Buffalo promoting Joe Brady could be beneficial for Cook, who has really thrived in his offense. Brady took over as the Bills’ offensive coordinator in Week 11 of the 2023 season. Since then, Cook is averaging nearly 18 touches, 100 scrimmage yards, 0.90 touchdowns and 17.3 PPR points per game across 40 regular-season contests. It sounds like the Bills are planning on using their running backs more in the passing game this year, which should fill a void in Cook’s fantasy profile.

Second Round

• 2.01: Saquon Barkley
• 2.02: Kenneth Walker
• 2.03: Chase Brown
• 2.04: Derrick Henry
• 2.05: Drake London
• 2.06: Omarion Hampton
• 2.07: Brock Bowers
• 2.08: De’Von Achane
• 2.09: AJ Brown
• 2.10: Trey McBride
• 2.11: Nico Collins
• 2.12: DeVonta Smith

Both Brock Bowers and Trey McBride come off the board in Round 2, which isn’t too surprising considering McBride’s ADP is slightly higher on Yahoo compared to Underdog. We also see DeVonta Smith, Matthew’s WR11, round out the second round, which is slightly higher than his 29.4 overall Yahoo ADP. 

My Selection: Derrick Henry, RB, Ravens

Because this is a mock, I wanted to experiment not only once again going RB-RB in a 3WR set up, but also drafting a player I haven’t been able to draft very often. Henry obviously gets a boost in half and non PPR formats and I agree with Matthew’s ranking of Henry above someone like De’Von Achane. Sure, Henry is entering his age 32 season, but he continues to buck the trend. And since joining the Ravens in 2024, only Josh Jacobs has more goal-to-go carries than Henry’s 58. 

Third Round

• 3.01: George Pickens
• 3.02: Malik Nabers
• 3.03: Chris Olave
• 3.04: Rashee Rice
• 3.05: Kyren Williams
• 3.06: Zay Flowers
• 3.07: Josh Allen
• 3.08: Luther Burden
• 3.09: Tee Higgins
• 3.10: Breece Hall
• 3.11: Travis Etienne
• 3.12: Josh Jacobs

Given the spike in injuries, especially to the running back position, the third round has become a lot more interesting. In this draft, Breece Hall was drafted at the 3.10, so he fell a bit from his usual Yahoo ADP following his groin injury. 

But the main takeaway here comes from New Orleans.

Given recent injury news from the Saints, both Chris Olave and Travis Etienne come off the board in Round 3. With Jordyn Tyson out for the next few months, you can easily make the argument that Olave belongs at the end of the second round. The targets in New Orleans should once again be highly concentrated in Tyson’s absence. And after the Saints traded Rashid Shaheed last year, Olave dominated, sporting a 31% target share and 27% TPRR from Week 10 on.

Then there’s Travis Etienne, who I recently wrote up as one of the worst picks you can make in all fantasy drafts. But this is why rankings and stances have to be fluid. Alvin Kamara is now expected to be sidelined for at least a month, paving the way for Etienne to see a near every-down role. A huge component of Etienne’s RB13 PPG campaign a season ago was his receiving work. Liam Coen’s screen-centric scheme benefited Etienne, who ranked third among running backs in screen routes (19), first in targets (12) and second in receptions (9), while scoring 6 receiving touchdowns, second to only Christian McCaffrey. Of his 52 targets from last year, 49 (94%) came on early downs, which tells me that most of his looks in the pass game were schemed up by Coen.

Kamara’s presence is an issue for Etienne to return to consistent pass game usage, but that all changes with him out to start the year. 

My Selection: Tee Higgins, WR, Bengals

After starting RB-RB, it was time to construct the WR room. Last year, Higgins played 15 games (his most since 2022), finishing as the WR13 in PPG (14.1), buoyed by 11 touchdowns. He’s scored double-digit touchdowns each of the past two seasons, while averaging 0.93 end zone targets per game during that span. That ranks 9th in football, just behind teammate Ja’Marr Chase (0.94). Playing alongside Chase does cap his target ceiling, as Higgins has been held under a 20% target share three of the last four seasons. But there’s still massive contingent upside if Chase were to ever miss any time. In six career games with Chase sidelined since 2022, Higgins is averaging 8.3 targets, 6.0 receptions, 93 yards and 18.3 PPR PPG. 

Fourth Round

• 4.01: Ladd McConkey
• 4.02: Javonte Williams
• 4.03: Garrett Wilson
• 4.04: Jaylen Waddle
• 4.05: Tetairoa McMillan
• 4.06: Jeremiyah Love
• 4.07: Davante Adams
• 4.08: Colston Loveland
• 4.09: Drake Maye
• 4.10: D’Andre Swift
• 4.11: Lamar Jackson
• 4.12: Emeka Egbuka

Round 4 is headlined by two fallers due to injury.

Emeka Egbuka, who has been drafted in Round 3 of best ball and high stakes drafts for weeks now, falls to the very end of the fourth in this mock. He’s dealing with a toe sprain that, because Todd Bowles’ injury updates are incredibly vague, may or may not impact his Week 1 availability. Egbuka has now dropped five spots in Matthew’s rankings, coming in at WR21. 

Jeremiyah Love exited his impressive preseason debut with an ankle injury that was later deemed the vaunted “high ankle” variety. The Cardinals are hopeful he’ll be ready for Week 1. Love’s Yahoo ADP has hovered around the early third range, which is sure to come down a bit now. 

My Selection: Jaylen Waddle, WR, Broncos

It’s no secret that I love Waddle this season. Hell, I wrote a full article just about him. More designed targets are on the horizon for Waddle, who lost those opportunities while playing alongside Tyreek Hill in Miami. Huge season incoming. 

Fifth Round

• 5.01: Quinshon Judkins
• 5.02: Cam Skattebo
• 5.03: Mike Evans
• 5.04: David Montgomery
• 5.05: Terry McLaurin
• 5.06: Jayden Daniels
• 5.07: Tyler Warren
• 5.08: Bhayshul Tuten
• 5.09: Christian Watson
• 5.10: Jameson Williams
• 5.11: Chris Godwin
• 5.12: Rome Odunze

I love Chris Godwin as much as anyone this season. Truly. But the end of the fifth round feels pretty rich, even considering the Egbuka injury. He’s up three spots in Matthew’s rankings, but even I wouldn’t take Godwin over DJ Moore, Rome Odunze or Parker Washington. 

My Selection: Christian Watson, WR, Packers

A few months ago, I was still a bit skeptical of Watson. But now?

I’m not hesitating to draft him in Round 5.

Watson is the clear WR1 of a good offense. And while there are questions surrounding Jayden Reed and Matthew Golden’s playing time, Watson’s is solidified. From Weeks 8-18, Watson ran 72% of the routes, while posting a 23% TPRR and 20% target share. During that stretch, Watson was the WR22 in fantasy points per game (13.2), but the underlying metrics prove that, with added volume, he can do so much more.

Watson Weeks 8-18:

• 17.5 Yd/Rec (2nd)
• 2.54 YPRR (8th)
• 11 plays of 20-plus yards (10th)
• 6 TDs (5th)

Watson has scored 20 touchdowns on 133 career receptions (15%) and if he plays a full season, it genuinely wouldn’t shock me if he reached double-digit scores. Since Watson entered the NFL in 2022, both he and Doubs are tied with 32 end zone targets. And just last season, they also tied for a 33% end zone target share when Watson was healthy. Doubs also accounted for 32% of the Packers' targets from inside the 10-yard line, the eighth-highest rate in football.

Sixth Round

• 6.01: DJ Moore
• 6.02: Joe Burrow
• 6.03: Jalen Hurts
• 6.04: Jadarian Price
• 6.05: TreVeyon Henderson
• 6.06: Bucky Irving
• 6.07: Parker Washington
• 6.08: Carnell Tate
• 6.09: Jaylen Warren
• 6.10: Tucker Kraft
• 6.11: Brian Thomas Jr.
• 6.12: Marvin Harrison Jr.

It was very interesting to see Parker Washington come off the board in Round 6. Not that he shouldn’t, but because his ADP is very suppressed on Yahoo. But Matthew has him ranked as a top-30 receiver, so perhaps that played a role. Brian Thomas Jr. was also drafted in this round, which is closer to his best ball ADP. 

My Selection: Jadarian Price, RB, Seahawks

I debated between a few players here—Price, Bucky Irving and TreVeyon Henderson. But at the end of the day, I believe Price has the best chance of fully taking over his team’s backfield, at least until Zach Charbonnet (who I also drafted later) returns.

Seventh Round

• 7.01: Rhamondre Stevenson
• 7.02: Rico Dowdle
• 7.03: Justin Herbert
• 7.04: Tony Pollard
• 7.05: Caleb Williams
• 7.06: Josh Downs
• 7.07: Quentin Johnston
• 7.08: DK Metcalf
• 7.09: Sam LaPorta
• 7.10: Jayden Reed
• 7.11: Stefon Diggs
• 7.12: Trevor Lawrence

It feels like the receivers have been pushed up a bit, which is to be expected in a three-receiver league. Josh Downs, Jayden Reed and Stefon Diggs somehow climb into Round 7, which seems a bit high, but it isn’t as if there are screaming values at receiver after. 

My Selection: Sam LaPorta, TE, Lions

Admittedly, this is the area of drafts where I rarely take a tight end. The middle rounds are often trap zones for tight ends, which is why I typically either select an elite, top-three option or just wait and wait some more. But I wanted to see how my team looked, plus I wasn’t exactly enamored with anyone else on the board. LaPorta hasn’t built on his stellar rookie season, but Drew Petzing’s tight end-friendly scheme could change that.

Eighth Round

• 8.01: Harold Fannin
• 8.02: Jakobi Meyers
• 8.03: Jonathon Brooks
• 8.04: Dak Prescott
• 8.05: Jaxson Dart
• 8.06: Michael Wilson
• 8.07: Kenneth Gainwell
• 8.08: Kyle Pitts
• 8.09: Michael Pittman
• 8.10: Blake Corum
• 8.11: Jordan Addison
• 8.12: Brock Purdy

It was inevitable.

Not many players in fantasy have been steamed up like Jonathon Brooks this offseason, which only intensified following the hamstring injury to Chuba Hubbard. With the veteran listed as week-to-week, Brooks continues to operate as Carolina’s RB1 and is the first Panthers running back drafted here. 

My Selection: Dak Prescott, QB, Cowboys

Always a contender to lead the league in passing, Prescott ranked second in dropbacks (654), second in attempts (600) and third in passing yards (4,552). It really feels like you can get similar production from Prescott as Joe Burrow, who was drafted more than two rounds earlier.

Ninth Round

• 9.01: Makai Lemon
• 9.02: RJ Harvey
• 9.03: Alec Pierce
• 9.04: George Kittle
• 9.05: Jordan Mason
• 9.06: Chuba Hubbard
• 9.07: Courtland Sutton
• 9.08: Travis Kelce
• 9.09: KC Concepcion
• 9.10: Wan’Dale Robinson
• 9.11: Dalton Kincaid
• 9.12: Matthew Golden

While I’m Team Reed over Team Golden, it is interesting that the latter comes off the board a full two rounds later, despite appearing to have the edge in playing time right now. During Green Bay’s first preseason game, Golden remained the WR2 when the Packers were in 12 personnel, a grouping that should increase once Tucker Kraft is ready to roll. 

My Selection: KC Concepcion, WR, Browns

At this stage of the draft, it is time to continue taking upside swings, though Concepcion could easily enter my starting lineup at certain points of the season. While the offense isn’t exactly a powerhouse, Concepcion does project to lead Cleveland in targets, and everything out of camp suggests he’s the real deal. 

10th Round

• 10.01: Jacory Croskey-Merritt
• 10.02: Isaiah Likely
• 10.03: Jake Ferguson
• 10.04: Jordyn Tyson
• 10.05: JK Dobbins
• 10.06: Aaron Jones
• 10.07: Mark Andrews
• 10.08: Romeo Doubs
• 10.09: Dallas Goedert
• 10.10: Chris Rodriguez
• 10.11: Deebo Samuel
• 10.12: Juwan Johnson

Juwan Johnson hadn’t been drafted in this range, but the injury to Jordyn Tyson bumped him up into the Mark Andrews/Isaiah Likely tier. He’s up two spots in Matthew’s rankings, now positioned as the TE15. 

We also see a handful of Zero-RB candidates come off the board in Round 10, including Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Aaron Jones and J.K. Dobbins. 

My Selection: Jordyn Tyson, WR, Saints

Yes, I know he’ll be out for a few months. But if I’m drafting as if it were a Yahoo league, I’ll take advantage of one of the two IR spots and simply stash Tyson for when he’s back in the lineup. Especially at this point in the draft, it’s difficult to find many players with more upside.