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We're starting to do a lot of mock drafts for the 2026 season -- check out our first 12-team PPR mock draft -- and I'm looking for a few specific things already. It's the buzzworthy items that will lead to plenty of content over the next few months.

This is a 12-team, half-PPR mock draft featuring members of our staff, as well as two listeners of our podcast (Brad Curnett and Jason Magnone). We also were joined by two awesome analysts in Alfredo Brown from The Pretend GM and Joey Wright from Footballguys.

The first thing I want to see in these mock drafts starts at the top with who goes at No. 1 overall. Here, it was Bijan Robinson, who is my No. 1 overall pick, regardless of format. But you can make the argument for Puka Nacua, Jahmyr Gibbs or Ja'Marr Chase to be the first overall pick, and those were the three players who went after Robinson in this draft.

Christian McCaffrey, who was the No. 1 non-quarterback in half-PPR this past season, went at No. 5 overall. You can argue that he should be the first overall pick, but I'm concerned about his age (he turns 30 in June) and that he just had over 400 total touches for the second time in the past three years.

The next thing I look for are the star players coming back from serious injuries and where they got drafted, as well as the guys coming off down seasons. Malik Nabers (knee) stood out since he's a Round 1 pick at No. 12 overall, and I would draft him in this range if he's healthy for training camp.

Justin Jefferson also went in Round 2 at No. 17 overall, and he was arguably the biggest bust in 2025 when he struggled with poor quarterback play. Jefferson averaged a career-low 8.9 half-PPR points per game last season, but he will hopefully rebound in 2026 as J.J. McCarthy improves -- or gets replaced. I'm fine with Jefferson in Round 2 as of now.

Some other players who stood out in this category as disappointments from 2025 include Saquon Barkley (Round 2), Bucky Irving (Round 3), Ladd McConkey (Round 4), Breece Hall (Round 4), Marvin Harrison Jr. (Round 5), Lamar Jackson (Round 6) and Brian Thomas Jr. (Round 6). And some of the injured players from 2025 include Garrett Wilson (Round 4), Cam Skattebo (Round 4)and Tucker Kraft (Round 5), among others.

I also want to see where the 2025 rookies get drafted and how much their value has changed going into Year 2. The top three rookies selected here were all in Round 2 with Ashton Jeanty, Omarion Hampton and TreVeyon Henderson.

Hampton, as of now, is my favorite sophomore player in 2026, and I'm excited to see what he can do in a full season (he missed eight games due to injuries) and with a healthy offensive line. Jeanty should also improve in 2026 with a new coach, quarterback and offensive line.

I love Henderson, but I'm a little concerned about his outlook for 2026 with Rhamondre Stevenson still a significant factor for the Patriots. We'll see what happens this offseason, but Stevenson has outplayed Henderson to close the 2025 campaign, including the playoffs. The earliest I would draft Henderson is Round 3.

Other rookies of note include Tetairoa McMillan (Round 3), RJ Harvey (Round 3), Tyler Warren (Round 4), Colston Loveland (Round 4), Emeka Egbuka (Round 4), Harold Fannin Jr. (Round 5), Quinshon Judkins (Round 5) and Luther Burden III (Round 5). I love that the rookie tight ends all went in the first 50 overall picks, and Loveland is my favorite of this trio, although I love the value for Fannin here.

There's so much more that we can discuss about this draft. And we will over the next seven-plus months. For now, start to study these results and get ready for the 2026 season. It will be here before you know it. 

As a reference point for this mock draft, all touchdowns are worth six points, and we award one point for every 10 yards rushing and receiving and one point for every 25 yards passing. We also award 0.5 points for every reception. We feature a starting lineup of QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, TE and FLEX (RB/WR/TE) with six reserves for a 14-round draft.

Our draft order is as follows:

1. Meron Berkson, CBS Sports HQ Producer

2. Adam Aizer, FFT Podcast Host

3. Jamey Eisenberg, Senior Fantasy Writer

4. Dave Richard, Senior Fantasy Writer

5. Jacob Gibbs, SportsLine Fantasy Analyst

6. Brad Curnett, Podcast Listener

7. Robert Thomas, FFT Facebook Moderator

8. Alfredo Brown, The Pretend GM

9. Jason Magnone, Podcast Listener

10. Daniel Schneier, Senior Fantasy Editor

11. Joey Wright, Footballguys Fantasy Analyst

12. Jake Ignaszewski, FFT Social Media Coordinator