It's fun to compare different drafts when you have the same picks. It's even better when you can learn something from those drafts.
We held another 12-team, PPR mock draft in July, and I also had the No. 7 overall pick. Like this draft, I also started with the same two players in Jonathan Taylor in Round 1 and Kenneth Walker III in Round 2.
In that draft, which you can see here, I drafted a receiver in Round 3 in Emeka Egbuka. I also drafted a receiver in Round 3 here in Chris Olave.
Round 4 was the biggest difference between the drafts. In the other draft, I went with Breece Hall to lock up my flex and a dominant running back corps. Here, I selected a receiver in Terry McLaurin, and I like this start better since this is a three-receiver league.
Another big difference between the drafts happened in Round 5. In the first draft, I went with Lamar Jackson, which is great, but my receiving corps was thin. I passed on Christian Watson in that draft, but that's who I selected here.
Now, what made that selection even better in this draft was getting Joe Burrow in Round 6. I love this team, which you'll see below.
This is our 12-part, pick-by-pick series where me, Adam Aizer, Dave Richard, Jacob Gibbs, Dan Schneier and Heath Cummings all took part in a six-person PPR mock draft. We each built two of the 12 teams in this 14-round draft to show you a different strategy from each spot.
This is an outline that you can follow if you pick No. 7 overall in your league. The key is to study the strategy and not necessarily the players to see if this works for you.
As a reference point, all touchdowns in this league 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 one point for every reception. We feature a starting lineup of QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, TE and FLEX (RB/WR/TE).
My Draft from No. 7 overall:
As a reference point, all touchdowns in this league 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 one point for every reception. We feature a starting lineup of QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, TE, and FLEX (RB/WR/TE)."
1.7: Jonathan Taylor, RB, Colts
2.6: Kenneth Walker, RB, Chiefs
3.7: Chris Olave, WR, Saints
4.6: Terry McLaurin, WR, Commanders
5.7: Christian Watson, WR, Packers
6.6: Joe Burrow, QB, Bengals
7.7: Chris Godwin, WR, Buccaneers
8.6: Isaiah Likely, TE, Giants
9.7: JK Dobbins, RB, Broncos
10.6: Kenneth Gainwell, RB, Buccaneers
11.7: Jalen Nailor, WR, Raiders
12.6: Dylan Sampson, RB, Browns
13.7: Jack Bech, WR, Raiders
14.6: Emmett Johnson, RB, Chiefs
We know not everything will work out as you plan following the draft, but I love this strategy of starting RB-RB at No. 7 overall. You should have your choice of Taylor or Christian McCaffrey in Round 1, and in Round 2 you will likely be able to choose from Walker, Omarion Hampton, Saquon Barkley or Derrick Henry based on the CBS Sports Average Draft Position. And Chase Brown, Ashton Jeanty or De'Von Achane could also fall to No. 18 overall.
The receivers you could select in Round 2 are solid, and I had the choice here of George Pickens, Nico Collins and A.J. Brown instead of Walker. But I'm expecting Walker to be dominant in Kansas City, and he could be a top-five Fantasy running back this season.
In Round 3, you could pivot to a running back, and I had the choice of Josh Jacobs, Kyren Williams or Javonte Williams at No. 31 overall. But I prefer to select a receiver in this spot, and Olave is a potential steal if healthy.
Like the previous draft mentioned above, I could have selected Hall again in Round 4. But I didn't like my receivers in that first draft, and I wanted to take McLaurin here. If the Commanders don't add another receiver prior to Week 1 -- see Stefon Diggs or Keenan Allen -- then McLaurin should dominate targets from Jayden Daniels. And in 2024, when both were healthy, Daniels helped McLaurin have a career season at 15.8 PPR points per game.
Watson just averaged a career-best 13.2 PPR points per game in 2025, and the Packers have 131 vacated targets this season with Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks gone. This should be another big year for Watson, who is the perfect WR3 with upside to target as early as Round 5.
Passing on Jackson in Round 5 isn't ideal, but it worked out when Burrow was there in Round 6. Burrow doesn't have Jackson's upside, but I like the combination of Watson and Burrow better than Jackson and Brian Thomas Jr. or Marvin Harrison Jr since those were the best receivers on the board where I selected Burrow.
I also considered Tucker Kraft in Round 6 (he went three picks after Burrow) and then Kyle Pitts in Round 7. I took Godwin instead of Pitts, and I wouldn't be shocked if Godwin is a top-20 Fantasy receiver this year. He should be the slot receiver once again in Tampa Bay, and Baker Mayfield will lean on Godwin -- maybe more than Egbuka.
I felt justified passing on Kraft and Pitts when I landed Likely in Round 8. While Kraft and Pitts have a higher ceiling than Likely, he should be No. 2 on the Giants behind Malik Nabers in targets. And if Nabers (knee) misses any time during the season, then Likely could be a borderline top-five Fantasy tight end.
This could be one of my favorite starting lineups if everyone is healthy, with Burrow at quarterback, Taylor and Walker at running back, Olave, McLaurin and Watson at receiver, Likely at tight end and Godwin at flex. And there are quality reserves in Dobbins and Gainwell, as well as a decent friendship strategy with Nailor and Bech.
I also handcuffed Walker with Johnson, and I'll be watching closely to see who wins the No. 2 running back job in Indianapolis between D.J. Giddens and Seth McGowan in case I want to handcuff Taylor. But if everyone on this Fantasy roster stays healthy, then I should be competing for a playoff spot -- and a potential championship.
Favorite pick: Isaiah Likely
We'll obviously keep an eye on Nabers, but Likely should be at least second on the Giants in targets if healthy. And we'd love to see Likely average at least six targets per game. In his four-year career with the Ravens, Likely has nine games with at least six targets. He scored at least 12.5 PPR points in eight of them and averaged 16.6 PPR points over that span. Jaxson Dart also showed as a rookie that he will lean on his tight ends. Theo Johnson had 10 starts with Dart in 2025, and Johnson scored at least 10.2 PPR points in six of those outings, while averaging 5.5 targets per game over that span. Likely is more talented than Johnson, and the targets should be better for Likely this season. He's an easy tight end to target in Round 8 if he's available like he was here.
Pick I might regret: Christian Watson
This has nothing to do with Watson and more about drafting him ahead of Jackson. For context, in most leagues you won't see Jackson still on the board in Round 5, but quarterbacks fall in analyst drafts. And I knew that if I passed on Jackson there, he might have come back to me in Round 6, along with potentially Drake Maye, Burrow or Daniels. The gamble paid off with Burrow -- Jackson and Maye went right after Watson -- and hopefully the gap between Jackson and Burrow won't be immense. If Burrow is better than Jackson, and Watson does what I expect, then that's a huge win for my roster.
Player who could make or break my team: Chris Olave
Olave received treatment for a blood clot this offseason, but he should be fine for Week 1. And he stayed healthy for most of 2025 after dealing with concussion issues in 2024. On the field, we hope Olave can coexist with rookie first-round pick Jordyn Tyson. Part of the reason for Olave's breakout campaign in 2025, when he averaged 16.8 PPR points per game, was because he had little competition for targets. He was tied for fifth in the NFL at 9.8 targets per game, and we hope he continues to get that much attention from coach Kellen Moore and quarterback Tyler Shough. I like drafting Olave in Round 3, and I hope he's the leader of this receiving corps. If not, then my strategy to draft RB-RB with my first two picks might not be ideal.
