2026 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: When to Draft RBs, WRs & Late-Round QBs | Best of the Fest (Ep. 2166)
September 2, 2026
AI Summary
5 min readWhen the Draft Board Pushes You Toward Running Backs
In a 12-team, full PPR mock draft with three starting receivers, the FantasyPros analysts found themselves in an unusual position: by the time the first round ended, six running backs had come off the board — Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, Christian McCaffrey, Jonathan Taylor, James Cook, and De'Von Achane. The early surge at the position forced the analysts to make decisions about team construction that many fantasy managers will face this season. Andrew Erickson, Pat Fitzmaurice, and Derek Brown joined host Ryan Wormeli to draft against listeners, and the conversation revealed how the 2026 running back landscape is reshaping draft strategy.
The Running Back-Heavy Start That Kept Getting Reinforced
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:37) **Draft Setup & Early ADP Discussion** - The crew sets up a live 12-team PPR mock draft against listeners; picks are 1.02, 1.06, 1.10, and 1.12.
- 2 (02:34) **Late-First / Early-Second Strategy: RB-RB vs. Hero RB** - The panel debates whether to double down on running backs or pivot to receiver at the 2/3 turn.
- 3 (03:56) **Zay Flowers vs. Mark Andrews Bet & Ravens WR Room** - A recurring debate: who will score more touchdowns in Baltimore?
- 4 (07:07) **Brock Bowers vs. Ashton Jeanty: Injury-Adjusted Value** - The panel reacts to Jeanty falling to the late second round due to a high-ankle sprain and Bowers going one pick earlier.
- 5 (09:50) **Wide Receiver Tiers & Late-Round QB Strategy** - The crew works through the WR3-WR5 range and reiterates the value of waiting on quarterback.
- 6 (14:55) **Rookie WRs: Luther Burden, Rome Odunze, & Carnell Tate** - The hosts draft rookie wide receivers in the middle rounds and explain their reasoning.
- 7 (16:10) **Jonathan Brooks vs. Chuba Hubbard: The Carolina Backfield** - Erickson takes Jonathan Brooks in the 5th round, a full round ahead of his ADP.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Guests on this episode
Show Notes
This segment was taken from the 2026 FantasyPros Fantasy Fest, our 4-hour marathon livestream to help you be fully prepared for all of your upcoming fantasy football drafts! Click here to watch the whole thing on the FantasyPros YouTube channel at youtube.com/fantasypros
Ryan Wormeli, Andrew Erickson, Pat Fitzmaurice, and Derek Brown go head-to-head with FantasyPros listeners in a live 12-team PPR fantasy football mock draft. See how the experts attack every stage of a 2026 draft, including the opening-round debate between Ja'Marr Chase, Bijan Robinson, and Jahmyr Gibbs, how Ashton Jeanty's injury impacts his value, and whether starting RB-RB is still a winning strategy.
The crew breaks down picks including Christian McCaffrey, James Cook, De'Von Achane, Zay Flowers, Jalen Waddle, Garrett Wilson, Tetairoa McMillan, Luther Burden III, Blake Corum, Justin Herbert, Trevor Lawrence, Mark Andrews, and more. Find out which mid- and late-round players offer league-winning upside, why waiting on quarterback remains so appealing, and which rookies are worth reaching for ahead of ADP.
Plus, the guys grade their final rosters with the FantasyPros Draft Analyzer, debate Marvin Harrison Jr.'s current price, answer listener draft questions, and discuss when fantasy managers should stop chasing floor and start swinging for upside. Use this mock draft to sharpen your strategy, identify sleepers and values, and prepare for your 2026 fantasy football draft.
Timestamps: (May be off due to ads)
Intro - 0:00:00
FantasyPros Mock Draft Wizard - 0:01:26
Round 1 - 0:02:02
Round 2 - 0:04:21
Round 3 - 0:07:39
Round 4 - 0:10:19
Round 5 - 0:12:53
Round 6 - 0:15:23
Round 7 - 0:18:14
Round 8 - 0:20:48
Round 9 - 0:22:42
Round 10 - 0:25:23
Round 11 - 0:28:08
FantasyPros Twitch - 0:30:12
Round 12 - 0:30:50
Round 13 - 0:33:18
Round 14 - 0:35:16
Draft Recap & Analysis - 0:36:55
Fan Questions - 0:51:59
Helpful Links:
2026 FantasyPros Fantasy Fest - We were joined by some of the industry's BEST experts for our 4-hour-long FantasyPros Fantasy Fest 2026 livestream, the biggest fantasy football event of the year! Missed the stream or didn't have the time? No problem! Click Here to watch the whole thing on the FantasyPros YouTube channel at youtube.com/fantasypros. Don't forget to subscribe and drop a like if you love what we do and want more content just like this!
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