2 weeks ago
2
We held our Fantasy Football Today Podcast draft Monday night, which was a lot of fun. It's a 14-team, PPR league, featuring me, Adam Aizer, Heath Cummings and Dave Richard, along with listeners of our show who generously donated to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital as part of our Draft-A-Thon.
If you've ever played in a 14-team league or larger, you know it's a challenge on Draft Day because the talent pool dries up quickly. You might have to reach for players sooner than you expect, and the waiver wire isn't as robust as in 10- and 12-team leagues.
I share my team with Todd Rones, and we won the league in 2025. We're hoping to defend our championship this season, and we had the No. 13 overall pick in Round 1.
Our plan was to get two running backs with our first two picks given where we picked in the draft, barring one of Jaxon Smith-Njigba or Amon-Ra St. Brown falling to us. That didn't happen, and CeeDee Lamb was also selected at No. 10 overall.
We went with Derrick Henry in Round 1 and Omarion Hampton in Round 2, and I love that start. Henry just keeps producing at a high level, and he was the No. 8 PPR running back last season. And I expect Hampton to have a breakout campaign this year.
But the fate of our team could hinge on what we did in Round 3. After drafting Henry and Hampton, we had planned on going WR-WR with our next two picks. However, Breece Hall was still on the board, and we drafted him in Round 3 to be our flex.
Hall, if healthy -- he should play in Week 1 despite dealing with a groin injury -- has top-15 upside. And we know the running back talent drops off quickly in Round 4 and beyond.
We needed to draft a receiver in Round 4, and our choices were D.J. Moore, Jaylen Waddle and Tetairoa McMillan. We went with Moore, and I expect him to thrive with Josh Allen and being reunited with Joe Brady, who was his offensive coordinator in Carolina.
Receiver was now a priority, and we nearly got lucky with Christian Watson falling to us in Round 5. He went right before us, so we drafted Marvin Harrison Jr. at No. 69 overall. I'm hopeful Harrison will have a breakout campaign in his third year in the NFL, but he's not the ideal No. 2 Fantasy receiver.
Sam LaPorta was an easy choice in Round 6, and I'm expecting him to play in Week 1 despite dealing with a hip injury. He has top-five upside if healthy.
We then drafted a high-upside receiver in Round 7 with De'Zhaun Stribling, and he could be a difference-maker if given a prominent role as a rookie in San Francisco. Obviously, receiver is a weak spot for us, but we just need one of Harrison or Stribling to produce like a consistent top-30 Fantasy receiver.
Dak Prescott was an easy selection in Round 8, and our starting lineup was set. Now, we got to draft high-upside reserves along with Stribling.
Our next three picks of Jalen Coker in Round 9, MarShawn Lloyd in Round 10 and Keaton Mitchell in Round 11 are three of my favorite sleepers this season. Coker has top-30 upside as the No. 2 receiver in Carolina, and he outplayed McMillan in the final five games of the season in 2025, including the playoffs.
Lloyd is the handcuff for Josh Jacobs, who has battled a groin injury in training camp, and could face a potential suspension stemming from a May arrest linked to a domestic violence allegation, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Lloyd would be at least a flex option if Jacobs were to miss any time.
Mitchell should have chances to play well in tandem with Hampton, especially as a receiver out of the backfield. And Mitchell would be at least a flex option if Hampton were to miss any time.
Finally, we ended the draft with Keenan Allen in Round 12. Allen, 34, might not produce at a high level with the Colts, but he also could be thrust into a prominent role if Alec Pierce (ankle) isn't ready for Week 1.
I like this team a lot, especially in a 14-team league. Todd and I have the chance to repeat as champions if our roster stays healthy -- and we get a lot of luck.
As a reference point for this 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 one point for every reception. We feature a starting lineup of QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, TE and FLEX (RB/WR/TE) with five reserves for a 12-round draft.
Our draft order is as follows:
1. John Jose, Podcast Listener
2. Travis Day, Podcast Listener
3. Heath Cummings, Senior Fantasy Writer
4. KJ Townsel, Podcast Listener
5. Adam Aizer, FFT Podcast Host
6. Alexandre Larochelle, Podcast Listener
7. Joshua Hageman, Podcast Listener
8. Chip Mandal, Podcast Listener
9. Todd Nunn, Podcast Listener
10. Dave Richard, Senior Fantasy Writer
11. Josh Cunningham, Podcast Listener
12. Edward Cettina, Podcast Listener
13. Jamey Eisenberg (Senior Fantasy Writer)/Todd Rones (Podcast Listener)
14. Erik Rison, Podcast Listener
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