Sports Illustrated Staff 2026 Fantasy Football Mock Draft Results

Updated ranks: QB | RB | WR| TE | DEF | K | Top 200 | Mock draft

With the month of August comes hot weather, summer storms—I live in South Florida—and most importantly … fantasy football mock drafts! Much like the countless mocks you read before the actual NFL draft, fantasy mocks can help you determine how players are valued for when the real drafts occur.

With that in mind, the Sports Illustrated staff (and a few of our fantasy friends) got together for a 10-round mock to help you, the fantasy football fan, prepare for your upcoming drafts. The rules are simple … it's full-point PPR (point per reception) with a required starting lineup of one quarterback, two running backs, two flex spots and one tight end (we omitted kickers and defenses for this mock).

As well, each of our participants gave a few quick notes on thier draft strategies, their favorite and least favorite picks and more. So sit back, relax and enjoy this 12-owner, 120-player mock draft!

Matt Verderame, Sports Illustrated

Matt's notes: I’m looking for players who are going to be put in position to succeed. While Bijan Robinson was an easy choice as the top pick, part of the strategy is knowing he’ll be relied upon heavily considering Atlanta’s quarterback situation.
Then, in the middle rounds, I scooped up Patrick Mahomes. While the Chiefs signed Kenneth Walker III this offseason, let’s be real. This is still Andy Reid’s offense. They’ll be throwing plenty. Overall, I’m happy with how the team shook out.
Favorite pick: Bijan Robinson, RB, Falcons
It’s hard to not be thrilled about landing Robinson. He ran for 1,478 yards and led the NFL with 2,298 yards from scrimmage with 11 touchdowns. Now playing under new head coach Kevin Stefanski, a two-time Coach of the Year, look for Robinson to be further weaponized near the goal line.
Least favorite pick: Garrett Wilson, WR, Jets
I love Wilson, but he has Geno Smith throwing him the ball. Smith led the league in interceptions last year with 17, and could get benched at some point for Cade Klubnik or another underwhelming option. That’s my biggest concern for Wilson, who after three 1,000-yard seasons to begin his career, totaled just 395 receiving yards in seven games last year.

Michael Fabiano, Sports Illustrated

Fab's Notes: Obviously, grabbing Gibbs at No. 2 is a great foundation piece to build this team around. After that, whereas I approached the next rounds with the best player available strategy, they all just happened to be wide receivers. I also knew, based on all the best-ball drafts and mocks I’ve done, that I could still get good running backs in Rounds 5 and 6. So I grabbed Collins, Olave and Smith in Rounds 2-4.

As planned, I was able to get Judkins and Price, a pair of potential breakout runners, with my fifth and sixth picks. I could have gone with a tight end in Round 7, but I couldn't pass on Watson as my WR4. That's a steal, folks. I decided to wait on a tight end in Round 8, since I knew I'd likely be able to get one of Jake Ferguson, Mark Andrews or Isaiah Likely later. I like getting Herbert there instead.

I absolutely love getting White in the ninth round, as I think he could be this year's Kenneth Gainwell … and he's my RB4. Finally, since Bob took Andrews ahead of me, I grabbed his former teammate, Likely, in the 10th round. He's a popular breakout player at a thin position.

Overall, I'm pretty pleased with the level of talent and depth on this roster. If we continued this draft until the end, I'd obviously have grabbed backups at quarterback and tight end … and maybe even Brandon Aubrey in Round 12 or 13. If we were to play out this league, I'd like my chances .

Bob Harris, FootballGuys

Bob's Notes: Drafting from the third spot, I assumed my choice of receiver would be waiting. I handle wideouts much like I handle running backs—volume matters. So there is no wrong answer when choosing between Ja’Marr Chase and Puka Nacua. I went Chase and followed up by going receiver-heavy.

Landing A.J. Brown at 2.10 and Rashee Rice at 3.03 gives me two more wideouts capable of top-12 production. That left me to play catch-up at running back, but Breece Hall, whom I'm higher on than the field, is coming off a career-best 243-carry season. Similar volume is likely.

Drake Maye is QB2 in my personal rankings, so I'm comfortable with that fifth-round price. Jaylen Warren and J.K. Dobbins (who was RB18 when he was hurt last year) should be suitable RB2s. George Kittle might or might not be ready for Week 1, but I'll remind you he was second among tight ends in fantasy points per game over his 11 appearances last season. Mark Andrews will fill the void if there is one.

Gilberto Manzano, Sports Illustrated

Gilberto's Notes: I was pleased with being the last one to take a quarterback, selecting Matthew Stafford with my second-to-last pick. Then I kicked myself for allowing autodraft to make my last pick, giving me Jaxson Dart. That’s what I get for taking too long as I searched for the steal of the draft.

Overall, I thought I had a strong draft, especially with landing a sure thing in Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who hasn’t missed a game in his career and continues to get better. But Raiders tight end Brock Bowers might be my favorite pick. If he stays healthy, he could have a monster season playing at least a few months with Kirk Cousins, who constantly fed Kyle Pitts in Atlanta last year. I’m also sure rookie Fernando Mendoza, whenever he sees the field, will often lean on Bowers to help find his footing.

And waiting on a running back until the third round didn't hurt me. New Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur, who learned from Sean McVay the past three years, likely will find creative ways to make Jeremiyah Love an efficient playmaker despite the logjam at the position.

Mitch Goldich, Sports Illustrated

Mitch's Notes: I feel great about landing Puka Nacua with pick 1.5. He has clear WR1 potential, and last year he was second in PPR scoring behind only Christian McCaffrey. The Rams’ offense should give him just as many opportunities this year. After that, I thought I’d take another wide receiver within the next two rounds—but after landing Derrick Henry, I decided to make Josh Allen the first quarterback off the board. I have no regrets, as I was still able to take Emeka Egbuka, a personal favorite of mine, in Round 4. I chose him over DeVonta Smith in a choice between players whose teams lost big-name receivers this offseason and should have more targets available.

After that, tight ends started flying off the board, but I wanted to stay disciplined and grab some running back depth with three of my next four picks. Rico Dowdle won me a couple of weeks with his hot stretch last season in Carolina, so I was happy to scoop him up as my fourth running back with the hope that he’ll find a nice role this year in Pittsburgh. I finally took Jake Ferguson in the last round, making him the 13rd tight end off the board. I’m not concerned about streaming or finding someone on the waiver wire. After I went with a quarterback early, I didn’t want to reach for a tight end or overpay once the top-tier players were gone.

John Pluym, Sports Illustrated

John's notes: Clearly, I wanted to have two dominant running backs, and I think I achieved that with the selections of Jonathan Taylor and De’Von Achane. Taylor can get you a lot of yards in both small and big chunks, while Achane is the game-breaker every owner should want on his roster.

Did it work? Yes. I feel like I ended up with the best pair of running backs in the mock.

Favorite pick: Lamar Jackson. If he gets back to what he does best, running and passing, I think he was a steal in the third round. The biggest thing with Jackson is his health. If he’s on the field for every game, along with Taylor and Achane, I really like my chances in most games.

Least favorite picks: All of my receivers feel like leftovers. Adams and Evans are both aging veterans, and you never know what you’re going to get from either one. I think Pierce and Reed are okay, but nothing special.

Clare Brennan, Sports Illustrated

Clare's notes: With little faith that I could outwit the fantasy football specialists, my draft strategy was built on vibes and wishful thinking. As a lifelong (and beleaguered) Lions hopeful, I prioritized drafting current and former Detroit players that wormed their way into my heart, in an admittedly ill-advised approach. So, Jameson Williams and David Montgomery it is!

My reasoning for selecting Cardinals receiver Michael Wilson was based on more unconventional logic. We are officially one year out from the Women’s World Cup, where Sophia Wilson, Michael Wilson’s wife, will likely feature heavily for the U.S. women’s national team. With his significant other locked in ahead of one of the biggest tournaments of her career, perhaps that competitive energy will permeate throughout the household and rub off on Michael Wilson. He already had a promising 2025 season, topping 1,000 receiving yards for the first time in his career. The 26-year-old is also the preferred target for quarterback Jacoby Brissett, who is slated to be the Cardinals’ starter again in ’26.

Mock drafts should be fun, right? So I took an esoteric route to compiling my roster.

Lindsay Rhodes, Sumer Sports

Lindsay's notes: I think I drafted a “high floor” roster here. I don’t think I have any super high ceiling guys, but I think I’ll get consistent scoring from almost all of my picks—most of whom are in good offenses. ( I’m banking on conversions leading to high play counts, which in turn leads to production opportunities.)

I was torn in the first round between Amon-Ra St. Brown and James Cook. I ended up going with St. Brown’s slightly higher PPG average and consistency. Chase Brown and Javonte Williams are high-volume RBs (who also catch the ball) in good offenses. That’s what I wanted in that range of picks.

Flowers and DJ Moore are top targets in offenses with great QBs. I’m interested to see what Moore looks like in Buffalo. I think he’ll have something to prove and a QB who can help him prove it.

It’s hard to predict how the targets will shake out in Jacksonville, but I’m betting on a Parker Washington breakout there. I’m also betting on Mike McDaniel’s offense highlighting Chargers WR Quentin Johnston’s RAC ability and Wan'Dale Robinson to be a worthy safety blanket for Titans QB Cam Ward, now in his second season.

Conor Orr, Sports Illustrated

Conor's notes: I wasn’t pleased with my draft, but this is a kind of a take-what-you-can-get situation. My least favorite pick was Drake London. While his skill set seems to be averse to quarterback play, I’m more trusting of Kirk Cousins to get the ball in his general vicinity than Tua Tagovailoa, who I anticipate will see a steep drop-off post-Mike McDaniel.

My favorite pick was buying low on Cam Skattebo, who I think will burn bright for another season a la Peyton Hillis. In a Giants offense that is going to focus on running the football and developing physicality, I see Skattebo as a player who will take reps at the goal line away from Jaxson Dart and continue finding places to demonstrate his value within the Giants' offense.

Albert Breer, Sports Illustrated

Albert's notes: My problem in drafting for fantasy has always been projecting. Whether it’s a guy who I heard has had a great offseason or a rookie I loved watching in college, I tend to overextend for the next great thing—which might be because I won the first fantasy league I ever played in by taking a bet on LaDainian Tomlinson with the first pick in 2003 (there were a couple other guys then that most folks liked more).

So in this draft, I went the other way, taking proven commodities. I took Justin Jefferson, Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs with three of my first four picks (sliding Tetairoa McMillan into that group might’ve been me up to my old tricks). As for picks I like later on, I think Jakobi Meyers is positioned to have a very big year in Jacksonville, so I scooped him up in the eighth round.

Gregory Lee, Sports Illustrated

Gregory's notes: My old-school drafting approach of selecting running backs with my first two picks might come back to haunt me. I really wanted to draft one of the Saints wideouts. But I believe that after a decent rookie season, Chargers RB Omarion Hampton will have a breakout season. I thought I could sneak Chris Olave late in the third, but I couldn’t. I also tried to get Jordyn Tyson in Round 7th but had to pivot to Makai Lemon. My favorite pick: Luther Burden III (great fallback option). My least favorite: Terry McLaurin.

Jennifer Piacenti, Shark Bets

Jennifer's notes: My strategy was simple: Get at least 1 RB in the first 3 rounds, wait on a QB and otherwise take the best players available at the turn. Overall, I was able to execute the strategy, and I think this could be a competitive team.

After locking in Lamb and Jeanty in the first two rounds, I had a long wait, but was thrilled to see Ladd McConkey there in the third, then I immediately tapped Waddle in the fourth. I think both receivers will return more value than their ADP this season, and in a PPR league, having 3 receivers in the first four rounds felt solid.

McConkey should get a boost soaking up the underneath targets with Mike McDaniel as the play-caller, and Waddle could end up being the WR1 in Denver, where I also think Nix is a strong value this year.

I was also happy I could lock down Kyle Pitts in the sixth round. I am very high on Pitts in Atlanta, where Kevin Stefanski takes over and will bring his system that favors running backs and tight ends. He also brings with him offensive line coach Bill Callahan, which might help this team shift into another gear. We saw Pitts finally look like the player we all wanted him to be last season, and I believe his ceiling is as high as TE1.

Only thing I had left to draft after Pitts is more depth and a QB—and as it turns out, I could have waited even longer to draft a QB, as both Brock Purdy and Bo Nix went undrafted. Still, I am happy with Trevor Lawrence in the 8th. Lawrence was playing the best football of his career in the second half last year under Liam Cohen.

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Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollowPublished 1 minute ago | Modified 1 minute agoMICHAEL FABIANO

Michael Fabiano is a fantasy football analyst for Sports Illustrated. His weekly rankings and Start 'Em, Sit 'Em articles are must-reads for fantasy players. Before joining SI in August 2020, he worked for CBS Sports, NFL Network and SiriusXM. He also contributes to Westwood One Radio and the Locked on Dynasty Podcast. Fabiano was the first fantasy analyst to appear on one of the four major TV networks and is a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame.

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