2026 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Two-Round, 12-Team, PPR Rankings

John's 2026 fantasy football mock draft for two rounds and 12-team, PPR leagues. His early PPR mock draft shows his fantasy rankings for the first two rounds.

This part of the NFL season is much less active for fantasy managers who prefer only playing in redraft leagues. Though it will be nice to take a break from the stress of managing a fantasy league and not knowing how your team will fare down the road, it's also fun to look at what next year's draft might look like.

Many of the players drafted in the first two rounds will be players that were selected in the first two rounds in 2025, too. The NFL has a select tier of elite players that consistently put up huge numbers and are reliable cogs in many fantasy teams.

But some players were simply chosen too high, and some too low, and those will be dropped out or pushed up into the first two rounds of fantasy rankings. It's important to react to last year's production without overreacting. So who will be the top-24 players taken in fantasy leagues in 2026? Let's dive in, working from No. 24 all the way up to the top overall pick.

24. Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills

The clear top-overall QB in fantasy football this year showed his ability, yet again, to score 30 or more PPR fantasy points in multiple games this season. He did so three times, with eight games of 20 or more points. A player that can put up 35 points at any position is incredibly valuable in fantasy football.

He did so with very little help from his pass-catchers. If the Bills snag an upgrade at WR, Allen's ceiling could be even higher in 2026.

23. Nico Collins, WR, Houston Texans

He's a dominant alpha WR1 playing on a poorly-schemed offense with an extremely inconsistent quarterback. Houston's offensive line hasn't done any of them favors, either. Hiring a better offensive coordinator would go a long way to helping Collins finish as a top-8 WR, but he's outside Tier 1 for now.

22. Rashee Rice, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

Rice is embroiled in yet another legal situation. It's worth seeing how this one turns out. Supposing he's not suspended at all in 2026, though, he's likely to be a second-round pick as the clear WR1 for the Chiefs. QB Patrick Mahomes II is recovering from a torn ACL, though.

Without Mahomes, Rice's value will be heavily diminished.

21. TreVeyon Henderson, RB, New England Patriots

Henderson is an elite athlete that struggles with contact balance and breaking tough tackle attempts. His weekly upside is huge, but I imagine he still has quite a low floor due to his struggles. In best ball, he should be dynamite, but in redraft leagues, not as much.

Still, a young RB expected to take over the RB1 role and serve as a workhorse will probably go inside the first two rounds.

20. Derrick Henry, RB, Baltimore Ravens

A new offensive coordinator might help open up Baltimore's offense a bit. They fired their head coach, John Harbaugh, and OC Todd Monken will likely head somewhere else. Henry will be 32 years old for the 2026 NFL season, but is one of the best RBs to ever play the game. He looked elite in 2025.

19. Bucky Irving, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

I expect many fantasy leagues to have managers that panic when they see running backs flying off the board in the second round. Irving dealt with injuries and lowered production in 2025 compared to his rookie season, but a good offensive coordinator hire should help things get back on track for him.

18. Chase Brown, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

You can probably expect the third round to start being devoid of RB talent. Once Bengals QB Joe Burrow returned from injury, Brown played lights-out, thanks in part to an easy schedule. But he had a lot of volume and produced well with it, so he's a good RB1 to draft in the second round.

17. Omarion Hampton, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

Hampton didn't play the full season due to an ankle fracture. But when he was healthy and on the field, he showed flashes of elite potential. Even though he sometimes split reps with his backup, RB Kimani Vidal, he was a first-round pick at RB and has the makings of a workhorse back. That's what he should be in 2026.

16. Josh Jacobs, RB, Green Bay Packers

The first and second round being dominated by RB picks wouldn't surprise me. It's the most important position in fantasy football. Jacobs is a workhorse RB with little competition in his backfield to take away touches from him. He scores a ton of rush TDs on a good offense, which makes up for his low rush efficiency.

15. Ashton Jeanty, RB, Las Vegas Raiders

Here's to hoping the offense takes a step forward in 2026 with the No. 1 overall pick, likely QB Fernando Mendoza, and a new offensive coaching staff. The offensive scheming in 2025 was horrible, and the offensive line hardly blocked for Jeanty, yet he still finished as the RB11 in PPR leagues.

14. Malik Nabers, WR, New York Giants

With a new head coach, a healthy QB Jaxson Dart, and a fully healed-up knee, Nabers is primed to explode in 2025. He's shown flashes of his true potential, but never had consistently good QB play. He has easy top-5 potential at the position and top-3 overall weekly upside.

13. Trey McBride, TE, Arizona Cardinals

The true WR1 of the Cardinals is McBride. He was held back by QB Kyler Murray (foot) in previous seasons, but showed flashes of his true potential this year with a TE1 overall finish. He's the best pass-catching TE in the NFL that's currently healthy.

12. Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

All Philly needs to do is hire a competent offensive coordinator for 2026, and Barkley should have another monster season. OC Kevin Patullo was fired shortly after the team's Wild Card playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Relative to the talent on the roster, the offense was utterly horrendous.

I personally have never seen a more poorly-designed offense with such star power in all my life. Things should be better moving forward, which means better run-blocking and another season of Barkley making lots of monster plays.

11. Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit Lions

There's not a lot to write about St. Brown. He's consistently elite. He'd likely be drafted higher if there was a bit less target competition in Detroit, but it's not enough to push him out of the first round. He's a rock-solid stud who plays through his injuries and is heavily targeted.

10. Drake London, WR, Atlanta Falcons

London sprained his PCL in Week 11 and missed four games. He returned, but didn't look like his normal health. He should be back in form in 2026. He logged multiple games with 30 or more PPR fantasy points this season. His upside is absolutely elite.

The quarterback situation will be wonky in 2026, as QB Michael Penix Jr. (knee) is dealing with a torn ACL. Whoever plays under center, London has elite WR1 upside.

9. Ja'Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

The injury concerns with QB Joe Burrow playing behind a poor offensive line didn't make Chase fall in the 2025 draft, as he was the consensus No. 1 overall pick after a Triple Crown season in 2024. This ranking feels a bit low for him, but Cincinnati is retaining head coach Zac Taylor, who is not a good offensive mind.

Chase will need Burrow to stay healthy all year to regain his status as the NFL's clear WR1. It's possible, but there's a lot of risk in drafting him.

8. James Cook III, RB, Buffalo Bills

After two years of fantasy managers getting burned by first-round receiver picks, it's time for RBs to jump up the board. Cook has improved his fantasy finish in each of the last three years. He scores a lot of points in wins, and the Bills win a lot. He's an elite athlete and big-play machine.

7. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle Seahawks

JSN made massive strides in 2025. He was the clear WR1 all year without much competition, and Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak's scheme consistently got him open down the field. He also showed elite route-running skills and was awesome at the catch point.

I anticipate WR Rashid Shaheed to have a bigger receiving role for this team next year, and for quarterback Sam Darnold to regress if Kubiak accepts a head-coaching job. None of this should push JSN out of the first round, but I'd be cautious about picking him over a Tier 1 running back.

6. De'Von Achane, RB, Miami Dolphins

Achane is heavily used as a receiver and has elite speed, acceleration, and athleticism. The RB position is so important that his ADP will likely get pushed up a bit, though the firing of head coach Mike McDaniel could prove worrisome for the Dolphins offense.

McDaniel wasn't the problem in Miami. Still, the offensive line played much better in 2025 than 2024, which helped Achane have a monster season, finishing with 1.2 more yards per carry this year than last. And he caught 67 passes for 488 yards and four touchdowns. He's a great RB to draft in Round 1.

5. Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams

The concerns about quarterback Matthew Stafford getting injured will carry over into this year, as he's nearing 40 years old and has taken an absolute beating behind the line of scrimmage this season. Still, wide receiver Davante Adams is under contract with the Rams for another year.

Nacua and the aforementioned Smith-Njigba were the two best receivers on a per-game basis in fantasy football this season. The addition of Adams helped Nacua get open more than ever before, as significant coverage attention was drawn away from the third-year pro.

IMAGINE IF PUKA CAUGHT THIS 😱 pic.twitter.com/nk1KrKavOd

— ESPN (@espn) December 30, 2025

He has nearly unheard-of skills at the catch point. He has elite body control, elite hands, elite concentration, elite ball-tracking, and elite strength to pull in passes and hang on to them despite big hits or collisions with the ground. It's why he's earned the trust of his QB so much.

He sometimes has issues staying healthy, but he's just insane.

4. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts

Were it not for an injury to QB Daniel Jones (Achilles), we could have seen another RB1 overall season from Taylor. He's an elite RB playing behind a great offensive line in a good scheme, and his ceiling is absolutely massive. It's a shame he doesn't catch more passes.

20 minutes of Jonathan Taylor highlights. enjoy!

for more highlights visit https://t.co/L0POMCe2XT pic.twitter.com/0hCVxyVB6v

— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) January 12, 2026

Regardless, the most important thing you can have in fantasy football is an elite No. 1 running back on a good offense.

3. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions

It's possible the Lions could move on from RB David Montgomery this offseason. His production in 2025 was quite a bit lower than it was in 2026, and there were many games where he just wasn't a factor in the run game. A big part of this has been the regression of the offensive line.

The Lions lost key offensive linemen after 2024, and as a result, their run-blocking was severely diminished, especially on the interior. Montgomery simply didn't have as much space to run. It was far more effective to hand the ball to Gibbs on any given play.

JAHMYR SCORES IMMEDIATELY.

NYGvsDET on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/HzyzjRsr4d

— NFL (@NFL) November 23, 2025

He had the highest fantasy score of any player this season when he racked up 55.4 PPR fantasy points in Week 12 against the New York Giants. But consistency was an issue at times, as he also had four games with just single-digit points.

He's not an elite receiving back like McCaffrey is, though he's more than capable with the ball in his hands in space. But the Lions also have a ton of weapons at pass-catcher, with wide receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams and tight end Sam LaPorta (back) all being among the NFL's best at their positions.

So Gibbs has a lower floor than the next player on our list. Still, he shouldn't fall outside the top-3 picks in redraft leagues in 2026.

2. Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers

CMC has dealt with more than his fair share of serious injuries. He's had seasons of just seven, four, and three games played thanks to various aliments. But he was the RB1 overall in 2025, largely buoyed by his ridiculous usage as a receiver.

He finished the season with 129 targets, 102 catches, 924 yards, and seven touchdown catches. That's simply unfair pass-catching work for an RB in fantasy football. It made up for him only averaging just under 3.9 yards per carry on the ground, though he did get a ton of rushing work, ending up with 1,202 rush yards and 10 scores on the ground.

Christian McCaffrey somehow catches the pass after it got tipped at the line pic.twitter.com/Aqszko8V0H

— 𝐃𝐈𝐄-𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐃 🦅 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐋 𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐄 (@Eaglesfans9) January 11, 2026

CMC is a unique player in that if he had focused fully on playing wide receiver, he could probably have a job in the NFL still playing the position. He's a huge mismatch weapon against linebackers, who simply can't cover him when he runs routes out of the backfield.

He also has excellent hands, can high-point passes effectively, and is good at boxing out defenders to make the catch. He's the ultimate safety valve for the QB. The 49ers lean into him heavily when their other pass-catchers are injured, and tight end George Kittle (Achilles) tore his Achilles tendon in their playoff loss.

They also won't have WR Brandon Aiyuk (knee) next year. If McCaffrey is healthy again, he should win leagues yet again in 2026.

1. Bijan Robinson, RB, Atlanta Falcons

Robinson has pretty much everything you want in an elite fantasy player. He's in a good offensive situation, running behind an offensive line that's played well. He's a young RB that had elite draft capital, as running backs are rarely taken top-10 overall in the NFL Draft.

And he's a fantastic rusher and receiver. He's powerful and has elite contact balance, and is a monster to tackle in the open field. In his three seasons in the NFL, he's put together a massive highlight reel simply on plays where he makes defenders whiff on tackle attempts.

Bijan Robinson can't be stopped!

LARvsATL on ESPN/ABC
Stream on @NFLPlus and ESPN App pic.twitter.com/TcRloxbHZF

— NFL (@NFL) December 30, 2025

Robinson was absolutely massive in the playoffs, too, scoring 29.5, 29.8, and 39.9 PPR fantasy points in Week 15, Week 16, and Week 17. He saved his best for last, and rewarded those who drafted him with a disproportionately high rate of championship wins.

He was the most important player to have if you made it to the playoffs. And he's finished as the RB9, RB3, and RB2 in his first three seasons in the league. He's a generational talent at his position and has consistently displayed dominance.

The supporting cast around him hasn't always been ideal, but he's good enough that it doesn't really matter. He's been used heavily as both a runner and receiver and has scored prolifically on the ground and through the air. His PPR floor is already huge, and his big-play potential is among the best in the NFL.

BIJAN ROBINSON 93 YARDS!

LARvsATL on ESPN/ABC
Stream on @NFLPlus and ESPN App pic.twitter.com/OTqGarUX9F

— NFL (@NFL) December 30, 2025

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