The Fantasy Footballers: 10-Team Mock Draft Podcast Recap
Getting into July marks the real start of draft preparation for fantasy managers! The Ballers took a break from walking through each NFL Division to fine-tune their draft skills in a class mock draft! Mike and Jason jumped into the draft room alongside a league full of staff members to take down this draft, with Mike drafting from the 1.03 and Jason at the 1.08.
This mock draft used the following settings: 10 teams, 0.5 PPR, 1QB, 2RB, 3WR, 1TE, and 4 bench spots.
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Round 1
Mike (1.03) – Jahmyr Gibbs (RB, DET)
Jason (1.08) – Jonathan Taylor (RB, IND)
Despite the 3WR format, both Jason and Mike pick an RB to start their drafts. Mike feels like he got a bit of a value getting Jahmyr Gibbs at the third-overall pick when he is usually a candidate for the 1.01. Jason debated about starting with a WR, but decided to stick with Jonathan Taylor over CeeDee Lamb. In a 10-team format, the RBs could dry up more quickly, despite needing to start only two at the position.
It is worth noting, as a league, the RB-WR split in the first round was perfectly even with five of each going in the first 10 picks.
Round 2
Jason (2.03) – Ashton Jeanty (RB, LV)
Mike (2.08) – George Pickens (WR, DAL)
To kick off the second round, Jason felt remorse with his first round pick, with both CeeDee Lamb and Justin Jefferson going in the four picks between his turn and leaving him with what he saw as a pretty big tier break at the position. Instead of taking what he felt would be a reach at WR, Jason doubled down at RB and picked Ashton Jeanty to be the first team in the draft with duplicates at one position.
Mike debated on getting one of his champions at RB in Kenneth Walker or Chase Brown, but landed on George Pickens to start filling those three starting WR spots.
The only two teams to double up on the same position they took in the first round were Jason’s double RB and Papa Josh’s double WRs, taking Amon-Ra St. Brown and Drake London. It is also worth noting that Brock Bowers was the first TE off the board at the 2.10. With a 10-team format, the elite TEs are a real advantage for fantasy managers with them on their roster, and getting a difference maker at the position could be huge.
Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Round 3
Mike (3.03) – Rashee Rice (WR, KC)
Jason (3.08) – Josh Allen (QB, BUF)
The biggest swing in the third round comes with Jason’s selection of Josh Allen as the first QB off the board. Just like getting an elite TE, having a QB that is going to separate himself in a smaller league can really give a roster an advantage against the rest of the league. Jason did have to take Allen a bit earlier than he would go in a 12-team league – for reference, in our last mock draft Jason took the Bills QB at the 5.05, nearly two rounds later.
Mike used his third pick to add to his WR room, getting solid value with Rashee Rice after considering taking him with his pick in the previous round.
At this point of the draft, each team has at least one RB and one WR, except for Jason, who has not taken a WR in the 3WR format.
Round 4
Jason (4.03) – Garrett Wilson (WR, NYJ)
Mike (4.08) – Zay Flowers (WR, BAL)
Jason ends his WR drought in the fourth round, taking Garrett Wilson as his WR1. While Wilson has never really lived up to the hype that fantasy managers hoped he could deliver on for fantasy rosters, he does have a very clear path to being the top target for the Jets this season.
Mike takes his third WR in a row, nabbing Zay Flowers. Flowers is a tough evaluation with all of the changes coming to Baltimore this season – new Head Coach and new Offensive Coordinator. Still, Flowers finished as the WR7 last year and projects to be the top WR for the Ravens in an offense that fantasy managers should want pieces of.
Round 5
Mike (5.03) – Malik Nabers (WR, NYG)
Jason (5.08) – Mike Evans (WR, SF)
The two Ballers each took WRs with their fifth picks in this mock draft. Mike makes it four-straight WRs, getting Malik Nabers at the 5.03. While the call is much tougher at times regarding Nabers due to the uncertainty around his availability to start the season, having him as a WR4 would give Mike’s squad the flexibility to work Nabers in once he is clearly back to full strength.
Jason’s second WR came down to getting what is viewed as a stabilizing option at the position with Mike Evans. The change of scenery for Evans should give the WR a chance to function in one of the best offensive systems in the league on a team that is in desperate need of WR help.
Interesting to note that the fifth round saw just one RB go off the board while a TE went for the fourth-straight round and two more QBs are taken – Lamar Jackson at 5.06 and Drake Maye at 5.07.
Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
Round 6
Jason (6.03) – Rome Odunze (WR, CHI)
Mike (6.08) – Joe Burrow (QB, CIN)
To fill out his starting WRs, Jason takes a swing at finding the lead WR in Chicago, getting Rome Odunze with his sixth pick in this mock draft. Odunze started the 2025 season red hot, catching five TDs in his first four games and averaging 17.4 fantasy points per game that season. Adding the high upside of Odunze gives Jason’s roster a bit of volatility at the WR position that fantasy teams need to reach their peak.
Mike gets his team’s QB secured at 6.08, grabbing Joe Burrow as the fourth QB off the board. Again, with a 10-team league, there is some logic to trying to get one of the QBs who can finish in the elite status, and when Burrow is at his best, he can absolutely get there.
Round 6 marks the first time in four rounds that a TE did not go off the board and the second round in a row where a pair of QBs went back-to-back.
Round 7
Mike (7.03) – TreVeyon Henderson (RB, NE)
Jason (7.08) – Quinshon Judkins (RB, CLE)
The two Ballers get back on the same page in Round 7, both taking a pair of second-year RBs. Mike took the swing on one of his “My Guys” from last season in TreVeyon Henderson. While Henderson truly broke out down the stretch of the 2025 season, there are plenty of questions around what the split will continue to look like between him and Rhamondre Stevenson.
Jason also took a sophomore RB in Quinshon Judkins, who is battling back from injury after fracturing his ankle during his rookie year. The offensive environment in Cleveland is pretty uncertain, with new Head Coach Todd Monken taking over and the QB spot still up in the air about who will be starting when the season rolls around. If Judkins is back to full strength to start the year, he could prove to be a value just based on the strong start fantasy managers saw last season when he finished as a top-24 RB six times.
Round 8 does see a bit of a tier break at the QB position with Jalen Hurts going at 7.04. Hurts probably represents the last of the QBs who fantasy managers could make a real case could finish as the QB1 overall to start the season.
Round 8
Jason (8.03) – Marvin Harrison Jr. (WR, ARI)
Mike (8.08) – J.K. Dobbins (RB, DEN)
At this point in a 10-team draft, most teams are beginning to fill out their reserve spots, which means most managers are working to put together higher upside picks that can outperform their draft spots.
Jason took a swing on a potential breakout player with Marvin Harrison Jr. becoming the WR4 on his squad. While Harrison has disappointed fantasy managers based on his extremely high NFL draft capital, Jason references the traditional third-year WR breakout that we have seen in the past in hopes that the Cardinals WR can find a way to return on some of the promise he once held.
In typical Mike fashion, J.K. Dobbins joins his team as his RB3. Mike considered a with his eighth pick, but with the two teams picking after him already having someone at that position, he decided to wait and grab another RB he believes will be a starter in Denver to start the season. Dobbins was great before getting injured last season, finishing as a top-24 RB in 7 of his first 8 games.
Cooper Neill/Getty Images
Round 9
Mike (9.03) – Harold Fannin (TE, CLE)
Jason (9.08) – Sam LaPorta (TE, DET)
The wait through the turn for Mike to grab a TE was good logic, and the Hitman gets Harold Fannin with his ninth pick in this mock draft. Fannin is one of the few TEs who fantasy managers can get in the mid-rounds that also stands a chance to lead his team in targets. As a rookie, Fannin finished as the TE5 while splitting time with TE David Njoku, but the Browns worked to find a way to get him the ball where he could make plays consistently.
Jason also decided to get his TE in Round 9, taking Sam LaPorta for the second-straight mock draft despite his claims that the Lions TE is overvalued.
Round 10
Jason (10.03) – Jayden Reed (WR, GB)
Mike (10.08) – Ricky Pearsall (WR, SF)
The Ballers were synced up again in Round 10, each picking a WR they feel has upside this late in the draft.
Jason took a swing with Jayden Reed as his WR5. Reed got a contract extension this offseason and seems to have a clearer path to getting on the field in 2WR sets for the Packers thanks to the departures of Dontayvion Wicks and Romeo Doubs.
At 10.08, Mike nabbed Ricky Pearsall as his fifth WR and the first he had taken since Round 5. Pearsall has been underwhelming thus far through two seasons for fantasy managers, especially after seeming like he was primed for a breakout last year but couldn’t stay on the field, missing six straight games in the middle of the year. There is still opportunity there for Pearsall to be a valuable piece of fantasy rosters, but the addition of second-round pick De’Zhaun Stribling will be the main competition for who we see line up alongside Mike Evans in the 49ers offense.
Brad Rempel-Imagn Images
Round 11
Mike (11.03) – Aaron Jones (RB, MIN)
Jason (11.08) – Antonio Williams (WR, WASH)
It is hard to find a potential starting RB in the double-digit rounds of drafts, but Mike took a swing on what very well could be the starter in the Vikings backfield with Aaron Jones. There have been conflicting reports as to who exactly has the upper hand in Minnesota’s RB room, but Mike ultimately landed with Jones due to his consistent work in the passing game over the years.
With his eleventh pick, Jason landed what could be a starting WR in Washington with Antonio Williams. The Commanders’ third-round pick from the 2026 Draft has a realistic opportunity in front of him to be the WR2 in this offense and could prove to be a real value late in drafts assuming he can get on the field consistently with Jadyen Daniels.
Round 12
Jason (12.03) – Jordan Mason (RB, MIN)
Mike (12.08) – Stefon Diggs (WR, ?)
In the last round of the draft, both Jason and Mike took a swing to add some depth to their rosters.
Jason gets the other half of the potential starting RB in Minnesota with Jordan Mason. There was excitement around Mason’s move to the Vikings last offseason, but he never really delivered as a real fantasy difference-maker, finishing as a top-24 RB just six times on the season. Getting an RB who could be the leader in a backfield at this point of the draft, though, is well worth the risk.
In case you didn’t remember, Stefon Diggs had 1,000 receiving yards last season while he was with the Patriots, just one year removed from an ACL injury. While he still has not signed with a team, Mike added him to his roster with the hopes that he will be getting a contract somewhere sooner rather than later. Since Diggs can choose his landing spot, it is likely he will find himself in a good offense that allows him the ability to still be fantasy relevant for 2026.
Mike’s Team
QB: Joe Burrow
RB: Jahmyr Gibbs, TreVeyon Henderson, J.K. Dobbins, Aaron Jones
WR: George Pickens, Rashee Rice, Zay Flowers, Malik Nabers, Ricky Pearsall, Stefon Diggs
TE: Harold Fannin
Jason’s Team
QB: Josh Allen
RB: Jonathan Taylor, Ashton Jeanty, Quinshon Judkins, Jordan Mason
WR: Garrett Wilson, Mike Evans, Rome Odunze, Marvin Harrison Jr., Jayden Reed, Antonio Williams
TE: Sam LaPorta
Draft Board
