{"id":911616,"date":"2026-06-10T05:12:28","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T10:12:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/10\/2026-fantasy-football-mock-draft-the-best-picks-for-every-spot-in-the-first-three-rounds\/"},"modified":"2026-06-10T05:12:28","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T10:12:28","slug":"2026-fantasy-football-mock-draft-the-best-picks-for-every-spot-in-the-first-three-rounds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/10\/2026-fantasy-football-mock-draft-the-best-picks-for-every-spot-in-the-first-three-rounds\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: The Best Picks for Every Spot in the First Three Rounds"},"content":{"rendered":"

Football <\/p>\n

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Fantasy Football season is right around the corner. Some leagues have already started drafting, but for most of us, drafts won\u2019t begin for another few weeks. But it\u2019s never too early to start doing your homework.<\/p>\n

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Watch What\u2019s Trending Now!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Today, I went through a ton of different fantasy football rankings and created a three-round fantasy football mock draft based on what I would do at every pick. If your league-mates are smart, this is what the first three rounds of your fantasy draft will look like.<\/p>\n

Note: these rankings are based on full-point PPR scoring.<\/em><\/p>\n

Football Round 1<\/h2>\n

Football 1.01: Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions<\/h2>\n
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There\u2019s a pretty clear 1.01 in my eyes, and that\u2019s\u00a0Jahmyr Gibbs<\/strong>. Over the last two seasons, Gibbs has averaged 364.5 fantasy points per season (21.4 per game) and has finished as the RB1 and RB3. He\u2019s already in one of the most prolific offenses in the league, and now with David Montgomery\u00a0<\/strong>gone, his snap count will only increase in 2026. If you have the first pick, I wouldn\u2019t hesitate to grab Gibbs as soon as you come on the clock.<\/p>\n

Football 1.02: Bijan Robinson, RB, Atlanta Falcons<\/h2>\n

There is only one other player I\u2019d seriously consider at the 1.01, and that\u2019s\u00a0Bijan Robinson<\/strong>. The Atlanta Falcons<\/a> star running back has finished as the RB3 and RB2 in the past two seasons and hasn\u2019t missed a game in his entire career. The only reason I have Gibbs clearly above him is because of his offensive situation. We don\u2019t know what Atlanta\u2019s quarterback situation is going to look like, and they don\u2019t have many other players to take the focus off of him. He\u2019s still a fantastic player, and should be the easy pick at the 1.02.<\/p>\n

Football 1.03: Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams<\/h2>\n
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The top wide receiver in fantasy football has to be\u00a0Puka Nacua<\/strong>, right? Despite having\u00a0Davante Adams\u00a0<\/strong>next to him, Nacua finished as the WR1 in fantasy last year, and in both of his fully healthy seasons, he\u2019s finished in the top-five. Nacua is the WR1 in the best offense in the league. My only concern is that LA might blow everyone out and might go into chew clock mode late in games. But to get to that point, they have to score a lot of points, and Nacua is going to be the focal point of that offense.<\/p>\n

Football 1.04: Ja\u2019Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals<\/h2>\n

Ja\u2019Marr Chase\u00a0<\/strong>has been one of the most consistent fantasy performers throughout his career. He\u2019s played 16+ games in four seasons and has only failed to finish as a top-five fantasy receiver in one of those years. When he\u2019s healthy, he is one of the most explosive receivers in the league, especially if\u00a0Joe Burrow\u00a0<\/strong>is under center. But even if he\u2019s not, Chase has proven to be QB-proof. He\u2019s a very safe pick at the 1.04.<\/p>\n

Football 1.05: Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers<\/h2>\n
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Christian McCaffrey\u00a0<\/strong>is the most hit or miss player in fantasy football. Outside of his rookie season, when he\u2019s played 16+ games, McCaffrey has finished as the RB1 three times and the RB2 twice. He has never finished worse than the RB2 when he\u2019s been healthy. But he\u2019s had three seasons where he\u2019s played seven or fewer games. I took the gamble on him with the eighth pick last year and won my league. It is incredibly risky to take him top-five, but if he was guaranteed to be healthy all year, he\u2019d go first overall.<\/p>\n

Football 1.06: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle Seahawks<\/h2>\n

I love\u00a0Jaxon Smith-Njigba\u00a0<\/strong>as much as the next guy, but I do think his production will fall off slightly this year. With Kenneth Walker\u00a0<\/strong>gone, who knows what Seattle\u2019s run game is going to look like. And without a strong run game, I think will Sam Darnold\u00a0<\/strong>will struggled to be as efficient as he was last year. JSN is likely going to finish as a top-five wide receiver, but I think he\u2019s closer to WR5 than WR1 this year.<\/p>\n

Football 1.07: Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit Lions<\/h2>\n
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Ja\u2019Marr Chase is one of the safest picks you can make in fantasy football, but\u00a0Amon-Ra St. Brown\u00a0<\/strong>might be the safest pick. Over the last three seasons, St. Brown has finished as the WR3 in every single one of them. He\u2019s scored between 316 and 331 points in all three of those years and has missed just one game during that time.\u00a0Jared Goff\u00a0<\/strong>loves throwing St. Brown the football, so he\u2019s easily a top-10 pick in fantasy for me.<\/p>\n

Football 1.08: Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts<\/h2>\n

Jonathan Taylor\u00a0<\/strong>is probably the riskiest pick in the top-10 for me. He was obviously incredible at the beginning of last year, but once\u00a0Daniel Jones\u00a0<\/strong>went out and defenses started loading the box, he started to struggle. Jones will be back this year, but he\u2019s coming off an Achilles injury, and I\u2019m concerned about how effective he will be. Teams are going to load the box and force Jones to beat them with his arm, so while Taylor could very well go off like he did at the beginning of last year, I think his floor is pretty low.<\/p>\n

Football 1.09: CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys<\/h2>\n
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CeeDee Lamb\u00a0<\/strong>wasn\u2019t the same elite receiver last year that we\u2019ve seen him be in the past, but that was largely due to injuries and\u00a0the emergence of\u00a0George Pickens<\/strong>. But if Lamb is healthy, I fully believe he\u2019s one of the best receivers in the league still.\u00a0Dak Prescott\u00a0<\/strong>loves throwing his way, and even though Pickens is still there, Lamb should see his production increase. This is a team that\u2019s going to have to throw the ball a lot and will find themselves in some high-scoring, close games, so even though they have two elite wideouts, they should both eat.<\/p>\n

Football 1.10: James Cook, RB, Buffalo Bills<\/h2>\n

James Cook\u00a0<\/strong>was the NFL\u2019s leading rusher last year, but still finished as the RB6. His receiving production has dropped off a bit in the last two seasons, but he\u2019s coming off his most efficient year as a runner, and the Buffalo Bills\u2019<\/a> offense should only be better with the addition of\u00a0D.J. Moore\u00a0<\/strong>to their receiver core. I\u2019d like to see Cook get involved more as a pass catcher, because if he does, he has top-three RB upside. Either way, he\u2019s safe pick at the 1.10.<\/p>\n

Football 1.11: Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings<\/h2>\n
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Justin Jefferson\u00a0<\/strong>is still a top-three receiver in the league, but who knows what his quarterback situation is going to look like in 2026? Will it be\u00a0J.J. McCarthy\u00a0<\/strong>or\u00a0Kyler Murray\u00a0<\/strong>throwing him the football? I hope it\u2019s the latter, because Jefferson had his worst season as a pro with McCarthy throwing him the ball last year. If he has average quarterback play, he\u2019s easily a first round pick in fantasy. But that\u2019s a big if this year.<\/p>\n

Football 1.12: Ashton Jeanty, RB, Las Vegas Raiders<\/h2>\n

I believe in\u00a0Ashton Jeanty<\/strong>! The Las Vegas Raiders got so much better this offseason, bringing in two talented quarterbacks in\u00a0Fernando Mendoza\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Kirk Cousins<\/strong>. But their biggest additions (at least for Jeanty) was signing\u00a0Tyler Linderbaum<\/strong>, arguably the best center in the league, to a long-term deal. The Raiders should be much better through the air, therefore opening up things on the ground for Jeanty. Everyone seems to forget just how good of a prospect Jeanty was coming out of college. If he has a decent offensive line and passing game around him, he\u2019ll be great.<\/p>\n

Football Round 2<\/h2>\n

Football 2.01:\u00a0<\/strong>Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles<\/h2>\n
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Saquon Barkley\u00a0<\/strong>could end up being the steal of the draft. Two years ago, he was a 2,000-yard rusher, but he\u2019s coming off one of his worst seasons in the NFL. I don\u2019t necessarily believe in the Philadelphia Eagles\u2019 offense, but they can\u2019t be any worse than they were last year with\u00a0Sean Mannion\u00a0<\/strong>coming in to call plays. Even in a down year, Barkley was the RB14 in fantasy. I expect him to be much better in 2026 and finish as a top-10 running back.<\/p>\n

Football 2.02: <\/strong>Derrick Henry, RB, Baltimore Ravens<\/h2>\n

Every year we disrespect\u00a0Derrick Henry<\/strong>, and every year he proves us wrong, but it\u2019s so hard to bet on a 32-year-old running back. Eventually, he\u2019s going to hit the wall that every other running back hits at age 30. It may not be this year, but it\u2019s coming sooner rather than later. Plus, Henry doesn\u2019t provide much as a pass catcher, so even though he racks up yards, he\u2019s always somewhere in the RB4-RB8 range.<\/p>\n

Football 2.03: <\/strong>Drake London, WR, Atlanta Falcons<\/h2>\n
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Over the last two seasons, with subpar quarterback play,\u00a0Drake London\u00a0<\/strong>has averaged 16.5 fantasy points per game. That\u2019s pretty dang good, but the thing is, his quarterback play probably won\u2019t be much better this year. If London can stay healthy the whole year, he\u2019ll likely finish as a top-10 fantasy receiver, but his ceiling is capped by\u00a0Michael Penix Jr.\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Tua Tagovailoa\u00a0<\/strong>being his quarterbacks.<\/p>\n

Football 2.04: <\/strong>Nico Collins, WR, Houston Texans<\/h2>\n

Another guy who is being brought down by his quarterback play is\u00a0Nico Collins<\/strong>. When Collins is on the field, he\u2019s an animal, averaging 16.6 fantasy points per game, but\u00a0C.J. Stroud\u00a0<\/strong>just isn\u2019t that good, and Collins has missed nine games over the past three years. Both of those things make him a risky pick, but if he can stay on the field for 17 games, he\u2019s easily a top-10 receiver in fantasy.<\/p>\n

Football 2.05:\u00a0<\/strong>De\u2019Von Achane, RB, Miami Dolphins<\/h2>\n
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For the past two seasons, I\u2019ve picked\u00a0De\u2019Von Achane\u00a0<\/strong>with my early second round pick, and I haven\u2019t regretted it for a second. He is such a fantastic fantasy player, but man, the Miami Dolphins are going to be bad this year.\u00a0Malik Willis\u00a0<\/strong>is their quarterback, and they don\u2019t really have a lot of great receiving options. This offense is going to run through him, which is great for his touches, but it also means defenses and focus in on him and try to neutralize him. He should still be a top-10 running back, but I don\u2019t know if he\u2019ll finish as the RB5 for the third year in a row.<\/p>\n

Football 2.06:\u00a0<\/strong>Brock Bowers, TE, Las Vegas Raiders<\/h2>\n

I\u2019m not a big fan of taking tight ends super early, but if you can have a 10-point advantage over your opponent at one position for the entire year, it\u2019s hard to turn that down.\u00a0Brock Bowers\u00a0<\/strong>dealt with some injuries last year and finished as the TE11, but with new quarterbacks and\u00a0Klint Kubiak\u00a0<\/strong>coming in, the sky is the limit for the third-year man.<\/p>\n

Football 2.07:\u00a0<\/strong>George Pickens, WR, Dallas Cowboys<\/h2>\n
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George Pickens really emerged in year one with the Dallas Cowboys, and even though both sides haven\u2019t agreed to terms on a long-term deal, he seems happy in his new home. The Cowboys\u2019 pass-heavy offense allowed Pickens to put up career numbers on a contract year, and at some point in the next 12 months, he\u2019s going to get paid (whether that be from Dallas, we\u2019ll see). Lamb is WR1, but Pickens is not far behind him.<\/p>\n

Football 2.08:\u00a0<\/strong>Trey McBride, TE, Arizona Cardinals<\/h2>\n

Another tight end in round two? Yep.\u00a0Trey McBride\u00a0<\/strong>is coming off one of the most efficient seasons we\u2019ve ever seen from a tight end, and if\u00a0Jacoby Brissett\u00a0<\/strong>and the Arizona Cardinals can settle their contract dispute, he should replicate those numbers in 2026. Once Brissett took over, McBride\u2019s season really took off. The only reason he\u2019s below Bowers is because he has more competition on his offense with guys like\u00a0Michael Wilson\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Marvin Harrison Jr.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Football 2.09:\u00a0<\/strong>Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills<\/h2>\n
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I\u2019m not a big fan of taking a quarterback super early, but this feels like the right spot for\u00a0Josh Allen<\/strong>. After Pickens, it feels like there\u2019s a bit of a drop off, so why not take the best fantasy quarterback and get a leg up on the competition at one of the most important positions? Want to hear Allen\u2019s finishes in fantasy since 2020? QB1, QB1, QB2, QB1, QB2, QB1. At worst, you\u2019re getting the second-best QB in fantasy. I\u2019d say that\u2019s worth a mid second rounder.<\/p>\n

Football 2.10:\u00a0<\/strong>Chris Olave, WR, New Orleans Saints<\/h2>\n

Chris Olave\u00a0<\/strong>finished last year as the WR6 in fantasy, but that doesn\u2019t tell the whole story. When Tyler Shough\u00a0<\/strong>was under center, Olave averaged 18.2 PPG, which would\u2019ve put him behind only Puka Nacua, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ja\u2019Marr Chase and Amon-Ra St. Brown. I\u2019m not saying he\u2019ll average that again in 2026, but if he\u2019s even close to that, he\u2019s well worth a top-25 pick in fantasy. The addition of\u00a0Jordyn Tyson\u00a0<\/strong>does worry me a bit, but they should both eat.<\/p>\n

Football 2.11:\u00a0<\/strong>Chase Brown, RB, Cincinnati Bengals<\/h2>\n
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Chase Brown\u00a0<\/strong>has been one of the most underrated fantasy players over the past two years. Despite an extremely slow start to the season, Brown finished as the RB7 last year, averaging 20.6 points per game over his last eight contests. When the Bengals have their entire offense healthy, Brown is one of the best fantasy backs in the league. The only problem is they can\u2019t always stay healthy. That\u2019s the only reason he\u2019s at the 2.11 and not the 2.02.<\/p>\n

Football 2.12:\u00a0<\/strong>A.J. Brown, WR, New England Patriots<\/h2>\n

A.J. Brown\u00a0<\/strong>is a bit of a Wild Card this year. He had a down year in 2025 with the Eagles, but now he\u2019s a member of the New England Patriots, where he\u2019ll get to team up with one of the best, young quarterbacks in the league in\u00a0Drake Maye<\/strong>. I do think Brown has regressed a bit, but he should still be very efficient in what should be one of the best offenses in the league.<\/p>\n

Football Round 3<\/h2>\n
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3.01:\u00a0<\/strong>Kenneth Walker, RB, Kansas City Chiefs<\/p>\n

3.02:\u00a0<\/strong>Omarion Hampton, RB, Los Angeles Chargers<\/p>\n

3.03:\u00a0<\/strong>Rashee Rice, WR, Kansas City Chiefs<\/p>\n

3.04:\u00a0<\/strong>Drake Maye, QB, New England Patriots<\/p>\n

3.05:\u00a0<\/strong>Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens<\/p>\n

3.06: <\/strong>Emeka Egbuka, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers<\/p>\n

3.07: <\/strong>Kyren Williams, RB, Los Angeles Rams<\/p>\n

3.08: <\/strong>Jeremiyah Love, RB, Arizona Cardinals<\/p>\n

3.09: <\/strong>Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Carolina Panthers<\/p>\n

3.10:\u00a0<\/strong>Javonte Williams, RB, Dallas Cowboys<\/p>\n

3.11:\u00a0<\/strong>Travis Etienne, RB, New Orleans Saints<\/p>\n

3.12:\u00a0<\/strong>Josh Jacobs, RB, Green Bay Packers<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Read More<\/a> Arden Guillemette<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Fantasy Football season is right around the corner. Some leagues have already started drafting, but for most of us, drafts won\u2019t begin for another few weeks. But it\u2019s never too early to start doing your homework. Watch What\u2019s Trending Now! Today, I went through a ton of different fantasy football rankings and created a three-round<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":911617,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[605,3790],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-911616","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fantasy","category-football"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/911616","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=911616"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/911616\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/911617"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=911616"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=911616"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=911616"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}