FantasyPros - Fantasy Football MOCK DRAFT | Expert Strategy, Picks & Round-By-Round Half-PPR League Advice (Ep. 2034)

Welcome to Fantasy Pros. We’re in late May running a live half‑PPR mock in Draft Wizard with our 2026 rankings up, and I’ve got Pat Fitzmaurice, Jake Ciely, and Joey Wright with me; Joey, how’s Memorial Day and how are things at Footballguys?

All good at Footballguys, and I kicked off a 4,000‑piece Home Alone Lego build before the season swallows my time.

Mine was a cookout win — my buffalo chicken dip got the recipe requests, which is the party trophy in my book.

I’m a short drive from the actual Home Alone house, and no, I’m not moving into a real horror movie set anytime soon.

We’re drafting one QB, two RBs, three WRs, one TE, and bench; Pat, with an early slot, what’s your plan at the top?

I slightly prefer Bijan over Gibbs at the turn because I like the bigger bell‑cow profile, then I’ll pound wide receiver in a three‑WR build.

Joey, if you were near the top, who’s your guy?

I’d take Gibbs first overall, but from 10 I’m thrilled with Amon‑Ra or I’ll double up at running back.

I picked fifth on purpose to let the clear top five sort itself out and happily took Jackson Smith‑Njigba.

Quick reset: Chase, Bijan, Gibbs, Puka, JSN flew, and on the turn I paired CeeDee Lamb with Drake London to invest in Atlanta; Pat, any issue doubling WR there?

I like it in three‑WR formats, and I later added AJ Brown — expecting a New England landing — plus Tetairoa McMillan for ascending upside.

I’ve got AJ Brown around WR14 regardless of where he lands, with New England the most realistic.

I’ve shifted on Zay Flowers into top‑15 territory because the scheme and play‑action emphasis should juice him.

I usually wait on quarterback unless Josh Allen slips, so I grabbed Javonte Williams as my RB1 with Dallas all‑in on him.

I tried a four‑wide start and passed on Lamar to experiment, and Joey scooped Colston Loveland in the fourth for strong TE value.

Kyren looked like a bargain and Jacobs went before ranks could adjust; I preferred Emeka Egbuka and Terry McLaurin over Luther Burden for redraft right now.

I chose Garrett Wilson over Breece for roster shape, and later pivoted to Jackson Dart which pushed me into a hero‑RB path with RB2 to solve.

I took Justin Herbert in the fifth to keep betting on the Chargers, then swung on Quinshon Judkins as my first back.

Judkins in the sixth is a workload value I like, especially if the quarterback runs less.

Browns intel says a healthy Judkins likely leads but in a committee, and their tight end could pace targets, which nudged some of my mid‑round choices.

I landed D’Andre Swift as the last back in a tier and Tyler Warren for a meaty role even with some QB health questions.

I like my balance and I’m fine waiting deep into drafts at QB unless a star falls.

I felt great early, then missed a few RB targets and now I’m hunting an RB2 while leaning on a deep wideout room.

The hero build from pick two feels right with four solid WR2 types, a steady RB2, and a discount tight end.

Tight end talk — I chose Pitts over Laporta on a Falcons bet; Jake leans Laporta, and Pat says a Diggs‑to‑Atlanta curveball would swing that call.

If I miss Loveland early, I’ll wait and stack late options for value instead of forcing it.

In the eighth, Joey grabbed Tony Pollard for early‑season juice, I swung on Menungai, and Jake settled on Rhamondre as a workable RB2.

Jacksonville’s WR trio sits tight together; I wanted a Lawrence‑Parker stack but took Dak to stay inside the top‑12 QBs.

I chased Jonathan Brooks for upside while Jake hedged with Kenneth Gainwell on Bucky Irving uncertainty.

I’m still calm on Bucky with months to go and don’t view Gainwell as a major threat to his role.

I waited until the tenth for Matthew Stafford and later paired him with Mahomes for matchup plays, with Romeo Doubs slotted as a steady WR3.

I couldn’t pass Laporta when he slid, even as my second tight end, and I stashed Charbonnet for a playoff push.

I took Khalil Shakir as a Bills flyer and closed with Tank Bigsby as an injury‑contingent stash.

I paired Dylan Sampson with Judkins and took late WR swings on Travis Hunter and Casey Concepcion.

I like Malik Washington’s path to volume in Miami and finished with Jalen McMillan and Hunter Henry for cheap points.

I grabbed Omar Cooper for toughness and sprinkled in Emmett Johnson and Claiborne as change‑up RB darts.

The post‑draft tool dinged me for a Herbert reach, Pat graded near the top, Jake landed mid‑pack, and Joey got mixed expert feedback.

It wanted me to go RB at the two‑three turn, but I’m happy with how the receiver room came together.

Favorite starts included a bold McCaffrey‑Neighbors‑Allen build, Team 11’s double‑RB then WR‑QB run, and Joey liked my zero‑RB start with London and Smith set to soak volume.

On roster construction, I loaded wideouts and stuffed my bench with high‑upside RBs so one break can fix RB2.

Pick‑slot wise, I’d still ride with two to lock an elite back and then hammer wide receiver.

I like the top‑five range or the ends this year and I’m less into the murky middle.

I prefer the late first because Amon‑Ra often falls and I can still land a true RB1.

Final takeaway: elite tight end value is back, and Loveland in the fourth feels like a cheat code.

Tight ends look tiered like QBs — get in early, or if you miss the big groups, wait and punt late.

I’m leaning into trustworthy offenses and stacking them across builds.

Drafting early can snag risers like Jonathan Brooks, and waiting on quarterback remains a real edge.

That’s our late‑May half‑PPR mock; we’ll run many more through summer, and we’ll see you next time.