RESOLVING THE LEDGER
This is one outlet's own report from CBS Sports — the article as it was filed. Other outlets are covering the same event; open the full story to compare every source side by side.
See the full story · 2 sources
In 2026 Fantasy Football drafts, we are immensely blessed with talent at the top of draft boards. Ja'Marr Chase and Puka Nacua have been historic PPR producers to begin their careers, and both Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs finally have a backfield to themselves. Jaxon Smith-Njigba could not be covered as a third-year player, and we have no real idea what heights he might soar to -- he's still just 24 years old. Christian McCaffrey is always a strong bet to lead all scorers if healthy. Amon-Ra St. Brown is a set-it-and-forget-it PPR cheat code, and he keeps elevating his game. It sounds crazy, but he is just now entering the stage of a career typically referred to as a wide receiver's prime.
The overwhelming riches at the top of drafts can make selecting with a later Round 1 pick feel like a bummer. Of course, there are still awesome options available at pick 10. There's only one, in my opinion, who I am excited to land at the back of Round 1. This player has been a top-five pick according to ADP in each of the past two seasons, is still just 27 years old, and is the centerpiece to a top offense, but CeeDee Lamb falls to the end of Round 1 after playing through a high ankle sprain last year. I expect a big-time bounce-back in 2026. I'm not going to hesitate to select Lamb anywhere outside of the top-six overall picks in PPR. And that's what happened here.
This is our 12-part, pick-by-pick series where me, Adam Aizer, Dave Richard, Jamey Eisenberg, Dan Schneier and Heath Cummings all took part in a six-person PPR mock draft. We each built two of the 12 teams in this 14-round draft to show you a different strategy from each spot.
This is an outline that you can follow if you pick No. 10 overall in your league. The key is to study the strategy and not necessarily the players to see if this works for you.
As alluded to already, there's a tier-break after the first 6-8 players are off the board. Because of this, the players who might be available in Round 2 when picking from the 10 spot are highly variable from draft to draft. The managers picking 11th and 12th could legitimately each start their draft with two running backs. This draft was more typical, with the 11th and 12th drafters each selecting one RB and one WR.
This left me with my pick of Saquon Barkley , Derrick Henry , Chase Brown , Omarion Hampton , and Kenneth Walker as the top RB options -- but either Ashton Jeanty or De'Von Achane could be available as well. The wide receiver options were Rashee Rice , George Pickens , A.J. Brown , and Nico Collins . Drake London often remains on the board into Round 2, and sometimes you might find Justin Jefferson available -- in this draft, both were selected before my Round 2 pick.
I felt confident in my Round 1 pick, so I decided to swing for upside in Round 2. I selected the Los Angeles Chargers 2025 Round 1 RB with hopes that new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel will elevate Hampton's play to league-winning levels. It was close between Hampton and Brown, given the full-PPR scoring format, but the upside for lots of long plays and touchdowns was too much for me to pass up. In Round 3, I opted for a safer "anchor" type of player in Javonte Williams . If Hampton is a bust, Williams is a fine volume-based RB1 fill-in. Then, in Round 4, I decided to lean back into upside. I added my second Charger, selecting Ladd McConkey ahead of Jaylen Waddle , Malik Nabers , and Terry McLaurin .
I love this start. My RB and WR spots are anchored and have massive upside. It's risky to only have exposure to two offenses (I drafted two Cowboys and two Chargers) through four rounds, but I see potential for incredible seasons for both Dallas and Los Angeles on offense. With QB and TE offering lots of late-round options that I like in 2026 Fantasy Football drafts, I was happy to load up on potential league-winners at RB and WR. Now, let's see how the rest of the team turned out. As a reference point, all touchdowns in this league are worth six points, and we award one point for every 10 yards rushing and receiving and one point for every 25 yards passing. We also award one point for every reception. We feature a starting lineup of QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, TE and FLEX (RB/WR/TE).
I swung for more upside in Rounds 5, 6, and 7, before settling in and making some responsible picks in Rounds 8 and 9. With my starters secured at RB (and knowledge that Kimani Vidal is essentially free in drafts as a handcuff for Hampton), I felt comfortable taking shots on potential league-winners in the middle rounds. Tucker Kraft was the player who I was ecstatic to land. His ACL injury occurred early enough in 2025 to believe that a full recovery is possible at some point during the 2026 season. And with tons of targets vacated and simply not replaced in Green Bay's offense, Kraft feels likely to be featured.
Weirdly, Michael Pittman Jr. is the player who makes this roster work. And because he is so drastically undervalued in drafts, I feel confident that I will be able to land Pittman (or Jakobi Meyers ) in the late rounds anytime I feel a need to add a stabilizing PPR presence to the roster. With Pittman secured, I can afford to be patient with Jordyn Tyson and KC Concepcion as the rookies get acclimated. If Henderson ends up being a straight-up bust, I can likely replace him at the flex with Tyson. Pittman allows the young "upside" players I selected to function as luxuries for this team.
The fit with Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy in a quick-hitting passing attack feels perfect for Pittman's skill set. Because he's a big-bodied WR, Pittman is often misidentified as a downfield threat. He's a technician as a route-winner who can quickly present a reliable target. I expect Pittman to be a significantly more consistent full PPR scorer than DK Metcalf on a week-to-week basis, and there's upside for him to establish trust as a red zone target for Rodgers.
Beginning this draft by selecting two Cowboys and two Chargers was ris...
AIPROPX is an independent multi-source news index — we track, compare, and connect coverage from across the web into one place you won't find anywhere else.