We’re just about at the midpoint between the previous NFL season ending and the next one beginning. With redraft season still a couple of months away, we remain firmly in dynasty season. Over the next few months, fantasy football leagues are going to have their dynasty startup drafts. For this mock draft, we are going to conduct the draft from the No. 8 spot.
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1.08) Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions
It will always be my preference to build dynasty rosters around wide receivers. It’s much easier to find running backs in rookie drafts or via trade. With that said, the goal is to score as many fantasy points as possible while having your assets maintain elite value for as long as possible.
Even though wide receivers play longer and remain elite longer than running backs, there are always a handful of RBs that can still be worth building a dynasty roster around. At only 23 years old, Gibbs is one of them.
The difference in the number of high-end years from Gibbs and the receiver options available will likely be negligible, if it exists at all. Therefore, despite Gibbs playing running back, he’s a justifiable selection over the top wideout.
2.05) Ladd McConkey, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
Here, we can easily take the top wide receiver available. McConkey is coming off an excellent rookie season that saw him emerge into a true alpha over the second half. He caught 82 passes for 1,149 yards.
The yardage threshold for an elite fantasy receiver is 900 yards. McConkey surpassed it by nearly 250 yards. No small feat. He averaged 15.1 fantasy points per game and, further raising his stock, the 23-year-old is tethered to a Pro Bowl quarterback in Justin Herbert.
3.08) Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills
I struggled a lot with this one. In a 1QB dynasty startup, quarterbacks aren’t that important. At the same time, Allen is a true difference-maker. He’s been the best quarterback in fantasy for a half-decade and can likely do it for another half-decade. He will win you a handful of matchups every season by himself.
What really pushed me toward Allen is the degree to which my personal rankings deviate from ADP. The top wide receivers on my board will all be available at my next pick. As the saying goes, when in doubt, take an elite QB.
4.05) Sam LaPorta, TE, Detroit Lions
Going double-onesie position this early is not something I planned on doing. We will see how everything plays out, as I always write these up in real time so you can get my honest thoughts along the way.
The top receiver on my board is Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie Emeka Egbuka. Based on ADP, I think I can get him at my next pick.
While I could go running back here, I don’t want to build my team around backs. It’s not a winning strategy. I can get them later. So, give me LaPorta. Let me lock up a 24-year-old elite tight end and see where things go.
5.08) TreVeyon Henderson, RB, New England Patriots
Well, lesson learned. In future drafts, I will be sure to draft Egbuka in the fourth round if I want him.
As much as I don’t want to take a second running back before a second wide receiver, the discrepancy in my rankings between the best available RBs compared to WRs is quite significant.
Henderson is a 22-year-old rookie out of Ohio State. Assuming he doesn’t bust, which I don’t think he will, Henderson will provide just as much longevity as any of the receivers. Hopefully, I can rattle off 2-3 in the next four rounds.
6.05) Brandon Aiyuk, WR, San Francisco 49ers
The board is shaping up pretty well for receivers now. Aiyuk, who is recovering from a torn ACL and MCL, will miss the start of the 2025 campaign. While that is a problem for redraft leagues, it’s not something we need to be concerned about in dynasty.
Aiyuk is only 27 years old, which should give him at least four to five high-quality years left. If I lose out on half of the first year as Aiyuk rehabs from his knee injury, that’s fine by me.
7.08) Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Taking back-to-back wide receivers coming off torn ACLs is not something I’d typically recommend. Chris Godwin is a bigger risk because he’s already 29 years old, and this isn’t his first major lower-body injury. But we’re also in the seventh round, and Luther Burden III went one pick in front of me. Unfortunate.
Godwin may follow a similar trajectory to Aiyuk, but I’m confident he will get back to being a productive receiver. As a reminder, Godwin was averaging 19.7 ppg before he got hurt last season.
8.05) Chuba Hubbard, RB, Carolina Panthers
I still need more wide receivers, but I can’t pass up the best available players. Enter Hubbard. He is 26 years old and just signed a sizable contract extension.
The Panthers’ planned running back of the future, Jonathon Brooks, is already out for the 2025 season with a retear of the same ACL he ruptured in college two years ago. This is Hubbard’s backfield right now, and I think he’s incredibly undervalued both short and long term.
9.08) Courtland Sutton, WR, Denver Broncos
It is time to take another wide receiver. Not every pick can be a young, talented player who will be around for almost a decade. Sutton may be 30 years old, but he’s coming off the best season of his career — 81 catches for 1,081 yards and eight touchdowns — while playing with the best quarterback (Bo Nix) of his career. He’s got two to three good seasons left.
10.05) Jakobi Meyers, WR, Las Vegas Raiders
Perennially underrated, Meyers is not a difference-maker, but he’s a reliable producer by every measurable metric. Meyers outperforms his ADP every year. It’s mostly because fantasy managers know to draft for upside, and Meyers is a WR2, at best. But that’s plenty good for a value pick in Round 10. Plus, at only 28 years old, he has plenty of time left.
11.08) Jordan Mason, RB, Minnesota Vikings
Mason was brought in to take the load off starter Aaron Jones. But there’s a world where the 30-year-old Jones falls apart, leading to Mason becoming the lead back in Minnesota. If not this year, then next year. The former 49ers running back has time to become a starter on a good offense. I will take that chance in this spot.
12.05) Rashid Shaheed, WR, New Orleans Saints
It could be a rough 2025 for the New Orleans Saints as they go through a rebuild following Derek Carr’s retirement. However, the 26-year-old Shaheed remains severely undervalued. He was averaging 13.6 ppg before suffering a season-ending injury last season.
Maybe Tyler Shough is the answer at quarterback. If not, the Saints can find the answer next year. Shaheed still has time to prove he is a weekly WR3 or better.