In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Xfinity, tiering NFL Draft prospects, mock draft and dynasty darlings.
Tier-based drafting remains one the premier ways to approach any draft format (rookie, startup, redraft). This means identifying which players are close enough in value to be considered one large group and basing your picks, and subsequent trades, on how many players are left in each tier. Using Matthew Freedman's 1-QB Rookie Rankings, here is how I'd tier the top-12.
This trio is also a lock to go in Round 1, and I have no problem putting them in the same tier. Others may have stronger opinions on them, but potential landing spot aside, I'd be happy with any of these options.
Jordyn Tyson has everything you want in a future WR1, but missed 33% of his college games due to injury. Carnell Tate is incredibly pro-ready as he looks to continue the Ohio State pipeline, even if his numbers aren't as good as his predecessors. Makai Lemon compares well to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and could be a chain-moving monster from Day 1.
If you don't have a strong preference, trade back from 1.02 to either the 1.03 or 1.04 and secure some additional capital for later in the draft.
Tier 3
Kenyon Sadiq | TE
KC Concepcion | WR
Omar Cooper Jr | WR
Denzel Boston | WR
In his latest Mock Draft, Freedman does have each of these coming off the board in Round 1, with Boston sneaking in at No. 30 overall. Assuming Day 1 draft capital for these four, it all comes down to their respective landing spots. Sadiq will likely garner more intrigue as the lone TE, but it'd be hard to ignore one of those wideouts if they landed in, say, San Francisco.
Besides the top 3 wideouts in this class, this is the tier I am most interested in getting some pieces of. The combined potential and upside of these guys, especially with the right coaches and schemes, is immense.
Tier 4
Jadarian Price | RB
Fernando Mendoza | QB
Well after Love, Jadarian Price comes in as the RB2 in our Rookie Super Model. His draft capital, and subsequent landing spot, will matter a ton, but we've seen plenty of Day 2 guys make an impact relatively soon.
As for Fernando Mendoza, this assumes a 1QB format so he slides down to this tier. We'll see how soon he sees the field now that he's got Kirk Cousins to contend with.
Tier 5
Chris Bell | WR
Eli Stowers | TE
Both Chris Bell (No. 42) and Eli Stowers (No. 45) crack the top 50 in our Big Board but, much like the previous tier of players, draft capital and landing spot will play big roles in determining how to value them.
If you’ve had Josh Allen in fantasy any year since 2020, you’ve been more than happy. He’s been the QB1 five times in that span, the only year he didn’t finish up top being 2022 when he fell all the way to QB2. He just finished his followup to his 2024 NFL MVP season with 3,668 passing yards and 25 TDs, adding 579 rushing yards and 14 more scores on the ground. Betting against him continuing his fantasy dominance for another five years would be ill-advised.
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We’re a little more than two weeks away from Day 1 in Pittsburgh. The Yinzers will be out in force, wearing enough vintage Steelers jerseys one would think that the Steel Curtain was still mauling opposing running backs. Our attention, however, is firmly looking forward, especially when it comes to delivering mock drafts.
Kody Malstrom stepped in with his own mock draft, and he had nine skill players going in the first round. We’re pretty certain who will go at the top, but the rest of the first round is full of surprises. See who the WR-needy teams are hauling in. ⤵️
Who Dat Nation, you’re getting some company! After just nine starts for the Saints, Tyler Shough appears to be set at QB down in N’Awlins for the foreseeable future. He and Chris Olave made some jazz music this past season, giving cooterdoodle something to cheer for. Now what’s next for the Year 2 QB?
Sam Wallace and Jake Trowbridge compiled their Dynasty Darlings for the coming season, and beyond, and Shough got a thorough recommendation from Sam:
Over his final eight games last season, he averaged nearly 23 points per game. His underlying metrics are strong as well. Shough averaged 2.0 designed rush attempts, 1.9 scrambles and nearly 20 rushing yards per game. Those are more than serviceable numbers for a first-year QB whose only legit weapon was Chris Olave.
New Orleans also offers a fantasy-friendly environment that Shough should thrive in. In 2025, led by first-year HC and rising offensive mind Kellen Moore, the Saints ran no-huddle 22.7% of the time, trailing only the Washington Commanders. They also averaged a league-leading 2.2 plays per minute.
