Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Building a Team Without an Early Running Back

It's time for another fantasy football mock draft!

Instead of drafting from a particular spot for the theme, I'm going to go a bit different route and try a draft strategy. Here, we will avoid taking early-round running backs, and we'll then see if we like the roster by the end of the mock.

We will again use the FantasySP mock draft tool, this time selecting seventh in a 10-team PPR setup. The roster includes one quarterback, two running backs, three wide receivers, one tight end, one flex spot, one kicker and one defense/special teams, along with five bench slots. Let's see what we can do!

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Round 1 - Amon-Ra St. Brown

The no early running back strategy was thwarted a bit by three wideouts (Ja'Marr Chase, Puka Nacua, Jaxon Smith-Njigba) being taken. I'll stick with the plan though and go with ARSB.

St. Brown is a pretty good first round pick, especially near the end of the round. He is about as consistent as they come, and should be in store for another big season. 

If I'm going to avoid a position early on, I need my other fantasy players to be really good/productive, and St. Brown is a good first pick following that idea.

Round 2 - Drake London

London is another high-end fantasy wide receiver who I have no issues selecting in the second round. Granted, there were some really good running backs that I wanted.

London is the top passing option for the Falcons, and should be in store for another big season despite some question marks surrounding the team's QB spot.

London and St. Brown are a really good 1-2 punch at wideout, and make me feel confident about not having a RB yet.

Round 3 - Chris Olave

Olave is my third straight pick at wide receiver. I think he's a potential draft steal after a big 2025 fantasy showing.

He's still the No. 1 guy in New Orleans - the drafting of Jordyn Tyson doesn't scare me too much. If anything worries me, it's some injury issues Olave has dealt with over his career.

I like him as a WR3 - he's a high-end one at that. I'm set at wide receiver, and probably will start looking at other positions in the next couple rounds.

Round 4 - DeVonta Smith

Well, at least I thought I was going to grab another position here. Instead, I got my fourth wide receiver in Smith.

Smith is likely to be the Eagles' No. 1 option in the passing game this season, after A.J. Brown was traded to the Patriots. I've never been a huge fan of Jalen Hurts as a passer, but he has to throw to someone, and Smith should be a big-time recipient in 2026.

After getting Smith, now I really need to start addressing other positions, because all the WR slots, and the flex spot, are already full.

Round 5 - Drake Maye

This is probably a bit of a reach for Maye, but I want to keep avoiding running backs a bit longer, and I didn't love the tight ends, so Maye was the next-best choice.

He's coming off a big second season in the league, and I believe he could perform even better with Brown around in 2026.

I can avoid the QB slot the rest of the way if I want, and I might since I will need to stockpile running backs late.

Round 6 - Quinshon Judkins 

I feel like waiting 50+ picks is long enough, so here's my first running back selection.

I'm a fan of Judkins, and really like his outlook in Cleveland for the 2026 season. If the Browns' offense can just be a bit better this year, I think Judkins will surprise and be a draft steal by the end of the year.

He's a weak RB1, but still not a terrible option to lead my backfield.

Round 7 - Bhayshul Tuten

I got another back here in Jacksonville's Tuten. I see him as a draft steal candidate in 2026.

He is set to lead the Jaguars' backfield after Travis Etienne signed elsewhere in free agency. If Tuten is healthy, I see him performing really well as the team's lead back.

So despite missing on running backs early, I don't mind the Judkins-Tuten duo I got in the past two rounds. Now, I just need some depth.

Round 8 - D'Andre Swift

I'm not a huge fan of Swift, but with him falling almost two rounds past his ADP, I thought the value was worth selecting here.

Swift is projected to be the top back, but I see Kyle Monangai doing even more in his second season, which is why I'm not very high on Swift.

After passing on running backs early though, getting him as a third RB in round 8 is pretty solid value in my eyes.

Round 9 - Travis Kelce

There was a massive run on tight ends after my last pick, so I am panic picking Kelce here, as there's no other great options at the position after him.

Kelce can still put up some fantasy points, and I'm at least hoping he's an average fantasy TE option weekly this year. If he isn't, I'll either have to rely on a tight end I draft later, or scour the waiver wire for some help.

Round 10 - Rico Dowdle

The running back options are running thin, so I'm landing another here in Dowdle.

He is expected to back up Jaylen Warren in Pittsburgh, but I think Dowdle could do enough to have some flex-level upside in 2026. If Warren were ever to get injured, I'd be sitting on a potential goldmine as well, so I like this pick.

Round 11 - Jayden Reed

I've avoided wide receiver for several rounds in a row, but finally landed another here in Reed.

He will be a top-three wideout for Green Bay, but after throwing in Tucker Kraft, Reed doesn't have the best fantasy outlook. I expect Green Bay to get him the ball enough to have some flex upside, which is good enough for me to select him here in round 11.

Round 12 - Aaron Jones Sr.

Jones could end up being the top back for Minnesota in 2026, so getting him here in Round 12 after skipping the position early on is a massive win in my eyes.

Even if he's just depth for me, I don't mind stashing Jones for a bit to see if he leads the Vikings' backfield this coming season.

Round 13 - Patriots DST

DSTs are starting to be picked, so I'm jumping on the bandwagon and getting a high-end possibility in the New England unit.

The Patriots DST was a top-10 fantasy option last year, and if they can do that again in 2026, I'd be happy with this pick.

Round 14 - Dallas Goedert

I'm seeing a little value with Goedert here late, especially only having Kelce at TE, so I decided to grab him.

Goedert has a chance to be a bigger part of the Eagles' offense with Brown no longer around, and for this late a pick, it's not a very risky selection.

Round 15 - Ka'imi Fairbairn

I had to fill the kicker slot yet, so Fairbairn gets the final selection in this mock.

He was the No. 2 fantasy kicker last year, so I like the value, even if he's just a top-10 option in 2026.

Final Thoughts

I was graded at a 79/100, which is a C+. It was the second-worst mock draft grade for this 10-team setup.

I understand why I received a lower grade, but honestly, I don't mind the final roster one bit.

Of course, skipping running backs early hurt my overall grade, but the RB room of Judkins, Tuten, Swift, Dowdle and Jones should be serviceable in 2026. Really, if Judkins and Tuten are weekly starting options, I see my team performing pretty well. There's enough depth there to feel solid at the position.

Maye being my quarterback eases my mind a bit. I do wish I'd have skipped QBs until late, then got a Matthew Stafford or Patrick Mahomes, but Maye gives me a higher ceiling/floor fantasy QB who helps make up for the weaker RB room.

Tight end is solid with Kelce and Goedert as options. If they don't work out, I'll hope to find weekly starters on the waiver wire, or trade for one.

Kicker and DST were solid choices for me, and add some more stability as I chased points lost from skipping the top running backs.

Of course, the wide receiver position is the big strength of this team. St. Brown, London, Olave, Smith and Reed are going to carry my team, and I'm going to need them all to live up to their draft slots, at least, in order to excel this coming season.

I wouldn't recommend skipping fantasy backs early on, but the final result isn't the worst, so I don't hate the strategy either. Check back for more fantasy football mock drafts as the 2026 season nears!