Me? I love the silly season. 

This time right now, between the NFL Combine and the NFL Draft, is particularly invigorating. We get some real, actionable information as the new league year kicks off in mid-March, and the cascade of player movement upends our dynasty rosters in ways we see coming and in ways we don't.

But other than that? It's pure, wild, drunken, speculation time, Bubba. NFL mock drafts are rolling out daily, and until the real thing hits in April, we dynasty managers are left to speculate on other people's speculation. 

But it isn't all empty calories, my friends. Sure, the landing spots here are imaginary, and so is the impact on NFL and fantasy rosters, but the effect the speculation has on our abilities as dynasty players is real.

Advantages can be had in dynasty leagues by managers who are most ready to react to real-life roster changes. You need experience to be prepared, and practice is the best way to gain that experience.

So why not feed our brains that mock draft candy and sharpen our dynasty skills at the same time? We'll pick a recent mock draft and examine its dynasty fallout each week.

This week we'll look at a recent draft from Mike Tannenbaum of ESPN for our inspiration.

Fantasy Relevant Picks

1.01 - Tennessee Titans - QB Cam Ward, Miami (FL)

The bad news? This is the same pick, player, and team as we had in this spot last week. The good news? This is the only pick, player, and team in the same spot as last week.

The analysis for Ward and the Titans doesn't change from last week. Instead, let's look at a few numbers and see if we can torture them into telling us what we want to hear. I mean, see what we can glean. I don't know. Whatever. I'm not a mathematician. It's a dangerous game to play, to look at last year's stats and claim to predict what will happen next year, but dangerous speculation is kind of the whole point of this exercise.

The collection of meat suits to post fantasy numbers at quarterback for the Titans last year, Will Levis and Mason Rudolph,  combined for 3621 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 21 interceptions through the air. On the ground, the pair combined for 289 yards and 1 touchdown on 70 carries. Over 17 games, that was good for 15.4 points per in Footballguys standard scoring. For context, in the same scoring system, Caleb Williams checked in as the QB14 for 2024 with ... wait for it ... 15.4 points.

Our Jason Wood currently projects Ward to score 16.4 fantasy points per game over 15 games in 2025. This tells me that if Ward lands in Tennessee and Woodrow has him figured correctly, fantasy managers should be able to expect fringe quarterback one production from him in the coming season.

Or not. Like I said, it's a dangerous game.

1.02 - Cleveland Browns - CB/WR Travis Hunter, Colorado

Hunter went to the Patriots at 1.04 in last week's draft, but landing in Cleveland also doesn't change my analysis of Hunter. At this point, we should all just have some kind of code word or shorthand we can type that means "depending on how the team that picks him says they will use him, even though we know they probably won't tell us anything or will just lie right to our earnest little faces."

Tannenbaum thinks the Browns would deploy Hunter mostly as a cornerback, with 15-20 plays per game at wide receiver, mostly in third down and red zone situations. If this is how Cleveland uses Hunter on offense, then I would expect a volatile fantasy asset that I can't be happy taking earlier than as a late first-round dart throw in a rookie draft. 

1.06 - Las Vegas Raiders - RB Ashton Jeanty, Boise State

Last week's mock exercise saw the Raiders take a wide receiver here. This week, they stay on offense with the dynamic running back out of Boise State. Jeanty's spot as the number one rookie pick is unlikely to change, no matter where he lands. With the Raiders, he ends up with a team with several other holes that need to be filled, but with a veteran quarterback in Geno Smith and a head coach that is known for running the football. There is no meaningful backfield competition for Jeanty on this roster. His upside might only be limited by the team around him and how he can hold up to the grind of an NFL season.

1.10 - Pittsburgh Steelers - QB Shedeur Sanders, Colorado

TRADE ALERT: Tannenbaum has the Steelers giving up the 1.21, third and fourth-rounders in this year's draft and a first-round pick in 2026 for the right to move up to this spot and take Sanders.

I haven't seen this particular combination yet, and I, well, I gotta be honest, I really like it. Sanders has things to work on, but by all accounts, he has the physical tools to succeed as an NFL quarterback. On top of that, he has the benefit of a support system featuring his father and other former NFL players to help show him the ropes. There is a lot of hype and attention that comes along with that, however, and Sanders seems like the kind of prospect for whom the landing spot will matter more than most. He could thrive if he ends up in a place that can handle being in Prime Time. Pittsburgh, to me, is one of those places. Mike Tomlin is as respected as they come as a head coach, and the Steelers are one of the most stable and consistent franchises in the history of American sports. 

The cost to acquire him and draft position means he would likely be expected to start right away, but the Steelers have enough pieces in place on offense to give Sanders a good chance to be successful. This landing spot for Sanders would considerably close the gap between him and Ward.

1.12 - Dallas Cowboys - WR Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona

McMillan falls six spots in this week's exercise and moves from the Raiders to the Cowboys in the process. The landing spot couldn't be more different, although the fantasy outlook remains mostly the same, which makes the whole notion that landing spot matters...pointless? Wait, no, that's a little too existential for me. I'd prefer to think of it like there is more than one way to get to the right answer.

One way could be as the default number one wide receiver in Vegas, but another could be as the running mate to a dominant number one wide receiver in Dallas. Where McMillan's numbers in a place like Vegas would be as likely from volume as anything else, his numbers in a place like Dallas will have to be more about efficiency. CeeDee Lamb will dominate targets, but Tee Higgins has proven that a top-flight number two can still dominate fantasy games. With Lamb drawing coverage and attention, McMillan can use his size and skill to make defenses pay and reward fantasy managers.

1.14 - Indianapolis Colts - TE Tyler Warren, Penn State

Warren goes from the Jets to the Colts and his fantasy outlook changes for me only slightly. With the Jets, he'd be the pretty clear second receiving option, but with the Colts, he'll have to contend with both Michael Pittman Jr and Josh Downs for targets. Still, he goes to a team that has been trying to solve its tight-end position for a while. Tannenbaum notes they had the second-fewest yards from the tight end position in the NFL last year. Warren seems primed to step in and upgrade that spot immediately, even if he has to fight for targets a little more than he might in other places. The bigger issue in Indianapolis will remain what they ultimately do at quarterback and what impact that will have on Colt fantasy assets.

1.16 - Arizona Cardinals - WR Matthew Golden, Texas

I think I'm too low on Golden. He's a lock to be a top-100 fantasy pick in April and seems more and more likely to be a first-rounder before it's all said and done. He didn't make the cut in last week's draft, but this week, he goes in the top half of the first round.

Golden just barely misses the mark on most of the metrics I like to consider, but as we get closer to draft day, I have to consider that I'm wrong to hold that against him too much. The NFL Draft will tell me a lot; this landing spot is a chef's kiss emoji. I read somewhere this week that Marvin Harrison Jr. had the most success on routes across the middle of the field last season, which was unfortunate because he was also asked to run those routes the least. If Golden runs past defenders with that 4.29 speed and frees Harrison up to run the routes where he can be most efficient, then sign me up. Golden's fantasy numbers might be inconsistent, but his presence could help Harrison's consistency and take some of the workload from Trey McBride.

1.20 - Denver Broncos - RB Omarion Hampton, UNC

Hampton went to the Steelers at 1.21 last week, but with Pittsburgh moving up for its quarterback of the future and Jeanty going in the Top 10, he goes one pick earlier this week to the Broncos.

The analysis for Hampton to the Broncos isn't too different than Jeanty to the Broncos. Hampton is the clear runner-up to Jeanty in the running back pecking order, but like the Boise star, Hampton can step in and be a three-down running back on day one. He has great size, speed, and burst, and he will be difficult to keep off the field.

For most coaches.

Sean Payton, friends, is not most coaches. He's an offensive genius, a quarterback guru, and a sadistic monster to fantasy managers when he has a stable of running backs to play with. Audric Estime and Jaleel McLaughlin will get touches. They just will. And even better? They'll get them randomly. You won't like it, you won't think it's right, but if you draft Hampton, you'll have to accept it. I won't fade him here just like I wouldn't fade Jeanty, but I'm watching you, Coach Payton.

1.22 - Los Angeles Chargers - TE Colston Loveland, Michigan

This is one of those things that just feels spot-on to happen but, at the same time, also spot-on not to happen. On one hand, it's the perfect blend of need, talent, and player/coach familiarity. On the other hand, it's so obviously perfect that it just can't happen, right?

Loveland would step in as an immediate starter for the Chargers and have a chance to be second to only Ladd McConkey in the receiving pecking order for Justin Herbert. I still hesitate to recommend the insanity of chasing rookie tight-end production, especially with your first-round picks, but if Loveland lands here, he will have a real chance to surpass Warren as the top fantasy tight end in the class based on opportunity alone. Add to that the talent of Loveland, his quarterback, and the coaching staff, and you have a potential home run rookie pick.

1.26 - Los Angeles Rams - QB Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss

Dart is the second player, along with Golden, picked in the first round of this draft but not in last week's. I love that he lands here with Sean McVay and would likely get the chance to sit and learn behind a true professional quarterback in Matthew Stafford. He's been my second-ranked quarterback through most of the rookie process this year, and there might not be a better spot for a young quarterback to learn, grow, and prepare to be an NFL starter. That said, if he lands with the Rams and Sanders lands with the Steelers, I would have to reconsider their respective rankings on my board. 

We would probably be another year away from seeing whether Dart can actually play in the NFL. While quarterbacks hold their value nicely for the first few years in dynasty leagues, guys who sit don't often see that value go up. A lot of people already have Dart behind Sanders, and though I like this landing spot for Dart's long-term prospects, I could see myself joining those people in this scenario.

1.30 - Buffalo Bills - WR Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State

He might be the safest and most NFL-ready of the top wide receivers in the class, and he goes here to the reigning MVP and a powerful offense. Tannenbaum thinks Egbuka instantly becomes the most talented receiver on the Buffalo roster and I have to agree. He's right there with McMillan and Burden for me at the top of the wide receiver class and an absolute steal here for the Bills. He would step in and lead the team in targets as a rookie and be worth every bit of the investment you'd have to use to get him early in your rookie drafts.

Check back next week for another installment of Mock Draft Reactions. In the meantime, check out our 2025 player projections and our 2025 team projections.