FantasyPros Fantasy Football Podcast
Episode: 2025 Fantasy Football Mock Draft | PPR Expert Picks (Ep. 1662)
Date: August 21, 2025
Host: Ryan Wormley
Featured Guests: Scott Bogman (Bogman), Chris Welsh (Welsh), Jake Seeley (The Athletic)
Episode Overview
The team hosts a live PPR (Point Per Reception) mock draft for the 2025 fantasy football season with special guests and community members. They break down picks, strategies, biggest values, and mistakes. The discussion is lively and insightful, with plenty of real-time reactions as surprises unfold in the draft room. The episode is geared toward providing actionable advice and insight into optimal draft-day tactics by showing how experts think through their picks and build their teams.
Draft Strategies & Round 1-2 Highlights
General Strategies
- Back-half drafting: Welsh has experimented with both early and late positions, liking the flexibility at the 10/11 spot for the double-tap of WR or RB/WR (“I really like the running backs that are right around there and I like the double tap of wide receivers.” — Welsh, 02:17).
- Benchmark Advice: Jake emphasizes bench optimization. ("Stop wasting your bench," 03:34)
- Early Tight End/Quarterback stacking: Largely discouraged by the experts due to opportunity cost (see 12:29).
Early Pick Highlights
- 101 Jamar Chase (Bogman): Easy pick; expects massive volume with Bengals defense weakened (“...I don't know how every game is in 48 to 49 that they play this year. So I think Jamar Chase is going to have a lot of receptions.” — Bogman, 03:58)
- 102 Bijan Robinson (Jake): Seen as the best all-around back, minimal risk.
- Top 6: Chase, Bijan, Gibbs, CeeDee Lamb, Justin Jefferson, Christian McCaffrey — fairly chalk, but CMC (6) surprises some due to injury risk.
Wide Receiver Runs
- Welsh targets Puka Nacua at the turn due to expected catch volume (“...he’s gonna get 1200 catches in two weeks.” — Welsh, 06:44)
- The value of stacking elite WRs late in Round 1 is a recurrent theme.
Running Back Notes
- Hottest names: McCaffrey’s ADP surging due to improved health narratives (05:26)
- Uncertainty around prospects like De'Von Achane, but the upside in PPR is too great to ignore (08:47).
Middle Rounds (3-7): Taking Shots & Managing Risk
Tight End/Tier-One QB Debate
- Experts preach patience unless aiming for a true difference-maker (“I will do one or the other. ...It can work. I'm just never going to do both.” — Jake, 12:29)
- Brock Bowers and Trey McBride headline early tight end targets, but value is key—not just positional scarcity.
- Welsh laments being sniped on his plan for Kittle or a top-tier QB (15:18).
Risk Management
- Welsh’s team is cited as the highest-risk, highest-upside roster (16:09).
- "You're being so rude today." — Welsh joking about Ryan's warning on risk (16:09).
Mocking for Experience
- Many picks are used to simulate different approaches and test new players/roster builds rather than just maximizing points (“You want to try new things, see what the team looks like.” — Wormley, 07:52).
Key Quotes & Memorable Moments
- On Stacking Early TE/QB: "You set yourself up to the point where you're probably going to get that quarterback value over everybody else ... but now the tight end has to be almost Travis Kelce." – Jake Seeley (12:29)
- On Mock Drafting Philosophy: “It's a mock. You want to try new things, see what the team looks like.” – Ryan Wormley (07:52)
- On Risky Starts: “You just have the very high variance team.” – Ryan Wormley to Welsh (16:09)
- Ricky Pearsall Advocacy: “I'm completing my tasks as an among us character. ... The task was always to get Ricky Pearsall.” – Welsh (24:32)
- Jake's Bench Rant: "Stop wasting your bench." – Jake Seeley (03:34, theme repeated throughout)
- On "What Ifs": “You see the domino of like one pick then affects what you did at this spot and then what you did at the next one. So I do regret taking Genti. I'm happy I tried it out, but I wish I had stuck to my gun.” – Ryan Wormley (49:36)
Timestamps for Major Segments
- Draft Setup & Strategy Intros: 00:00–03:27
- Round 1 Breakdown (Top 10 picks): 03:45–07:31
- Positional Runs (WRs, RBs in Rounds 2–3): 07:31–10:52
- Early TE/QB Rationale & Debate: 10:52–14:17
- High-Risk Rosters & Snipe Stories: 14:17–16:09
- Rounds 4–5 and Mocking for Experimentation: 16:09–24:32
- Wide Receiver Riser Talk (Pierceall, Zay Flowers, etc.): 24:32–25:57
- Running Back Debates (Chuba, Connor, rookie situations): 21:23–23:09, 26:22–27:40
- Bench Building Philosophy ("Stop wasting your bench"): Thread throughout; see 38:15–39:03
- Double Tight End Debates: 30:15–32:14
- Late-Round Value Picks & QB Discussion: 34:27–41:14
- Draft Reflection, ‘What If’ & Insights: 49:36–55:21
- Final Takeaways & Outro: 55:21–59:00
Late-Round & Bench Construction
- General consensus: Wait at QB unless you land a true tier-one option. Multiple tier-two/three-affordable upside QBs (Drake Maye, Jordan Love, Goff, etc.) went in Rounds 12–14.
- “There’s so many quarterbacks still available. ... There’s so many good. This is the last round and Jordan Love. Trevor Lawrence, C.J. Stroud...” – Ryan Wormley (41:03)
- Jake rails against double-dipping at elite ones: “If you draft elites and this is only the top four quarterbacks ... and for the people that are like, well if they get hurt, you're screwed either way.” (46:31)
- Several bench picks are high-upside rookie/second-year backs and receivers (Scatterboo, Tank Bigsby, Cedric Tillman, Marvin Mims).
Post-Draft Reflections & Lessons Learned
Grading Outcomes:
- Jake Seeley: Projected 3rd
- Scott Bogman: Projected 7th
- Chris Welsh: Projected 11th (“I think there was somebody that said I would be the one worst. I'm the second worst.” – Welsh, 49:36)
- "Bunting" (Listener/Discord member): Projected 1st; commended for balance and value picks.
Biggest Regrets & Lessons
- Ryan regrets not following his usual doubling-up-on-WR-late strategy and being influenced into trying a new approach (49:36).
- Importance of understanding positional runs and the impact of passing on preferred tiers (“...one pick then affects what you did at this spot and then what you did at the next one.” — 49:36).
Key Takeaways:
- Don’t Overthink Mock Draft Grades: Algorithms don’t always capture current player risers or real-world context.
- Learn Your League Tendencies: Know if QBs get pushed up, which way WR runs go, and prep accordingly (58:14).
- Mock Experimentation Is Invaluable: Trying new approaches helps find personal comfort zone for real drafts.
Final Thought From Jake Seeley:
"I'm just never going to take ... a Justin Herbert and be like cool, I got quarterback 15. Yay." (57:01)
Top Notable Picks by Round (Based on Conversation)
| Round | Notable Picks | Commentary | |-------|-------------------------|----------------------------------------------| | 1 | Jamar Chase, Bijan | Chalk; CMC after Amon-Ra, Neighbors a surprise | | 2 | Puka, Genty, HN | WR running late; Achane risk-reward | | 3 | Kyron Williams, JSN | Kyron's value panned | | 4-5 | DJ Moore, DK Metcalf | High-risk, high-reward runs | | 6-8 | Ricky Pearsall, Laporta, Mark Andrews, Deebo Samuel, Chris Godwin | Upside hunting, positional scarcity, “my guys” drafting | | 9-10 | Bill Crosby Merritt, Cedric Tillman, Tank Bigsby | Rookies/potential late gems | | 12-14 | Drake Maye, Keenan Allen, Rashid Shahid, Kyle Pitts (13th round) | Late QB/TE value, floor-upside blends |
Listener Tips & Macro-strategies
- Don’t stack early TE + QB. Do one; load up on WR/RB otherwise.
- Use real-time ADP tools. “Real time ADP is an awesome, awesome new feature that we have.” – Ryan (03:27, also 45:52)
- Leverage strong RB options between Rounds 3-4 if you miss on elites.
- Mock often, mock different. Trying unique builds exposes weaknesses/strengths before real drafts.
Summary Table – Expert Teams and Philosophies
| Expert | Draft Position | Core Strategy | Highlights | Risk Level | |-------------|----------------|--------------------|---------------------------------------|-------------------| | Bogman | 1.01 | Early WR/Tier-1 TE | Jamar Chase, McBride, J.Taylor | Stable, upside | | Welch | Late 1st | Risk-upside hybrid | Puka, Achane, Daniels, Pearsall | High-variance | | Jake Seeley | 1.02 | Balanced | Bijan, Tyreek, Jacobs, Metcalf, Ridley| High floor | | Ryan Wormley| (Host) | Stacking RBs, Flex | Cook, Kyron, Laporta/Andrews, Drake Maye| Unconventional, mixed results|
Listener Draft Standout
Bunting:
- Projected 1st place, balanced roster, hit on key ADP risers, stacked Cowboys and Seahawks, and avoided positional pitfalls. “We kind of clocked during that draft that he was having a really excellent draft.” – Ryan (49:41)
Final Takeaways
- Mocking is for learning—use it to find your optimal approach and know your positional comfort zones.
- Don’t panic if you miss out on plan A; have a plan B and C ready.
- Bench spots are valuable—avoid doubling up on locked-in starters at QB or TE.
- Use insights, what-ifs, and post-draft review tools to find “pain points” in your process.
For more, check FantasyPros.com/rankings, utilize their DraftWizard tools, real-time ADP, and keep tuning in for weekly, expert-driven insights as the draft season heats up.