Fantasy Sports

Ja'Marr Chase, Saquon Barkley, Bijan Robinson Headline 12-Team PPR Round 1 Mock Draft

Who goes in the first round of a PPR mock draft? Saquon Barkley, Bijan Robinson, or Jamarr Chase 1st overall?
Thomas Carelli|
Jan 26, 2025; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) celebrates after a touchdown against the Washington Commanders during the second half in the NFC Championship game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Jan 26, 2025; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) celebrates after a touchdown against the Washington Commanders during the second half in the NFC Championship game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Mock Draft Season in underway as we dive into PPR formats. Who should go first overall, Saquon Barkley, Jamarr Chase, or Bijan Robinson?

1st Overall - Ja'Marr Chase - WR - Bengals

Ja'Marr Chase is coming off an absolutely insane 2024 fantasy season. In PPR formats, Chase was the #1 fantasy asset amongst FLEX players. Tee Higgins returns healthier in 2025, but it is undeniable what the Bengals achieved on offense last year. No one in their right mind will take a load off of Chase. No one can also double team him heavily - Higgins is too much of a threat. Barkley is better in standard scoring by a longshot, but in PRR the edge goes to Jamarr Chase.

2nd Overall - Saquon Barkley - RB - Eagles

Saquon Barkley had one of the elite seasons in fantasy football history. Jahmyr Gibbs crept on him towards the end of the year with his pass game value, but Barkley reigned supreme as the #1 running back. in 2025, Barkley went for 125 yards per game and despite tush-push scoring from Jalen Hurts, he still rushed for 13 touchdowns. Should any team manage to somehow stop the tush push, that TD total may get even higher this season. The usage will be high and so will be his week-to-week scoring value.

3rd Overall - Bijan Robinson - RB - Falcons

I am a true believer in talent over everything. If I am in a pickle, I always go with the better player. Saquon is the better player than Bijan, but Bijan is the better player than anyone else. His receiving value is higher than Barkley's, but given the usage, I think Bijan falls just behind Barkley. Either guy at #2 is honestly very acceptable, but I trust Philly more than Atlanta.

In PPR scoring, Bijan was the #3 RB last season. I expect he should repeat the same in 2025. The RB position will be very crowded at the top.

4th Overall - Jahmyr Gibbs - RB - Lions

Following the same suit, Gibbs is the next best player. He provides massive PPR value where he recorded about 3 catches for 30 yards per game - an additional 6 points per game. David Montgomery is back healthy in this Lions lineup but Gibbs has clearly solidified himself as their RB1 in Detroit.

Despite Motgomery missing some games, Gibbs had a 75% snap share last season. In an offense that is very run heavy behind an elite offensive line, even a 60% share can easily total 15 rushes per game for Gibbs. With a new OC, Detroit shall still maintain suit and Jahmyr Gibbs shall thrive.

5th Overall - Justin Jefferson - WR - Vikings

Skill is not always taught, sometimes it is just god-given. Justin Jefferson has that gift. The Vikings come with more questions surrounding their offense which, in turn, drops Jefferson to 5th. JJ McCarthy is slotted to start for Minnesota and though the investment is high, the returns are in question for now.

Though JJ McCarthy has questions to be answered, Justin Jefferson is clearly one of the best players in the entire NFL. Whoever is throwing the ball will be feeding Jefferson. In 2024 he was the #3 WR in PPR scoring.

6th Overall - CeeDee Lamb - WR - Cowboys

CeeDee Lamb had a down year, relatively speaking, in 2024. His talent on the other hand? Elite.

I was extremely high on Lamb out of college as we're most people. I was very surprised to see him fall outside the top 10 in that draft. He has proved his value very well in his career thus far. Dak is healthy this season and Brian Schottenheimer will make sure he is fed. George Pickens comes to town as a core #2, but the player he is, CeeDee Lamb will have a big 2025.

7th Overall - De'Von Achane - RB - Dolphins

Upon many struggles in a down year, Mike McDaniel took to De'Von Achane and he answered. The explosive ability from Achane is tremendous. He also catches a ton of footballs. He averaged 4.6 Rec/G and 34.8 RecYd/G. As Mostert leaves town, it is the Achane show.

8th Overall - Derrick Henry - RB - Ravens

It is wild to me that we have a running back aged 31 still going this high in a fantasy football mock drafts. Running backs rarely last beyond age 30, if that. Todd Gurley, fantasy football legend, has been retired for awhile now and he is only 30 years old.

Derrick Henry has proved himself extremely durable. I personally credit it to his diet - the same diet that Novak Djokovic has thrived on.

The Ravens project to be a top 3 team in the league with an elite run game, as per always. It is very possible that you could draft Henry even higher, but I slot him at 8th overall. I allude to this very often, but fantasy RB1's are very rarely over the age of 27. This trend goes against Henry. That being said, he is still very possibly a top 5 running back. The only other knock is his lack of receiving ability.

9th Overall - Amon-Ra St. Brown - WR - Lions

Amon-Ra comes to work, does his job, and goes home. I respect the heck out of it. On a run first offense, he finished #3 amongst WRs in PPR scoring last season. Not much has changed personnel wise and so I see Amon-Ra doing the same thing this year - thriving.

No - I am not concerned about the play-calling.

10th Overall - Ashton Jeanty - RB - Raiders

You have probably heard a great deal about Jeanty leading into his rookie year. He is an all-world type of player. Pete Carroll is quite likely to run him heavy, similar to a Marshawn Lynch or-deal. Without a deep range of skill position players, Jeanty is to be the focal point of this Raiders offense. 20+ rushes per game on top of a 3-5 catches is very foreseeable. The endzone will be the challenge on a lower-tier offense. Usage may still get him to double-digits in that department.

11th Overall - Puka Nacua - WR - Rams

It is very bold to draft Nacua ahead of Davante Adams. Nacua has had injury concerns, but he has been extremely valuable when on the field. He literally went for almost 1k yards in just 11 games.

My eye test has had me locked onto Nacua since his rookie season. He simply makes plays. He should be a high target player, especially given his catch-ability, and this offense should become even more pass heavy with him and Adams leading the way.

12th Overall - Nico Collins - WR - Texans

As I've stated, I am a big eye-test guy. Nico Collins passes the eye test with honors. He can run just about every route, catch any ball, and he has very quick speed. CJ Stroud was very concerning in his sophomore season, but to feed Collins is the least of his problems. Last season Collins had a 29% target share and ranked 15th in yards per catch. Run it back.

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Thomas Carelli
THOMAS CARELLI

Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.

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