The Perfect Fantasy Mock Draft at Pick 9 Led by Nico Collins and Christian McCaffrey

Fantasy football managers, draft season is officially upon us, and it's time to get those last mock practice sessions in. In a latest mock draft from the No. 9 spot in a PPR snake draft, the plan was to load up on heavy reception potential in a format that rewards a full point for every catch.

Sure-fire number one team receivers and dual-threat running backs were the targets early, and you couldn’t have asked for a more perfect start.

Round 1: Nico Collins, WR Houston Texans

Entering prime drafting time, Nico Collins is currently holding a PPR ADP of 12th overall and ranks on FantasyPros.com as the fourth wide receiver. He averaged 85.3 receiving yards per game his last two seasons, with a total of 15 touchdowns.

Despite only playing in 12 games last season, Collins finished as the 23rd-ranked PPR WR, but a full season of health could easily see him as a top-four in 2025.

Round 2: Christian McCaffrey, RB San Francisco 49’ers

Sure, there is some trepidation with Christian McCaffrey coming off a 2024 injury and missing 13 games. However, rumor has it he is looking like his old self, and the value in round two was way too good to pass up. In 2023, he had 2,023 total scrimmage yards and 21 touchdowns, and should he come even close to those figures, he’ll be a steal for anyone making him their second pick in drafts across any format.

Round 3: Ashton Jeanty, RB Las Vegas Raiders

This was a shocking fall and there was virtually no choice but to roll the dice on Las Vegas rookie running back Ashton Jeanty. With an ADP of 13th in PPR leagues, and the 6th ranked running back, the value plus potential here was a perfect formula for a third pick.

Jeanty could see a massive amount of touches both on the ground and through the passing game, as he caught 80 passes out of the backfield in his three seasons at Boise State. The concern could be the level of consistent competition, playing in the Mountain West Conference, but his talent is clear to see why the Raiders selected him 6th overall in last April’s NFL Draft.

pic.twitter.com/z77vL0b3oC #Raiders Ashton Jeanty is going to be a BEAST #RaiderNation
— NFL Rumors (@nflrums) August 16, 2025

Round 4: Alvin Kamara, RB New Orleans Saints

Even though Alvin Kamara has some mileage on him entering his ninth NFL season, he is a PPR gem of a fantasy running back with his consistent pass-catching and yardage potential. For his career, he averaged 71.6 receptions a season and 1,442.6 total scrimmage yards. His key is staying healthy, but newly named starting quarterback Spencer Rattler would be wise to lean on Kamara for plenty of touches.

Round 5: Xavier Worthy, WR Kansas City Chiefs

The speedster had a solid rookie season and showed versatility in adding to his fantasy production with 20 rushes and three touchdowns to complement his receiving ability. He caught 59 passes for 638 yards and six touchdowns, and has six games to start the season with Rashee Rice suspended. He could get out to a very fast start out of the gates.

He looks to continue his momentum from a solid fantasy playoff two weeks last season, scoring a touchdown in Weeks 16 and 17, and his 15 receptions on 20 targets in those games.

Round 6: Bo Nix, QB Denver Broncos

As a rookie in 2024, Bo Nix finished as the seventh-ranked fantasy quarterback, and he will build on that in 2025. He ranked sixth in passing touchdowns and eighth in rushing yards, making him a viable dual threat for consistent fantasy production each week. He will also get tight end Evan Engram added to his arsenal, so he can easily improve from his 12th-ranked yardage numbers last season.

Round 7: Calvin Ridley, WR Tennessee Titans

Currently ranked with an ADP of 65.3 and WR29, Ridley will be the top target for rookie quarterback Cam Ward. Ridley is coming off a career high in 2024 in yards per reception with 15.9, and should he improve on his touchdown output similar to his 2023 season, he could make for a solid WR3 or flex play for fantasy managers.

Round 8: Evan Engram, TE Denver Broncos

A two-time Pro Bowler, Evan Engram will look to start fresh with Denver and Nix. A quality stacking option here, Engram is ranked as PPR’s 8th tight end at the moment, and the connection with him and Nix could spike his touchdown ability, which only produced one last season in Jacksonville in his nine games played.

Round 9: Jordan Mason, RB Minnesota Vikings

Jordan Mason enters his first year in Minnesota and should be in line to eventually claim the backfield over veteran Aaron Jones. Each could get sufficient work, but Mason has a chance to outscore Jones, and makes for a quality depth fantasy player who could elevate his production as the year progresses. He showed heavy potential last year for the 49’ers when McCaffrey got hurt, and has a career yards per carry average of 5.3.

Jordan Mason pic.twitter.com/VCoeDQeoRK
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) May 21, 2025

Round 10 and Beyond:

Rounding out the roster with backups and upside depth picks, the 10th round had New Orleans' Rashid Shaheed available, who was having a productive 2024 before injury. He has a career 16.6 yards per reception, and last year that number was 17.5, so a healthy season could see him top 1,000 yards for the first time heading into year four in the league.

With the 11th pick, the Chicago Bears' rookie tight end Colston Loveland makes for a good backup on this mock team, and ranks as TE12 in standard and PPR leagues. Picks 12 and 13 were a pair of rookie backs in the Dallas Cowboys' Jaydon Blue and Miami Dolphins' Ollie Gordon II. Blue could emerge as the starter eventually, and Gordon has been a major riser with his ADP spiking after an impressive preseason.

Needing a team defense, the Detroit Lions unit was the 14th pick, and they scored as the 10th-best group in 2024. With pick 15, a rookie in Seattle, Tory Horton could slide into the number two receiver for the Seahawks after a quality summer. The draft concluded with Houston's quarterback C.J. Stroud, who in this case, makes for a good backup to Nix, and sporadic stacking potential with target Nico Collins.