ATLANTA, GEORGIA – DECEMBER 10: Drake London #5 of the Atlanta Falcons runs the ball during the first half against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 10, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
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Now that we’re at the end of August, it’s officially time for most people to draft their fantasy football team. To help everyone get ready, we’ll be doing a fantasy football mock draft from pick 12 today.
Whether this is your draft slot or not, you’ll learn a lot from these results and the strategy within this article. This fantasy football mock draft will be done in a 12-team, PPR, 1QB format on ESPN.
2025 Fantasy Football Draft Strategy: Pick 12
If you’ve read any of my prior work, you would know that my strategy across the board is similar this year. Draft a balanced team to the best of your abilities without sacrificing a ton of value.
If there’s a massive drop off in talent, select the best player with the intention of trading them later for a better team fit. However, if two players are close in your decision, building a balanced team gets priority.
Due to the fact that you get back-to-back picks, building a balanced team is especially important at pick 12. That way, you can ensure that you don’t get blocked off from a certain position in the long wait you have between picks.
2025 Fantasy Football Mock Draft
Round One: Christian McCaffrey
Round Two: Drake London
Round Three: Breece Hall
Round Four: George Kittle
Strategy For Rounds 1-4
With the Brian Robinson Jr trade, people are starting to panic and avoid Christian McCaffrey, causing him to fall into the late first. McCaffrey is a bit risky, but he’s scored at least 20 PPG five times in his career. The upside with McCaffrey is worth the risk.
Typically, you’d like to come out of these rounds with two running backs and two wide receivers. With that being said, the wide receiver value falls off quickly at the three/four turn.
Rather than reaching on a player that isn’t nearly as talented, just grab an elite tight end or quarterback. Especially when you have a smaller starting lineup on ESPN, this can provide you with a big positional advantage if you get this pick right.
Round Five: Tetairoa McMillan
Round Six: DeVonta Smith
Round Seven: Jaylen Waddle
Round Eight: Chris Olave
Strategy For Rounds 5-8
The reason it makes sense to avoid drafting a wide receiver in round four is that Tetairoa McMillan is a massive value on ESPN drafts. McMillan is neck and neck with the other wide receivers available in round four, but he’s tiers above the receivers available at the five/six turn.
For tight end, there’s a massive drop off once Brock Bowers, Trey McBride, and George Kittle are drafted. With that being said, in order to make up for avoiding the wide receiver spot early, make sure you hammer the position the best you can in this range.
While four isn’t always necessary, depending on the value, try to always walk out with at least three. Your other pick should almost always be a running back.
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – MAY 09: Cam Skattebo #44 of the New York Giants during rookie minicamp at NY Giants Quest Diagnostics Training Center on May 09, 2025 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images)
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Round Nine: Cam Skattebo
Round 10: Justin Fields
Round 11: Jaydon Blue
Round 12: Cedric Tillman
Strategy For Rounds 9-12
In this case, round nine should be your running back if you’ve drafted four wide receivers in a room. From there, the late round quarterback strategy comes into play with Justin Fields as your first option.
From there, make sure you walk out with at least two running backs in this range. Rookie running backs are great upside swings since these players are going to be on your bench.
Round 13: Bhayshul Tuten
Round 14: Kyle Williams
Round 15: Cam Little
Round 16: Arizona Cardinals D/ST
Strategy For Rounds 13-16
You’ll find Kyle Williams on almost every mock draft or team that I draft. Williams was a phenomenal prospect, tied to an ascending quarterback (Drake Maye) in a situation with limited competition. Target him in every ESPN draft you can.
From there, drafting another rookie running back is a good idea because, as mentioned earlier, they have a ton of upside, and you’ll get a good understanding of their usage early on.
Ollie Gordon is another possible pick due to his strong preseason, fantastic 2023 season at Oklahoma State, and some injury concerns around De’Von Achane.
Overall, pick 12 is an above-average draft slot this year, and this fantasy football mock draft ended up working out well.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevebradshaw/2025/08/25/2025-fantasy-football-mock-draft-pick-12-strategy/