Half-PPR mock draft 2026: Gibbs vs. Bijan, Round 1 strategy, plus rankings



I was recently asked if the first round of Fantasy drafts this season would be easy because there are so many elite players. While the talent is there, I don’t expect the first round to be easy at all. There are plenty of tough decisions to make.

We held a half-PPR mock draft this week with members of our CBS Sports staff, as well as three members of our Fantasy Football Today podcast audience (Erik Guenther, Brad Curnett, and Rob Thomas). You should analyze the entire draft, especially players recently impacted by NFL free agency, but we’re going to dive into Round 1 here.

It starts at No. 1 overall, and there will be a strong debate over whether Jahmyr Gibbs or Bijan Robinson should go with that selection. I went with Gibbs, and I’m expecting a monster season from him with David Montgomery now in Houston, even with the Lions adding Isiah Pacheco.

Robinson should also be in line for a huge year, and I love him at No. 2 overall. But I like the offense in Detroit better than Atlanta, and even with Tyler Allgeier now in Arizona, Bijan Robinson will lose some work to Brian Robinson Jr. as well. In 2025, Bijan Robinson (18.7) was slightly better than Gibbs (18.5) in half-PPR, but I expect that to change in 2026.

Another fun debate will be who is the No. 1 receiver among Ja’Marr Chase, Puka Nacua, and Jaxson Smith-Njigba. I have it ranked Nacua, Chase, and Smith-Njigba, but the order in this draft was actually Chase, Justin Jefferson, Smith-Njigba, and Nacua. I’m hoping Jefferson will rebound this season with Kyler Murray now the expected quarterback for the Vikings, but Jefferson should not be drafted ahead of Nacua or Smith-Njigba as of now.

In 2025, Nacua (18.8) was better than Smith-Njigba (17.2) and Chase (15.3), and I expect Nacua to have another standout campaign in 2026 as the go-to guy for Matthew Stafford. Chase should rebound with a healthy Joe Burrow, and Smith-Njigba should again be awesome for Sam Darnold. For me, there is a clear top trio at this position, and all three should be drafted in the top five overall picks.

Two other tough calls for Round 1 will be when to draft Christian McCaffrey and De’Von Achane. For McCaffrey, there should be concerns about his age (he turns 30 in June) and workload from 2025, when he had 413 total touches in the regular season (311 carries and 102 catches).

Remember, in 2024, McCaffrey was coming off a 2023 campaign where he had 412 total touches, including the playoffs, and he only played four games due to Achilles and knee injuries the following season. I hope the same thing doesn’t occur in 2026. The earliest I would draft McCaffrey is No. 6 overall, and he went at No. 8 overall in this mock draft.

Achane went at No. 10 overall here, and that’s a good spot for him. He should be the focal point of Miami’s offense, but the Dolphins have little talent around him after Jaylen Waddle was traded to Denver. And Malik Willis’ rushing ability might hurt Achane in the passing game. I’m worried about Achane, and he’s my No. 5 running back behind Gibbs, Robinson, McCaffrey, and Jonathan Taylor, who was drafted at No. 11 overall.

As for the rest of the players in Round 1, they were all receivers. Amon-Ra St. Brown went at No. 7 overall, CeeDee Lamb went at No. 9, and Drake London was at No. 12. I agree that all of these players should be first-round picks, and I like St. Brown and Lamb ahead of Jefferson for now.

There is a chance we could see Malik Nabers creep into Round 1 also, but I would prefer him in Round 2 coming off last year’s torn ACL. And Trey McBride could also end up as a first-round pick, but I would rather draft him in Round 2.

Once the NFL Draft is over, we should have a clear picture of the top 12 players for 2026. But the debates are happening now for Round 1, and this draft is an example of what can still unfold this season.

As a reference point for this mock draft, all touchdowns are worth six points, and we award one point for every 10 yards rushing and receiving and one point for every 25 yards passing. We also award 0.5 points for every reception. We feature a starting lineup of QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, TE, and FLEX (RB/WR/TE) with six reserves for a 14-round draft.

Our draft order is as follows:

1. Jamey Eisenberg, Senior Fantasy Writer
2. Jacob Gibbs, SportsLine Fantasy Analyst
3. Jack Capotorto, CBS Sports HQ Producer
4. Brandon Howard, Fantasy Editor
5. R.J. White, Managing Editor, SportsLine and CBS Fantasy
6. Erik Guenther, Podcast Listener
7. Brad Curnett, Podcast Listener
8. Rob Thomas, FFT Facebook Moderator
9. Thomas Shafer, FFT Podcast Producer
10. Jake Grogins, CBS Sports HQ Production Staff
11. Heath Cummings, Senior Fantasy Analyst
12. Dave Richard, Senior Fantasy Writer

Round By Round

Round 1
Pos Team Player
1 Jamey Eisenberg J. Gibbs RB DET
2 Jacob Gibbs B. Robinson RB ATL
3 Jack Capotorto J. Chase WR CIN
4 Brandon Howard J. Jefferson WR MIN
5 R.J. White J. Smith-Njigba WR SEA
6 Erik Guenther P. Nacua WR LAR
7 Brad Curnett A. St. Brown WR DET
8 Rob Thomas C. McCaffrey RB SF
9 Thomas Shafer C. Lamb WR DAL
10 Jake Grogins D. Achane RB MIA
11 Heath Cummings J. Taylor RB IND
12 Dave Richard D. London WR ATL
Round 2
Pos Team Player
13 Dave Richard J. Cook RB BUF
14 Heath Cummings A. Jeanty RB LV
15 Jake Grogins T. McBride TE ARI
16 Thomas Shafer M. Nabers WR NYG
17 Rob Thomas N. Collins WR HOU
18 Brad Curnett O. Hampton RB LAC
19 Erik Guenther G. Pickens WR DAL
20 R.J. White C. Brown RB CIN
21 Brandon Howard D. Henry RB BAL
22 Jack Capotorto K. Walker III RB KC
23 Jacob Gibbs B. Bowers TE LV
24 Jamey Eisenberg R. Rice WR KC
Round 3
Pos Team Player
25 Jamey Eisenberg C. Olave WR NO
26 Jacob Gibbs J. Jacobs RB GB
27 Jack Capotorto S. Barkley RB PHI
28 Brandon Howard J. Williams WR DET
29 R.J. White A. Brown WR PHI
30 Erik Guenther K. Williams RB LAR
31 Brad Curnett B. Hall RB NYJ
32 Rob Thomas T. McMillan WR CAR
33 Thomas Shafer B. Irving RB TB
34 Jake Grogins T. Henderson RB NE
35 Heath Cummings T. Higgins WR CIN
36 Dave Richard E. Egbuka WR TB
Round 4
Pos Team Player
37 Dave Richard T. Etienne RB NO
38 Heath Cummings L. Burden III WR CHI
39 Jake Grogins G. Wilson WR NYJ
40 Thomas Shafer J. Allen QB BUF
41 Rob Thomas L. Jackson QB BAL
42 Brad Curnett D. Smith WR PHI
43 Erik Guenther J. Williams RB DAL
44 R.J. White D. Swift RB CHI
45 Brandon Howard Z. Flowers WR BAL
46 Jack Capotorto M. Evans WR SF
47 Jacob Gibbs D. Adams WR LAR
48 Jamey Eisenberg L. McConkey WR LAC
Round 5
Pos Team Player
49 Jamey Eisenberg C. Skattebo RB NYG
50 Jacob Gibbs J. Waddle WR DEN
51 Jack Capotorto D. Moore WR BUF
52 Brandon Howard X. Worthy WR KC
53 R.J. White T. McLaurin WR WAS
54 Erik Guenther C. Loveland TE CHI
55 Brad Curnett Q. Judkins RB CLE
56 Rob Thomas R. Harvey RB DEN
57 Thomas Shafer B. Tuten RB JAC
58 Jake Grogins D. Metcalf WR PIT
59 Heath Cummings R. Odunze WR CHI
60 Dave Richard T. Warren TE IND
Round 6
Pos Team Player
61 Dave Richard C. Watson WR GB
62 Heath Cummings J. Meyers WR JAC
63 Jake Grogins M. Wilson WR ARI
64 Thomas Shafer M. Harrison Jr. WR ARI
65 Rob Thomas H. Fannin Jr. TE CLE
66 Brad Curnett T. Kraft TE GB
67 Erik Guenther C. Sutton WR DEN
68 R.J. White D. Maye QB NE
69 Brandon Howard D. Njoku TE CLE
70 Jack Capotorto C. Hubbard RB CAR
71 Jacob Gibbs D. Montgomery RB HOU
72 Jamey Eisenberg A. Pierce WR IND
Round 7
Pos Team Player
73 Jamey Eisenberg S. LaPorta TE DET
74 Jacob Gibbs P. Washington WR JAC
75 Jack Capotorto C. Godwin WR TB
76 Brandon Howard I. Pacheco RB DET
77 R.J. White J. Warren RB PIT
78 Erik Guenther R. Pearsall WR SF
79 Brad Curnett B. Thomas Jr. WR JAC
80 Rob Thomas M. Pittman WR PIT
81 Thomas Shafer K. Pitts TE ATL
82 Jake Grogins W. Robinson WR TEN
83 Heath Cummings J. Hurts QB PHI
84 Dave Richard R. Stevenson RB NE
Round 8
Pos Team Player
85 Dave Richard J. Burrow QB CIN
86 Heath Cummings I. Likely TE NYG
87 Jake Grogins K. Shakir WR BUF
88 Thomas Shafer G. Kittle TE SF
89 Rob Thomas B. Corum RB LAR
90 Brad Curnett J. Addison WR MIN
91 Erik Guenther R. Dowdle RB PIT
92 R.J. White K. Monangai RB CHI
93 Brandon Howard K. Murray QB MIN
94 Jack Capotorto J. Dart QB NYG
95 Jacob Gibbs J. Daniels QB WAS
96 Jamey Eisenberg T. Pollard RB TEN
Round 9
Pos Team Player
97 Jamey Eisenberg J. Herbert QB LAC
98 Jacob Gibbs J. Croskey-Merritt RB WAS
99 Jack Capotorto R. Doubs WR NE
100 Brandon Howard J. Blue RB DAL
101 R.J. White S. Diggs WR NE
102 Erik Guenther J. Downs WR IND
103 Brad Curnett Z. Charbonnet RB SEA
104 Rob Thomas T. Allgeier RB ARI
105 Thomas Shafer A. Jones RB MIN
106 Jake Grogins J. Coker WR CAR
107 Heath Cummings J. Dobbins RB DEN
108 Dave Richard T. Hill WR MIA
Round 10
Pos Team Player
109 Dave Richard B. Aiyuk WR SF
110 Heath Cummings E. Wilson RB SEA
111 Jake Grogins O. Gadsden II TE LAC
112 Thomas Shafer J. Mason RB MIN
113 Rob Thomas J. Conner RB ARI
114 Brad Curnett C. Williams QB CHI
115 Erik Guenther K. Boutte WR NE
116 R.J. White J. Jennings WR SF
117 Brandon Howard M. Golden WR GB
118 Jack Capotorto R. White RB WAS
119 Jacob Gibbs J. Reed WR GB
120 Jamey Eisenberg T. Tracy Jr. RB NYG
Round 11
Pos Team Player
121 Jamey Eisenberg C. Rodriguez Jr. RB JAC
122 Jacob Gibbs J. Brooks RB CAR
123 Jack Capotorto T. Kelce TE KC
124 Brandon Howard M. Willis QB MIA
125 R.J. White Q. Johnston WR LAC
126 Erik Guenther B. Robinson Jr. RB ATL
127 Brad Curnett J. Higgins WR HOU
128 Rob Thomas D. Sampson RB CLE
129 Thomas Shafer K. Gainwell RB TB
130 Jake Grogins E. Ayomanor WR TEN
131 Heath Cummings W. Marks RB HOU
132 Dave Richard J. Nailor WR LV
Round 12
Pos Team Player
133 Dave Richard D. Prescott QB DAL
134 Heath Cummings A. Mitchell WR NYJ
135 Jake Grogins R. Flournoy WR DAL
136 Thomas Shafer T. Hunter WR JAC
137 Rob Thomas R. Shaheed WR SEA
138 Brad Curnett I. TeSlaa WR DET
139 Erik Guenther T. Lawrence QB JAC
140 R.J. White T. Benson RB ARI
141 Brandon Howard S. Williams WR GB
142 Jack Capotorto A. Kamara RB NO
143 Jacob Gibbs K. Williams WR NE
144 Jamey Eisenberg C. Kirk WR SF
Round 13
Pos Team Player
145 Jamey Eisenberg D. Mooney WR NYG
146 Jacob Gibbs J. McMillan WR TB
147 Jack Capotorto D. Goedert TE PHI
148 Brandon Howard O. Gordon II RB MIA
149 R.J. White D. Kincaid TE BUF
150 Erik Guenther B. Purdy QB SF
151 Brad Curnett K. Vidal RB LAC
152 Rob Thomas J. Jeudy WR CLE
153 Thomas Shafer D. Samuel WR WAS
154 Jake Grogins M. Stafford QB LAR
155 Heath Cummings P. Mahomes QB KC
156 Dave Richard C. Ridley WR TEN
Round 14
Pos Team Player
157 Dave Richard J. James RB SF
158 Heath Cummings M. Andrews TE BAL
159 Jake Grogins T. Spears RB TEN
160 Thomas Shafer B. Allen RB NYJ
161 Rob Thomas C. Kupp WR SEA
162 Brad Curnett T. Horton WR SEA
163 Erik Guenther T. Tucker WR LV
164 R.J. White J. Johnson TE NO
165 Brandon Howard T. Hockenson TE MIN
166 Jack Capotorto K. Mitchell RB LAC
167 Jacob Gibbs B. Strange TE JAC
168 Jamey Eisenberg C. Okonkwo TE WAS

Team by Team

Jamey Eisenberg
Rd Pk Player
1 1 J. Gibbs RB DET
2 24 R. Rice WR KC
3 25 C. Olave WR NO
4 48 L. McConkey WR LAC
5 49 C. Skattebo RB NYG
6 72 A. Pierce WR IND
7 73 S. LaPorta TE DET
8 96 T. Pollard RB TEN
9 97 J. Herbert QB LAC
10 120 T. Tracy Jr. RB NYG
11 121 C. Rodriguez Jr. RB JAC
12 144 C. Kirk WR SF
13 145 D. Mooney WR NYG
14 168 C. Okonkwo TE WAS
Jacob Gibbs
Rd Pk Player
1 2 B. Robinson RB ATL
2 23 B. Bowers TE LV
3 26 J. Jacobs RB GB
4 47 D. Adams WR LAR
5 50 J. Waddle WR DEN
6 71 D. Montgomery RB HOU
7 74 P. Washington WR JAC
8 95 J. Daniels QB WAS
9 98 J. Croskey-Merritt RB WAS
10 119 J. Reed WR GB
11 122 J. Brooks RB CAR
12 143 K. Williams WR NE
13 146 J. McMillan WR TB
14 167 B. Strange TE JAC
Jack Capotorto
Rd Pk Player
1 3 J. Chase WR CIN
2 22 K. Walker III RB KC
3 27 S. Barkley RB PHI
4 46 M. Evans WR SF
5 51 D. Moore WR BUF
6 70 C. Hubbard RB CAR
7 75 C. Godwin WR TB
8 94 J. Dart QB NYG
9 99 R. Doubs WR NE
10 118 R. White RB WAS
11 123 T. Kelce TE KC
12 142 A. Kamara RB NO
13 147 D. Goedert TE PHI
14 166 K. Mitchell RB LAC
Brandon Howard
Rd Pk Player
1 4 J. Jefferson WR MIN
2 21 D. Henry RB BAL
3 28 J. Williams WR DET
4 45 Z. Flowers WR BAL
5 52 X. Worthy WR KC
6 69 D. Njoku TE CLE
7 76 I. Pacheco RB DET
8 93 K. Murray QB MIN
9 100 J. Blue RB DAL
10 117 M. Golden WR GB
11 124 M. Willis QB MIA
12 141 S. Williams WR GB
13 148 O. Gordon II RB MIA
14 165 T. Hockenson TE MIN
R.J. White
Rd Pk Player
1 5 J. Smith-Njigba WR SEA
2 20 C. Brown RB CIN
3 29 A. Brown WR PHI
4 44 D. Swift RB CHI
5 53 T. McLaurin WR WAS
6 68 D. Maye QB NE
7 77 J. Warren RB PIT
8 92 K. Monangai RB CHI
9 101 S. Diggs WR NE
10 116 J. Jennings WR SF
11 125 Q. Johnston WR LAC
12 140 T. Benson RB ARI
13 149 D. Kincaid TE BUF
14 164 J. Johnson TE NO
Erik Guenther
Rd Pk Player
1 6 P. Nacua WR LAR
2 19 G. Pickens WR DAL
3 30 K. Williams RB LAR
4 43 J. Williams RB DAL
5 54 C. Loveland TE CHI
6 67 C. Sutton WR DEN
7 78 R. Pearsall WR SF
8 91 R. Dowdle RB PIT
9 102 J. Downs WR IND
10 115 K. Boutte WR NE
11 126 B. Robinson Jr. RB ATL
12 139 T. Lawrence QB JAC
13 150 B. Purdy QB SF
14 163 T. Tucker WR LV
Brad Curnett
Rd Pk Player
1 7 A. St. Brown WR DET
2 18 O. Hampton RB LAC
3 31 B. Hall RB NYJ
4 42 D. Smith WR PHI
5 55 Q. Judkins RB CLE
6 66 T. Kraft TE GB
7 79 B. Thomas Jr. WR JAC
8 90 J. Addison WR MIN
9 103 Z. Charbonnet RB SEA
10 114 C. Williams QB CHI
11 127 J. Higgins WR HOU
12 138 I. TeSlaa WR DET
13 151 K. Vidal RB LAC
14 162 T. Horton WR SEA
Rob Thomas
Rd Pk Player
1 8 C. McCaffrey RB SF
2 17 N. Collins WR HOU
3 32 T. McMillan WR CAR
4 41 L. Jackson QB BAL
5 56 R. Harvey RB DEN
6 65 H. Fannin Jr. TE CLE
7 80 M. Pittman WR PIT
8 89 B. Corum RB LAR
9 104 T. Allgeier RB ARI
10 113 J. Conner RB ARI
11 128 D. Sampson RB CLE
12 137 R. Shaheed WR SEA
13 152 J. Jeudy WR CLE
14 161 C. Kupp WR SEA
Thomas Shafer
Rd Pk Player
1 9 C. Lamb WR DAL
2 16 M. Nabers WR NYG
3 33 B. Irving RB TB
4 40 J. Allen QB BUF
5 57 B. Tuten RB JAC
6 64 M. Harrison Jr. WR ARI
7 81 K. Pitts TE ATL
8 88 G. Kittle TE SF
9 105 A. Jones RB MIN
10 112 J. Mason RB MIN
11 129 K. Gainwell RB TB
12 136 T. Hunter WR JAC
13 153 D. Samuel WR WAS
14 160 B. Allen RB NYJ
Jake Grogins
Rd Pk Player
1 10 D. Achane RB MIA
2 15 T. McBride TE ARI
3 34 T. Henderson RB NE
4 39 G. Wilson WR NYJ
5 58 D. Metcalf WR PIT
6 63 M. Wilson WR ARI
7 82 W. Robinson WR TEN
8 87 K. Shakir WR BUF
9 106 J. Coker WR CAR
10 111 O. Gadsden II TE LAC
11 130 E. Ayomanor WR TEN
12 135 R. Flournoy WR DAL
13 154 M. Stafford QB LAR
14 159 T. Spears RB TEN
Heath Cummings
Rd Pk Player
1 11 J. Taylor RB IND
2 14 A. Jeanty RB LV
3 35 T. Higgins WR CIN
4 38 L. Burden III WR CHI
5 59 R. Odunze WR CHI
6 62 J. Meyers WR JAC
7 83 J. Hurts QB PHI
8 86 I. Likely TE NYG
9 107 J. Dobbins RB DEN
10 110 E. Wilson RB SEA
11 131 W. Marks RB HOU
12 134 A. Mitchell WR NYJ
13 155 P. Mahomes QB KC
14 158 M. Andrews TE BAL
Dave Richard
Rd Pk Player
1 12 D. London WR ATL
2 13 J. Cook RB BUF
3 36 E. Egbuka WR TB
4 37 T. Etienne RB NO
5 60 T. Warren TE IND
6 61 C. Watson WR GB
7 84 R. Stevenson RB NE
8 85 J. Burrow QB CIN
9 108 T. Hill WR MIA
10 109 B. Aiyuk WR SF
11 132 J. Nailor WR LV
12 133 D. Prescott QB DAL
13 156 C. Ridley WR TEN
14 157 J. James RB SF





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