Free agency has changed the draft landscape
By Jamey Eisenberg Mar 18, 2026 at 3:21 pm ET • 4 min read 
Imagn Images We held our first 12-team, PPR mock draft following free agency, and it was exciting to see where the players who changed NFL teams or were impacted by moves were selected. Some guys like Kenneth Walker III, Jaylen Waddle, Luther Burden III and Emeka Egbuka saw a significant rise in their Fantasy value. Meanwhile, players like DK Metcalf, Rico Dowdle and Alvin Kamara watched their stock plummet.
We have several months before we'll see what the Average Draft Position data shows us for these players, especially once the NFL Draft happens in April. But in this mock draft -- which featured several members of our CBS Sports staff, two listeners of our Fantasy Football Today Podcast (Jason Magnone and Erik Guenther) and Alfredo Brown of the Pretend GM and Adam Pfeifer of Fantasy Life -- we got a glimpse of where Fantasy managers might be targeting some of these old faces in new places.
For example, Walker was selected in Round 2 at No. 15 overall as the No. 8 running back off the board. I like Walker in Round 2, but it's a little early for me at this spot. That said, Walker is now coveted as the new leader of Kansas City's backfield.
Waddle went in Round 3 at No. 33 overall, and I felt this is too soon despite his trade from Miami to Denver. While Waddle should end up leading the Broncos in targets, there are still a lot of mouths to feed for Bo Nix. And Waddle has struggled the past two seasons while averaging 11.0 PPR points per game over that span with the Dolphins.
Some other notable names who changed teams included Mike Evans (drafted here in Round 4), Travis Etienne (Round 4), D.J. Moore (Round 4), David Montgomery (Round 5), Wan'Dale Robinson (Round 5), Rachaad White (Round 7), Romeo Doubs (Round 7), Michael Pittman (Round 8), Tyler Allgeier (Round 9), Darnell Mooney (Round 9), Kenneth Gainwell (Round 10), Chris Rodriguez Jr. (Round 10), Isaiah Likely (Round 10), Emanuel Wilson (Round 11), Kyler Murray (Round 13) and Malik Willis (Round 13).
Most of these values seem fair, and my favorite selections were Etienne, Moore, Doubs, Dowdle, Allgeier, Likely and Wilson. Etienne could be a stud if the Saints move on from Alvin Kamara, and Dowdle (Steelers) and Allgeier (Cardinals) could end up being the best running backs for their teams. I love Moore going to the Bills, and Doubs (for now) should be the No. 1 receiver for the Patriots.
Likely should also benefit as the new No. 1 tight end for the Giants. And Wilson could end up starting for the Seahawks while Zach Charbonnet (ACL) is out. I also like the late-round fliers on Murray and Willis since both could emerge as top-12 quarterbacks.
While those guys changed teams, we had a few players either stay in the same city or benefit with someone leaving. For example, Alec Pierce was a steal in Round 7, and he has the chance for another big year after signing an extension to stay with the Colts, especially since Michael Pittman was traded to the Steelers.
I also like the value for Kyle Pitts in Round 9, and I hope he doesn't holdout in training camp after the Falcons gave him the franchise tag. With Kevin Stefanski as the new coach in Atlanta, Pitts could be in line for another solid season in 2026.
Meanwhile, some players who should benefit from departures included Luther Burden III (Round 4), Emeka Egbuka (Round 4), Colston Loveland (Round 4), Rome Odunze (Round 4), Tyler Warren (Round 5), Chuba Hubbard (Round 6), Bhayshul Tuten (Round 6), Chris Godwin (Round 6) and Josh Downs (Round 8), among others. Burden, Loveland and Odunze all get a boost with Moore gone for the Bears, while Egbuka and Godwin should thrive with Evans now in San Francisco.
Hubbard could return to his 2024 form with Dowdle now in Pittsburgh, and Tuten might be the No. 1 running back for the Jaguars with Etienne gone, although we'll see what happens with Rodriguez. I also expect Warren to thrive with Pittman gone, and Downs is now a sleeper as well.
Pittman was a good pick in Round 8, but I'm worried what the passing game will look like for the Steelers, which is why Metcalf fell to Round 7. We can fully evaluate the Pittsburgh players once a quarterback is signed, although it appears like Aaron Rodgers will return in 2026.
Dowdle (Round 9) might end up as the best running back for the Steelers, but I still prefer Jaylen Warren, who was drafted in Round 8. If this is a 50-50 split for touches then both running backs will be flex options at best in the majority of leagues.
I hope the Saints trade Kamara (see Jacksonville or Seattle), but if he remains in New Orleans then expect him to be drafted with a late-round pick like he went here. And James Conner's Fantasy value is also shaky with the addition of Allgeier, which is why Conner fell to Round 9.
This is a great mock draft to study to see the initial Fantasy value for the players impacted by free agency. And while we'll see changes happen following the NFL Draft, we know Fantasy managers get excited when players join new teams.
The NFL offseason is in full swing now. And the fun is just beginning -- in Fantasy and reality.
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 one point 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. Alfredo Brown, The Pretend GM
2. Adam Pfeifer, Fantasy Life
3. Adam Aizer, FFT Podcast Host
4. Thomas Shafer, FFT Podcast Producer
5. Erik Guenther, Podcast Listener
6. Jason Magnone, Podcast Listener
7. Robert Thomas, FFT Facebook Moderator
8. Jamey Eisenberg, Senior Fantasy Writer
9. Dave Richard, Senior Fantasy Writer
10. Daniel Schneier, Senior Fantasy Editor
11. Jake Ignaszewski, FFT Social Media Coordinator
12. R.J. White, Managing Editor, SportsLine and CBS Fantasy
Round By Round Round 1 Pos Team Player 1 Alfredo Brown B. Robinson RB ATL 2 Adam Pfeifer J. Gibbs RB DET 3 Adam Aizer J. Chase WR CIN 4 Thomas Shafer P. Nacua WR LAR 5 Erik Guenther M. Nabers WR NYG 6 Jason Magnone J. Smith-Njigba WR SEA 7 Rob Thomas D. Achane RB MIA 8 Jamey Eisenberg A. St. Brown WR DET 9 Dave Richard J. Taylor RB IND 10 Daniel Schneier C. McCaffrey RB SF 11 Jake Ignaszewski C. Lamb WR DAL 12 R.J. White J. Jefferson WR MIN Round 2 Pos Team Player 13 R.J. White J. Cook RB BUF 14 Jake Ignaszewski S. Barkley RB PHI 15 Daniel Schneier K. Walker III RB SEA 16 Dave Richard D. London WR ATL 17 Jamey Eisenberg O. Hampton RB LAC 18 Rob Thomas T. McBride TE ARI 19 Jason Magnone G. Pickens WR DAL 20 Erik Guenther A. Jeanty RB LV 21 Thomas Shafer N. Collins WR HOU 22 Adam Aizer C. Brown RB CIN 23 Adam Pfeifer C. Olave WR NO 24 Alfredo Brown B. Bowers TE LV Round 3 Pos Team Player 25 Alfredo Brown T. McMillan WR CAR 26 Adam Pfeifer D. Henry RB BAL 27 Adam Aizer J. Jacobs RB GB 28 Thomas Shafer R. Rice WR KC 29 Erik Guenther Z. Flowers WR BAL 30 Jason Magnone G. Wilson WR NYJ 31 Rob Thomas A. Brown WR PHI 32 Jamey Eisenberg T. Higgins WR CIN 33 Dave Richard J. Waddle WR MIA 34 Daniel Schneier D. Adams WR LAR 35 Jake Ignaszewski K. Williams RB LAR 36 R.J. White L. McConkey WR LAC Round 4 Pos Team Player 37 R.J. White L. Burden III WR CHI 38 Jake Ignaszewski E. Egbuka WR TB 39 Daniel Schneier M. Evans WR TB 40 Dave Richard C. Skattebo RB NYG 41 Jamey Eisenberg C. Loveland TE CHI 42 Rob Thomas J. Allen QB BUF 43 Jason Magnone T. Etienne RB JAC 44 Erik Guenther D. Moore WR CHI 45 Thomas Shafer J. Burrow QB CIN 46 Adam Aizer B. Irving RB TB 47 Adam Pfeifer B. Hall RB NYJ 48 Alfredo Brown R. Odunze WR CHI Round 5 Pos Team Player 49 Alfredo Brown J. Williams WR DET 50 Adam Pfeifer T. McLaurin WR WAS 51 Adam Aizer D. Smith WR PHI 52 Thomas Shafer T. Henderson RB NE 53 Erik Guenther D. Montgomery RB DET 54 Jason Magnone J. Williams RB DAL 55 Rob Thomas M. Harrison Jr. WR ARI 56 Jamey Eisenberg L. Jackson QB BAL 57 Dave Richard Q. Judkins RB CLE 58 Daniel Schneier S. LaPorta TE DET 59 Jake Ignaszewski W. Robinson WR NYG 60 R.J. White T. Warren TE IND Round 6 Pos Team Player 61 R.J. White D. Swift RB CHI 62 Jake Ignaszewski D. Maye QB NE 63 Daniel Schneier J. Daniels QB WAS 64 Dave Richard H. Fannin Jr. TE CLE 65 Jamey Eisenberg C. Hubbard RB CAR 66 Rob Thomas B. Tuten RB JAC 67 Jason Magnone T. Kraft TE GB 68 Erik Guenther J. Croskey-Merritt RB WAS 69 Thomas Shafer R. Harvey RB DEN 70 Adam Aizer B. Thomas Jr. WR JAC 71 Adam Pfeifer C. Godwin WR TB 72 Alfredo Brown J. Meyers WR JAC Round 7 Pos Team Player 73 Alfredo Brown R. White RB TB 74 Adam Pfeifer J. Hurts QB PHI 75 Adam Aizer C. Sutton WR DEN 76 Thomas Shafer M. Wilson WR ARI 77 Erik Guenther M. Stafford QB LAR 78 Jason Magnone J. Herbert QB LAC 79 Rob Thomas A. Pierce WR IND 80 Jamey Eisenberg C. Watson WR GB 81 Dave Richard R. Pearsall WR SF 82 Daniel Schneier X. Worthy WR KC 83 Jake Ignaszewski R. Doubs WR GB 84 R.J. White D. Metcalf WR PIT Round 8 Pos Team Player 85 R.J. White J. Dart QB NYG 86 Jake Ignaszewski J. Warren RB PIT 87 Daniel Schneier J. Addison WR MIN 88 Dave Richard D. Prescott QB DAL 89 Jamey Eisenberg T. Pollard RB TEN 90 Rob Thomas R. Stevenson RB NE 91 Jason Magnone M. Pittman WR IND 92 Erik Guenther O. Gadsden II TE LAC 93 Thomas Shafer G. Kittle TE SF 94 Adam Aizer M. Golden WR GB 95 Adam Pfeifer P. Washington WR JAC 96 Alfredo Brown J. Downs WR IND Round 9 Pos Team Player 97 Alfredo Brown C. Williams QB CHI 98 Adam Pfeifer J. Dobbins RB DEN 99 Adam Aizer Z. Charbonnet RB SEA 100 Thomas Shafer K. Pitts TE ATL 101 Erik Guenther K. Monangai RB CHI 102 Jason Magnone R. Dowdle RB CAR 103 Rob Thomas J. Conner RB ARI 104 Jamey Eisenberg T. Hill WR MIA 105 Dave Richard T. Allgeier RB ATL 106 Daniel Schneier D. Mooney WR ATL 107 Jake Ignaszewski D. Goedert TE PHI 108 R.J. White B. Corum RB LAR Round 10 Pos Team Player 109 R.J. White K. Gainwell RB PIT 110 Jake Ignaszewski D. Samuel WR WAS 111 Daniel Schneier C. Rodriguez Jr. RB WAS 112 Dave Richard B. Aiyuk WR SF 113 Jamey Eisenberg J. Coker WR CAR 114 Rob Thomas S. Diggs WR NE 115 Jason Magnone J. Higgins WR HOU 116 Erik Guenther J. Nailor WR MIN 117 Thomas Shafer A. Jones RB MIN 118 Adam Aizer I. Likely TE BAL 119 Adam Pfeifer Q. Johnston WR LAC 120 Alfredo Brown J. Mason RB MIN Round 11 Pos Team Player 121 Alfredo Brown E. Wilson RB GB 122 Adam Pfeifer M. Andrews TE BAL 123 Adam Aizer T. Lawrence QB JAC 124 Thomas Shafer T. Tracy Jr. RB NYG 125 Erik Guenther J. McMillan WR TB 126 Jason Magnone J. Reed WR GB 127 Rob Thomas I. Pacheco RB KC 128 Jamey Eisenberg K. Shakir WR BUF 129 Dave Richard C. Ridley WR TEN 130 Daniel Schneier K. Mitchell RB BAL 131 Jake Ignaszewski P. Mahomes QB KC 132 R.J. White J. Jennings WR SF Round 12 Pos Team Player 133 R.J. White T. Benson RB ARI 134 Jake Ignaszewski A. Kamara RB NO 135 Daniel Schneier S. Darnold QB SEA 136 Dave Richard J. Brooks RB CAR 137 Jamey Eisenberg D. Sampson RB CLE 138 Rob Thomas C. Kirk WR HOU 139 Jason Magnone B. Allen RB NYJ 140 Erik Guenther K. Vidal RB LAC 141 Thomas Shafer T. Dell WR HOU 142 Adam Aizer T. Kelce TE KC 143 Adam Pfeifer C. Okonkwo TE TEN 144 Alfredo Brown J. Wright RB MIA Round 13 Pos Team Player 145 Alfredo Brown O. Gordon II RB MIA 146 Adam Pfeifer H. Henry TE NE 147 Adam Aizer B. Purdy QB SF 148 Thomas Shafer W. Marks RB HOU 149 Erik Guenther K. Boutte WR NE 150 Jason Magnone A. Mitchell WR NYJ 151 Rob Thomas J. Jeudy WR CLE 152 Jamey Eisenberg K. Murray QB ARI 153 Dave Richard M. Willis QB GB 154 Daniel Schneier C. Kupp WR SEA 155 Jake Ignaszewski K. Coleman WR BUF 156 R.J. White B. Robinson Jr. RB SF Round 14 Pos Team Player 157 R.J. White N. Harris RB LAC 158 Jake Ignaszewski D. Njoku TE CLE 159 Daniel Schneier M. Hollins WR NE 160 Dave Richard D. Kincaid TE BUF 161 Jamey Eisenberg T. Spears RB TEN 162 Rob Thomas T. Hunter WR JAC 163 Jason Magnone T. Horton WR SEA 164 Erik Guenther T. Shough QB NO 165 Thomas Shafer J. James RB SF 166 Adam Aizer S. Tucker RB TB 167 Adam Pfeifer R. Shaheed WR SEA 168 Alfredo Brown T. Tucker WR LV Team by Team Alfredo Brown Rd Pk Player 1 1 B. Robinson RB ATL 2 24 B. Bowers TE LV 3 25 T. McMillan WR CAR 4 48 R. Odunze WR CHI 5 49 J. Williams WR DET 6 72 J. Meyers WR JAC 7 73 R. White RB TB 8 96 J. Downs WR IND 9 97 C. Williams QB CHI 10 120 J. Mason RB MIN 11 121 E. Wilson RB GB 12 144 J. Wright RB MIA 13 145 O. Gordon II RB MIA 14 168 T. Tucker WR LV Adam Pfeifer Rd Pk Player 1 2 J. Gibbs RB DET 2 23 C. Olave WR NO 3 26 D. Henry RB BAL 4 47 B. Hall RB NYJ 5 50 T. McLaurin WR WAS 6 71 C. Godwin WR TB 7 74 J. Hurts QB PHI 8 95 P. Washington WR JAC 9 98 J. Dobbins RB DEN 10 119 Q. Johnston WR LAC 11 122 M. Andrews TE BAL 12 143 C. Okonkwo TE TEN 13 146 H. Henry TE NE 14 167 R. Shaheed WR SEA Adam Aizer Rd Pk Player 1 3 J. Chase WR CIN 2 22 C. Brown RB CIN 3 27 J. Jacobs RB GB 4 46 B. Irving RB TB 5 51 D. Smith WR PHI 6 70 B. Thomas Jr. WR JAC 7 75 C. Sutton WR DEN 8 94 M. Golden WR GB 9 99 Z. Charbonnet RB SEA 10 118 I. Likely TE BAL 11 123 T. Lawrence QB JAC 12 142 T. Kelce TE KC 13 147 B. Purdy QB SF 14 166 S. Tucker RB TB Thomas Shafer Rd Pk Player 1 4 P. Nacua WR LAR 2 21 N. Collins WR HOU 3 28 R. Rice WR KC 4 45 J. Burrow QB CIN 5 52 T. Henderson RB NE 6 69 R. Harvey RB DEN 7 76 M. Wilson WR ARI 8 93 G. Kittle TE SF 9 100 K. Pitts TE ATL 10 117 A. Jones RB MIN 11 124 T. Tracy Jr. RB NYG 12 141 T. Dell WR HOU 13 148 W. Marks RB HOU 14 165 J. James RB SF Erik Guenther Rd Pk Player 1 5 M. Nabers WR NYG 2 20 A. Jeanty RB LV 3 29 Z. Flowers WR BAL 4 44 D. Moore WR CHI 5 53 D. Montgomery RB DET 6 68 J. Croskey-Merritt RB WAS 7 77 M. Stafford QB LAR 8 92 O. Gadsden II TE LAC 9 101 K. Monangai RB CHI 10 116 J. Nailor WR MIN 11 125 J. McMillan WR TB 12 140 K. Vidal RB LAC 13 149 K. Boutte WR NE 14 164 T. Shough QB NO Jason Magnone Rd Pk Player 1 6 J. Smith-Njigba WR SEA 2 19 G. Pickens WR DAL 3 30 G. Wilson WR NYJ 4 43 T. Etienne RB JAC 5 54 J. Williams RB DAL 6 67 T. Kraft TE GB 7 78 J. Herbert QB LAC 8 91 M. Pittman WR IND 9 102 R. Dowdle RB CAR 10 115 J. Higgins WR HOU 11 126 J. Reed WR GB 12 139 B. Allen RB NYJ 13 150 A. Mitchell WR NYJ 14 163 T. Horton WR SEA Rob Thomas Rd Pk Player 1 7 D. Achane RB MIA 2 18 T. McBride TE ARI 3 31 A. Brown WR PHI 4 42 J. Allen QB BUF 5 55 M. Harrison Jr. WR ARI 6 66 B. Tuten RB JAC 7 79 A. Pierce WR IND 8 90 R. Stevenson RB NE 9 103 J. Conner RB ARI 10 114 S. Diggs WR NE 11 127 I. Pacheco RB KC 12 138 C. Kirk WR HOU 13 151 J. Jeudy WR CLE 14 162 T. Hunter WR JAC Jamey Eisenberg Rd Pk Player 1 8 A. St. Brown WR DET 2 17 O. Hampton RB LAC 3 32 T. Higgins WR CIN 4 41 C. Loveland TE CHI 5 56 L. Jackson QB BAL 6 65 C. Hubbard RB CAR 7 80 C. Watson WR GB 8 89 T. Pollard RB TEN 9 104 T. Hill WR MIA 10 113 J. Coker WR CAR 11 128 K. Shakir WR BUF 12 137 D. Sampson RB CLE 13 152 K. Murray QB ARI 14 161 T. Spears RB TEN Dave Richard Rd Pk Player 1 9 J. Taylor RB IND 2 16 D. London WR ATL 3 33 J. Waddle WR MIA 4 40 C. Skattebo RB NYG 5 57 Q. Judkins RB CLE 6 64 H. Fannin Jr. TE CLE 7 81 R. Pearsall WR SF 8 88 D. Prescott QB DAL 9 105 T. Allgeier RB ATL 10 112 B. Aiyuk WR SF 11 129 C. Ridley WR TEN 12 136 J. Brooks RB CAR 13 153 M. Willis QB GB 14 160 D. Kincaid TE BUF Daniel Schneier Rd Pk Player 1 10 C. McCaffrey RB SF 2 15 K. Walker III RB SEA 3 34 D. Adams WR LAR 4 39 M. Evans WR TB 5 58 S. LaPorta TE DET 6 63 J. Daniels QB WAS 7 82 X. Worthy WR KC 8 87 J. Addison WR MIN 9 106 D. Mooney WR ATL 10 111 C. Rodriguez Jr. RB WAS 11 130 K. Mitchell RB BAL 12 135 S. Darnold QB SEA 13 154 C. Kupp WR SEA 14 159 M. Hollins WR NE Jake Ignaszewski Rd Pk Player 1 11 C. Lamb WR DAL 2 14 S. Barkley RB PHI 3 35 K. Williams RB LAR 4 38 E. Egbuka WR TB 5 59 W. Robinson WR NYG 6 62 D. Maye QB NE 7 83 R. Doubs WR GB 8 86 J. Warren RB PIT 9 107 D. Goedert TE PHI 10 110 D. Samuel WR WAS 11 131 P. Mahomes QB KC 12 134 A. Kamara RB NO 13 155 K. Coleman WR BUF 14 158 D. Njoku TE CLE R.J. White Rd Pk Player 1 12 J. Jefferson WR MIN 2 13 J. Cook RB BUF 3 36 L. McConkey WR LAC 4 37 L. Burden III WR CHI 5 60 T. Warren TE IND 6 61 D. Swift RB CHI 7 84 D. Metcalf WR PIT 8 85 J. Dart QB NYG 9 108 B. Corum RB LAR 10 109 K. Gainwell RB PIT 11 132 J. Jennings WR SF 12 133 T. Benson RB ARI 13 156 B. Robinson Jr. RB SF 14 157 N. Harris RB LAC Join the Conversation comments
