Inside the Draft Sharks Dynasty Startup Mock Draft: Six Analysts, Six Different Builds

What happens when you get six Draft Sharks analysts together for a dynasty startup mock draft?

You learn a lot about dynasty draft strategy, roster-building styles, and player value.

The Setup:

This 16-round dynasty startup used PPR scoring and these starting requirements:

• 1 QB
• 2 RBs
• 3 WRs
• 1 TE
• 1 Superflex
• 1 Flex

The Drafters:

• Matt Schauf
• Jody Smith
• Shane Hallam
• Kevin English
• Jared Smola
• Alex Korff

…along with six Sleeper bots

Below are the full draft results, each team's final roster, and each participant's thoughts on how the draft played out and what those strategies can mean for your dynasty startup.

Dynasty Startup Mock Draft Results

Here's a look at how these rosters stack up in terms of total 3D+ value, our proprietary measure of dynasty value.

You can also see where each team ranks in strength at each position, as well as each team's average age.

Dynasty Startup Mock Draft: Team-by-Team Analysis

Below you'll find each team's roster, as well as answers to a couple of questions about their draft.

Matt Schauf

You were the only staff member to draft two RBs before Round 6, taking Omarion Hampton and Jonathan Taylor at the 2/3 turn. What about this start-up pushed you to take two RBs early?

I’m not gonna lie ... a big part of it was just wanting to see whether it would work. I knew the rest of this group would lean WR earlier, and drafting the same way makes it tougher for me to find an edge.

I thought hard about Nico Collins, George Pickens, and even Colston Loveland there, but I liked Hampton’s long-term outlook, paired with Taylor’s short-term value. I’m a little concerned about Hampton’s 2026 workload, but the talent and the strong offense are there. Whether OC Mike McDaniel stays for a year or more, I’m happy to bet on a 23-year-old lead back in that environment.

It’s not a strategy I’d specifically recommend, but I’m pleased with how the rest of the roster filled in behind them. I purposely held off on drafting another RB until the start of Round 13.

You selected Harold Fannin at 4.12 as the fifth TE off the board, and the next TE didn’t go until Tucker Kraft at 6.06. Do you consider Fannin part of dynasty’s top TE tier?

I think there’s a clear top 5 at the position right now (the first five drafted here). It’s tough to say where the tiers break within that group. I do believe Fannin’s astounding final-year college production and impressive rookie-year NFL production give him the upside to finish any season among the position’s top three. He ranked fifth among TEs in target share last year despite arriving as a third-round pick to a team that already had David Njoku.

Jody Smith

You took a pair of older WRs later in the draft in Davante Adams (9.03) and Courtland Sutton (11.03). Explain why older productive WRs in mid-rounds can be valuable in start-ups.

I was happy with my core three WRs all being 23 to 27, so I felt like the opportunity to try to build a “win-now” team presented itself.

Sutton is a prime example. He finished WR14 and WR16 in PPR points the past two seasons, yet he was still available in Round 11 after Denver added Jaylen Waddle. We’re projecting Waddle to take over the team target lead, but Sutton still sits among the top 36 WRs in our 2026 PPR rankings.

I’ll take a couple seasons of WR3-level production from him in Round 11, with upside beyond that if his 6’4 frame keeps Sutton the primary end-zone target.

Adams was definitely a short-term target, but getting him in the ninth still felt like solid value considering his mid-Round 8 Dynasty ADP. 

You paired Nico Collins (3.03) with his QB C.J. Stroud (7.03). Does stacking matter to you in dynasty, or did the values just align for both Texans?

After snagging Collins in the third, I knew I wanted to target Stroud. Ideally, he would have been a high-end QB3, but this build made him my No. 2. 

I do put some emphasis on stacks when I can, especially with a young No. 1 WR. In this case, pairing Stroud with Collins in a Houston offense with some sneaky upside was worth taking him ahead of some QBs who might have fit a “win now” roster better as my No. 2, especially with David Montgomery there to fortify the backfield. 

Stroud’s disastrous playoff run is still fresh in everyone’s mind, and I think that recency bias is causing early drafters to fade Houston’s offense. The Texans invested heavily in rebuilding their O-line, and Tank Dell’s return could reinforce the receiving corps. 

If the new O-line stabilizes and the Texans can establish a strong ground game, Stroud could post high-end QB2 numbers. Stroud garnered PFF’s No. 9 passer grade out of play-action last season. 

That kind of ceiling is worth chasing in dynasty, especially if you can stack the production together with a proven WR1. 

Shane Hallam

You were the first staff member with two QBs in Lamar Jackson (1.05) and Patrick Mahomes (3.05). Should you target two early QBs in Superflex start-ups?

I love coming out of Superflex startups with two top QBs because it’s one of the hardest positions to trade for midseason when you’re a contender who is a QB away. I’d much rather lock in my QBs and use trades to push for RB or WR help if needed.

You don’t have to reach if the room goes crazy at QB, but don’t be afraid to grab two if the values fall a bit. 

Mahomes falling to 3.05 made him easy to pair him with Jackson. Both will be over 30 by the end of the season, but I still see plenty of viable years left for each. According to our aging curve data, both should still produce at 96% their peak production this season and stay above 90% production over the next five years. 

Jackson gives me the rushing upside, and Mahomes still looks underrated to me. On film, he still shows the talent and traits to be the league’s best QB. With Mahomes current dynasty start-up ADP placing him as QB10, I’m in to bet on the talent. He finished as QB4 in fantasy points per game last year, so it feels like a value for a talented player. 

You selected Jadarian Price at the 7.05. What excites you about the rookie RB?

I would have looked to trade down here in a traditional startup. But if I’m staying put, my favorite way to build RB is by betting on youth and upside. Price fits as a potential top-12 RB if everything breaks right.

I love Price’s talent. On a different college team, he may have been a clear first-round NFL Draft pick instead of sitting on the border, because playing behind Jeremiyah Love didn’t do much to showcase two of his strengths: receiving ability and consistent physicality. 

Landing with the Seahawks fits the blocking scheme and physical running style Price brings. I’d rather swing on a young RB in the seventh round: If Price busts, I can work the waiver wire or future rookie drafts, but if he hits, my team could contend very quickly. 

Kevin English

You grabbed three starting WRs before diving into RB or TE. Do you usually target WRs early in startups? Why is it a good strategy?

In general, I’m targeting young, upside WRs who can help now and hold value long term.

Our historical aging-curve work shows WRs age much more gracefully than RBs. For example, Round 2 WRs typically peak at 25 and still average 96% of that peak production at 28. Round 2 RBs typically peak earlier, at 23, and fall to 85% by 27, with further drops to 80% and 70% in the following seasons.

The longevity edge, paired with the full-PPR format, pushed me toward 24-year-old Jaxon Smith-Njigba over Jahmyr Gibbs and the other available RBs. The same is true for the McConkey (4.06) and Flowers (5.7) picks.

I know that leaves me light at RB, but I can attack the position later through waivers or trade if this team becomes a contender.

You took Javonte Williams at the 7.07, about a round later than his average draft position. Why can he be a good mid-round target in startups? 

Williams finished as the RB12 last year in PPR points. 

Among 51 RBs with 90+ carries, he posted solid efficiency marks:

• Fifth in yards after contact per attempt
• 11th in yards per carry
• 11th in missed tackles forced per attempt

Dallas didn’t make any offseason additions at RB, leaving Malik Davis, Jaydon Blue, and Phil Mafah to fight for scraps after combining for just 95 carries in 2025.

Maybe Dallas adds more competition over the summer. But the team already signaled its commitment to Williams by signing him to a three-year contract extension in February. I expect him to retain RB1 upside for 2026, and the contract says he could be in position for a similar outlook in 2027.

Jared Smola

You didn’t select a RB until Jaylen Warren at the 10.04. Do you typically avoid taking RBs early? If so, why is this an effective startup strategy? 

Once the young, elite RBs are off the board, I always struggle to pull the trigger on RBs in startup drafts.

They’re almost all depreciating assets, with a peak age coming at 23 or 24 and elevated injury rates. There’s a good chance the RB you take in a startup draft will be worth less a year from now.

That goes against my primary goal in startups: Build a team that will be worth more next year than right now.

Your team has the youngest average age (25.3) out of the DS staff teams. Do you enter a start-up planning to come out with a very young roster?

Not necessarily.

I go into a startup draft with an open mind, willing to build either a “for-the-future” roster or a “win-now” roster. I just don’t want to land between those two buckets.

In this specific draft, I opened with a stud QB and a pair of sub-24-year-old WRs, including one working back from a torn ACL. That put me in the “for-the-future” lane, and I stayed there for the rest of the draft.

Alex Korff

You were the first team to take three QBs with Tyler Shough being the third at the 7.12. Is it a good strategy to get a viable third QB in superflex startups?

Starting QBs are some of the most valuable assets in superflex dynasty leagues. They score a ton of points, stay relevant longer than most positions, and get even more valuable once injuries hit, which makes them extremely tradable.

That was part of my thinking with Shough at 7.12. He represented the end of a tier of projected starting QBs, and I expect his market value to rise in-season as teams inevitably get desperate for QB help.

It was definitely a luxury pick, though. From the 12 spot, I felt like I was chasing the board all draft and didn’t love the options there. The Shough-Chris Olave stack served as a small tiebreaker.

In hindsight, I probably should have taken a fourth WR there to balance the roster better. My typical startup strategy is to ignore young RBs and grab vets to start in the aggregate. Think Moneyball.

That’s part of why mock drafts are valuable: They expose the spots where roster construction and positional value can pull you in different directions.

You selected rookie TE Kenyon Sadiq in the eighth round, then followed with Dallas Goedert in the 13th. Describe your TE strategy, and explain how taking a rookie TE that early can help in both the short and long term.

Sadiq graded out extremely well in the Draft Sharks rookie model, landing in the “Very Good” tier, ahead of Dalton Kincaid and just behind Tyler Warren in raw model score. The biggest concern is landing spot, because the Jets have not exactly been an ideal environment for developing offensive talent over the years/decades/centuries.

Still, the upside is worth chasing. Athletic, young TEs with strong prospect profiles can become massive long-term value wins if they hit, and Sadiq has those difference-making traits.

My preferred TE strategy is to pair upside rookies with reliable veterans. Rookie TEs often take time to develop, even the talented ones, so I followed Sadiq with Dallas Goedert in the 13th round to give me a stable starter while I evaluate how quickly Sadiq earns snaps and targets.

I use this approach in both dynasty and redraft leagues. In redraft especially, I expect to have plenty of Sadiq as an early-season bench stash because the payoff can be huge if the talent translates quickly.

Do Your Own Dynasty Startup Mock Draft

The best way to get ready for your dynasty startup draft is by practicing, and the Mock Draft Trainer is built for exactly that.

Hone your skills and test your strategy by mock drafting against our unique computer algorithm with your exact league rules.

A mock draft takes just a few minutes, giving you more time to test different strategies.

You’ll also get instant feedback on how your team stacks up according to both Draft Sharks projections and industry consensus.

Get to work with the Draft Sharks Mock Draft Trainer.

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Shane Hallam, Writer

Shane has over 20 years of experience creating content and playing every fantasy football format, including redraft, dynasty, devy, C2C, IDP, CFF, and more. He is a multi-year winner of $500 dynasty leagues on the FFPC and a King's Classic Champion. Shane utilizes deep film and scheme study to enhance his fantasy performance. He led the industry in 2024 preseason Kicker Rankings and ranked second in preseason QB Rankings. He also ranked eighth in preseason IDP rankings.