2026 Draft-A-Thon mock recap: Rico Dowdle anchors a Zero-RB gamble loaded with Fantasy upside

Every year, CBS Sports hosts a Draft-A-Thon to benefit the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. It's an amazing cause, and many people on our staff and in the Fantasy community go above and beyond to help raise money for children and families in need. This year, we set a goal to raise $200,000, and we're almost there. Please continue to donate if you can -- every dollar counts -- and you can find all the information you need right here. As part of our Draft-A-Thon, we held a 12-team, PPR league, featuring some of the best analysts in the industry. We also had Ken Townsel join us for this league, and Ken generously donated to St. Jude to compete against us. We're heading into a busy draft weekend, and this mock draft is a good blueprint to follow. Let's see how Ken drafted his team from No. 2 overall, as well as my roster with a (gasp) Zero-RB approach from the No. 3 spot. Ken took a Hero-RB approach with Bijan Robinson, Nico Collins, Malik Nabers, Luther Burden III and Tyler Warren as his first five picks. I outlined this strategy in my draft plan column, and Ken got off to a great start in this three-receiver league. His second running back is Rhamondre Stevenson, who was drafted in Round 6, and Ken rounded out his backfield with Mike Washington Jr., Woody Marks and Zach Charbonnet. Ken added Wan'Dale Robinson, Keenan Allen and Pat Bryant as reserve receivers, and Ken got Joe Burrow at quarterback. Ken also drafted Mark Andrews as a No. 2 tight end. This is an elite roster that should be tough to beat. But I like my squad as well, even with some questions at running back. I anticipated starting WR-WR with the No. 3 pick. After selecting Ja'Marr Chase in Round 1, I drafted the next best receiver in Round 2, which was Chris Olave. In Round 3, I wasn't planning to draft a running back, and I went with Trey McBride over DeVonta Smith, which is a tough call. I felt better about passing on Smith when I got DJ Moore in Round 4. Now, I would have drafted D'Andre Swift or Breece Hall instead of Moore, but both running backs went right in front of me. I decided to go Zero-RB in Round 5 when I drafted Lamar Jackson instead of Quinshon Judkins, Cam Skattebo, or David Montgomery. And, in Round 6, I passed on Rhamondre Stevenson for Chris Godwin, who will be my flex. Barring an injury, no one in this league has my caliber of pass catchers, and Jackson could finish as the No. 1 overall quarterback. But my backfield will likely determine the fate of this team. I went running back crazy from Rounds 7-12 with Rico Dowdle, Kenneth Gainwell, Rachaad White, Aaron Jones, MarShawn Lloyd and Kaelon Black. I also drafted Alvin Kamara with my last pick in Round 16. Dowdle, if he's the No. 1 running back in Pittsburgh, gives me one running back with top-20 potential. And I targeted Gainwell and White since I expect both to have at least 40 catches this season -- if not more. Since 2021, 44 running backs caught at least 50 passes, and 35 of them (79.5 percent) averaged at least 13 PPR points per game. Over that same span, 80 running backs caught at least 40 passes, and 62 of them (77.5 percent) averaged at least 11 PPR points per game. Jones could still be the best running back for the Vikings, and Lloyd and Black (assuming he beats out Jordan James) are high-end handcuffs. Kamara, who is dealing with a knee injury, could also be a prominent factor in the Saints' backfield. We'll see if this strategy works, but I wanted to try it. And I'll be aggressive on the waiver wire to find running backs, if needed, during the season. As a reference point for this 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, FLEX (RB/WR/TE), DST and K with six reserves for a 16-round draft. Our draft order is as follows: 1. Jake Ciely, The Athletic 2. Ken Townsel, St. Jude donor 3. Jamey Eisenberg, Senior Fantasy Writer 4. Scott Fish, Fantasy Cares 5. Adam Aizer, FFT Podcast Host 6. Dave Richard, Senior Fantasy Writer 7. Joe Pisapia, Fandom NFL 8. Alfredo Brown, Reception Perception 9. Joey Wright, Footballguys 10. Eric Young, Professional Wrestler 11. Heath Cummings, Senior Fantasy Writer 12. Nando Di Fino, The 7 Oracles Round By Round Round 1 Pos Team Player 1 Jake Ciely - The Athletic J. Gibbs RB DET 2 Ken Townsel B. Robinson RB ATL 3 Jamey Eisenberg J. Chase WR CIN 4 Scott Fish - Scott Fish Bowl J. Smith-Njigba WR SEA 5 Adam Aizer C. McCaffrey RB SF 6 Dave Richard J. Taylor RB IND 7 Joe Pisapia - Fandom NFL A. St. Brown WR DET 8 Alfredo Brown - Reception Perception J. Cook RB BUF 9 Joey Wright - Footballguys P. Nacua WR LAR 10 Eric Young - Professional Wrester D. Achane RB MIA 11 Heath Cummings C. Brown RB CIN 12 Nando Di Fino - The 7 Oracles D. Henry RB BAL Round 2 Pos Team Player 13 Nando Di Fino - The 7 Oracles S. Barkley RB PHI 14 Heath Cummings C. Lamb WR DAL 15 Eric Young - Professional Wrester J. Jefferson WR MIN 16 Joey Wright - Footballguys O. Hampton RB LAC 17 Alfredo Brown - Reception Perception K. Walker III RB KC 18 Joe Pisapia - Fandom NFL A. Brown WR NE 19 Dave Richard R. Rice WR KC 20 Adam Aizer D. London WR ATL 21 Scott Fish - Scott Fish Bowl A. Jeanty RB LV 22 Jamey Eisenberg C. Olave WR NO 23 Ken Townsel N. Collins WR HOU 24 Jake Ciely - The Athletic G. Pickens WR DAL Round 3 Pos Team Player 25 Jake Ciely - The Athletic B. Bowers TE LV 26 Ken Townsel M. Nabers WR NYG 27 Jamey Eisenberg T. McBride TE ARI 28 Scott Fish - Scott Fish Bowl T. Etienne RB NO 29 Adam Aizer D. Smith WR PHI 30 Dave Richard T. Higgins WR CIN 31 Joe Pisapia - Fandom NFL C. Loveland TE CHI 32 Alfredo Brown - Reception Perception Z. Flowers WR BAL 33 Joey Wright - Footballguys T. McMillan WR CAR 34 Eric Young - Professional Wrester K. Williams RB LAR 35 Heath Cummings J. Jacobs RB GB 36 Nando Di Fino - The 7 Oracles G. Wilson WR NYJ Round 4 Pos Team Player 37 Nando Di Fino - The 7 Oracles R. Odunze WR CHI 38 Heath Cummings J. Allen QB BUF 39 Eric Young - Professional Wrester J. Waddle WR DEN 40 Joey Wright - Footballguys J. Williams RB DAL 41 Alfredo Brown - Reception Perception E. Egbuka WR TB 42 Joe Pisapia - Fandom NFL J. Love RB ARI 43 Dave Richard L. McConkey WR LAC 44 Adam Aizer D. Swift RB CHI 45 Scott Fish - Scott Fish Bowl B. Hall RB NYJ 46 Jamey Eisenberg D. Moore WR BUF 47 Ken Townsel L. Burden III WR CHI 48 Jake Ciely - The Athletic B. Irving RB TB Round 5 Pos Team Player 49 Jake Ciely - The Athletic M. Evans WR SF 50 Ken Townsel T. Warren TE IND 51 Jamey Eisenberg L. Jackson QB BAL 52 Scott Fish - Scott Fish Bowl S. LaPorta TE DET 53 Adam Aizer D. Adams WR LAR 54 Dave Richard Q. Judkins RB CLE 55 Joe Pisapia - Fandom NFL C. Skattebo RB NYG 56 Alfredo Brown - Reception Perception J. Williams WR DET 57 Joey Wright - Footballguys T. McLaurin WR WAS 58 Eric Young - Professional Wrester D. Montgomery RB HOU 59 Heath Cummings K. Pitts TE ATL 60 Nando Di Fino - The 7 Oracles M. Harrison Jr. WR ARI Round 6 Pos Team Player 61 Nando Di Fino - The 7 Oracles J. Price RB SEA 62 Heath Cummings P. Washington WR JAC 63 Eric Young - Professional Wrester B. Thomas Jr. WR JAC 64 Joey Wright - Footballguys T. Kraft TE GB 65 Alfredo Brown - Reception Perception C. Watson WR GB 66 Joe Pisapia - Fandom NFL B. Tuten RB JAC 67 Dave Richard J. Brooks RB CAR 68 Adam Aizer T. Pollard RB TEN 69 Scott Fish - Scott Fish Bowl D. Maye QB NE 70 Jamey Eisenberg C. Godwin WR TB 71 Ken Townsel R. Stevenson RB NE 72 Jake Ciely - The Athletic C. Tate WR TEN Round 7 Pos Team Player 73 Jake Ciely - The Athletic C. Sutton WR DEN 74 Ken Townsel J. Burrow QB CIN 75 Jamey Eisenberg R. Dowdle RB PIT 76 Scott Fish - Scott Fish Bowl M. Wilson WR ARI 77 Adam Aizer J. Warren RB PIT 78 Dave Richard J. Croskey-Merritt RB WAS 79 Joe Pisapia - Fandom NFL J. Daniels QB WAS 80 Alfredo Brown - Reception Perception T. Henderson RB NE 81 Joey Wright - Footballguys D. Metcalf WR PIT 82 Eric Young - Professional Wrester I. Likely TE NYG 83 Heath Cummings J. Downs WR IND 84 Nando Di Fino - The 7 Oracles J. Herbert QB LAC Round 8 Pos Team Player 85 Nando Di Fino - The 7 Oracles J. Mason RB MIN 86 Heath Cummings J. Dobbins RB DEN 87 Eric Young - Professional Wrester B. Corum RB LAR 88 Joey Wright - Footballguys Q. Johnston WR LAC 89 Alfredo Brown - Reception Perception R. Harvey RB DEN 90 Joe Pisapia - Fandom NFL J. Addison WR MIN 91 Dave Richard H. Fannin Jr. TE CLE 92 Adam Aizer K. Monangai RB CHI 93 Scott Fish - Scott Fish Bowl D. Stribling WR SF 94 Jamey Eisenberg K. Gainwell RB TB 95 Ken Townsel M. Washington Jr. RB LV 96 Jake Ciely - The Athletic T. Allgeier RB ARI Round 9 Pos Team Player 97 Jake Ciely - The Athletic M. Lemon WR PHI 98 Ken Townsel W. Robinson WR TEN 99 Jamey Eisenberg R. White RB WAS 100 Scott Fish - Scott Fish Bowl J. Coker WR CAR 101 Adam Aizer J. Hurts QB PHI 102 Dave Richard A. Pierce WR IND 103 Joe Pisapia - Fandom NFL S. Diggs WR WAS 104 Alfredo Brown - Reception Perception T. Lawrence QB JAC 105 Joey Wright - Footballguys C. Rodriguez Jr. RB JAC 106 Eric Young - Professional Wrester M. Pittman WR PIT 107 Heath Cummings K. Concepcion WR CLE 108 Nando Di Fino - The 7 Oracles M. Golden WR GB Round 10 Pos Team Player 109 Nando Di Fino - The 7 Oracles C. Hubbard RB CAR 110 Heath Cummings D. Samuel WR SF 111 Eric Young - Professional Wrester B. Nix QB DEN 112 Joey Wright - Footballguys G. Kittle TE SF 113 Alfredo Brown - Reception Perception J. Meyers WR JAC 114 Joe Pisapia - Fandom NFL R. Doubs WR NE 115 Dave Richard J. Coleman RB DEN 116 Adam Aizer J. Reed WR GB 117 Scott Fish - Scott Fish Bowl D. Boston WR CLE 118 Jamey Eisenberg A. Jones RB MIN 119 Ken Townsel W. Marks RB HOU 120 Jake Ciely - The Athletic B. Allen RB NYJ Round 11 Pos Team Player 121 Jake Ciely - The Athletic J. Tyson WR NO 122 Ken Townsel Z. Charbonnet RB SEA 123 Jamey Eisenberg M. Lloyd RB GB 124 Scott Fish - Scott Fish Bowl C. Allen WR KC 125 Adam Aizer T. Kelce TE KC 126 Dave Richard D. Prescott QB DAL 127 Joe Pisapia - Fandom NFL C. Douglas WR MIA 128 Alfredo Brown - Reception Perception T. Spears RB TEN 129 Joey Wright - Footballguys J. McMillan WR TB 130 Eric Young - Professional Wrester X. Worthy WR KC 131 Heath Cummings B. Purdy QB SF 132 Nando Di Fino - The 7 Oracles T. Tucker WR LV Round 12 Pos Team Player 133 Nando Di Fino - The 7 Oracles B. Strange TE JAC 134 Heath Cummings B. Robinson Jr. RB ATL 135 Eric Young - Professional Wrester I. Pacheco RB DET 136 Joey Wright - Footballguys C. Williams QB CHI 137 Alfredo Brown - Reception Perception J. Ferguson TE DAL 138 Joe Pisapia - Fandom NFL N. Singleton RB TEN 139 Dave Richard D. Kincaid TE BUF 140 Adam Aizer E. Johnson RB KC 141 Scott Fish - Scott Fish Bowl J. Johnson TE NO 142 Jamey Eisenberg K. Black RB SF 143 Ken Townsel K. Allen WR IND 144 Jake Ciely - The Athletic K. Mitchell RB LAC Round 13 Pos Team Player 145 Jake Ciely - The Athletic J. Dart QB NYG 146 Ken Townsel P. Bryant WR DEN 147 Jamey Eisenberg Rams DST LAR 148 Scott Fish - Scott Fish Bowl J. Lane WR BAL 149 Adam Aizer D. Goedert TE PHI 150 Dave Richard K. Boutte WR HOU 151 Joe Pisapia - Fandom NFL Texans DST HOU 152 Alfredo Brown - Reception Perception D. Sampson RB CLE 153 Joey Wright - Footballguys R. Davis RB BUF 154 Eric Young - Professional Wrester R. Shaheed WR SEA 155 Heath Cummings T. Bigsby RB PHI 156 Nando Di Fino - The 7 Oracles N. Harris RB NYG Round 14 Pos Team Player 157 Nando Di Fino - The 7 Oracles T. Dell WR HOU 158 Heath Cummings Broncos DST DEN 159 Eric Young - Professional Wrester M. Washington WR MIA 160 Joey Wright - Footballguys Seahawks DST SEA 161 Alfredo Brown - Reception Perception T. Ferguson TE LAR 162 Joe Pisapia - Fandom NFL J. Goff QB DET 163 Dave Richard Steelers DST PIT 164 Adam Aizer K. Shakir WR BUF 165 Scott Fish - Scott Fish Bowl Vikings DST MIN 166 Jamey Eisenberg R. Bateman WR BAL 167 Ken Townsel M. Andrews TE BAL 168 Jake Ciely - The Athletic P. Mahomes QB KC Round 15 Pos Team Player 169 Jake Ciely - The Athletic Ravens DST BAL 170 Ken Townsel B. Aubrey K DAL 171 Jamey Eisenberg K. Fairbairn K HOU 172 Scott Fish - Scott Fish Bowl W. Reichard K MIN 173 Adam Aizer Chargers DST LAC 174 Dave Richard M. Willis QB MIA 175 Joe Pisapia - Fandom NFL G. Holani RB SEA 176 Alfredo Brown - Reception Perception Jaguars DST JAC 177 Joey Wright - Footballguys C. Little K JAC 178 Eric Young - Professional Wrester Raiders DST LV 179 Heath Cummings T. Tracy Jr. RB NYG 180 Nando Di Fino - The 7 Oracles Giants DST NYG Round 16 Pos Team Player 181 Nando Di Fino - The 7 Oracles J. Bates K DET 182 Heath Cummings J. Myers K SEA 183 Eric Young - Professional Wrester J. Slye K TEN 184 Joey Wright - Footballguys K. Allen RB WAS 185 Alfredo Brown - Reception Perception C. Dicker K LAC 186 Joe Pisapia - Fandom NFL H. Mevis K LAR 187 Dave Richard E. McPherson K CIN 188 Adam Aizer B. Grupe K IND 189 Scott Fish - Scott Fish Bowl J. Nailor WR LV 190 Jamey Eisenberg A. Kamara RB NO 191 Ken Townsel Eagles DST PHI 192 Jake Ciely - The Athletic E. Pineiro K SF Team by Team Jake Ciely - The Athletic Rd Pk Player 1 1 J. Gibbs RB DET 2 24 G. Pickens WR DAL 3 25 B. Bowers TE LV 4 48 B. Irving RB TB 5 49 M. Evans WR SF 6 72 C. Tate WR TEN 7 73 C. Sutton WR DEN 8 96 T. Allgeier RB ARI 9 97 M. Lemon WR PHI 10 120 B. Allen RB NYJ 11 121 J. Tyson WR NO 12 144 K. Mitchell RB LAC 13 145 J. Dart QB NYG 14 168 P. Mahomes QB KC 15 169 Ravens DST BAL 16 192 E. Pineiro K SF Ken Townsel Rd Pk Player 1 2 B. Robinson RB ATL 2 23 N. Collins WR HOU 3 26 M. Nabers WR NYG 4 47 L. Burden III WR CHI 5 50 T. Warren TE IND 6 71 R. Stevenson RB NE 7 74 J. Burrow QB CIN 8 95 M. Washington Jr. RB LV 9 98 W. Robinson WR TEN 10 119 W. Marks RB HOU 11 122 Z. Charbonnet RB SEA 12 143 K. Allen WR IND 13 146 P. Bryant WR DEN 14 167 M. Andrews TE BAL 15 170 B. Aubrey K DAL 16 191 Eagles DST PHI Jamey Eisenberg Rd Pk Player 1 3 J. Chase WR CIN 2 22 C. Olave WR NO 3 27 T. McBride TE ARI 4 46 D. Moore WR BUF 5 51 L. Jackson QB BAL 6 70 C. Godwin WR TB 7 75 R. Dowdle RB PIT 8 94 K. Gainwell RB TB 9 99 R. White RB WAS 10 118 A. Jones RB MIN 11 123 M. Lloyd RB GB 12 142 K. Black RB SF 13 147 Rams DST LAR 14 166 R. Bateman WR BAL 15 171 K. Fairbairn K HOU 16 190 A. Kamara RB NO Scott Fish - Scott Fish Bowl Rd Pk Player 1 4 J. Smith-Njigba WR SEA 2 21 A. Jeanty RB LV 3 28 T. Etienne RB NO 4 45 B. Hall RB NYJ 5 52 S. LaPorta TE DET 6 69 D. Maye QB NE 7 76 M. Wilson WR ARI 8 93 D. Stribling WR SF 9 100 J. Coker WR CAR 10 117 D. Boston WR CLE 11 124 C. Allen WR KC 12 141 J. Johnson TE NO 13 148 J. Lane WR BAL 14 165 Vikings DST MIN 15 172 W. Reichard K MIN 16 189 J. Nailor WR LV Adam Aizer Rd Pk Player 1 5 C. McCaffrey RB SF 2 20 D. London WR ATL 3 29 D. Smith WR PHI 4 44 D. Swift RB CHI 5 53 D. Adams WR LAR 6 68 T. Pollard RB TEN 7 77 J. Warren RB PIT 8 92 K. Monangai RB CHI 9 101 J. Hurts QB PHI 10 116 J. Reed WR GB 11 125 T. Kelce TE KC 12 140 E. Johnson RB KC 13 149 D. Goedert TE PHI 14 164 K. Shakir WR BUF 15 173 Chargers DST LAC 16 188 B. Grupe K IND Dave Richard Rd Pk Player 1 6 J. Taylor RB IND 2 19 R. Rice WR KC 3 30 T. Higgins WR CIN 4 43 L. McConkey WR LAC 5 54 Q. Judkins RB CLE 6 67 J. Brooks RB CAR 7 78 J. Croskey-Merritt RB WAS 8 91 H. Fannin Jr. TE CLE 9 102 A. Pierce WR IND 10 115 J. Coleman RB DEN 11 126 D. Prescott QB DAL 12 139 D. Kincaid TE BUF 13 150 K. Boutte WR HOU 14 163 Steelers DST PIT 15 174 M. Willis QB MIA 16 187 E. McPherson K CIN Joe Pisapia - Fandom NFL Rd Pk Player 1 7 A. St. Brown WR DET 2 18 A. Brown WR NE 3 31 C. Loveland TE CHI 4 42 J. Love RB ARI 5 55 C. Skattebo RB NYG 6 66 B. Tuten RB JAC 7 79 J. Daniels QB WAS 8 90 J. Addison WR MIN 9 103 S. Diggs WR WAS 10 114 R. Doubs WR NE 11 127 C. Douglas WR MIA 12 138 N. Singleton RB TEN 13 151 Texans DST HOU 14 162 J. Goff QB DET 15 175 G. Holani RB SEA 16 186 H. Mevis K LAR Alfredo Brown - Reception Perception Rd Pk Player 1 8 J. Cook RB BUF 2 17 K. Walker III RB KC 3 32 Z. Flowers WR BAL 4 41 E. Egbuka WR TB 5 56 J. Williams WR DET 6 65 C. Watson WR GB 7 80 T. Henderson RB NE 8 89 R. Harvey RB DEN 9 104 T. Lawrence QB JAC 10 113 J. Meyers WR JAC 11 128 T. Spears RB TEN 12 137 J. Ferguson TE DAL 13 152 D. Sampson RB CLE 14 161 T. Ferguson TE LAR 15 176 Jaguars DST JAC 16 185 C. Dicker K LAC Joey Wright - Footballguys Rd Pk Player 1 9 P. Nacua WR LAR 2 16 O. Hampton RB LAC 3 33 T. McMillan WR CAR 4 40 J. Williams RB DAL 5 57 T. McLaurin WR WAS 6 64 T. Kraft TE GB 7 81 D. Metcalf WR PIT 8 88 Q. Johnston WR LAC 9 105 C. Rodriguez Jr. RB JAC 10 112 G. Kittle TE SF 11 129 J. McMillan WR TB 12 136 C. Williams QB CHI 13 153 R. Davis RB BUF 14 160 Seahawks DST SEA 15 177 C. Little K JAC 16 184 K. Allen RB WAS Eric Young - Professional Wrester Rd Pk Player 1 10 D. Achane RB MIA 2 15 J. Jefferson WR MIN 3 34 K. Williams RB LAR 4 39 J. Waddle WR DEN 5 58 D. Montgomery RB HOU 6 63 B. Thomas Jr. WR JAC 7 82 I. Likely TE NYG 8 87 B. Corum RB LAR 9 106 M. Pittman WR PIT 10 111 B. Nix QB DEN 11 130 X. Worthy WR KC 12 135 I. Pacheco RB DET 13 154 R. Shaheed WR SEA 14 159 M. Washington WR MIA 15 178 Raiders DST LV 16 183 J. Slye K TEN Heath Cummings Rd Pk Player 1 11 C. Brown RB CIN 2 14 C. Lamb WR DAL 3 35 J. Jacobs RB GB 4 38 J. Allen QB BUF 5 59 K. Pitts TE ATL 6 62 P. Washington WR JAC 7 83 J. Downs WR IND 8 86 J. Dobbins RB DEN 9 107 K. Concepcion WR CLE 10 110 D. Samuel WR SF 11 131 B. Purdy QB SF 12 134 B. Robinson Jr. RB ATL 13 155 T. Bigsby RB PHI 14 158 Broncos DST DEN 15 179 T. Tracy Jr. RB NYG 16 182 J. Myers K SEA Nando Di Fino - The 7 Oracles Rd Pk Player 1 12 D. Henry RB BAL 2 13 S. Barkley RB PHI 3 36 G. Wilson WR NYJ 4 37 R. Odunze WR CHI 5 60 M. Harrison Jr. WR ARI 6 61 J. Price RB SEA 7 84 J. Herbert QB LAC 8 85 J. Mason RB MIN 9 108 M. Golden WR GB 10 109 C. Hubbard RB CAR 11 132 T. Tucker WR LV 12 133 B. Strange TE JAC 13 156 N. Harris RB NYG 14 157 T. Dell WR HOU 15 180 Giants DST NYG 16 181 J. Bates K DET