You know you’re in trouble when the boss reaches out to you and says, “Hey, we are having a lot of success with this other writer’s article, so we’re going to need you to get one of those together.” This is odd to me, because I always like to think that I’ve thought of every article that fantasy enthusiasts want to read. I was wrong.
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My stud-muffin co-host on the FantasyPros podcast, Bobby Sylvester, decided to put together a “friends and family” article for those who were looking for a condensed version of everything he’s said this season, giving them the players he’s targeting and avoiding. Because in the end, it’s impossible for us to expect everyone to read the 100’s of articles we’ve published this offseason. Seriously, if you’d like to see everything I’ve done, click right here. I write. A lot. If you have an in-depth fantasy question, I’ve probably answered it.
But if you’re looking for a quick-hitting, condensed version of what I’ve found in those articles, you’ve come to the right place. Keep in mind that when I say I’m avoiding a player, it doesn’t mean I wouldn’t draft him at all, but rather means that I’m avoiding him at his current cost, which is far too expensive. It also doesn’t mean that just because I like a player, it doesn’t mean that you need to draft him 30 spots ahead of his current cost. These notes are based on a half-PPR setting, which is a happy medium for those who are in standard or PPR leagues.
Quarterbacks I’m targeting (at their current ADP)
Alex Smith
Mitch Trubisky
Ben Roethlisberger
Drew Brees
Quarterbacks I’m Avoiding (at their current ADP)
Deshaun Watson
Baker Mayfield
Derek Carr
Matthew Stafford
Starting Running Backs I’m Targeting (at their current ADP)
As many of the top eight running backs as possible (Todd Gurley, Le’Veon Bell, Saquon Barkley, David Johnson, Ezekiel Elliott, Alvin Kamara, Leonard Fournette, and Melvin Gordon are the elite)
Sony Michel (6th-7th round)
Joe Mixon (2nd round)
Lamar Miller (4th round)
Carlos Hyde (7th round)
Rex Burkhead (6th round)
Starting Running Backs I’m Avoiding (at their current ADP)
Isaiah Crowell
Rashaad Penny
Jay Ajayi
Kareem Hunt
Running Backs I Want on My Bench (at their current ADP)
Aaron Jones (8th-9th round)
Bilal Powell (9th round)
James White (10th round)
T.J. Yeldon (13th round)
Rod Smith (16th round)
Jordan Wilkins (15th round)
John Kelly (16th round)
Starting Wide Receivers I’m Targeting (at their current ADP)
Julio Jones (1st round)
Michael Thomas (early-2nd round)
Doug Baldwin (3rd round)
Chris Hogan (5th round)
Amari Cooper (4th-5th round)
Allen Robinson (5th round)
Starting Wide Receivers I’m Avoiding (at their current ADP)
Adam Thielen
T.Y. Hilton
Alshon Jeffery
Will Fuller
Devin Funchess
Wide Receivers I Want on My Bench (at their current ADP)
Devante Parker (9th round)
Jamison Crowder (7th-8th round)
Sterling Shepard (9th round)
Mike Williams (10th round)
Geronimo Allison (12th round)
Ryan Grant (15th round)
Taywan Taylor (16th round)
Anthony Miller (11th-12th round)
John Ross (12th round)
James Washington (14th round)
Tight Ends I’m Targeting (at their current cost)
Rob Gronkowski (2nd-3rd round)
Jordan Reed (7th-8th round)
Trey Burton (7th-8th round)
Tight Ends I’m Avoiding (at their current cost)
Greg Olsen
Jimmy Graham
Evan Engram
General Strategy
-If you can get two of the top-eight running backs, do it.
-Don’t leave your draft without at least one top-12 running back and one top-12 wide receiver.
–Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson are the only quarterbacks who are worth drafting before the seventh-round. If you miss out on them, feel free to wait until the double-digit rounds to draft one (yes, I’m serious).
-Get a top-10 tight end, it gets ugly after that.
-The only defense that should be drafted before the 15th round is Jacksonville. Even then, maybe the 13th round.
-Remain fluid in your draft. Just because you wanted to go RB-heavy, don’t pass up value at wide receiver.
-There is no one strategy that works.
-Draft players you want to put in your lineup, not boring ones who’ll “win” you fourth place.
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Mike Tagliere is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeTagliereNFL.
