With plenty of drafts taking place this weekend, I wanted to give you all an article that made things easy for the last-minute drafter. Perhaps you haven’t done your research at all, or even just want a cheat sheet that highlights everything I’ve had to say through 50+ preseason podcast episodes, dozens of articles and 200+ player notes. When I first began as a fantasy analyst, I had dozens of long conversations where I tried to tell everyone in my life everything they could know before their drafts. I learned my lesson and approached it differently the following season. I figured the best way to provide them with all of my advice was to simply build a series of easy to follow lists. Now it has become an annual tradition and I share it with anyone who wants it. Welcome to the family! For any more specific questions, feel free to hit me up on Twitter.
*All rounds listed are for standard 12-team half-PPR, 1 QB leagues.
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Quarterbacks I Want
- Aaron Rodgers (if he falls to the 6th round)
- Cam Newton (love him in the 8th) *top target*
- Jameis Winston (if he is there in the 11th)
- Dak Prescott (last fallback option)
- Kirk Cousins (for two-QB and superflex leagues)
Quarterbacks I’m Avoiding
- Patrick Mahomes (unless he somehow falls to the 5th)
- Russell Wilson
- Tom Brady
- Ben Roethlisberger
Running Backs I Want to Start
- Any of the clear-cut Top 5 (Kamara, Saquon, McCaffrey, D. Johnson, Elliott — in that order)
- Todd Gurley (late 1st)
- Nick Chubb (late 1st/early 2nd)
- Dalvin Cook (late 2nd)
- Melvin Gordon (late 2nd/early 3rd)
- Leonard Fournette (3rd)
- Chris Carson (4th) *top target*
- Sony Michel (4th/5th)
- James White (6th)
- Latavius Murray (“Reach” into the 7th)
Running Backs I’m Avoiding
Running Backs I Want On My Bench
- Royce Freeman (9th round)
- Ronald Jones II (9th round)
- Carlos Hyde (10th round)
- Adrian Peterson (12th round)
- Justice Hill (“Reach” into the 13th) *top target*
- Damien Harris, Jaylen Samuels, Justin Jackson, Tony Pollard, Chase Edmonds, Malcolm Brown (Could all be RB1s if their starter suffers an injury/holdout–think James Conner and Nick Chubb last year)
Wide Receivers I Want to Start
- Any of the clear-cut top 5 (Julio, Adams, Hopkins, Beckham, Thomas in that order)
- Mike Evans (3rd)
- Brandin Cooks (3rd/4th) *top target*
- Calvin Ridley (6th)
- Corey Davis (7th)
- Marvin Jones (8th)
- Curtis Samuel (9th)
- Geronimo Allison (10th)
Wide Receivers I’m Avoiding
- T.Y. Hilton
- Julian Edelman
- Tyler Lockett
- Robby Anderson
- Will Fuller
- Courtland Sutton
- N’Keal Harry
- Robert Foster
Wide Receivers I Want On My Bench
- Keke Coutee (10th)
- Golden Tate (11th)
- Anthony Miller (12th)
- John Brown (13th)
- Josh Gordon (reach into 13th) *editor’s note – no longer applicable, as Gordon will likely be a late 4th round pick following the NFL‘s reinstatement*
- Devante Parker (14th)
- David Moore (14th) *top target*
Tight Ends I Want
- Travis Kelce (mid-2nd)
- Hunter Henry (5th/6th) *top target*
- Geoff Swaim (Week 1 Streamer vs KC)
Tight Ends I’m Avoiding
General Strategy
- Only draft 1 QB and 1 TE
- Don’t draft a DST or kicker at all, instead, fill the spot with another high-upside RB (see the full strategy here)
- Draft at least 4 WRs in the first 9 rounds and 1 or 2 upside WRs for your bench
- Draft 3 or 4 RBs in the first 7 or 8 rounds then get as many high-upside backup RBs as possible for your bench
- Do a quick (and FREE) 5-minute mock draft to help prepare
Ideal Starts by pick-range
- Picks #1 – #3 (Alvin Kamara, Melvin Gordon, Leonard Fournette, Brandin Cooks)
- Picks #4 – #6 (David Johnson, Travis Kelce, Melvin Gordon, Chris Carson)
- Picks #7 – #9 (Todd Gurley, Dalvin Cook, Mike Evans, Chris Carson)
- Picks #10 – #12 (Todd Gurley, Nick Chubb, Amari Cooper, Chris Carson)
A Roster I’d Love
- QB: Cam Newton
- RB: Todd Gurley, Dalvin Cook, Chris Carson
- WR: Brandin Cooks, Calvin Ridley, Corey Davis
- TE: Hunter Henry
- Bench: Latavius Murray, Geronimo Allison, Carlos Hyde, Golden Tate, Justice Hill, DeVante Parker, David Moore
Looking for more advice? Check out 10 Draft Mistakes to Avoid below!