There is minimal consensus on who the top four players are when you start tackling your 2023 fantasy football drafts. Winning the fourth pick in your PPR draft provides many paths, including going the traditional running back route with Christian McCaffrey, Austin Ekeler and Saquon Barkley or jumping on the hype train of rookie running back Bijan Robinson.
Fantasy managers could also go the wide receiver route with Justin Jefferson or Ja’Marr Chase. These players could be available when you are on the clock at 1.04.
The dilemma is, which path do you take? I look at the strategies and advise on attacking your draft from the 1.04 pick.
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Fantasy Football Draft Strategy & Advice: Drafting from 1.04 Pick (2023)
How to Draft from the 1.04 Position in 2023 Fantasy Football Drafts
Here’s a rundown of approaching the 1.04 position in fantasy football drafts.
What Path do I take with the Fourth Pick?
Taking the plunge of an elite wide receiver in either Justin Jefferson or Ja’Marr Chase is very tempting in point-per-reception (PPR) drafts. However, the top tier of running backs each have PPR equity that you should feel safe grabbing either Austin Ekeler, Saquon Barkley or even Bijan Robinson. When the draft returns to you at 2.09, the drop-off in running backs is steep.
Therefore, starting your 2023 roster with a versatile featured every down back is the best winning approach.
How To Handle Your First Four Picks
Starting your roster with an elite RB provides you with different strategies to turn. Of course, ideally, you want the draft to come to you and zig when everyone else zags. However, you must have a plan or a vision of how you want your roster to look when you complete your fantasy football draft. There are two main strategies that fantasy managers employ.
One is the Hero RB Strategy, in which you invest your first pick on a featured back and then focus on the other positions to complete your lineup. In the example draft below, I started with Austin Ekeler at 1.04. Utilizing this strategy, I wouldn’t look to take a running back until I complete my starting lineup.
In contrast, the other approach is the Zero RB Strategy, in which you turn your focus away from the running back position at the onset of your picks and focus primarily on wide receivers or select a tight end such as Travis Kelce. If I wanted to employ this strategy here, I would have started my draft with Justin Jefferson and then piled on with more wide receivers and a top-tight end.
I prefer to start my roster with an every-down RB first at 1.04, then grab wide receivers who are PPR monsters with my second and third-round picks. Grabbing a WR1 with each selection places your team in an ideal situation with the PPR focus. A CeeDee Lamb, Amon-Ra St. Brown or Garrett Wilson at 2.09 to go with Tee Higgins or DeVonta Smith returns to you at 3.04 makes me ecstatic.
Another path is to go with the difference maker at tight end Travis Kelce at 2.09, then hit the WR position at 3.04. Either path gives your team a distinct advantage at the onset of building your roster.
Now with your 4.09 pick, you can go down different avenues. Selecting a top wide receiver that may have fallen to here, such as Jerry Jeudy or D.J. Moore, looks phenomenal in a three-wide receiver lineup or slotting that wideout in your flex spot. Or you can still go running back here to match up with the RB1 you selected in round one.
With a great start at wide receiver, you can pivot to running back and draft an RB1 that carries PPR equity, such as Travis Etienne or Aaron Jones. This group of your first four picks provides an excellent foundation to build your roster around and sets up the remainder of your draft.
When To Target Quarterback and Tight End
In a Superflex league, I typically pick two quarterbacks in the first four rounds. Conversely, in a one-quarterback starting requirement, I focus on waiting on quarterbacks and draft one in the latest available round. I utilize the tiered player approach and pinpoint which quarterback(s) I would be satisfied with as my QB1.
This approach allows me to stack up on my other positions, as the other fantasy managers select quarterbacks early. With only one quarterback in your weekly lineups, there should be zero urgency in going after the quarterback. The point differential between quarterbacks doesn’t warrant the higher draft capital.
The tight end position is another animal. There is only one tight end that stands out: Travis Kelce. In most leagues, Kelce is being selected in the first or second round, which is warranted based upon his stranglehold on the big point differential weekly that he provides over other tight ends.
Despite a few outlier seasons, you can depend on Kelce being the top scorer at tight end every season. That type of elite consistency warrants a first-round pick.
Otherwise, I target a group of tight ends that have breakout potential. However, if fantasy managers jump on those players before I am willing to pay or I like a running back or wide receiver more, I am happy to let the other fantasy manager have that player. You need to fill out the weekly lineup spot, but I typically don’t select a tight end until I have a starting lineup core that I am delighted with.
Example Draft for Picking 1.04
Below is a sample draft I conducted, picking fourth overall to use as a guide. The Draft Wizard gave my mock draft an A- grade, so I am thrilled to see how this roster will perform this season.
- Pick 1.04: Austin Ekeler (RB – LAC)
- Pick 2.09: Amon St. Brown (WR – DET)
- Pick 3.04: Tee Higgins (WR – CIN)
- Pick 4.09: Aaron Jones (RB – GB)
- Pick 5.04: Drake London (WR – ATL)
- Pick 6.09: Rachaad White (RB – TB)
- Pick 7.04: D’Andre Swift (RB – PHI)
- Pick 8.09: Javante Williams (RB – DEN)
- Pick 9.04: Michael Thomas (WR – NOS)
- Pick 10.09: David Njoku (TE – CLE)
- Pick 11.04: Romeo Doubs (WR – GB)
- Pick 12.09: Jared Goff (QB – DET)
- Pick 13.04: Tank Bigsby (RB – JAC)
- Pick 14.09: Roschon Johnson (RB – CHI)
- Pick 15.04: Parris Campbell (WR – NYG)
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Dennis Sosic is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Dennis, check out his archive and follow him @CALL_ME_SOS.
