This is our 12-part, pick-by-pick series where I, Dan Schneier, Adam Aizer, Jacob Gibbs, Thomas Shafer and Jamey Eisenberg all took part in a six-person mock draft. We each built two of the 12 teams in this 14-round draft to show you a different strategy from each spot. As a reference point, all touchdowns in this league 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 and FLEX (RB/WR/TE). Below are my results from picking fifth overall.
If you have the fifth pick in a PPR league, you can pretty much cross Ja’Marr Chase and Bijan Robinson off your draft board. They go in the top three picks in almost every draft. From my perspective, that leaves three very good options; Saquon Barkley, CeeDee Lamb, and De’Von Achane. Actually, in my projections, Achane is RB1, but he doesn’t ever get drafted that high. He averaged more than 23 points per game when Tua Tagovailoa was healthy last year and with Jonnu Smith traded to the Steelers I believe Achane has the best chance of any running back to see 100 targets.
My draft from No. 5 overall:
1.05 De’Von Achane, RB, Dolphins
2.08 Jonathan Taylor, RB, Colts
3.05 Terry McLaurin, WR, Commanders
4.08 Chuba Hubbard, RB, Panthers
5.05 Travis Hunter, WR, Jaguars
6.08 Cooper Kupp, WR, Seahawks
7.05 David Njoku, TE, Browns
8.08 Jaylen Warren, RB, Steelers
9.05 Emeka Egbuka, WR, Buccaneers
10.08 Luther Burden, WR, Bears
11.05 Brock Purdy, QB, 49ers
12.08 Caleb Williams, QB, Bears
13.05 Trey Benson, RB, Cardinals
14.08 Demario Douglas, WR, Patriots
If it terrifies you to have McLaurin as your WR1 or Hunter as your WR2, you are going to have to prioritize wide receiver earlier than I did. One option would be taking Justin Jefferson in Round 1, the other option would be taking Tyreek Hill, Ladd McConkey, or Tee Higgins where I took Taylor. I see much more upside with the running backs, so I often end up with two of them in the first two rounds. The exception is when Brock Bowers or Trey McBride fall to me in the second round, but they were both gone before I took Taylor in this round.
Obviously, getting to Round 5 with only one wide receiver is unconventional in a three-receiver PPR league. The way I attack that is with volume, though the circumstances of this league, with Warren falling to Round 8, got in the way a little bit. Hunter, Egbuka, and Burden are three of my favorite high-upside receivers to target at this stage in the draft. I’ll write more about Hunter below but Egbuka is the most polished receivers in this rookie class and he has earned rave reviews this summer in Tampa. Burden has as much upside as anyone, and landed in Ben Johnson’s offense with a chance to earn the coveted slot role. Cooper Kupp may not to seem to fit in this build, but don’t let his age disguise his upside. Through Week 14 he was on a 1,200-yard 10-TD pace. If Kupp’s late-season swoon was due to injury he could be the best wide receiver value available.
One final thing to note about this approach. If you fall behind at wide receiver and need to play catch-up, don’t be afraid to wait on quarterback. You can find a floor option like Purdy and an upside option like Williams in the double-digit rounds. That is one of many reasons you won’t see any of us taking a quarterback in the first two rounds of a one-quarterback league.
Favorite pick: David Njoku
George Kittle, Brock Bowers, and Trey McBride were the only tight ends who scored more Fantasy points per game than Njoku last year. Kittle is the only other tight end who has scored at least 12.5 PPR FPPG in each of the past two seasons. I was thrilled to get Kittle in Round 7, three rounds behind Kittle. While the quarterback room is a concern for the passing game, I am not sure it is as big of a concern for Njoku as it is the wide receivers. The best-case scenario is that Joe Flacco wins the job. Njoku averaged 78 yards and 18.2 PPR FPPG in five games with Flacco in 2023. If one of the lesser QBs wins the job I would expect Njoku to serve as their primary security blanket. His aDOT over the last year has hovered around five, which means a lot of the layups in the offense are dump offs to him. My preferred path at tight end is to take Brock Bowers or Trey McBride in Round 2, but Njoku in Round 7 is an excellent fallback option.
Pick I might regret: Chuba Hubbard
Hubbard was the 16th running back taken in this draft a year after finishing RB15 overall and RB13 per game. I do not have any real concerns about Rico Dowdle or Trevor Etienne impacting Hubbard’s workload and feel pretty confident he will justify this cost amongst the running backs. The concern is whether I should have taken a third running back in Round 4. I could have had Joe Burrow, who went two picks later and been much better at QB than I am. I could have taken Courtland Sutton or DJ Moore, who project as much safer WR2s and were both taken in the next five picks. If Burrow repeats what he did last year, I will regret passing on him, even if Hubbard meets expectations. If the receivers I drafted later bust, I’ll regret not shoring that position up earlier. I will be surprised if I regret the Hubbard pick for reasons that have anything to do with him.
Player who could make or break my team: Travis Hunter
My weak wide receiver corps won’t be near as weak if one or two of the rookies I selected hit. Hunter is the one I drafted the earliest, and the one with the most upside, so he is the most important. Hunter was widely regarded as the best player in college football last year and Jacksonville paid a haul to move up to No. 2 and draft him. All indications are that he will playa lot on the offensive side of the ball regardless of how much defense he plays. The range of possibilities are just enormous. If Hunter hits his upside he could be as good as, or even better than, Brian Thomas. Hunter’s ball skills are remarkable and Liam Coen’s offense has shown an ability to support multiple starting Fantasy wide receivers. The question now is whether Trevor Lawrence can. If Lawrence takes a leap and Hunter is as advertised, my receiving corps could suddenly become a strength. If not, I am going to be desperate for Egbuka or Burden to fill that void.