Every Fantasy Football draft season is different, and there are certainly some seasons where it plays out as best to have one of the first three picks overall — or four — or sometimes as the drop off extends deeper into Round 1. However, no matter how the draft board shakes out, I am always happier when I pick in the middle of a snake draft. I don’t need the exact middle, but anywhere from picks 5-7 is perfect. I believe strongly that in a snake format, it is best to draft in the middle because you avoid having to reach for any player (when you’re on the ends of a snake, you have to get your guy early because he won’t make it another 20+ picks). I also think drafting in the middle allows you to better adjust to the flow of a draft. If there’s a run on a certain position and that tier of players at said position is running low, it’s good to be in the middle.
Below, we’ll break down a 14-round, 12-team full PPR draft that I participated in with members of the Fantasy Football Today team. This is an outline that you can follow if you pick No. 6 overall in your league. The key is to study the strategy, not necessarily the players, to see if it works for you.
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).
First, we’ll look at how my draft played out and then discuss some of the key takeaways below.
My draft from No. 6 overall
1.6: Ja’Marr Chase, WR, Bengals
2.7: Trey McBride, TE, Cardinals
3.6: James Cook, RB, Bills
4.7: Jalen Hurts, QB, Eagles
5.6: Devonta Smith, WR, Eagles
6.7: Calvin Ridley, WR, Titans
7.6: Tony Pollard, RB, Titans
8.7: Brandon Aiyuk, WR, 49ers
9.6: Rashid Shaheed, WR, Saints
10.7: Tyler Allgeier, RB, Falcons
11.6: Jaylen Wright, RB, Dolphins
12.7: Tre Harris, WR, Chargers
13.6: Xavier Legette, WR, Panthers
14.7: Adonai Mitchell, WR, Colts
In a Full-PPR scoring format, I am thrilled to get Justin Jefferson at No. 6 overall. In this format, I typically prioritize wide receiver over running back in any kind of tiebreaker situation while also keeping an eye on making sure my FLEX position is filled by a wide receiver. Jefferson has been a model of consistency despite an ever-changing quarterback situation, so I’m not worried about moving from Sam Darnold to J.J. McCarthy. This might even serve as an upgrade if McCarthy is more locked on to his first read (Jefferson). After this pick, I let the board fall to me. McBride is the focal point of the Cardinals passing game and one of two or three weekly advantage players at the tight end position. Cook has excellent team context so long as his contract situation settles in Buffalo.
The big wrench in my draft was when I grabbed Hurts in Round 4. Typically, I almost always prefer to wait to draft a quarterback in a league that only starts one. In a 12-team league, only 12 start each week, and there are 32 starters in the NFL. However, Hurts in Round 4 is too good of a value to pass u,p and I felt strongly that he would give me a much greater weekly advantage than any of the non-QBs still on the board.
After grabbing Hurts, I sought to fill the rest of my lineup with depth at wide receiver and running backs — some fliers with upside and some safer plays. This is the advantage to drafting both a TE and QB early in a format that starts just one of each.
Favorite pick: Calvin Ridley
Ridley will enjoy arguably the biggest quarterback upgrade of any wide receiver this offseason, going from Will Levis to Cam Ward. He also has very little real target competition around him. Ward, like most rookies, will likley lock on to his No. 1 target. We could be staring down the barrel of a 150+ target season for Ridley, and his price tag costs that of a wide receiver you barely expect to eclipse 100 targets.
Pick I might regret: Trey McBride
I’m always wary of investing major capital at the TE position. The ideal outcome is that McBride will give me a weekly advantage over my opponents, stuck streaming tight ends. Given his ridiculous target volume over the last two seasons and this format being full-point PPR, I felt confident he could provide that. However, if he takes a major step back in target share — should Marvin Harrison Jr. fill that void — McBride could end up a major bust. He has never scored many touchdowns dating back to his collegiate career at Colorado State.
Player who could make or break my team: James Cook
Cook carried a ton of Fantasy value last season in large part due to the massive jump in touchdowns scored. Playing in a great offense has its benefits. However, two seasons ago, Cook scored very few touchdowns. Any kind of major regression in the touchdown department will derail my team, as I am counting on Cook to be a bona fide RB1. If not Cook, relying on players like Tony Pollard — and after that, I need injuries to bring forward more RB depth and starters into the mix. While Cook is my make-or-break player — my RB depth — or lack thereof — could make or break this squad.