Drafting from: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12
There's a lot being made about the "big six" at the top of Fantasy drafts this summer. Anyone picking between first and sixth overall is guaranteed one of three stud running backs (Le'Veon Bell, David Johnson and Ezekiel Elliott) and three stud receivers (Antonio Brown, Julio Jones and Odell Beckham).
But there are more than six great players in Fantasy. And choosing at eighth overall entitles you to at least one more of them, if not two.
One of the perks I had choosing at eighth overall was landing a running back I hold in high regard -- Melvin Gordon. But I also got to take another stud player before everyone in the league who picked first through seventh overall. That little bonus netted me another quality running back in Jordan Howard.
Two workhorse running backs who catch passes and have the chance to score a bunch of touchdowns? Sign me up for that in standard formats.
It cannot be done as easily with one of those first seven picks. Yeah, sure, most of those other guys will take a receiver with a running back, or maybe even two receivers, but there just aren't a lot of dependable rushers in Fantasy. Getting two, I believe, gives a Fantasy owner an advantage.
Given my start, it was imperative that I target receivers with my next two picks. That's what I did, taking a chance on Terrelle Pryor in Round 3 and settling for Brandin Cooks in Round 4. Both are proven commodities who changed teams this offseason and should be big contributors for their pass-heavy offenses. I almost feel lucky getting them.
But the pièce de résistance was finding Matt Ryan in Round 6. Sure, no one's expecting him to be as amazing as he was last season, but he's still going to throw plenty and still has a very good receiving corps. I just can't believe guys like Eddie Lacy and DeSean Jackson went ahead of him.
Here is my team at No. 8 overall:
1.8 Melvin Gordon
2.17 Jordan Howard
3.32 Terrelle Pryor
4.41 Brandin Cooks
5.56 Jimmy Graham
6.65 Matt Ryan
7.80 Pierre Garcon
8.89 Danny Woodhead
9.104 Randall Cobb
10.113 Joe Williams
11.128 Dion Lewis
12.137 Adam Thielen
13.152 Vikings DST
14.161 Dustin Hopkins
I'm ecstatic over this roster. The depth at running back is just fantastic and the receivers I have are very potent even though I didn't spend one of my first couple of picks on a superstar. Maybe the Jimmy Graham choice was a little bit of a reach, but he's still a very dependable must-start Fantasy tight end. I hope you'll be as lucky with your squad on Draft Day.
Favorite pick: Jordan Howard
I just couldn't believe he made it back to 17th overall in Round 2. He ran for more yards than everyone but Ezekiel Elliott last year and should still be a huge part of the Bears offense.
How did a running back with 20-touch-per-game potential make it that far? I think it's because the rest of the picks in late Round 1 and early Round 2 were focused on receivers. Because the elite receivers are so limited, other owners chose them over running backs. I don't know if Howard makes it back to you in Round 2, but if he doesn't, receivers like T.Y. Hilton and Michael Thomas are very nice consolation prizes.
Pick I might regret: Brandin Cooks
For the past two seasons, Cooks has been the dynamic deep threat in the Saints offense, catching over 75 passes for over 1,100 yards and eight or more touchdowns each of the last two seasons. Getting traded to New England might cause some people to think his numbers will go up, but Tom Brady has a lot of weapons to lean on and doesn't have to utilize Cooks quite as much as the Saints did.
Cooks could end up being a 60-catch, 900-yard, six-score receiver, which isn't the worst thing in the world, but certainly not what I'd expect from a fourth-round pick.
Player who could make or break my team: Terrelle Pryor
You might notice that I picked Pryor over receivers like Sammy Watkins, Demaryius Thomas and Keenan Allen. That might seem weird to you, but not to me.
I like how Pryor made it over 1,000 yards last season despite playing with five different (and very bad) quarterbacks in Cleveland. Landing in Washington, where he'll play with Kirk Cousins and be charged with replacing the targets left behind by DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon, should mean a lot of Fantasy points.
Pryor already has been lauded as a great signing by the team and is considered one of the fastest players they have. Here's hoping he improves on his Cleveland-tastic stats from 2016 with a Redskins offense that should pass in bunches.
