Note: Draft season is upon us, for the best draft party have your draft at B-Dubs! Players receive food & drink specials plus a free draft kit. Sign up HERE today!
Drafting from No. 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12
Editor's note: Our latest pick-by-pick series was done prior to the third preseason games when season-ending knee injuries to Julian Edelman, Spencer Ware and Cameron Meredith occurred. The goal of this series is to show you positions to draft in these spots as much as the players selected so take that into account if those injured guys are listed here.
We all want stud running backs. The guys who dominate carries and are featured in the passing game. But in the NFL these days, those running backs are hard to come by.
It's why guys like David Johnson, Le'Veon Bell, LeSean McCoy, Melvin Gordon and Devonta Freeman are drafted in the first round. And it's why we're hoping to get bounce-back seasons from Todd Gurley and Lamar Miller or see rookies like Leonard Fournette and Dalvin Cook dominate.
But sometimes you have to depend on players who excels in a certain aspect of the game. And in PPR leagues, there are running backs who might not run for a lot of yards or score touchdowns with a lot of volume, but they can still be successful.
They also might be starters for your team.
With this team at No. 6 overall, I started with A.J. Green in Round 1 and Rob Gronkowski in Round 2. Green was on pace to lead the NFL in receptions and receiving yards last year before he suffered a season-ending hamstring injury in Week 11. And Gronkowski, when healthy, is easily the No. 1 Fantasy tight end and the biggest difference maker at any position.
I like the rest of my potential starters as well with Christian McCaffrey and Mark Ingram at running back, Martavis Bryant as my No. 2 receiver, Pierre Garcon as my flex and Jameis Winston at quarterback. I also have good depth at receiver with Tyrell Williams and Marvin Jones as reserves.
But those guys might not be the key to my roster.
Here is my team at No. 6 overall:
- 1.6 A.J. Green, WR, CIN
- 2.7 Rob Gronkowski, TE, NE
- 3.6 Christian McCaffrey, RB, CAR
- 4.7 Mark Ingram, RB, NO
- 5.6 Martavis Bryant, WR, PIT
- 6.7 Pierre Garcon, WR, SF
- 7.6 Tyrell Williams, WR, LAC
- 8.7 Theo Riddick, RB, DET
- 9.6 James White, RB, NE
- 10.7 Jameis Winston, QB, TB
- 11.6 Marvin Jones, WR, DET
- 12.7 De'Angelo Henderson, RB, DEN
- 13.6 Tarik Cohen, RB, CHI
- 14.17 Giants DST
It wouldn't surprise me at all if Riddick and White play significant roles this year for my Fantasy team. And both are potential starters in PPR. Last year, Riddick scored 147 Fantasy points in PPR in just 10 games. If you project that over a full season, he would have finished as a top-10 running back in this format.
Riddick had 53 catches for 373 yards and five touchdowns last year, and White had 60 catches for 551 yards and five touchdowns. And we all know White was a star in Super Bowl 51 against Atlanta with six carries for 29 yards and two touchdowns and 14 catches for 110 yards and a touchdown, which could lead to a bigger role this year.
Don't be afraid to draft guys like Riddick and White higher in PPR leagues. Even McCaffrey and Ingram benefit in this format, and Ingram was the No. 8 PPR running back in 2016. McCaffrey also averaged 41 catches a year over his final two seasons at Stanford.
So while none of these guys will likely perform like Johnson, Bell or McCoy, they should still be successful. You just have to realize pass-catching running backs can be starters -- and good ones -- in PPR.
Favorite pick: Pierre Garcon
New 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan has a good history of featuring his No. 1 receiver when he was an offensive coordinator, which includes working with Andre Johnson in Houston, Julio Jones in Atlanta and Garcon in Washington. In 2013, when Garcon and Shanahan were together with the Redskins, Garcon led the NFL in targets (181) and receptions (113) while also getting 1,346 yards and five touchdowns. He should see a hefty amount of targets this year from Brian Hoyer, and he could be around 80 catches, 1,000 yards and five touchdowns. He's a solid flex option in PPR.
Pick I might regret: Mark Ingram
I have no problem with Ingram in Round 4, but there's obvious risk with him this season now that Adrian Peterson is with the Saints, as well as rookie Alvin Kamara. If both guys take on a big role, Ingram will struggle, and I drafted him over running backs like Ty Montgomery, Carlos Hyde and C.J. Anderson, who could be better, as well as Alshon Jeffery, Jordan Reed and Larry Fitzgerald. The hope is Ingram gets the same amount of touches he had in 2016 (251) and can continue to be the featured running back in this high-powered Saints offense.
Player who could make or break my team: Rob Gronkowski
If Gronkowski was guaranteed to play 13 games, he would be a first-round pick in all leagues. And while he's an injury risk after being limited to eight games last season because of a back problem, he played 15 games in each of the two previous years. He is a candidate for 70 catches, 1,100 yards and 11 touchdowns, which is nearly impossible to replicate from another tight end, and almost impossible for most receivers. But if he does get hurt again and plays less than 13 games, my team could be destroyed.
