2017 Fantasy Football Draft Prep: Picking at No. 10 overall in standard leagues

Sometimes you have to take risks to win your Fantasy league. That's exactly what Jamey Eisenberg did with his team, to some degree, at No. 10 overall.

Drafting from: 1 | 2 |  3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12

The back end of the first round is always going to be a waiting game, in almost every Fantasy league in every year. And 2017 isn't going to be any different.

You know the first six players off the board will be some combination of Le'Veon Bell, David Johnson, Ezekiel Elliott, Antonio Brown, Julio Jones and Odell Beckham. And the rest of the first round will likely come from the group of A.J. Green, Mike Evans, Jordy Nelson, Dez Bryant, T.Y. Hilton, LeSean McCoy, Melvin Gordon and Devonta Freeman.

When you pick at No. 10 overall in a standard league, like I did here in our three-man pick-by-pick series with myself, Dave Richard and Heath Cummings, you have to wait and see who lands in your lap. So after the first six picks went, as expected, in Bell, Johnson, Elliott, Brown, Jones and Beckham, the next three picks were Green, Gordon and Evans.

Taking McCoy at No. 10 was the easy choice, and I expect him to be the No. 4 running back this year behind Bell, Johnson and Elliott. And it was an easy choice to draft Michael Thomas in Round 2 after the top eight receivers were gone, with Bryant, Hilton and Nelson following the selection of Evans.

I'm thrilled with that start, and I love the way this team turned out. But many Fantasy owners might not agree, especially with plenty of questionable choices for this team throughout the draft, starting in Round 3. 

Here is my team at No. overall:

• 1.10 LeSean McCoy, RB, BUF 
• 2.15 Michael Thomas, WR, NO 
• 3.34 Sammy Watkins, WR, BUF 
• 4.39 Christian McCaffrey, RB, CAR 
• 5.58 C.J. Anderson, RB, DEN 
• 6.63 Corey Davis, WR, TEN 
• 7.82 Samaje Perine, RB, WAS 
• 8.87 Jameis Winston, QB, TB 
• 9.106 Cameron Meredith, WR, CHI 
• 10.111 Jeremy Maclin, WR, BAL 
• 11.130 Jack Doyle, TE, IND 
• 12.135 Jonathan Williams, RB, BUF 
• 13.154 Cardinals DST 
• 14.159 Wil Lutz, K, NO

Watkins makes Fantasy owners nervous because of the problems with his foot, which required two surgeries since last year. He's expected to be fine for training camp, and he's now playing for a new contract this season. I consider him a breakout candidate in 2017, and this should be the best year of his career.

McCaffrey is a polarizing Fantasy option given his fit, or potential lack thereof, with the Panthers. But I don't think Carolina drafted McCaffrey at No. 8 overall in the first round to make him a part-time player. I love his value in Round 4.

We can nitpick almost every player. Anderson is coming off an injury-riddled campaign in 2016 and now has to deal with potentially sharing touches with Jamaal Charles. Davis might not be a standout Fantasy receiver in his rookie season, especially with the addition of Eric Decker. Perine could be on the bench behind Rob Kelley all year.

I don't see the downside with those players. I love their upside, and I expect a bounce-back season from Anderson, Davis to be a solid Fantasy receiver as a rookie and Perine to win the starting job for the Redskins.

I'm also confident in Winston as a No. 1 Fantasy quarterback and Doyle as a top 10 tight end. And getting Maclin in Round 10 could be the steal of the draft now that he's the No. 1 receiver for the Ravens.

You have to take chances if you want to win Fantasy leagues. And while this team might have some question marks, it also has plenty of potential. I'm counting on that potential to be fulfilled this year. 

Favorite pick: Jeremy Maclin

Maclin was cut by the Chiefs in June in a cost-cutting move, and there are reports he might have lost a step after missing four games in 2016 with an injured groin. He's also 29. But it was a great move by the Ravens to sign him, and he made the right decision going to pass-happy Baltimore.

Maclin immediately becomes the No. 1 receiver for the Ravens as the replacement for the retired Steve Smith. He also has a familiarity with Baltimore offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg from their days together in Philadelphia. Most Fantasy owners will likely draft Maclin as a No. 3 Fantasy receiver with a mid-round pick, but I got him here in Round 10 as my No. 4 receiver. That's just stealing, which is why he's my favorite player on this team.

Pick you might regret: Sammy Watkins

As stated above, I expect Watkins to have the best year of his career. But there's obvious risk involved with him coming off his foot problems from last year, which cost him eight games. And I passed on a potentially safer option at receiver like Demaryius Thomas or one of the elite tight ends like Travis Kelce.

I also could have drafted Keenan Allen, Brandin Cooks or Michael Crabtree. But none of them offer the upside of Watkins if he plays close to 16 games. And that's what I'm hoping for this season. Like I said, you have to take chances to win Fantasy leagues, and Watkins is a high-risk, high-reward player. But I'm counting on him to deliver in a big way. 

Pick who could make or break your team: Christian McCaffrey

I feel good about this running back corps without McCaffrey when you have McCoy and his handcuff in Williams, as well as Anderson and Perine. But if McCaffrey plays as expected, this collection of running back talent could be scary.

McCaffrey has to prove he can run between the tackles in the NFL and also convince Cam Newton to trust him as a weapon out of the backfield, which would be a switch for Newton. I'm not expecting McCaffrey to be a top 10 Fantasy running back as a rookie, but he could have 1,200 total yards and six touchdowns, which makes him a top 15 running back in standard leagues. 

He's worth drafting in Round 4, and he should make my team instead of breaking it.