2017 Fantasy Football Draft Prep: Picking at No. 11 overall in standard leagues

Two receivers? Two running backs? One of each? All of these options are at your fingertips from the 11th spot overall -- but you'd better do your homework.

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

Drafting 11th hurts a little.

There's no chance that one of the top four consensus receivers makes it to you, nor will any of the top four or five running backs. If you're lucky, A.J. Green or LeSean McCoy fall in your lap. But more likely than not you'll pick from Jordy Nelson, Dez Bryant, T.Y. Hilton, Devonta Freeman and Jordan Howard.

I don't know if you need any consoling after being forced to pick from this group, but the consolation is that there will be enough elite talent left at running back and receiver to take two of one position or one of each. Who they are is up to you. 

Who picks after you at 12th overall also matters.

At the time I drafted, Dez Bryant was my highest-rated receiver and Devonta Freeman was my highest-rated running back. Getting both would be great. I had a feeling Heath Cummings would take two receivers with his 12th and 13th overall choices, so I took Bryant hoping Freeman fell to my pick in Round 2. If not, then I'd take a receiver -- Jordy Nelson or T.Y. Hilton -- to pair with Bryant.

Welp, Heath took the receivers and I swiped Freeman. Life was good.

Since then I've actually moved Bryant down in my rankings, so if I had to do it again, I would take Nelson first and then Freeman. But the teaching points are the same -- you can kick off your roster with the positions you want and tailor those picks around the tendencies of who picks at 12 and 13.

I spent the rest of the draft going with the best available players while also being mindful of what Heath's draft needs were. The Marshawn Lynch and Rob Kelley picks were perfect examples -- I could see that Heath needed running backs, so I got to those guys before he could in Rounds 5 and 7. I also was able to wait until Round 10 to get Derek Carr because Heath picked Cam Newton two rounds earlier. I knew he didn't need another passer, so I took one after he took 10 players -- and it's someone I like better than Cam anyway!

Please, do not forget to take advantage of this on Draft Day. Use the picks of the guy drafting in the 12 slot against him and pick players you both need before he makes two picks and positions only you need after he makes two picks.

Here is my team at No. 11 overall:

1.11 Dez Bryant

2.14 Devonta Freeman

3.35 Demaryius Thomas

4.38 Jordan Reed

5.59 Marshawn Lynch

6.62 Dalvin Cook

7.83 Rob Kelley

8.86 John Brown

9.107 Latavius Murray

10.110 Derek Carr

11.131 J.J. Nelson

12.134 Chiefs DST

13.155 Eli Manning

14.158 Adam Vinatieri

The talent and depth at receiver is phenomenal. The running backs are very solid as well. Jordan Reed is a stud tight end and the combo of Derek Carr and Eli Manning should give the squad an added boost at quarterback. Even the Chiefs DST is a precious jewel in my lineup. This is the kind of team you should aim for in your drafts -- a robust blend of quality players.

Who says you need the top pick to have a great Fantasy team?

Favorite pick: Devonta Freeman

Honestly, I considered taking Freeman first and then settling for a receiver in Round 2. Instead, I cherry-picked my wideout and still got Freeman!

He's been great for the past two seasons and there's no reason to believe he'll keep it going in 2017. It's clear he's the lead back in Atlanta after leading them in touches for all but one game and he's got the chops to make plays as a receiver and a rusher. While he and Tevin Coleman shared the same consistency rate, Freeman was more efficient.

I expect him to play just as well over a schedule that features 13 games on turf, which is the surface he best suits him. 

Pick I might regret: Dez Bryant

As I mentioned earlier, since I did this draft I've moved Bryant behind Jordy Nelson in my rankings. The rationale? How many touchdowns will Ty Montgomery steal from Jordy versus touchdowns stolen from Dez by Ezekiel Elliott?! I'd just rather have the No. 1 receiver in a pass-heavy offense than the No. 1 receiver in a balanced scheme. It's encouraging that Bryant is healthy coming into training camp and clearly is motivated to keep playing well. But the elite receivers dominate from week to week -- Bryant has cleared 10-plus Fantasy points in 20 of his last 38 games.

Player who could make or break my team: Marshawn Lynch

I didn't want to draft Lynch, but I needed to. Fantasy owners sometimes have to settle for good talent at decent values, and that's what I did when I realized running backs were getting thin in Round 5.

Having Beast Mode back in the NFL is great and there will be some fun moments, but it's tough to buy into a 31-year-old who was retired in 2016 and a dud in 2015. I expect Lynch to go higher in most drafts -- maybe even as soon as Round 2 -- but I'd be stunned if he put up great numbers again.