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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.
I don't ever go into a draft with a steadfast positional plan. In fact, I think it's sub-optimal to decide when you want to take certain positions before the draft even starts. That's because I want to be flexible enough to take advantage of value at any position, which is exactly what I did by grabbing four of my top 17 wide receivers in the first four rounds of this draft.
It might worry some people to not take a running back in the first four rounds, even in PPR, but hopefully this roster will ease your mind. I was able to grab three young backs with upside in rounds five through seven and add another two sleepers towards the end of the draft. I also landed a solid starting running back and an elite combo at quarterback. All while securing the best receiving corps in the draft.
Here's my team from the No. 11 pick:
- 1.11 Dez Bryant, WR, DAL
- 2.2 Amari Cooper, WR, OAK
- 3.11 Michael Crabtree, WR, OAK
- 4.2 Stefon Diggs, WR, MIN
- 5.11 Ameer Abdullah, RB, DET
- 6.2 Tevin Coleman, RB, ATL
- 7.11 Paul Perkins, RB, NYG
- 8.2 Tyler Eifert, TE, CIN
- 9.11 Andrew Luck, QB, IND
- 10.2 Sterling Shepard, WR, NYG
- 11.11 Jeremy Hill, RB, CIN
- 12.2 Dion Lewis, RB, NE
- 13.11 Carson Palmer, QB, ARI
- 14.2 Cardinals DST
Favorite pick: Stefon Diggs
Diggs was an elite PPR option on a per game basis last season and now he's entering the famed third-year breakout. I expect 93-1,069-6 on 130 targets. That would have been the No. 16 wide receiver in PPR scoring last season. To be clear, that's not his upside.
The biggest knock on Diggs from last year seems to be that he had a very low average per catch (10.8) and a terrible touchdown rate. Those are both true. But in 2015 he averaged 13.8 yards per reception and caught a touchdown every 21 targets. There's upside of 100-1,300-7 here, and in that case you have a bona fide No. 1 receiver.
Pick you might regret: Tevin Coleman
I love Coleman's upside (top-five running back if Devonta Freeman gets hurt), but if Freeman plays 16 games there's little doubt that Coleman has touchdown and efficiency regression coming. His total yardage numbers may be better because he missed three games last season, but on a per game basis you should expect him to be worse.
In this situation, where I started so receiver-heavy and I landed a pair of starting running backs, I'm OK with the upside play, and he'll still be a decent bye week replacement. But there's a good chance another running back I passed on will outscore Coleman.
Player who could make or break your team: Ameer Abdullah
The Lions have said all the right things about Abdullah over the summer. He's their guy. They want to give him 200 carries. He's going to be involved in all phases of the game. Now it's time for Abdullah to prove it.
The Lions' third-year back was efficient as a rookie, but could not hold on to the football. In 2016 he played only two games due to injury. For this Fantasy team to reach its potential, I need Abdullah to stay healthy and prove he deserves the praise the Lions are heaping on him.
