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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.
PPR drafts tend to put a heavy emphasis on wide receivers since they catch more passes than any other position.
But my draft from 10th overall is proof that you don't have to take them early.
Running back depth in drafts will dry up quickly. It's wise to get at least one with your first two picks in a PPR, but two really solidifies the position. In Melvin Gordon and DeMarco Murray, I have two rushers with good hands and plenty of potential for 100 total yards and a touchdown practically every week. I could have picked Dez Bryant or Michael Thomas first, and I passed on Doug Baldwin twice. Both running backs averaged at least one full point more per week than each of these receivers in PPR last year.
Naturally, the problem with taking two running backs early is being forced to take receivers soon thereafter. But there's a strategy I've hatched to fix that, and it ties in perfectly with the glut of weekly high-risk Fantasy receivers that we seem to have this season.
I followed up my back-to-back running backs with three boom-or-bust receivers over four picks. Davante Adams, Tyreek Hill and Sammy Watkins may not be uber-consistent in 2017, but between the three of them I figure one will play well each week, one will be OK and one will disappoint. Occasionally, they'll all stink but hopefully there will be some weeks where they'll all be effective. This is my alternative plan whenever I don't take a wideout in Rounds 1 and 2.
It sure didn't hurt my squad to land Aaron Rodgers in Round 4, either. That'll help stabilize my Fantasy point totals from game to game.
Here is my team at No. 10 overall:
- 1.10 Melvin Gordon, RB, LAC
- 2.3 DeMarco Murray, RB, TEN
- 3.10 Davante Adams, WR, GB
- 4.3 Aaron Rodgers, QB, GB
- 5.10 Tyreek Hill, WR, KC
- 6.3 Sammy Watkins, WR, LAR
- 7.10 Mike Gillislee, RB, NE
- 8.3 Rob Kelley, RB, WAS
- 9.10 Samaje Perine, RB, WAS
- 10.3 Delanie Walker, TE, TEN
- 11.10 Eric Ebron, TE, DET
- 12.3 Ted Ginn, WR, NO
- 13.10 Vikings DST
- 14.3 Rishard Matthews, WR, TEN
Favorite pick: Aaron Rodgers
Round 4 for one of the best Fantasy quarterbacks in the game?! Even in a PPR league, that's a steal. Maybe my favorite part about Rodgers is that the Packers run game still hasn't been upgraded to the point where we have to worry about him throwing less than he did last season (610 attempts). We could be in for another really big year from Rodgers.
Pick you might regret: Davante Adams
No doubt about it, Adams is a regression candidate. Expecting him to get another dozen touchdowns in 2017 is neither fair nor realistic. But asking for him to get eight scores while putting up more yards? That's something he should be able to do. Whether or not he comes through will depend on the impact Martellus Bennett has on this offense as well as just how effective they'll be running the ball. There's a decent shot the Packers will wind up throwing nearly as much as in 2016, which only benefits Adams, who was a red-zone machine (seven touchdowns).
Player who could make or break your team: DeMarco Murray
There are plenty of issues in play with Murray that make him a Fantasy risk. He'll have to share the ball a little more this season with Derrick Henry. He missed time in training camp with a hamstring injury. He's 29 and has 878 carries and 154 catches over his past three seasons. But the reward he offers as a lead rusher in the Titans' run-focused offense can't be ignored whatsoever. With at least 1,400 total yards and 10 or more scores in three of his last four seasons, Murray has the upside of a top-five Fantasy rusher. He's worth the risk in Round 2.
