2018 Fantasy Football Draft Prep: Who should I draft with the No. 4 pick in PPR?
Want the best receiver and best tight end in football? If you have the fourth pick in your PPR draft you could have a chance at both.
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4 min read
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Editor's note: Our latest PPR pick-by-pick series was done in August prior to the third preseason game and is a three-man draft with Heath Cummings, Jamey Eisenberg and Dave Richard, with each one selecting four teams in this 12-team mock. 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 when viewing each team.
Building a team from every draft slot in PPR and non-PPR
I've heard people say you need good running backs to win in Fantasy Football. While it certainly helps, it's also not entirely accurate. You have to have a lot of Fantasy points and, especially in a PPR league, you can get those points from a variety of places.
In this particular draft, I'll be getting a chunk of them from the No. 1 receiver and No. 1 tight end in the league. How good is this duo? Last year they combined for 38.1 PPR Fantasy points per game. That's a little over three points per game better than Ezekiel Elliot and Devonta Freeman, the running backs I passed on at those respective spots in the draft. Of course the question, becomes how my running backs will fare compared to the available receivers and tight ends later in the draft. Thankfully, I found plenty of upside and safety at running back later in the draft.
Here's my team from No. 4 overall:
- 1.4 Antonio Brown, WR, PIT
- 2.9 Rob Gronkowski, TE, NE
- 3.4 Demaryius Thomas, WR, DEN
- 4.9 Kenyan Drake, RB, MIA
- 5.4 Dion Lewis, RB, TEN
- 6.9 Jamison Crowder, WR, WAS
- 7.4 Andrew Luck, QB, IND
- 8.9 Giovani Bernard, RB, CIN
- 9.4 Theo Riddick, RB, DET
- 10.9 Jordy Nelson, WR, OAK
- 11.4 Javorius Allen, RB, BAL
- 12.9 Tyrell Williams, WR, LAC
- 13.4 C.J. Prosise, RB, SEA
- 14.9 Falcons DST
Kenyan Drake and Dion Lewis may not sound like a starting running back duo, but in PPR that's exactly what they are. The fact that I landed them after drafting Brown, Gronkowski and Thomas made me feel instantly better about this team's chances.
There's been a lot of talk about Frank Gore stealing Drake's touches and that is worrying, but I wouldn't expect him to limit Drake in the passing game. Drake caught 20 passes in the final six games of 2017, and the expectation should be around 50 catches in 2018. He'll also have at least 200 carries, which makes him a borderline No. 1 running back in this format.
The case for Lewis has become a more controversial one. I won't go as far to say he should be the No. 1 back in Tennessee, but so far preseason usage makes these two look a lot closer than their ADP. They've split first team snaps almost evenly. Whatever the split of early down work is, Lewis should dominate passing downs and be a borderline No. 2 running back in PPR.
Don't feel great about having a low-end No. 1 and a low end No. 2? Brown and Gronkowski should cure that.
Favorite pick: Rob Gronkowski
The No. 1 argument you get against drafting Rob Gronkowski in the second round is that he will not play 16 games. That is almost certainly true. It's also true that very few tight ends play 16 games. Zach Ertz hasn't since 2014. Travis Kelce played 15 last year and basically the same in 2016. More importantly, Gronkowski is so awesome when he does play you can deal with a couple of weeks without him. He's averaged 16 PPR Fantasy points per game over the last three seasons. That will give you a huge advantage over nine of the teams in your league.
Pick I might regret: Theo Riddick
Riddick is a nice floor running back in PPR leagues, even if he's nothing to get excited about. Over the past two years he's averaged almost 12 PPR Fantasy points per game. The problem is there is almost no upside in drafting him. He has no path to becoming a feature back, unlike Jordan Wilkins and Aaron Jones, who went later in Round 9. I don't imagine Riddick is going to let me down in the 9th round; he'll be a fine flex play when I need him. But if Wilkins or Jones end up in a feature role, I'll be disappointed I settled for Riddick.
Player who could make or break my team: Andrew Luck
Andrew Luck
QB
We all know what Andrew Luck's upside is – one of the best quarterbacks in football. If he reaches that upside in 2018, I could have the best player at three different positions on one roster. But we haven't seen Luck throw downfield in preseason action yet, and his receivers outside of T.Y. Hilton are uninspiring. It's possible he's just your average top-10 quarterback in which case I should have used this pick on another running back or receiver and taken Matthew Stafford in the 11th round. The point is when you take a quarterback in the first 10 rounds of a draft you need to be betting on draft a game changer. Luck has that potential, but it's not guaranteed.
