2018 Fantasy Football Draft Prep: Who should I take at No. 3 overall in non-PPR?
When it comes to picking at No. 3 overall, Dave Richard says to start by focusing on Round 3.
By
Dave Richard
•
5 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
If there are four consensus stud running backs and you're picking third, my math tells me you're promised one of them.
So congrats!
The smiling stops there, though, because plans must be focused on for Rounds 2 and 3. Ideally you'd want a top-10 receiver or Rob Gronkowski there. Odds are that'll happen. Getting two of them? Probably not happening in a 12-teamer, maybe in a 10-team format.
Your draft starts in Round 3 since the first two picks should be fairly simple. This is the point to find a player who can finish as a top-10 option among rushers and receivers and top three among tight ends. It's not the right time for a quarterback.
Also don't forget to keep track of what the owners drafting in the first two slots do. You can make some logical choices in the even rounds with eyes on players falling to you in the even rounds based on what those opponents' needs are.
Here is my team from No. 3 overall:
- 1.3 Le'Veon Bell, RB, Steelers
- 2.10 T.Y. Hilton, WR, Colts
- 3.3 Zach Ertz, TE, Eagles
- 4.10 Jay Ajayi, RB, Eagles
- 5.3 Jamaal Williams, RB, Packers
- 6.10 Emmanuel Sanders, WR, Broncos
- 7.3 Russell Wilson, QB, Seahawks
- 8.10 Kelvin Benjamin, WR, Bills
- 9.3 Mike Williams, WR, Chargers
- 10.10 Nick Chubb, RB, Browns
- 11.3 Ty Montgomery, RB, Packers
- 12.10 Carson Wentz, QB, Eagles
- 13.3 James Conner, RB, Steelers
- 14.10 Patriots DST
Bell was obvious at No. 3 overall. I knew the smart thing to do in Round 2 was take Hilton, but I was hoping Christian McCaffrey would make it back to me in Round 3 of a non-PPR. That came up snake eyes as McCaffrey went 25th overall. The backup plan was Zach Ertz, who I am consistently taking in Round 3 as a studly tight end who could lead his team in receiving numbers. Beats streaming tight ends.
Round 4 presented a problem that I think a lot of Fantasy fans will have. At the time, the drafters in slots 1 and 2 had at least two running backs each and neither had even one receiver. Seems like a great time to snag a receiver before the guys picking twice before my next pick gobble them up, right?
I didn't do it. Larry Fitzgerald and both Browns receivers were snapped up right before my pick, and the best available hands men were Marvin Jones, Brandin Cooks and Michael Crabtree. I wasn't comfortable drafting any of them in Round 4, so my default was to take a running back. That's when I couldn't decide between Jay Ajayi and Jamaal Williams. Williams was still dealing with an ankle injury at the time, so I felt Ajayi was safer.
In the four picks after that, two receivers (JuJu Smith-Schuster and Chris Hogan) were taken. So the same three receivers I was looking at before were still there, as was Williams. Knowing I could still find capable receivers later on, I decided to stock up on running backs and take the other player I was debating back in late Round 4. Williams was mine.
Feeling the need to take a receiver in Round 6, I went with my highest-ranked one (Emmanuel Sanders), but I did it hoping for Russell Wilson to slide to me in Round 7. Team 1 already had Tom Brady and Team 2 liked to wait on quarterbacks. The risk paid off, and Wilson became a steal at 75th overall, right between Kenny Stills and Marlon Mack. What a time to be alive.
The only other interesting move I made was landing Carson Wentz in Round 12. I didn't do it because I wanted a backup quarterback, I did it hoping Wentz would play above my expectations and become a trade piece in a month or two. This is an example of not letting a great value fall past you just because you don't have a starting slot available. I prefer to do this with every other position than quarterback, but an exception was made.
Favorite pick: Russell Wilson
I'm the guy who tells people to wait until it feels like stealing when drafting a quarterback. Well, dress me up like the Hamburglar because I felt like I was committing cheeseburger larceny when I got Wilson in Round 7. The guy's finished as a top three Fantasy quarterback in two of the past three years and should be in line to finish at least in the top five this year.
Pick I might regret: Emmanuel Sanders
When the season opens, Sanders will be my No. 2 receiver. This is what I got for spending picks in Rounds 3 through 5 on Ertz and two running backs. I'm pleased with the running back depth, I'm very happy to have Ertz on my roster, but Sanders is going to need a strong year from Case Keenum to return No. 2 value. Had I taken Doug Baldwin in Round 3 and, say, Evan Engram in Round 6, my lineup woes might not be as bad.
Player who could make or break my team: T.Y. Hilton
Let's face facts, I need Hilton to have a huge bounce-back season or else this team is in trouble. My receiving corps is already iffy to begin with, and a weak season from Hilton magnifies the problem. Andrew Luck is back and should keep the Colts offense potent, but we aren't so sure just how lethal his deep passing will be.
