2019 Fantasy Football Draft Prep: Picking at No. 6 overall in non-PPR leagues
Picking sixth in non-PPR is a great place for a balanced approach.
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3 min read
Non-PPR draft slot: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12
A question I get sometimes is: "How do you feel about drafting a quarterback and wide receiver on the same team?" The truth is I don't often think about it. If it happens, it happens.
In this draft it happened as I landed my No. 1 receiver with the sixth pick and my No. 2 quarterback in the fifth round. One of those things is more likely to happen than the other in your draft, but there's still something you can take from this.
Once Patrick Mahomes goes off the board, there's no quarterback with more upside than Deshaun Watson. And truth be told, if Watson hits that upside, this combination of him and Hopkins may be tough to beat.
The other lesson from this draft? Balance is often the best plan from the middle of the draft.
Here's my team from No. 2 overall:
- 1.6 DeAndre Hopkins, WR, HOU
- 2.7 Mike Evans, WR, TB
- 3.6 Devonta Freeman, RB, ATL
- 4.7 Chris Carson, RB, SEA
- 5.6 Deshaun Watson, QB, HOU
- 6.7 Rashaad Penny, RB, SEA
- 7.6 Dede Westbrook, WR, JAC
- 8.7 Tyrell Williams, WR, OAK
- 9.6 LeSean McCoy, RB BUF
- 10.7 John Brown, WR, BUF
- 11.6 Devin Singletary, RB, BUF
- 12.7 Jordan Reed, TE, WAS
- 13.6 Austin Hooper, TE, ATL
- 14.7 Baltimore Ravens DST
- 15.6 Marquise Brown, WR, BAL
Starting with two receivers in non-PPR may seem nontraditional, but the depth at running back this year makes it easier. Sure Freeman and Carson may not feel like safe starting running backs but I feel pretty good about the depth I have behind them. Penny can replace Carson, and may just do that without an injury. And the combination of McCoy and Singletary should mean I have the starting running back in Buffalo.
Besides, if you have an elite quarterback and a pair of top-10 receivers you can accept being a little questionable at running back. Now about that tight end...
Favorite pick
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If I don't land one of the top six tight ends I am perfectly happy to wait until double-digit rounds. And when I wait until the double-digit rounds there is no one I'm more likely to select that Reed. Do I expect Reed to make it through 16 games without an injury? Not really. But at this stage you're basically streaming and Reed is healthy to start the season and the de facto No. 1 receiver on his team. Reed scored at least nine Fantasy points in four of his final six games last year and averaged nearly seven targets per game. I expect top-10 production from him on a per-game basis and will be fine starting Hooper the weeks Reed can't go.
Pick I might regret
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Let's be honest, I took Bills in three straight rounds. That doesn't feel great. Neither does taking McCoy at any point. But also, he's currently the starting running back for a team we expect to be run-heavy and he's somehow available in the ninth round (or later) of Fantasy drafts. Pairing him with Singletary offers some security, but it's just really hard to feel good about this at all. Every draft there's going to be a guy no one wants that slides way more than they probably should. Even when it's the right move it's going to feel a little gross later.
Make or break pick
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There's no doubt Freeman possesses league-winning upside. We've seen him be the No. 1 running back in Fantasy. He'll be in a bit of a committee but I don't expect Ito Smith (or anyone else) to earn the workload Tevin Coleman did. If Freeman can play 16 games behind a revamped offensive line, he could look like a steal in the third round. But he's only played 16 games combined over the past two seasons. If something happens to Freeman I have a couple of committees in Seattle and Buffalo and not much else at running back.
