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You can learn a lot from looking back at previous season's draft results in your league, but there are definitely some leagues you'd rather forget. Every summer, I take part in one of the Fantasy Sports & Gaming Association's annual leagues, and last year's draft in this league … was not my best. You can read about it and see the results here, but be warned, it's ugly. 

I opened with Travis Kelce from the sixth position, and then proceeded to select, in order, Michael Thomas, Patrick Mahomes, Julio Jones, and Curtis Samuel. I went with a zero-RB build and ended up with Mike Williams as my only WR to finish the season as a top-50 guy, which is truly disastrous. One of the worst drafts I've ever done, to be honest.

That's not an indictment of the zero-RB strategy, of course, as much as an indictment of my faith in big names with big injury question marks. And, while I think I had a different approach in this year's draft, there are certainly plenty of question marks with my roster – in part because I went in the opposite direction from last year's draft, doubling up on running backs early on. 

Christian McCaffrey was my first pick at No. 4 overall, and there's obviously plenty of risk there. And my second-round pick, Alvin Kamara carries plenty of risk of his own stemming from his offseason arrest due to his part in a fight. Kamara is set to have an initial hearing Aug. 1, and while I think there's a pretty good chance that process doesn't play out fully until after the season, I have to acknowledge the inherent risk involved in that pick. 

Still, generally speaking, if you're going to take on risk, it's better to do so at running back, especially with players with sky-high ceilings like McCaffrey and Kamara. If they hit, there's very little reason to doubt they'll be difference makers, and running backs are inherently risky, so it's not like Najee Harris and Aaron Jones or James Conner would have made me feel much more secure. 

Of course, doubling up on early-round running backs generally isn't how I approach my drafts, and it left me with fewer sure things than I'd prefer at wide receiver. Mike Evans is about as safe a WR1 as they come, with potentially top-five upside if Chris Godwin's recovery from a torn ACL doesn't go as planned. 

However, DK Metcalf carries plenty of risk of his own as my No. 2 WR – I think the Seahawks could have the worst offense in the league this season – and Elijah Moore is a bit of a question mark, though he did flash good things as a rookie. Still, while I like the upside of that trio, this does highlight the risk of going with multiple early running backs, especially when wide receiver feels like it doesn't have as many sure things among the high-end players this season. Robert Woods is someone I expect to rise in ADP as he proves healthy in camp because I do expect him to be Tennessee's No. 1 WR – getting him at 109 overall is a nice little coup for me, I think, though again, not at all a sure thing. 

I only ended up snagging two reserve-round running backs in Zamir White and Raheem Mostert – if something happens to Kamara or McCaffrey, you're more likely to find help on the waiver wire than in the later rounds, because we'll have a better idea of team's plans and hierarchies once the season starts. I spent the rest of my bench picks focusing on what I view as high-upside wide receivers who could put together a handful of splash games if I need them – Kadarius Toney, Robby Anderson, D.J. Chark, and Curtis Samuel. 

If I'm relying on two of those guys every week, something will have gone disastrously wrong, but I like the potential of any of them as high-variance players – with Toney especially standing out as someone who could emerge as a viable weekly starter if he can stay healthy. The Giants have apparently been frustrated with Toney's work ethic and approach in his first year-plus in the NFL, but he's a recent first-round pick who showed serious upside in flashes as a rookie.

What makes me feel a bit better about the somewhat shaky wide receiver group I've put together is that I do have plenty of upside at QB and TE with Kyler Murray and George Kittle. Murray, obviously, needs to prove he can avoid the injury-induced second-half swoons of the past two seasons, but there's no question he has as much upside as anyone at the QB position at this point – he's shown it in the first half of each of the past two seasons. The key now is figuring out how to do that for a full season, and getting DeAndre Hopkins back from suspension to combine with Murray's college teammate Marquise Brown should help in that regard.

Kittle … well, there's another question mark, less because of Kittle's history of injuries and more because of the 49ers offense as a whole. Trey Lance brings more upside to the table than Jimmy Garoppolo did, but he also likely makes the 49ers passing game even more low volume than it already was, and with Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk around, that could lead to a lot of competition for not a lot of targets for Kittle. Still, Kittle is so efficient that he figures to be a must-start tight end no matter what, with the potential for a Mark Andrews-esque breakout season if he and Lance really click early on. 

Still, if you add it all up, it's not exactly the team I feel strongest about this year. Though it also highlights something I've been feeling about drafting this season – there's more uncertainty than usual. That's exacerbated in a 14-team league like this, but even in 12-team leagues, it often feels like you hit the fifth or sixth round and run out of guys you feel like you can trust, especially at wide receiver. 

Just take a look at ADP and you can see what I mean – Deebo Samuel is WR7 coming off an offseason where he reportedly demanded a trade and wasn't happy with the way the team used him as a running back late last season. At the same time, Tyreek Hill is WR8 despite dealing with a pretty massive dropoff at QB from Patrick Mahomes to Tua Tagovailoa. Tee Higgins coming off shoulder surgery is WR12, Jaylen Waddle playing alongside Hill is WR13, Dionta Johnson with an uncertain QB situation is WR14 … and things only get worse from there, with Allen Robinson and Courtland Sutton among the names cracking the top 24 coming off pretty miserable 2021 campaigns. 

This feels like an especially weak season for wide receivers if you don't take one or two with your first few picks, and while I don't necessarily regret starting my team with McCaffrey and Kamara here – those two could average 55 points per game between the two of them – any RB-heavy approach is going to leave you making some reaches at wide receiver. That's where we're at in 2022. 

Here's what my full roster looks like in this league where you start one QB, two RB, three WR, one TE, a  FLEX, a K, and a DST: 

OVERALLPICKPlayer
41.4Christian McCaffrey, CAR, RB
252.11Alvin Kamara, NO, RB
323.4Mike Evans, TB, WR
534.11George Kittle, SF, TE
605.4D.K. Metcalf, SEA, WR
816.11Elijah Moore, NYJ, WR
887.4Kyler Murray, ARI, QB
1098.11Robert Woods, TEN, WR
1169.4Kadarius Toney, NYG, WR
13710.11Raheem Mostert, MIA, RB
14411.4Robby Anderson, CAR, WR
16512.11D.J. Chark, DET, WR
17213.4Zamir White, LV, RB
19314.11Curtis Samuel, WAS, WR
20015.4Baltimore Ravens, BAL, Def/ST
22116.11Jake Elliott, PHI, K

And here are the full results, along with who took part in the draft: 

  1. Sherpa Fantasy Sports - Scott Swanay
  2. Playmaker HQ - David Woodley
  3. Yahoo Sports - Michael Graben / Mike Lazarus
  4. CBS Sports - Chris Towers
  5. Sports Gambling Podcast Network - Terrell Furman
  6. PrizePicks - Hillebrand - O'Connor
  7. Fanjections - Mark Taylor / Ryan Hallam
  8. Agora - Joe Kwong
  9. Rotoballer - Raph Rabe - Josh Hayes
  10. BettorFantasy - Will Tighe
  11. NBC Sports Edge - Denny Carter
  12. TeamRankings - Jason Lisk / Seth Trachtman
  13. Trophy Smack - Matt Walsh / Jay Dryburgh
  14. Leger360 - Jaworski / Bondar / Allsopp
OVERALLPICKPlayer TEAM
11.1Jonathan Taylor, IND, RBSherpa Fantasy Sports
21.2Austin Ekeler, LAC, RBPlaymaker HQ
31.3Cooper Kupp, LAR, WRYahoo Sports
41.4Christian McCaffrey, CAR, RBCBS Sports Digital
51.5Justin Jefferson, MIN, WRSports Gambling Podcast Network
61.6Najee Harris, PIT, RBPrizePicks
71.7Derrick Henry, TEN, RBFanjections
81.8Joe Mixon, CIN, RBAgora
91.9Davante Adams, LV, WRRotoballer
101.1Dalvin Cook, MIN, RBBettorFantasy
111.11Ja'Marr Chase, CIN, WRNBC Sports Edge
121.12Stefon Diggs, BUF, WRTeamRankings
131.13D'Andre Swift, DET, RBTrophy Smack
141.14Cam Akers, LAR, RBLeger360
152.1Travis Kelce, KC, TELeger360
162.2Deebo Samuel, SF, WRTrophy Smack
172.3Javonte Williams, DEN, RBTeamRankings
182.4CeeDee Lamb, DAL, WRNBC Sports Edge
192.5Nick Chubb, CLE, RBBettorFantasy
202.6Leonard Fournette, TB, RBRotoballer
212.7Josh Allen, BUF, QBAgora
222.8Ezekiel Elliott, DAL, RBFanjections
232.9Saquon Barkley, NYG, RBPrizePicks
242.1J.K. Dobbins, BAL, RBSports Gambling Podcast Network
252.11Alvin Kamara, NO, RBCBS Sports Digital
262.12Aaron Jones, GB, RBYahoo Sports
272.13Patrick Mahomes, KC, QBPlaymaker HQ
282.14James Conner, ARI, RBSherpa Fantasy Sports
293.1Tyreek Hill, MIA, WRSherpa Fantasy Sports
303.2Mark Andrews, BAL, TEPlaymaker HQ
313.3David Montgomery, CHI, RBYahoo Sports
323.4Mike Evans, TB, WRCBS Sports Digital
333.5A.J. Brown, PHI, WRSports Gambling Podcast Network
343.6Keenan Allen, LAC, WRPrizePicks
353.7Diontae Johnson, PIT, WRFanjections
363.8Josh Jacobs, LV, RBAgora
373.9Elijah Mitchell, SF, RBRotoballer
383.1Michael Pittman Jr., IND, WRBettorFantasy
393.11Tee Higgins, CIN, WRNBC Sports Edge
403.12D.J. Moore, CAR, WRTeamRankings
413.13Antonio Gibson, WAS, RBTrophy Smack
423.14Travis Etienne, JAX, RBLeger360
434.1Justin Herbert, LAC, QBLeger360
444.2AJ Dillon, GB, RBTrophy Smack
454.3Breece Hall, NYJ, RBTeamRankings
464.4Kyle Pitts, ATL, TENBC Sports Edge
474.5Terry McLaurin, WAS, WRBettorFantasy
484.6Devin Singletary, BUF, RBRotoballer
494.7Courtland Sutton, DEN, WRAgora
504.8Brandin Cooks, HOU, WRFanjections
514.9Clyde Edwards-Helaire, KC, RBPrizePicks
524.1Lamar Jackson, BAL, QBSports Gambling Podcast Network
534.11George Kittle, SF, TECBS Sports Digital
544.12Jaylen Waddle, MIA, WRYahoo Sports
554.13Chase Edmonds, MIA, RBPlaymaker HQ
564.14Mike Williams, LAC, WRSherpa Fantasy Sports
575.1Amon-Ra St. Brown, DET, WRSherpa Fantasy Sports
585.2Marquise Brown, ARI, WRPlaymaker HQ
595.3Dalton Schultz, DAL, TEYahoo Sports
605.4D.K. Metcalf, SEA, WRCBS Sports Digital
615.5Kareem Hunt, CLE, RBSports Gambling Podcast Network
625.6Joe Burrow, CIN, QBPrizePicks
635.7Darnell Mooney, CHI, WRFanjections
645.8Dallas Goedert, PHI, TEAgora
655.9Amari Cooper, CLE, WRRotoballer
665.1Damien Harris, NE, RBBettorFantasy
675.11Miles Sanders, PHI, RBNBC Sports Edge
685.12Allen Robinson, LAR, WRTeamRankings
695.13Chris Godwin, TB, WRTrophy Smack
705.14Rashod Bateman, BAL, WRLeger360
716.1Tony Pollard, DAL, RBLeger360
726.2Adam Thielen, MIN, WRTrophy Smack
736.3Darren Waller, LV, TETeamRankings
746.4Gabriel Davis, BUF, WRNBC Sports Edge
756.5JuJu Smith-Schuster, KC, WRBettorFantasy
766.6Allen Lazard, GB, WRRotoballer
776.7Michael Thomas, NO, WRAgora
786.8T.J. Hockenson, DET, TEFanjections
796.9DeVonta Smith, PHI, WRPrizePicks
806.1James Cook, BUF, RBSports Gambling Podcast Network
816.11Elijah Moore, NYJ, WRCBS Sports Digital
826.12Jerry Jeudy, DEN, WRYahoo Sports
836.13Hunter Renfrow, LV, WRPlaymaker HQ
846.14Cordarrelle Patterson, ATL, RBSherpa Fantasy Sports
857.1Rhamondre Stevenson, NE, RBSherpa Fantasy Sports
867.2Chris Olave, NO, WRPlaymaker HQ
877.3Dak Prescott, DAL, QBYahoo Sports
887.4Kyler Murray, ARI, QBCBS Sports Digital
897.5DeAndre Hopkins, ARI, WRSports Gambling Podcast Network
907.6Kenneth Walker III, SEA, RBPrizePicks
917.7Rashaad Penny, SEA, RBFanjections
927.8Brandon Aiyuk, SF, WRAgora
937.9Matthew Stafford, LAR, QBRotoballer
947.1Zach Ertz, ARI, TEBettorFantasy
957.11Melvin Gordon, DEN, RBNBC Sports Edge
967.12Trey Lance, SF, QBTeamRankings
977.13Dawson Knox, BUF, TETrophy Smack
987.14Tyler Lockett, SEA, WRLeger360
998.1Russell Gage, TB, WRLeger360
1008.2Tom Brady, TB, QBTrophy Smack
1018.3Drake London, ATL, WRTeamRankings
1028.4Ronald Jones II, KC, RBNBC Sports Edge
1038.5Jalen Hurts, PHI, QBBettorFantasy
1048.6Mark Ingram, NO, RBRotoballer
1058.7James Robinson, JAX, RBAgora
1068.8Russell Wilson, DEN, QBFanjections
1078.9Christian Kirk, JAX, WRPrizePicks
1088.1Treylon Burks, TEN, WRSports Gambling Podcast Network
1098.11Robert Woods, TEN, WRCBS Sports Digital
1108.12Garrett Wilson, NYJ, WRYahoo Sports
1118.13Nyheim Hines, IND, RBPlaymaker HQ
1128.14Aaron Rodgers, GB, QBSherpa Fantasy Sports
1139.1Mike Gesicki, MIA, TESherpa Fantasy Sports
1149.2Marquez Valdes-Scantling, KC, WRPlaymaker HQ
1159.3Rachaad White, TB, RBYahoo Sports
1169.4Kadarius Toney, NYG, WRCBS Sports Digital
1179.5Michael Gallup, DAL, WRSports Gambling Podcast Network
1189.6Pat Freiermuth, PIT, TEPrizePicks
1199.7Christian Watson, GB, WRFanjections
1209.8Tyler Boyd, CIN, WRAgora
1219.9Chase Claypool, PIT, WRRotoballer
1229.1Dameon Pierce, HOU, RBBettorFantasy
1239.11Alexander Mattison, MIN, RBNBC Sports Edge
1249.12Skyy Moore, KC, WRTeamRankings
1259.13Jakobi Meyers, NE, WRTrophy Smack
1269.14Kenny Golladay, NYG, WRLeger360
12710.1Kenneth Gainwell, PHI, RBLeger360
12810.2Cole Kmet, CHI, TETrophy Smack
12910.3Derek Carr, LV, QBTeamRankings
13010.4Michael Carter, NYJ, RBNBC Sports Edge
13110.5Jarvis Landry, NO, WRBettorFantasy
13210.6David Njoku, CLE, TERotoballer
13310.7Hunter Henry, NE, TEAgora
13410.8Tyler Allgeier, ATL, RBFanjections
13510.9Jahan Dotson, WAS, WRPrizePicks
13610.1J.D. McKissic, WAS, RBSports Gambling Podcast Network
13710.11Raheem Mostert, MIA, RBCBS Sports Digital
13810.12Darrell Henderson, LAR, RBYahoo Sports
13910.13Jamaal Williams, DET, RBPlaymaker HQ
14010.14Irv Smith Jr., MIN, TESherpa Fantasy Sports
14111.1Kirk Cousins, MIN, QBSherpa Fantasy Sports
14211.2Julio Jones, TEN, WRPlaymaker HQ
14311.3Isaiah Spiller, LAC, RBYahoo Sports
14411.4Robby Anderson, CAR, WRCBS Sports Digital
14511.5Robert Tonyan, GB, TESports Gambling Podcast Network
14611.6Deshaun Watson, CLE, QBPrizePicks
14711.7Marlon Mack, HOU, RBFanjections
14811.8Trevor Lawrence, JAX, QBAgora
14911.9DeVante Parker, NE, WRRotoballer
15011.1Tim Patrick, DEN, WRBettorFantasy
15111.11Rondale Moore, ARI, WRNBC Sports Edge
15211.12Tyrion Davis-Price, SF, RBTeamRankings
15311.13Kenyan Drake, LV, RBTrophy Smack
15411.14Corey Davis, NYJ, WRLeger360
15512.1D'Onta Foreman, CAR, RBLeger360
15612.2Chuba Hubbard, CAR, RBTrophy Smack
15712.3Khalil Herbert, CHI, RBTeamRankings
15812.4Tua Tagovailoa, MIA, QBNBC Sports Edge
15912.5Justin Fields, CHI, QBBettorFantasy
16012.6Sammy Watkins, GB, WRRotoballer
16112.7Chris Carson, SEA, RBAgora
16212.8Matt Ryan, IND, QBFanjections
16312.9Gus Edwards, BAL, RBPrizePicks
16412.1Darrel Williams, ARI, RBSports Gambling Podcast Network
16512.11D.J. Chark, DET, WRCBS Sports Digital
16612.12Tampa Bay Buccaneers, TB, Def/STYahoo Sports
16712.13Cameron Brate, TB, TEPlaymaker HQ
16812.14Marvin Jones, JAX, WRSherpa Fantasy Sports
16913.1Van Jefferson, LAR, WRSherpa Fantasy Sports
17013.2Buffalo Bills, BUF, Def/STPlaymaker HQ
17113.3Jameson Williams, DET, WRYahoo Sports
17213.4Zamir White, LV, RBCBS Sports Digital
17313.5Albert Okwuegbunam, DEN, TESports Gambling Podcast Network
17413.6Hayden Hurst, CIN, TEPrizePicks
17513.7Logan Thomas, WAS, TEFanjections
17613.8San Francisco 49ers, SF, Def/STAgora
17713.9Noah Fant, SEA, TERotoballer
17813.1Brian Robinson Jr., WAS, RBBettorFantasy
17913.11Parris Campbell, IND, WRNBC Sports Edge
18013.12Alec Pierce, IND, WRTeamRankings
18113.13Los Angeles Chargers, LAC, Def/STTrophy Smack
18213.14Daniel Jones, NYG, QBLeger360
18314.1Dallas Cowboys, DAL, Def/STLeger360
18414.2Quintez Cephus, DET, WRTrophy Smack
18514.3Justin Tucker, BAL, KTeamRankings
18614.4Indianapolis Colts, IND, Def/STNBC Sports Edge
18714.5Austin Hooper, TEN, TEBettorFantasy
18814.6Ke'Shawn Vaughn, TB, RBRotoballer
18914.7Evan McPherson, CIN, KAgora
19014.8Los Angeles Rams, LAR, Def/STFanjections
19114.9New Orleans Saints, NO, Def/STPrizePicks
19214.1Denver Broncos, DEN, Def/STSports Gambling Podcast Network
19314.11Curtis Samuel, WAS, WRCBS Sports Digital
19414.12Tyler Higbee, LAR, TEYahoo Sports
19514.13Matt Gay, LAR, KPlaymaker HQ
19614.14Sony Michel, MIA, RBSherpa Fantasy Sports
19715.1New England Patriots, NE, Def/STSherpa Fantasy Sports
19815.2Odell Beckham Jr., LAR, WRPlaymaker HQ
19915.3Daniel Carlson, LV, KYahoo Sports
20015.4Baltimore Ravens, BAL, Def/STCBS Sports Digital
20115.5Sterling Shepard, NYG, WRSports Gambling Podcast Network
20215.6Harrison Butker, KC, KPrizePicks
20315.7Tyler Bass, BUF, KFanjections
20415.8Donovan Peoples-Jones, CLE, WRAgora
20515.9Miami Dolphins, MIA, Def/STRotoballer
20615.1Green Bay Packers, GB, Def/STBettorFantasy
20715.11Greg Joseph, MIN, KNBC Sports Edge
20815.12D'Ernest Johnson, CLE, RBTeamRankings
20915.13Dustin Hopkins, LAC, KTrophy Smack
21015.14Brevin Jordan, HOU, TELeger360
21116.1Ryan Succop, TB, KLeger360
21216.2Jalen Tolbert, DAL, WRTrophy Smack
21316.3Cleveland Browns, CLE, Def/STTeamRankings
21416.4Pierre Strong Jr., NE, RBNBC Sports Edge
21516.5Matt Prater, ARI, KBettorFantasy
21616.6Brandon McManus, DEN, KRotoballer
21716.7Myles Gaskin, MIA, RBAgora
21816.8Kendrick Bourne, NE, WRFanjections
21916.9John Metchie III, HOU, WRPrizePicks
22016.1Younghoe Koo, ATL, KSports Gambling Podcast Network
22116.11Jake Elliott, PHI, KCBS Sports Digital
22216.12Josh Palmer, LAC, WRYahoo Sports
22316.13Mecole Hardman, KC, WRPlaymaker HQ
22416.14Rodrigo Blankenship, IND, KSherpa Fantasy Sports