Fantasy Football draft prep 2021: Drafting my best team from No. 12 overall in a PPR league
The best way to deal with the turnaround picks in a PPR league
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It's generally not ideal to draw the 12th pick in any format, but in full PPR it can set you up to start with an elite receiving corps, which is exactly what I did starting with three of my top 13 wide receivers in the first three rounds. Generally that means you're going to be very weak at running back, but by a stroke of good luck I also landed three of my top 25 running backs in the next three rounds.
Some times, even from the 12th pick, things just fall your way. It's up to you to capitalize on them.
Here's my team from No. 12 overall
1.12 Tyreek Hill, WR, KC
2.1 DeAndre Hopkins, WR, ARI
3.12 Tyler Lockett, WR, SEA
4.1 D'Andre Swift, RB, DET
5.12 Chase Edmonds, RB, ARI
6.1 Darrell Henderson, RB, LAR
7.12 Brandin Cooks, WR, HOU
8.1 Noah Fant, TE, DEN
9.12 Elijah Moore, WR, NYJ
10.1 James White, RB, NE
11.12 Joe Burrow, QB, CIN
12.1 Matthew Stafford, QB, LAR
13.12 Nyheim Hines, RB, IND
14.1 Justice Hill, RB, BAL
15.12 Salvon Ahmed, RB, MIA
By now, you probably know that I am a Tyler Lockett and D'Andre Swift guy. That turn should come as no surprise. But the fact that both Chase Edmonds and Darrell Henderson made it to the five-six turn was not something I was expecting in one of our analyst drafts. The nice thing for you is that CBS ADP suggests it's very possible.
PPR series drafting: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12
How to attack a draft when you've built depth at running back and wide receiver is interesting. Especially because my running back depth actually feels kind of fragile. That contributed to the James White and Nyheim Hines picks. While they provide a little floor at running back, both Justice Hill and Salvon Ahmed have big upside in the case of an injury in their backfields. And while Noah Fant wasn't my favorite pick this draft, he wasn't far off. It's really nice to find his kind of upside in Round 8, when you generally have to pay a Round 5 or Round 6 price for it with T.J. Hockenson.
Favorite Pick
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Hill at Pick 12 feels like stealing. Last year in this format he was the fifth-highest scoring player. In 2018 he was eighth. Hill has league-winning upside every week and could be in line for his biggest target share yet if Mecole Hardman can't fill Sammy Watkins' shoes. I would take Hill somewhere between seventh and ninth in leagues that count catches, and he's my No. 1 wide receiver in non-PPR.
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Pick I Might Regret
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It's not a great feeling to keep drafting the running back who has battled a groin injury throughout training camp and who keeps moving down people's draft boards. And Swift has moved down my draft board as well. I had him Round 2 a month ago. I still believe he has top-five upside, but if he misses significant time I'll feel pretty silly spending the No. 37 pick on him with all the warning signs.
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Make or Break Pick
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Brandin Cooks has posted at least 1,000 receiving yards in five of his past six seasons. If he does that again this year, I'll not only have the best receiving corps in the league, but I might have the best flex also. Still, his quarterback is Tyrod Taylor and his team looks like the worst in the NFL. If Cooks stays healthy, I expect the targets will be enough to make up for the inefficiency. After all, Chris Conley is the team's No. 2 wide receiver.
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So which sleepers, breakouts and busts should you target and fade? And which QB shocks the NFL with a top-five performance? Visit SportsLine now to get Fantasy cheat sheets for every single position, all from the model that called Josh Allen's huge season, and find out.
