Fantasy Football Draft Prep 2023: Drafting from No. 10 overall in a PPR league
Here's how it played out picking from the tenth position
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2 min read
If you land the 10th pick in the draft you may feel a little bit of FOMO about the fact that you won't get to take one of the truly elite players in Fantasy. I'd counter that you actually get to take two of them. It's just everything after Round 2 that stinks.
With my first two picks in this draft from the 10 spot I took Saquon Barkley and CeeDee Lamb. In past years there is no chance Barkley would have been available to me, but in full PPR we are really seeing running backs pushed back in the draft. Lamb is one of the few proven alpha No. 1 wide receivers, and I would expect to see his target share rise in Mike McCarthy's system.
This type of start gives you a top-six player at both running back and wide receiver, which is something you should very good about. That's good, because it's unlikely you will feel great about your Round 3 pick.
Here's my squad from the tenth pick:
1.10: Saquon Barkley, RB, NYG
2.03: CeeDee Lamb, WR, DAL
3.10: Miles Sanders, RB, CAR
4.03: Christian Watson, WR, GB
5:10: Kyle Pitts, TE, ATL
6.03: David Montgomery, RB, DET
7.10: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, SEA
8.03: James Cook, RB, BUF
9.10: Anthony Richardson, QB, IND
10.03: Romeo Doubs, WR, GB
11.09: Adam Thielen, WR, CAR
12.03: Kirk Cousins, QB, MIN
13.09: Sterling Shepard, WR, NYG
14.03: Deuce Vaughn, RB, DAL
One thing you need to know about picking at the end of the round is it is going to be very difficult to land a top-five QB or a top-two tight end without reaching. Travis Kelce was gone before my Round 1 pick and Mark Andrews was gone before my Round 3 pick. The top three quarterbacks were all gone before I picked in Round 3 and the next four were gone before I picked in Round 5.
If that happens to you, I don't see much choice but to shoot for the moon. I did that at quarterback with the combination of Anthony Richardson and Kirk Cousins and at tight end with Kyle Pitts. If Richardson and Pitts both hit, I will be elite at both positions without paying an elite cost. If they both flop I can start Cousins and a tight end streamer and probably be fine.
Just how you are with low-end starters at two positions depends on how awesome you are everywhere else. With Barkley, Miles Sanders, David Montgomery, and James Cook I feel pretty confident about fielding an awesome RB duo. Just know that if the camp buzz continues to build around Cook you may not be able to find him in Round 8 for long.
Favorite pick
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It is possible Richardson is not ready for Week 1, but that's fine because there are a glut of high-floor QB2s available after Round 10. Richardson's upside is as high as any quarterback in football. His head coach was Jalen Hurts' OC the past two seasons, and I would expect that Richardson matches or exceeds Hurts' 10 rush attempts per game. This is the most athletic QB who has ever tested at the combine in an offense with a coach who has been as willing to let his QB loose on the ground as any in the league. A match made in heaven.
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Pick I might regret
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Two years in a row I have called Pitts a bust because he was being taken in Round 3 and didn't deserve it. Now I'm drafting him in Round 5, and the truth is, Pitts' hasn't deserved that the past two years either. If Desmond Ridder is terrible and Arthur Smith stays run-heavy, Pitts could be a bust for a third straight season.
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Make or break player
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I expect a career-year for Sanders and believe he could be the Josh Jacobs of 2023. If that happens, my team has a pair of top-six running backs and could run right through the entire league. If Sanders is a two-down back on one of the worst teams in football, I'm going to be pretty upset about all those talented pass catchers I passed up to take him in Round 3. You can probably wait until Round 4 to take Sanders in your league, but with Chris Towers picking twice before my next pick, I knew I couldn't. Know your league.
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