Fantasy Football Draft Prep 2023: Drafting from No. 7 overall in a PPR league
Here's how it played out picking from the seventh position
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3 min read
I never want to get locked into a plan or strategy on Draft Day. Unless you have the No. 1 overall pick, anything can happen in Round 1 that can alter your expected roster construction. And that could happen all throughout the draft.
This team at No. 7 overall is a great example of that in a PPR league. I wasn't expecting Austin Ekeler to be there, but it was easy to draft him after Justin Jefferson, Ja'Marr Chase, Christian McCaffrey, Tyreek Hill, Cooper Kupp and Travis Kelce were off the board.
In Round 2, I didn't expect Amon-Ra St. Brown to be there at No. 18 overall, but I was thrilled to add him to my team. Tee Higgins fell to Round 3, and that felt like a gift. And I also loved the value for Aaron Jones in Round 4 and J.K. Dobbins in Round 5.
Typically, I would have preferred a wide receiver-heavy build from this spot. But I'll gladly start with this trio of running backs and that duo at receiver and then figure out the rest of the draft.
This is our 12-part, pick-by-pick series where me, Adam Aizer, Dave Richard, Heath Cummings, Chris Towers and Dan Schneier all took part in a six-person mock draft. We each built two of the 12 teams in this 14-round draft to show you a different strategy from each spot.
This is an outline that you can follow if you pick from No. 7 overall in your league. The key is to study the strategy and not necessarily the players to see if this works for you.
I wish I could say the entire draft was filled with one gift after another, but that wasn't the case, although ending up with Isiah Pacheco in Round 8 felt like another steal. I might have reached for Trevor Lawrence in Round 6, and I struggled with the decision to draft Michael Pittman in Round 7.
For the most part, this is one of my favorite roster builds that I've had all summer. It's always fun when great players just fall in your lap.
As a reference point, all touchdowns in this league are worth six points, and we award one point for every 10 yards rushing and receiving and one point for every 25 yards passing. We also award one point for every reception. We feature a starting lineup of QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, TE and FLEX (RB/WR/TE).
Here's my team from No. 7 overall:
1.7: Austin Ekeler, RB, Chargers
2.6: Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Lions
3.7: Tee Higgins, WR, Bengals
4.6: Aaron Jones, RB, Packers
5.7: J.K. Dobbins, RB, Ravens
6.6: Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jaguars
7.7: Michael Pittman, WR, Colts
8.6: Isiah Pacheco, RB, Chiefs
9.7: Jameson Williams, WR, Lions
10.6: David Njoku, TE, Browns
11.7: Tank Bigsby, RB, Jaguars
12.6: Tyler Boyd, WR, Bengals
13.7: Nathaniel Dell, WR, Texans
14.6: Richie James, WR, Chiefs
I'm typically going to wait on a quarterback again this year, although I don't think it's a bad idea to draft the Tier 1 guys of Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen or Jalen Hurts toward the end of Round 2 or beginning of Round 3. I will likely draft a quarterback from Tier 2 (Lamar Jackson, Justin Fields, Joe Burrow or Justin Herbert) or Tier 3 (Lawrence, Tua Tagovailoa or Anthony Richardson), and I was happy to get Lawrence in this draft.
Ideally, I would have landed Lawrence in Round 7, but I didn't want to miss out on his breakout campaign. Also, two managers picking after me in Round 6 at No. 6 overall and No. 4 overall didn't have quarterbacks on their roster at that point, and I didn't want to give them two chances to select Lawrence before he made it back to me in Round 7.
I waited on tight end in this draft, but Njoku was great value in Round 10. He has top-10 upside in a full season with Deshaun Watson.
This team has amazing running backs with Ekeler, Jones, Dobbins and Pacheco, and Bigsby is a lottery ticket as the backup to Travis Etienne. The receiving corps has two stars in St. Brown and Higgins, and Boyd, Dell and James are all sleepers.
Pittman is a questionable No. 3 receiver, so we'll see how he does with Richardson. But if Lawrence is a breakout candidate and Njoku has a top-10 campaign then this team should be highly competitive if everyone remains healthy.
Favorite pick
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I'm generally drafting Higgins early in Round 3, so to see him fall to No. 31 overall was awesome. I couldn't be happier with the start to this draft with Ekeler, St. Brown and Higgins, and I wouldn't be surprised if I have two top-10 receivers on this team. While Higgins averaged just 13.4 PPR points per game last year, he had six outings with at least 16 PPR points. And you might get him at a discounted price this season with Joe Burrow (calf) banged up, although Burrow should be fine for Week 1. As insurance, I also drafted Boyd in Round 12 as a handcuff to Higgins. And if Higgins or Ja'Marr Chase miss any time then Boyd could be a lottery ticket this year.
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Pick I might regret
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I'm expecting Jones to have at least one more standout season with the Packers, and he should remain a consistent threat in the passing game, even with Jordan Love replacing Aaron Rodgers. And while I love Jones as a No. 2 running back on this roster, I might have been better off drafting Deebo Samuel in Round 4 instead. A lineup featuring St. Brown, Higgins and Samuel at receiver, along with Ekeler, Dobbins and Pacheco at running back, would be lethal. My roster can still be great as well, but more firepower at receiver in PPR is usually the better way to build your team.
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Make or break player
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I'm probably not going to draft Pittman in most leagues based on his Average Draft Position, which in late July was in Round 6. I'm hopeful he can be productive with Anthony Richardson, but Richardson's passing concerns aren't likely going to enhance Pittman's upside. When I was on the clock in Round 7 here, I struggled with Pittman and Gabe Davis, and I immediately regretted taking Pittman instead (Davis went one pick later). I also would have preferred Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who went three picks later in Round 7. Pittman can still be a viable No. 3 Fantasy receiver in PPR, but Davis and Smith-Njigba offer more upside, which is the direction I'll go the next time I'm faced with the same dilemma.
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