Fantasy Football: How to draft from the first overall pick in 0.5 PPR leagues, where to take Dameon Pierce

The blueprint for drafting first overall in 0.5 PPR leagues

There is plenty of reason to debate the No. 1 overall pick in a 12-team, 0.5-PPR league this season. You have two viable candidates Jonathan Taylor and Christian McCaffrey, and both should be excellent if healthy.

But health is the key word here, and McCaffrey has played just 10 games over the past two seasons due to various injuries. If he plays close to a full season -- let's say 13 games -- then he could be the No. 1 overall non-quarterback again as he was on a per-game basis in 2019 and 2020.  The downside, however, is another lost year with extended absences.

Taylor is an emerging star and finished as the No. 1 running back last year. A repeat performance of more than 2,000 total yards and 20 total touchdowns is possible for the 23-year-old running back, which is why most Fantasy managers consider him with the No. 1 overall selection. He's viewed as the safer of the two players.

I have no problem drafting McCaffrey at No. 1 overall in PPR, but I'll take Taylor here. He should score more touchdowns and likely gain more yards than McCaffrey, and the receiving edge that McCaffrey has shouldn't be as much of a factor in this 0.5-PPR league.

This is our 12-part, pick-by-pick series where myself, Adam Aizer, Heath Cummings, Dave Richard, Dan Schneier and Chris Towers all took part in a six-person mock draft. We each built two of the 12 teams in this 15-round draft to show you a different strategy from each spot.

Pick-by-pick 0.5-PPR strategy: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12

This is an outline that you can follow if you pick from No. 1 overall in your league. The key is to study the strategy and not necessarily the players to see if this works for you. 

For me, I knew I was likely drafting two receivers after starting my team with Taylor in this three-receiver league. And that's what happened with A.J. Brown and Deebo Samuel.

I didn't expect what would happen next with some of the players I drafted, but I was thrilled with the results. If you pick at No. 1 overall in this format, I hope you end up with a similar roster.

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 0.5 points 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. 1 overall:

1.1: Jonathan Taylor, RB, Colts
2.12: A.J. Brown, WR, Eagles
3.1: Deebo Samuel, WR, 49ers
4.12: Dameon Pierce, RB, Texans
5.1: Gabriel Davis, WR, Bills
6.12: Allen Lazard, WR, Packers
7.1: Dallas Goedert, TE, Eagles
8.12: Cordarrelle Patterson, RB, Falcons
9.1: James Robinson, RB, Jaguars
10.12: Nyheim Hines, RB, Colts
1.1: Matthew Stafford, QB, Rams
12.12: Josh Palmer, WR, Chargers
13.1: Tyler Boyd, WR, Bengals
14.12: Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Dolphins
15.1: Marlon Mack, RB, Texans

I love my starting lineup in this league with Stafford at quarterback, McCaffrey and Pierce at running back, Brown, Samuel and Davis at receiver, Goedert at tight end and Lazard at flex. There aren't many flaws here if everyone is healthy.

My depth at running back isn't ideal if Patterson or Robinson don't maintain prominent roles in their respective backfields, but I was able to handcuff Taylor with Hines and Pierce with Mack, which should keep me covered if my starters get hurt. Hopefully, that doesn't happen with Taylor or Pierce given the upside for both.

I like my reserve receivers a lot in Palmer and Boyd, and both are an injury away from stardom. They are two of my favorite late-round targets in all leagues.

Favorite pick

When Philadelphia traded Zach Ertz to Arizona after Week 6 last season, Goedert finally showed his potential. He had at least 70 receiving yards in five of 10 games, including two with more than 100 yards, and he had five outings with at least five catches. He only scored two touchdowns over that span, but I expect him to do better as Jalen Hurts improves in his third season. He has stiff competition for targets from A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, but Goedert has top-five upside in all leagues this year.

Pick I might regret

I don't regret drafting Lazard or selecting him in Round 6, but I might have been better off going with a running back in this spot. I had Brown, Samuel and Davis at receiver at this point, and Lazard was drafted as a flex. But knowing the running back pool was drying up, I might have helped this roster more by drafting Elijah Mitchell, Devin Singletary, Rashaad Penny or Tony Pollard. I value Lazard more than those guys in this format, but my roster build might have been improved with another running back.

Make or break player

I'm confident in Pierce, but that could just be my bias as a University of Florida alumni. He should be the best running back for the Texans, and I expect him to be a top-20 Fantasy option this year. I took Pierce over Breece Hall, which could be a mistake, and I also passed on receivers like Marquise Brown and DK Metcalf. If Pierce smashes as a rookie then I'll look back on this pick with pride. But if he flops and I need to start Patterson or Robinson then my team could be in trouble.