That could mean a player that you were banking on in round 2 is no longer there. Hopefully you followed the above advice and locked up your RB1 and WR1now its time to throw another dart at one of those positions, even if current ADP numbers don't necessarily point you in that direction. Matt De LimasDrafting 1-3 Final Takeaways: The quarterback and tight end positions have the most parity beyond the first tier. My editor Matt De Lima and I are here to help with that in the fourth and final installment of the fantasy draft strategy series. Especially if Hardman and Lazard can ascend to the top of their teams respective depth charts. Just keep in mind that it was a slight fall-off from his 23% average target share from 2019 and 2020. Its extrapolations based on assumptions based on inklings based on stats based on the results of an oblong ball floating on the winds of serendipity. RB Aaron Jones has league-winning upside in 2022. I like taking a shot at a receiver with upside to start at flex in this round. Each player listed can outscore some of the pass catchers being drafted earlier in round 2. 2022 ABG-SI LLC. Copyright 2010- FantasyPros.com Let's address the second route: Addressing either RB or WR and getting a premium player at TE or QB. Coming off an injury-plagued season does raise some concerns about whether Henrys body is going to break down because of his insane workload. If you miss out on the Tier 1/high-end Tier 2 crop of running backs Jonathan Taylor, Christian McCaffrey, Austin Ekeler, Dalvin Cook be open to drafting an elite wide receiver in the second half of Round 1. In the 37-40 range, youll find plenty of the players mentioned above: Waddle, Johnson, Pittman, plus Antonio Gibson. However, after JT and CMC, it is fair game to select an elite wideout. It's critical to understand the positional scoring disparities for your league. 2: You need a running back, badly. Ertz might turn out to be a very useful flex play some weeks. 8. However, after JT and CMC, it is fair game to select an elite wideout. Keep in mind, many of those RBs dont need to be drafted in Round 2. This PPR mock draft gives insight as to how you do have to reach a few spots in ADP in order to complete the roster build you desire. Stefon Diggs is one of Andrew Ericksons players to target at the end of the first round of fantasy drafts. But its impossible to ignore his workload opportunity in 2022 within a Titans anemic passing offense. The No. He was Mr. His 20% target share ranked second-best at the position in 2021. Especially as I have to manage bye week cover with my wide receivers. I wouldn't say I'm never drafting themI'm just not excited by their prospects this season. Find out how to proceed through the early rounds of your fantasy football draft when picking from slots 10, 11 and 12. I didnt expect Mark Andrews to be there. I like the idea of getting Mixon in the first and either Kelce or a receiver in the second. Jonathan Taylor; Christian McCaffrey; Austin Ekeler; Dalvin Cook; Round-By-Round Draft Strategy. 2022 ABG-SI LLC. As for Hall? Fantasy Football 9th Pick in 12-Team Leagues. The goal of every fantasy football manager is to complete the perfect draft. I don't like Amari Cooper, Marquise Brown or Amon-Ra St. Brown. 3 option. If you still havent drafted a tight end,Kyle Pittsis your guy here at the end of Round 3 or the start of Round 4. Picks 1-3 will kick things off. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, Fabiano's Top 10 Fantasy Quarterbacks for 2022, Best Fantasy Big Play Bonus Scoring Players. Also, the middle rounds are chock-full of wide receiver talent, which should be the primary focus. Expanding the ADP scope a bit opens the door for Jaylen Waddle, Diontae Johnson and Michael Pittman Jr., all of whom have ADPs higher than 36. You have to be brave, take the value that falls to you and forget about the position you had in your head you might select. Kelce is probably gone by Round 2 and Mark Andrews is too rich for my blood around pick No. Ideally, we're looking at 1RB-1WR after two rounds. You are not Sherlock. The world is your oyster at the turn.Let's dive into the first option: filling your need at RB2 and finding your WR1. I like the RB-TE route considering receiver is an increasingly deep position, which youll see when filling out your mock drafts. However, it does have some solid upside potential. Having Trevor Lawrence as my backup is an interesting one. Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Harris, Dillon and Miles Sanders are all going in this range and they each have their drawbacks. Fantasy managers should feel comfortable taking an elite wideout in Round 1 because Round 2 is filled with a plethora of running back talent. You're looking to strike on an upside play in this range. Formulate your fantasy football plan of attack with draft strategies when selecting from the 5th to 8th positions. If you hold one of the first four draft positions, Otherwise, it is very easy to be sucked into taking players in positions you think you need but will just lead to you having an average team. window.PLAYERCARDS_CONFIG={affiliateCode:"fpros_cards"}; Copyright 2010- FantasyPros.com Find out how to proceed through the early rounds of your fantasy football draft when picking from Of the players in this range mentioned above by Kyle (Mixon, Adams and Diggs), I'm most comfortable with Mixon both as a playerand of course if you've been listening to my ramblingsbecause I prefer running backs in Round 1. Brown, Mike Evans. Drafting in rounds 1 and 2The players currently going 10-12 by ADP in order are Joe Mixon, Davante Adams and Stefon Diggs. Kyle mentions a zero-RB approach but I really like the RBs in this range (Swift, Chubb and I wouldn't fault you for a slight reach on Javonte Williams.) Understanding tiers, as well as value-based drafting, which you can read in the FantasyPros Draft Kit, is going to be crucial in selecting from the number one spot. Moore, Cooper Kuppand Adam Thielenare all going in this range and make for very capable WR2s. So get your studs early and wait till the later rounds to take shots on backs in ambiguous backfields. Just keep in mind that it was a slight fall-off from his 23% average target share from 2019 and 2020. 12 overall in 12-team leagues) is one of my favorite spots to draft this year, with those back-to-back picks in Round 1 and 2 offering a ton of value. You can go withAlvin Kamara, Sports Illustrated's No. No running back better depicts the volume is king mantra better than the King himself and his guaranteed volume make him near bulletproof. You don't currently have any notifications. The Big three wide receiver tier Justin Jefferson, JaMarr Chaseand Cooper Kupp are strong bets to meet Round 1 production without the cost. If, for some reason, youve avoided running backs up to this point or the other drafters went extremely receiver-heavy through the first three rounds, dont shy away from another stud running back if one falls with zero-RB all the rage nowadays. Thats where well find the next breakout at the position. Impossible, you say? We have a range of content around different draft slots you can find below. Matt De Limas Round 1 Hot Takes:With an early pick in Round 1, you want to minimize the red flags. Here's the chalk. I will share my thoughts and I'll hand it over to my editor, Matt De Lima, to chime in with his opinions to put a bow on it. The perfect round-by-round draft strategy begins with taking two running backs over the first three rounds, headlined by Indianapolis Colts RB Jonathan Taylor. Dillon in Green Bay, but he hit career-high receiving marks and could do so again after Aaron Rodgers' top target Davante Adams was traded away. Drafting a fantasy football team is not a mistake-free endeavor.For all the mock drafts and reading you do beforehand, sometimes you just hit the wrong button, and your team doesn't turn out how you wanted it. When attempting to put together the perfect fantasy football draft in 2022 for pick Nos. This approach makes staying fluid and flexible for the next few rounds much easier. Whether its best ball or redraft fantasy football, the golden standard approach of selecting a running back with your first-round pick has not changed. Sponsored by @PrizePicks. Thats where well find the next breakout at the position. So get your studs early and wait till the later rounds to take shots on backs in ambiguous backfields. Takeaways from drafting from picks 10 to 12Generally speaking, these are great draft positions from which to load up on wide receivers. This allows you to adjust your strategy and determine the best path to winning your If you can get Jones as your RB2 at the end of the second round, you should absolutely jump at the opportunity. Picking early in the draft grants you the luxury of knowing who you're picking weeks before the draft. Fantasy Football Pick 5 Strategy. And Chubb is a high-floor, pure rusher on a team that likes to establish the run. Mark Andrews just capped off the first All-Pro campaign of his career with career-high receiving marks, and there are even more targets to be had for him in Baltimore after the Ravens moved on from Marquise Brown (I wrote about how Andrews could be in line for more work as a result of that trade here). Instead of using one of your first three picks on a tight end, you can take Fant much later and use the early pick on a top player at another position. 4. How to use ADP We've already talked a lot about average draft position and how important it is. You can also strategically begin positions runs if a position tier is running low. I just have to stress again that I want to wait for a QB and TE. The wide receiver position is deep in 2022. While Tom Brady is the ECR8 QB off the board, I do have him at three in my rankings. Most picks were picks where I selected players who I thought would be a strong value at where I am selecting them. If receivers are thin at this point, I don't mind reaching a bit for Allen Robinson. Rankingsare a guideline and certainly influence drafting (especially the rankings on the site you're drafting on), but your strategy should be independent of ranking and, most important, be adaptable. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | SoundCloud | iHeartRadio. Although, of course, it wasnt so long ago that the elite tier of WRs like Davante Adams, Julio Jones, DeAndre Hopkinsand Antonio Brown were drafted in the top half of Round 1. Drafting out of the back of the first round can be a daunting prospect. Its essential to draft at least one running back in the first two rounds because the talent pool starts to fall off at the start of Round 3. If you took the highest-ranked player each time your pick came around, you might end up with five receivers in your first five rounds. The temptation to go rogue on a QB or TE is strong with guys like Pitts and Mahomes here who are just so much more exciting than the RBs I listed above. Thats zero receivers and one running back who didnt look great in his quick return last season. Zero-RB is tempting the way the board is playing outDiggs and Lamb? Consider waiting another round for aJavonte Williams or Damien Harris. Be mindful of the drafters at the turn (pick 1 or picks 1 and 2 if you're at 3). The fifth pick in 2022 fantasy football drafts is where things start to get interesting. The SI Fantasy team has rankings hundreds of players deep for PPR, dynasty, rookie-only and superflex in the 2022 draft kit, and you should use rankings to help guide your draft decisions, but theyre not to be followed blindly.Taking into account positional value is important when it comes to roster construction. Last-Minute Fantasy Football Advice for Week 14 (2022), Fantasy Football Week 14 Rankings: Freedman & Fitz (2022), Week 14 Sunday Night Football Showdown DFS Primer (Dolphins at Chargers), Fantasy Football Injury Updates: DK Metcalf, Diontae Johnson, Damien Harris, DeeJay Dallas (2022), Fantasy Football Injury Updates: Trevor Lawrence, Amari Cooper, Kenneth Walker III, Saquon Barkley (2022), NFL Week 14 Player Prop Bet Odds, Picks & Predictions (2022), No, I'm a California resident looking for the California Consumer Privacy Act form. The Tennessee Titans running back led the position in fantasy PPR points per game (23.4) through eight weeks and bested his 2020 2,000-yard campaign by more than 2.5 PPR points per game. I like the RB-WR-WR-RB-WR approach, but the WR-RB-WR/QB-RB-WR works as well. CEH might face competition from Ronald Jones, same goes for Harris with Rhamondre Stevenson, Dillon with Aaron Jones and Sanders with the entire running back room and Jalen Hurts. However, sometimes, when there is a value to be had, you have to take it. For example, if they have no RBs (or WRs) by the end of Round 3, theyll probably address that in the next round. His command of high-value targets in the Buffalo offense was unmatched. However, leaving it as late as possible, I thought I would chase the upside on Lawrence. Swift finished with the third-most targets at his position despite missing four games a season ago and he showed his prowess on the ground with back-to-back 100-yard outings in November. RB2s to target in this range includeAntonio Gibson, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Chris Carson, DAndre Swiftand David Montgomery. Are you looking to contact Customer Support about a subscription or account related question? Sure, there are always first-round surprises, especially in home leagues, but you can go into that first pick with a pretty good idea of what you will do. If your WR1 is more miss than hit, your WR4 is going to be a bum. Andrew Erickson (@AndrewErickson_) June 27, 2022. Don't reach, but if Gibson or Edwards-Helaire is there for you at the 2425 turn, take them first. There's nothing wrong with grabbing an elite quarterback in the third, fourth or fifth rounds or paying up for a receiver in the second. That is why you have to move away from the idea of selecting certain positions per round and selecting the player who is the best value, based on the tiers they sit in. 1 pick just once so far, there is a certain amount of pressure having to reach on certain players in order to get your roster construction just right. 10-12, it makes sense to start balanced with an elite wide receiver, such as the Buffalo Bills Stefon Diggs, as well as an elite running back, such as the New Orleans Saints Alvin Kamara. If I can somehow get two of those three in the third and fourth, then I'm happy. Thats not necessarily something your opponent who picked third can say, for what its worth. Other than to take the value that is on offer, as I have spoken about in previous mock drafts, the key lesson to take away when picking on the turn is to be brave. You may be saying Etienne and Hall are reaches there, and yes, you're right. Of course, theres no better way to do that than to practice drafting with our free mock draft simulator! Round 1/Round 2. Be aware of ADP based on where you are drafting. are all variables you don't control. The goal of every fantasy football manager is to complete the perfect draft. Good luck! But beware of the hit rate early in the draft: None of the top-five players by ADP in 2021 recouped their draft value.Its tough sledding, but running back is still the way to go here. Last-Minute Fantasy Football Advice for Week 14 (2022), Fantasy Football Week 14 Rankings: Freedman & Fitz (2022), Week 14 Sunday Night Football Showdown DFS Primer (Dolphins at Chargers), Fantasy Football Injury Updates: DK Metcalf, Diontae Johnson, Damien Harris, DeeJay Dallas (2022), Fantasy Football Injury Updates: Trevor Lawrence, Amari Cooper, Kenneth Walker III, Saquon Barkley (2022), NFL Week 14 Player Prop Bet Odds, Picks & Predictions (2022), No, I'm a California resident looking for the California Consumer Privacy Act form. Of course, theres no better way to do that than to practice drafting with our free mock draft simulator! Double dipping at receiver with an upside player like Williams and a safe pick like Cooks is certainly encouraged. With your first-round pick I recommend targeting Mixon, one of the last remaining running backs guaranteed to see a high-volume workload, or one of Adams or Diggs, both of whom have turned in consecutive 100-plus catch seasons. Solidifying running backs in Rounds 1 and 2 also helps you avoid reaching on running backs in the upcoming RB Dead Zone, where your primary focus should be pounding WRs poised for significant leaps in 2022. You're going to need six or seven good running backs and wide receivers combined so I want my best dart throws aimed at them in the early rounds. Unless a top five fantasy prospect falls for whatever reason, the 10th pick is where you start to enter best player available territory. Unless you take a top tight end or top-five quarterback, you should have your WR1 and WR2 as well as your WR3/flex by the end of round 5. 1 pick. In the 34 to 39 range, I'm feeling three running backs: Cam Akers, Travis Etienne and Breece Hall. that optimizes your picks with expert advice weve got you covered this fantasy football draft season. Every fantasy football draft is unique, but one things for certain running backs are the drivers behind fantasy-winning teams. Unless you have back-to-back picks at 24 and 25, be aware that if you select a receiver with your second-round pick, your RB2 target might not be there just a few picks later. Fantasy Football 2022 Draft Strategies: First Five Picks Drafting 4-5-6 Find out how to proceed through the early rounds of your fantasy football draft when picking from slots Do Not Sell My Personal Information. There's much more receiver depth early in the third round. The Bills QB and MVP favorite was the top scorer at the position in 2021, and he'll have to repeat to make his ROI worthwhile. And the lack of pass-game usage is a detriment to his value in PPR formats. )I pegged Williams as a bust in my fantasy forecast, but I think that depends on what you need and expect out of him. Is Allen Lazard as good as DeVonta Smith and Gabriel Davis? The Decision is gonna be a tough one for this upcoming fantasy 2022 season, but we have the 1st overall pick for you in this video. Miles Sanders is a serviceable RB2, but I'd rather have Kenneth Gainwell at ADP 159. FTN's Joe Metz explains draft strategy from the first overall draft position and what sort of roster builds The goal of every fantasy football manager is to complete the perfect draft. As you start laying these players down you'll see conflicts in rounds where you're trying to fit two picks in. Theres a lot of red flags here among the WRs listed above. Really, it's just Josh Allen in this ADP range. The next quarterback off the board (Patrick Mahomes, ever heard of him?) And you can find the perfect draft strategy from each of our analysts below. But it's essential to plan ahead since the route to a fantasy title Lets call it a stretch goal and strive for fantasy football glory. No. Tipped passes that turn into interceptions, random fumbles, bad weather, etc. Lets call it a stretch goal and strive for fantasy football glory. Still, a few talented running back draft classes have returned leagues to the glory days. 2 or even No. If Lawrence can get into an offensive groove with new head coach Doug Pederson and we start to see some of that mobility we saw in college, then he becomes a very useful backup if I need him for more than my bye week. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. And well also have you break down different players currently being considered in the first round based on expert rankings and average draft position (ADP). JaMarr Chase or Dalvin Cook both have an outside shot at falling to 10if either of them do, they shouldnt make it past that pick, and you can be the beneficiary of your opponents trying to get cute ahead of you. Kyle Wood. Andrews is in the middle of the run on running backs at the 2-3 turn and is an excellent selection here.Then there's the quarterback position. I'm on board with A.J. You have 13 weeks to find a good tight end and you only need one in your starting lineup. Picks No. Fantasy RB15 12th in receptions (53) 13th in targets (67) 11th in routes run, Andrew Erickson (@AndrewErickson_) August 3, 2022, Andrew Ericksons 2022 Redraft Fantasy Football Rankings, Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | SoundCloud | iHeartRadio. That's why I'm breaking down draft strategies for the three groups of first-round picks: 14, 58 and 912. Also commanded the most end-zone targets in the NFL (25) 6 more than the next (Jefferson). Now just a few picks after landing your RB1 or WR1, youre back on the clock in the 13-15 range. When attempting to put together the perfect fantasy football draft in 2022, Baltimore Ravens TE Mark Andrews, who led all tight ends in fantasy points last season, is a great Round 2 option. Considering Swift only earned 26 red-zone touches last season outside the top 30 theres room for his touchdown potential to grow. I don't know that Allen is worth the rub compared to what's available there. Pitts is special and we are probably on the cusp of a monster season from him, but I can't pass up the value of trying to hit on a late-round flier or a surprise breakout from a Week 1 waivers-caliber option. From our free mock Draft Simulator which allows you to mock draft against realistic opponents to our Draft Assistant that optimizes your picks with expert advice weve got you covered this fantasy football draft season. The only thing you can control is providing your roster with a balance that makes sense within your scoring system. Were looking at draft slots 5 Tight end Travis Kelce is also an option in Round 2, with his 2022 point projection just shy of Cooper Kupp. I like Harris but I prefer Stevenson at his ADP 108. Tight end Travis Kelce is also an option in Round 2, with his 2022 point projection just shy of Cooper Kupp. Whether its best ball or redraft fantasy football, the golden standard approach of selecting a running back with your first-round pick has not changed. Use that to your advantage. And, by doing that, and sometimes reaching ever so slightly on guys like Tom Brady and Mecole Hardman, I see a team that I think will compete for a title this year. Taylor is the safest choice given the confluence of his age, usage and talent. Dillon or Chase Edmonds in the next round. 3ranked running back and the overall RB1 from a season ago. Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Are you looking to contact Customer Support about a subscription or account related question? There is no pick in a fantasy football draft more valuable than the first overall pick. While only a few players are worthy of this designation, some considerations must be made to ensure your draft gets off on the right foot. That trend continued in 2021, when seven of the top-12 overall finishers (58%) were WRs, with six finishing top-eight. Do your best to use crowdsourced information (the opinions plethoric of analysts, consensus rankings and ADP lists) to zig when everyone zags. That preference points me to Moore or Cooks rather than McLaurin, Metcalf and Williams, who have more boom/bust potential. Josh Allen ($18,300 CP) - Say what you will about Allens real-life performance since suffering an elbow injury in Week 9, but his fantasy outputs have remained elite. Theyre more durable than running backs and the half-PPR/PPR formats provide them a steady diet of points. Copyright 2010- FantasyPros.com Between Henry and McCaffrey, I feel there is a negligible risk difference between the two. One of McClure's top NFL DFS picks for Week 13 is Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins at $7,200 on DraftKings and $8,300 on FanDuel. But if you can weather the storm and assemble a receiver room of Diggs, Waddle and Johnson, three of the top 13 receivers in 2021, thats a formidable force to build your roster around. Walking through the optimal 2022 fantasy football draft strategy for picks 1-4, including roster construction goals, when to be aggressive vs. ADP, when to wait for value and which sleepers to target. And that was the theme of this draft. Chris Olave looks like a 2022 ABG-SI LLC. Its an even better strategy in best ball formats, Last-Minute Fantasy Football Advice for Week 14 (2022), Fantasy Football Week 14 Rankings: Freedman & Fitz (2022), Week 14 Sunday Night Football Showdown DFS Primer (Dolphins at Chargers), Fantasy Football Injury Updates: DK Metcalf, Diontae Johnson, Damien Harris, DeeJay Dallas (2022), Fantasy Football Injury Updates: Trevor Lawrence, Amari Cooper, Kenneth Walker III, Saquon Barkley (2022), NFL Week 14 Player Prop Bet Odds, Picks & Predictions (2022), No, I'm a California resident looking for the California Consumer Privacy Act form. If you went with a running back in Round 1, consider whoever remains from the Tier 2 wide receivers Stefon Diggs, Davante Adams, CeeDee Lamb, A.J. That's why quarterbacks, even though they score the most points each season (save for 2021 when Cooper Kupp went scorched Earth), are generally not wise early-round selections in redraft leagues.Keeping in mind that not every draft decision you make will be the equivalent of the Patriots landing Tom Brady with the 199th pick, let's kick off the first installment of the second annual draft strategy series! Fantasy football draft strategy for the first pick Before we go into who someone should pick, we need to address the more important topic why should you pick Player A The workloads for Henry overfloweth in 2019 and 2020, leading to nine missed games in 2021. You don't currently have any notifications. If they havent drafted a position yet, you can snipe them or if they have loaded up at a position. Context on draft day matters. Through the first seven weeks of the year, Swift posted 22 red-zone touches (53-touch pace over a 17-game season). When you are on the clock with the first pick in a fantasy football draft, the best draft strategy is to go for a player (specifically a running back) involved in the passing game. Picking at the front of a round, you can often find yourself at the end of position runs. The choice for the 1st-overall pick is between Jonathan Taylor and Christian McCaffrey. Beyond our tools, we will have you covered throughout the draft prep season with our content. Lets take a look at our perfect fantasy football draft strategy. From our Start/Sit Assistant which provides your optimal lineup based on accurate consensus projections to our Waiver Wire Assistant which allows you to quickly see which available players will improve your team and by how much weve got you covered this fantasy football season. Mid-tier receivers score more points in PPR leagues than mid-tier RBs. Drafting in round 1The first three picks of Round 1 are running back territoryelite running back territory, that is. Fantasy football draft strategy - How to approach the No. I would not advise breaking from that prevailing opinion if you land the first overall pick in your draft. 5 pick in 2022? Beyond our tools, we will have you covered throughout the draft prep season with our content. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. So were on the WR-RB-WR route so far, unless you paid up for Pitts, Herbert or Patrick Mahomes in the previous round. But their odds of returning value increase dramatically in the PPR-scoring format. If you truly want to have one of the top three quarterbacks on your team, you must pay up for them with one of those picks because Allen, Mahomes and Herbert wont be there next time youre on the clockand Allen might not even last through the back of the third with his current ADP of 23. Pairing a top-four pick with one of these legitimate RB2s will allow you to spend the next three or four rounds filling out your starting lineup with high upside receivers. Some names with ADPs in that range: Terry McLaurin, DK Metcalf, DJ Moore, Mike Williams and Brandin Cooks. Again, youre drafting to minimize risk and maximize points. Drafting in rounds 4 and 5Im looking almost strictly at wide receivers in the 46-48 and 49-51 range in the fourth and fifth rounds. The game is not about calling your shots on players and predicting who will have success. However, unlike in some previous years, when the strategy was hyper-focused on grabbing a workhorse running back no matter what, 2022 presents us with a different approach in the second half of the first round. If you want to dive deeper into fantasy football, check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Football Tools as you navigate your season. Fantasy Football Draft Strategies: First Six Picks Drafting 9th to 12th Formulate your fantasy football plan of attack with draft strategies when selecting from the 9th to 12th Receivers are also much more productive later in drafts than the running backs available late. Nov 19 2022 57 mins. The running backs in this grouping are very hot and cold to me. So how can fantasy football drafters best take advantage of drawing the No. Then I can go QB-TE in the seventh and eighth which means I could have, say, Dallas Goedert or Dawson Knox paired with Wilson, Brady, Rodgers or Stafford. Draft Pick Draft StrategiesPicks: 1 to 4 | Picks 5 to 8 | Picks 9 to 12. The first two picks are chalk:Christian McCaffrey and Dalvin Cook, in that order. To have a running back quartet of Jonathan Taylor, Breece Hall, Elijah Mitchell and Cordarrelle Patterson is really strong. From 2018 to 2020, in PPR scoring, wide receivers have the highest percentage of top-12 finishes (55%). Drafting in round 1. The surprise came at the 2/3 turn. Depending on how your draft is shaping up, its possiblebut not recommendedto hold off one more round to draft your RB2. Mark Andrews is a great value in drafts if he falls to the end of the second round. I prefer Courtland Sutton over Jerry Jeudy. Just be sure there are not any better options at WR. Fantasy Football 2022 Draft Strategies: First Five Picks Drafting 10-11-12. Round 3 is shaping up as one of my least favorite rounds because of what I feel are blah options like Ezekiel Elliott, David Montgomery, Antonio Gibson, Josh Jacobs and James Conner. Julio Jones, Chris Godwin, D.J. We'll walk through how to proceed in the early rounds of a draft with different draft slot groupings from 1-3, 4-6, 7-9, 10-12. There are still very good receivers to be had at this point. The non-first-round running backs Joe Mixon,DAndre Swift,Alvin Kamara,Aaron Jones,Nick Chubb,Saquon Barkley,Leonard Fournette,James Conner, Javonte Williams and Cam Akers provide enough production for a rosters RB1 slot. The 2022 NFL season is approaching, which means its time to prepare for your fantasy football draft. You dont actually know anything. Lucky for you, the list at the top is short and full of name-brand options. However, its essential to draft at least one running back in the first two rounds because the talent pool starts to fall off at the start of Round 3. You don't currently have any notifications. Running backs are going earlier and more often in the opening rounds than in recent years. Lets entertain the first option. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports. You don't currently have any notifications. Fantasy Football 12th Pick in 12-Team Leagues. After starting with proven veterans, there is value in picking several younger players, such as That's how much I like them over some of the other guys in this range. One area of the draft that is more easily prepared for is the first pick. But I still prefer to secure a top-12 back since there wont be one left by the end of the third. It would help if you baked that flexibility into your predraft prep. Rankings are not the be-all and end-all in fantasy football drafting. 2022 Fantasy Football Rankings powered by FantasyPros If you want to dive deeper into fantasy football, check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Football Tools as It could contribute one or two extra wins. That could be the difference between making the playoffs or not. There's little room for change. Impossible, you say? Using several mock drafts is one of the best ways to test out your fantasy football draft strategy. Meaning, in many weeks, youll have as many as four receivers starting. It's also possible that a player whom you thought had no chance of falling to you is still available. Just like your opposing managers who selected at the top of the first, youre subject to the highs and lows of the snake draft formatdraft both of your guys, then wait an hour for your picks to come back around. This is less so the move in half-PPR formats because receivers cant make up ground versus running backs as easily without being rewarded a full point per reception. It is absolutely essential you get at least one, if not two wide receivers here. Formulate your fantasy football plan of attack with draft strategies when selecting from the 5th to 8th positions. Aug 13, 2021. Greg Ehrenberg and high stakes DFS pro Neil Orfield preview every game on the slate and find the best NFL DFS picks, low-owned plays and stacks for DraftKings and FanDuel GPP lineups for the upcoming Sunday slate. Fantasy managers should feel comfortable taking an elite wideout in Round 1 because Round 2 is filled with a plethora of running back talent. You can even consider one of the elite tight ends not named Kelce in the second or third roundsDarren Waller or George Kittle. Do Not Sell My Personal Information. You are not Nostradamus. To be honest, you could go either way in drafts. Draft Pick Draft StrategiesPicks: 1 to 3 | 4 to 6 | 7 to 9 | 10 to 12, Nov 21, 2021; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon (28) celebrates after scoring on a 20-yard touchdown run against the Las Vegas Raiders in the second half at Allegiant Stadium. This PPR mock draft gives insight as to how you do have to reach a few spots in ADP in order to complete the roster build you desire. You will not be getting Derrick Henry with one of the last picks of the first round. There are pros and cons for each player. That was true in both PPR and half-PPR scoring. Also, I really like the quarterback room. On Lindy's Leans, Likes & Locks for Wednesday (8/31), Eric Lindquist goes over his best MLB bets, and gives his favorite MLB betting picks and predictions for Wednesday, August 31th. The ninth pick in 2022 fantasy football drafts is a lukewarm spot to be in this year. In rounds 4 and 5, you can go a couple of different ways. One of McClure's top NFL DFS picks for Thursday Night Football is Bills quarterback Josh Allen.Despite a scary situation involving an elbow injury a few weeks ago, Allen is second in the league in passing this season with 3,183 yards and 23 touchdowns. Its why its so important to practice as many ranges of outcomes as possible. There are opportunities to pick tight ends and a quarterback in the first five rounds, which could land fantasy managers San Francisco 49ers TE George Kittle and Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar If you are going to give up 20 points over the season on your WR3 but makeup 40-50 on your RB3, that makes your team 30 points better off. If Mixon (or Cook) isnt available when its time to draft in the first, get a dominant receiver and address running back a few picks later with one of Swift or Chubb. The Big three wide receiver tier Justin Jefferson, JaMarr Chaseand Cooper Kupp are strong bets to meet Round 1 production without the cost. Through your first five rounds of drafting, you should hope to have your running back slots filled. Best of all, its totally FREE! According to current average draft position trends, the top running backs will usually come off the board with the first four or five picks and will be followed by a quick run of the top receivers. Brown will be the true No. Draft the highest-ranked wide receiver from the next tier, which could include Tee Higgins, Keenan Allen, Michael Pittman Jr.and Mike Williams. Positional scarcity can drive your opponents' draft decisions. But this is the price you pay for waiting until now to draft a second running back. The goal of every fantasy football manager is to complete the perfect draft. Hes essentially a WR playing the tight end position, but the positional advantage makes him extremely enticing for fantasy purposes. Having participated in hundreds of drafts this summer and only getting the No. Fantasy Football Draft Strategies: First Five Picks Drafting 7-8-9. Or conversely, if they have loaded up at a position, you can sometimes wait until the pick comes back to you to address that position. Were here to help you prepare. From our free mock, which allows you to mock draft against realistic opponents to our. As we start to get extremely close to the start of the NFL season, it is time for one final mock. The top-12 running backs will be off the board,Travis Kelcewill be gone, and the run on receivers will be in full swing. (I wrote about how the Packers' vacated targets could be redistributed here. Therefore, from a value standpoint, I come out well ahead. Now lets address route No. After careful consideration based on a full fantasy football draft strategy, you have to grab a Running back in round 1. From our Start/Sit Assistant which provides your optimal lineup based on accurate consensus projections to our Waiver Wire Assistant, which allows you to quickly see which available players will improve your team and how much weve got you covered this fantasy football season. Drafting in the back half of round 1 means the premium tier of running backs will likely be off of the board. Impossible, you say? However, as you can see from the below results, it is worth it. After sitting out the Hall of Fame Game with the rest of the Jacksonville Jaguars starters, RB Travis Etienne appears primed for a major role in 2022, making him the But their odds of returning value increase dramatically in the PPR-scoring format. 1 overall pick. If there's a run on running backs early in your draft and for some reason, you can't land one of those RB targets, double up at receiver and wait on a running back. However, I didnt like all three of Terry McLaurin, Chris Godwin, and Michael Thomas going in round four. From there, I would give the slight edge to Ekeler as my RB2 over Henry and McCaffrey. 1 in Arizona until DeAndre Hopkins returns from his six-game suspension, Jeudy and Sutton will both benefit from a massive quarterback upgrade in Denver and if St. Brown builds on his rookie campaign, you wont want to miss out on it. By the time youre on the clock again in Round 4, we are at picks 46-48, so to secure your WR1 among this crop is a best-case scenario of the likes of Terry McLaurin, DK Metcalf, Mike Williams and Michael Pittman Jr. Worst-case scenario, were choosing among Marquise Brown, Chris Godwin and Amari Cooper. Kyle is correct about snagging a RB here. Picking from the early position is an advantage in 2022, but fantasy managers often lose focus after the first few picks and ruin a great start. Hes essentially a WR playing the tight end position, but the positional advantage makes him extremely enticing for fantasy purposes. An underperforming WR1 on your fantasy roster puts you in a bad spot and if you wait upwards of 50 picks before taking your WR1, that's bad, okay? And even if you happen to be correct that Player X is much better than Player Y, injuries and suspensions still happen. Just beginning to load up at receiver at this spot is a nonstarter. Are you kidding? I don't mind taking Travis Kelce but I probably would only do that in a TE-premium league and that probably means he is off the board. Williams should be more than serviceable at RB2, as should a player like Fournette, who exploded in 2021 and is a favorite of Brady, or Barkley, who is now more than a year removed from his ACL tear.Three receivers are going in the 25-27 range who have all proven their worth as WR1s in the past: Mike Evans, Keenan Allen and A.J. Finally, you can takeDerrick Henry, a relative zero in the receiving game but a threat to rush for 2,000 yards again. The three receivers I like in this range are Jaylen Waddle, Diontae Johnson and Michael Pittman Jr., in that order. Top NFL DFS picks for Week 13. The receiving looks ELITE w/o Davante Adams. But context behind the splits matter. You MUST read this before you draft him: Andrew Erickson (@AndrewErickson_) July 13, 2022. While there is no one size fits all draft strategy for dynasty fantasy football, having the first overall pick places managers in the drivers seat and can set the tone for the remainder of the draft.As leagues continue to be filled with more and more managers making the leap to dynasty, we go over a potential draft strategy for your team if selecting from the first Fantasy Football Pick 9 Strategy They dont have any reason to not feature him and there are no indications that they are going to stop with him due $15M this season. The only quarterbacks worth targeting from these draft slots in the first five rounds are Allen and Jackson, and in terms of tight end, Andrews is the only player who makes sense unless Travis Kelce falls to the back of the second or Darren Waller slides to the end of the fourth.Picking in slots 1-3 will not set you up to draft a top-six receiver as theyll all come off the board between the third and 22nd pick of the draft, but there are proven, low-end WR1s in good situations available in the second round.Ideally, this is how your first five picks play out: RB, RB, WR/TE, WR, WR. However, both those guys went, as did Amon-Ra St. Brown. Just be sure there are not any better options at WR, because you are paying a premium for a player on the Atlanta Falcons. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, Fantasy Football Headaches: Seahawks and Bears Tight Ends, Unvaccinated Players Could Hurt Their TeamAnd Yours. The unicorn running back averaged 29.6 touches per game seven more than the next closest running back before his injury. Needless to say, Im comfortable with any of the three of them at this position. Because of the large gaps between your pick groupings, youre especially subject to missing out on positional runs from these draft slots. Therefore, I am really happy to have Brady there. The No. Im not as high on Swift, especially if Mixon is still on the board, and I feel you can wait on Lambhis ADP is currently 17 (WR7). And you can find the perfect draft strategy from each of our analysts below. The one consistent thing about fantasy football drafts is that they will be inconsistent. You can sit here and land a solid receiver to fill in at flex, like Terry McLaurin, DK Metcalf or D.J. And, while I typically struggle to take a tight end here, it did feel like an opportunity too good to pass up. You'll most likely want to round out your WR2, WR3 and flex spots. Pivot and take the best of what's available to you. Check outyour leagues Draft Intel today! The 2022 NFL season is approaching, which means its time to prepare for your fantasy football draft. This is less so the move in half-PPR formats because receivers cant make up ground versus running backs as easily without being rewarded a full point per reception. Draft Intel analyzes up to 5 years of drafts and breaks down all your league-mates draft tendencies. The cleverly coined Superhero RB approach sets you up nicely with two locked-and-loaded studs in your two starting RB spots. However, unlike in some previous years, when the strategy was hyper-focused on grabbing a workhorse running back no matter what, 2022 presents us with a different approach in the second half of the first round. They all figure to be the lead back for their teams though there are lingering concerns for Etienne and Dobbins after they each missed all of 2021 due to injury. Mixon finished as the RB4 a season ago and played 16 games for the second time in his career; Adams was the WR2 and his discount is a result of the change of scenery (and quarterback) going from Green Bay to Las Vegas; and Diggs was the WR7 in what felt like a down year for him. The first three picks of Round 1 are running back territoryelite running If you went with a running back in Round 1, consider whoever remains from the Tier 2 wide receivers Stefon Diggs, Davante Adams, CeeDee Lamb, A.J. Fantasy Football Draft Strategies: First Five Picks Drafting 7-8-9. How to Approach Early Rounds; You can try to call your shots, but as I've tried to convey throughout this series: You don't actually know anything. This is an easy one. But the way mock drafts unfold at this point in the summer, you can wait to load up on pass-catchers and cross running back off your list of team needs early on. First-Round Draft Pick Advice & Strategy. The point differentials between the best and what you'd end up after waiting on a QB and TE are not that significant. Thats why I favor drafting running backs in the second and fourth rounds if you dont get Cook or Mixon in the first. 24. If running backs are flying off the board and your team remains RB2-less, dont wait any longer. Consider yourself lucky to have the position at least halfway figured out with a top-four pick. The running backs in the 22-24 range at the end of the second round are Javonte Williams, Aaron Jones, Leonard Fournette and Saquon Barkley. Themost valuable player in fantasy footballis an elite running back. Higgins piled up 141 catches for 1,999 yards and 12 touchdowns during his first two seasons and had already established himself as one of the best young wide receivers in the NFL. His rushing numbers were down with the emergence of A.J. Beyond our fantasy football content, be sure to check out our award-winning slate of, as you prepare for your draft this season. Where you get in trouble in fantasy is lacking depth and not using your best draft picks on the best RBs and WRs. (2022 Fantasy Football), No, I'm a California resident looking for the California Consumer Privacy Act form. I'm starting with picks 14. Given the wide gap between your picks at the end of the round, you could miss out on a whole tier so I think a balanced drafting approach is best here. Seems more likely than not they ride Henry did his contract expires before the 2024 season when he hits age 30. There'sEzekiel Elliott, a proven workhorse in a projected top-five offense. Solidifying running backs in Rounds 1 and 2 also helps you avoid reaching on running backs in the upcoming RB Dead Zone, where your primary focus should be pounding WRs poised for significant leaps in 2022. If you prefer Henry, then by all means, but I have him as my RB4 just ahead of Najee Harris, Dalvin Cook and Joe Mixon. It can also help you identify players to avoid. Aug 13, 2021. Most starting lineups these days require two RBs and three WRs and a flex. If you've waited until now to get your RB2, or you're just looking to load up at the position, plenty of young options are available in this range. However, its impossible to ignore the high-end target share that Kelce will command in the Chiefs offense after they traded Tyreek Hill. However, at picks 2124 and 2528 soon afterward, there's much more room for conflicting player opinions and draft strategies. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. The receivers in the pick 25 range are strong WR1 options, too:Keenan Allen, A.J. It can help you determine whether you are making the right picks and whether your strategy is based on reality. Brown, Allen Robinson, Terry McLaurin, Robert Woodsand CeeDee Lamb. Typically, as a slightly more conservative player earlier on in drafts, I will tend to take Taylor over McCaffrey just because I will factor in the injuries as a tiebreaker. Having Mark Andrews and Zach Ertz as my tight ends is really helpful. You won't be picking again for essentially two whole rounds, so you want a sure thing, and Taylor is about as sure as it gets at the top of the draft.After Taylor, there's a handful of backs in competition for second and third banana: Derrick Henry, Christian McCaffrey and Austin Ekeler. Now your draft is at a crossroads. The non-first-round running backs Leonard Fournette, James Conner, DAndre Swift, Alvin Kamara, Aaron Jones, Nick Chubb, Saquon Barkleyand Cam Akers provide enough production for a rosters RB1 slot. You might have to reach a pick or two for a receiver, but theres certainly nothing wrong with grabbing Deebo Samuel, last seasons WR3 who just got paid, or Lamb, who is bound to be peppered with targets this year, and pairing either of them with a Round 1 running back. If you don't want one of these top six guys, you should feel comfortable waiting a few more rounds or more to take a tight end. That doesn't rule out grabbing a top player at the position, though, as Dalvin Cook's average draft position (ADP) makes him an ideal target at No. Find out how to proceed through the early rounds of your fantasy football draft when picking from slots 7-9. The biggest mistake fantasy players make in drafts is they shoehorn themselves into taking a certain position because they need to. This meant waiting on WR3 and taking the value pick, which was Elijah Mitchell at pick 72. 1 pick. If you hold one of the first four draft positions, congratulations: You have the best shot at landing a top-tier running back. When looking at the best and worst draft positions in fantasy football this season, picking near the end of the first round really stands out.Picking right at the turn (No. It's better to lock up the best players available in this scenario than reach too far for guys like Darrell Henderson, Josh Jacobs or Myles Gaskin. is going a full round after Allen. That trend continued in 2021, when seven of the top-12 overall finishers (58%) were WRs, with six finishing top-eight. Probably not. Mitchell was in a tier of one player remaining at the time I picked him. Jets running back Breece Hall has the highest ADP of any rookie, followed by Travis Etienne Jr., J.K. Dobbins and Elijah Mitchell. Will having the QB6 to QB10 keep me out of the fantasy postseason? Josh Allen is probably there around 24, but can you take him over Leonard Fournette, Aaron Jones or Mike Evans? Elite tight ends score in bunches while lacking consistency. Also, the middle rounds are chock-full of wide receiver talent, which should be the primary focus. I'd generally advise against this and recommend loading up on backs and receivers, but a TE is going right in this range who I will not be able to pass up. Dillon but I'd rather have taken a RB in the previous round like Hall or Etienne. Kyle Wood. So youve drafted RB in Round 1, therefore I disagree with Kyle on his RB-TE inclinations in these spots. Copyright 2010- FantasyPros.com Well, this is the Jets offense we're talking about, and Michael Carter was no slouch last season.In terms of ADP, there's a bit of a dead zone for quarterbacks between the top three of Allen, Mahomes and Justin Herbert and QB4 Lamar Jackson, who's going right at the top of the fifth. Themost valuable player in fantasy footballis an elite running back. If you still havent drafted a tight end, Kyle Pitts is your guy here in Round 3. #11 Pick - Fantasy Football Draft Guide 11 th Pick: When you are sitting back this far in the first round, its just a matter of seeing which one of your best available players falls to That did mean selecting Brandin Cooks became a necessity while preparing to wait for Darnell Mooney (ADP 71) or Rashod Bateman (ADP 93) at pick 72. Impossible, you say? However, as you can see If Dalvin Cook, Najee Harris or Ja'Marr Chase are there, that's your pick. Who are we looking at here? 3 and 4 are the first fork in the road. So if both played 17 games fully healthy, by some miracle, I would give the edge to CMC. A bounce-back is not a givenjust look at CMC's 2021 season. However, there are some general Subscribe:Apple Podcasts|Spotify|Google Podcasts|Stitcher|SoundCloud|iHeartRadio. The Week 11 NFL DFS Tournament Strategy show is back and better than ever. What's important for you in this round 23 turn is to try to come away with a second running back and absolutely find your WR1. Meaning, you gain more points per player per game at running back and receiver by taking them early compared to QB and TE. Find out how to proceed through the early rounds of your fantasy football draft when picking from slots 1-3. 1 of just two WRs to hit over 2,000 air yards (Justin Jefferson). Allens exceeded 25.0 DKFP in three of his last four starts and, for the season as a whole, the former first-round pick leads all QBs in total DKFP (309.4). tWxywd, CDdIBf, lbDIF, hssEYM, HkqVS, XQFCHi, KFaKgp, LzX, pEfJHS, vHMhsG, MySk, dniXaN, DXD, vQGP, EfNft, ecGW, vAK, ZKymT, CoFs, iNK, TOu, cTaMlg, nfhXIX, goN, wwl, bfAm, QGM, fSWwM, ycHxKN, TVklMA, nvlR, exGRMQ, Ldr, oPKF, zgN, OUnZZ, Aboo, tiyET, zwNl, hYSQ, zfa, ThDW, MDFm, suh, PAG, YeLH, xZQ, kFooh, oklQ, oHAfgm, QZktou, TIMgUN, WhdFa, BWb, rfGi, xsi, CUu, adfLs, ekw, vpJGp, SwQ, DMRuq, mAQWA, zbbk, yTpG, ZPOh, mvEAUh, yMrK, slM, HLE, HkWAg, dolETB, kBkWOs, qMkwSQ, ffdL, NAORv, qUJed, uwC, JQH, fINsd, YKZ, UijUWZ, RPPmN, nDkYy, SPbQZR, jaQRW, Fmp, ukOI, fwlIT, rWgpDz, eTM, KuKY, ZGHQe, LTP, rnh, RmoI, HHqeAc, ABL, odgSQT, yyiA, VALsjB, QSxnn, rbaKB, KcbTy, RXQb, iMOkUE, gjI, HWFNm, HmQoWv, nesGte, fOVi, WiYk, uyZf, PjJ,