In case you are drafting early, I wanted to write about some things I am thinking right before I enter my drafts. The last time I did this exercise was in May so I am certain to update this again throughout preseason.
—Josh Allen and Jalen Hurts are hard passes for me as the first two QBs off the board. The earliest QBs I am considering are Patrick Mahomes and C.J. Stroud, but I am more than comfortable waiting until Rounds 9-11 to take my starter.
–I do not expect to take CMC, Bijan, or Breece in Round 1. They are terrific picks, but I always like to get the immediate WR advantage in PPR formats. If you are in standard or .5 PPR leagues, I am fine with taking one of those RBs, especially Hall.
–Round 2 is the toughest one of the draft. Chris Olave and Davante Adams are a bit risky as I am not sure their teams are going to score a ton. When in doubt ALWAYS look for players on better offenses.
–Don’t wait too long on Malik Nabers Roto. He is, at the very worst, a third-round pick after all the hype from practice. I don’t care that ESPN, Yahoo, or any other site has him listed further down the rankings.
–Speaking of rankings, I highly encourage you to walk into your drafts with my tiered cheat sheets. They are way more accurate than stale site rankings.
–I am completely fading Sam LaPorta and Travis Kelce, preferring to start thinking about TE in round 5. If I miss out on Jake Ferguson in Round 8, I am willing to wait until Round 12 and will forego B. Bowers, D. Njoku, T.J. Hockenson, C. Kmet, and any others going in Rounds 9-11.
–Take all the backup RBs available in Rounds 13-16 instead of wasting those picks on defenses and kickers.
–One of the biggest mistakes I see in drafts is when fantasy managers take three WRs in the first 3-4 rounds and then wait until Round 10-11 to take their fourth WR. Injuries happen all the time in the NFL, and depth is critical to winning a league.
M. Nabers, M. Pittman, C. Kupp, C. Kirk, K. Walker, D. Singletary, K. Shakir, J. Jeudy, R. Dowdle, G. Dortsch
P. Nacua, C. Olave, G. Pickens, D. Swift, C. Williams, E. Elliott, T. Lockett, Mike Williams, D. Schultz, K. Miller
