PPR draft slot: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12
It's getting to be that time of year.
It can't be understated how much the news that Tyreek Hill will not be suspended shifted the landscape of Fantasy drafts. For one thing, it makes starting a draft with two wide receivers even more appealing. Especially when you're picking towards the end of the first round.
This is especially true in PPR because more receivers will be taken in the first 36 picks, which opens up the possibility to drafting running backs with legitimate top-12 upside in the third and fourth round. We may disagree on who those running backs are, but there are few feelings better than starting your draft with a pair of top-five receivers and two running backs you believe could legitimately finish in the top 12.
Here's my team from No. 11 overall:
- 1.11 Michael Thomas, WR, NO
- 2.2 Tyreek Hill, WR, KC
- 3.11 Kerryon Johnson, RB, DET
- 4.2 Kenyan Drake, RB, MIA
- 5.11 Deshaun Watson, QB, HOU
- 6.2 James White, RB, NE
- 7.11 Golden Tate, WR, NYG
- 8.2 Jared Cook, TE, NO
- 9.11 Dion Lewis, RB, TEN
- 10.2 LeSean McCoy, RB, BUF
- 11.11 Devin Funchess, WR, IND
- 12.2 Kalen Ballage, RB, MIA
- 13.11 Marquise Brown, WR, BAL
- 14.2 Miles Boykin, WR, BAL
- 15.11 Atlanta Falcons DST
I'll talk more about those running backs below, but for me the draft really got interesting after those picks. Watson is my No. 2 quarterback and, in my opinion, the clear No. 1 contender for Patrick Mahomes' throne. He's been one of the best passers ever in the first two years of his career and brings rushing production to the table that Mahomes doesn't. It was a no-brainer for me to take him at pick 59.
I love the depth I added behind my starting running backs. White may just be a starter himself considering the Patriots receiving corps, while Lewis and McCoy and simply underrated, if not exciting. I even protected my Drake selection with his handcuff in Round 12. But as much as I love those picks, my favorite was a wide receiver.
Funchess is a 25-year-old receiver who already has an eight-touchdown season under his belt and now is going to Indianapolis to play second fiddle to T.Y. Hilton and catch passes from Andrew Luck. This is someone with double-digit touchdown upside, and I'm thrilled to land him as my fifth wide receiver in Round 12. Parris Campbell may be the future No. 2 in Indianapolis, but I'd bet on Funchess being the second-best receiver this season.
If I regret taking Drake, I'm going to have a lot of regret because I' drafting him everywhere. He showed us in the final five games of 2017 (594 yards) what he can do with a big workload and he showed last year that he's the best Dolphins back in the passing game. The worst case is that Drake is the passing-down back on a team that is playing from behind most of the season. That would still be startable in PPR, but it wouldn't be worth a fourth-round pick. I need him to win the feature role for this pick to pan out.
It's not hard to imagine Johnson as a top-12 running back. In fact, you may just need to imagine him staying healthy. He averaged 85.4 total yards per game in 2018 despite the limitations the Lions put on his workload. If he plays even 14 games and comes close to last year's efficiency, he's a cinch to be a top-12 back at the end of the year. Of course, Johnson has to stay healthy. And the Lions have to not be terrible. And it would help if they gave him a goal-line carry every now and then.