Are you a safe drafter or a chance-taker in Fantasy football? Safe drafters will lean toward a receiver at No. 7 overall. Michael Thomas isn't a lock to be there (he wasn't in this draft), but Davante Adams should be.
Chance-takers, however, will pass on those receivers and consider one from Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Miles Sanders and Joe Mixon. Running backs with outstanding 1,500-plus-yard and 10-plus-touchdown potential. If you're a chance-taker, you'll take a running back first and be open for anything in Round 2. If you're a safe drafter, you'll take a receiver first and hope for a running back you're comfortable starting falling to 18th overall.
PPR Pick Series: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12
The players you should expect to see in Round 2 include George Kittle, DeAndre Hopkins, Chris Godwin, Nick Chubb and Josh Jacobs. It does mean that taking that safe receiver in Round 1 is still a good way to start because a running back in Round 2 you'll like should be on the board. In my case, that running back was Derrick Henry, who I'll discuss further below.
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:
- 1.07: Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB, Chiefs
- 2.06: Derrick Henry, RB, Titans
- 3.07: Cooper Kupp, WR, Rams
- 4.06: Adam Thielen, WR, Vikings
- 5.07: Zach Ertz, TE, Eagles
- 6.06: Dak Prescott, QB, Cowboys
- 7.07: Brandin Cooks, WR, Texans
- 8.06: Jordan Howard, RB, Dolphins
- 9.07: Darius Slayton, WR, Giants
- 10.06: Nyheim Hines, RB, Colts
- 11.07: Darrynton Evans, RB, Titans
- 12.06: Adrian Peterson, RB, Washington Football Team
- 13.07: Austin Hooper, TE, Browns
- 14.06: Robby Anderson, WR, Jets
- 15.07: Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Steelers
It's pretty hard to screw up a draft after getting Edwards-Helaire and Henry. I don't think I did — I went safe with high-volume receivers in Rounds 3 and 4, then landed Zach Ertz in Round 5 before coming back with Dak Prescott in Round 6. I loved that value and highly recommend waiting for a quarterback with an excellent value. Prescott qualified here.
Picking seventh can be sometimes irritating because there aren't a lot of sneaky ways to take advantage of your position. You're always in the middle of every round. But getting eight of the top-90 players to form the foundation of your starting lineup isn't a bad consolation.
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I fully expect Henry to get taken sooner than this in every league (most certainly in non-PPR formats), which is why I couldn't hesitate to take him over 90-catch receivers like DeAndre Hopkins and Chris Godwin. Position scarcity also played a significant role in this decision. I am concerned about Henry's lack of receptions and potential for a significant injury coming off a 409-touch season. But I sat across from this behemoth during Super Bowl week and marveled at how big he was. Most running backs are small and unassuming. Henry looks like a linebacker. If he's built differently, then he can handle the punishment of the position differently. I still backed him up with Darrynton Evans, just to be safe, but he might end up as my best stat producer, a thrill since he came to my roster in Round 2.
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Nothing is certain with Cooks. When he had a four-year stretch of 1,000-yard seasons, he was consistently inconsistent. Now he's an injury risk given his concussion history. I'll only have myself to blame if he misses games. Hopefully he rounds back into form for the games he manages to play in — there are worse spots to be in than catching passes from Deshaun Watson.
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Let's face it, the rookie might be the next Kareem Hunt or the next Bishop Sankey. Okay, fine, he won't be as bad as Sankey but he could still disappoint to David Montgomery 2019-like levels. Edwards-Helaire is plenty talented with a lot of sizzle in his feet, but he's not a burner nor is he as physically dynamic as other rushers around the league. I drafted him right at his highest upside, so if he doesn't deliver over 1,500 yards and 10 touchdowns, it'll kind of be a disappointment. The good news? He's the lead running back in the league's best offense. I like having the chance of having a tremendous Fantasy rusher on the team.
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