You might have a difficult choice to make at No. 2 overall in a PPR league, assuming that Christian McCaffrey is off the board. Now that CeeDee Lamb has a new contract with the Cowboys, you have to decide if you want him or Tyreek Hill.
I'm sticking with Hill, who became my No. 1 receiver about two weeks ago when Lamb was holding out. I love both receivers, but it was always a 1A scenario with Hill behind Lamb, so I can't fault anyone who goes back to Lamb.
For me, the missed time in training camp was enough to knock Lamb down a peg. And Hill has been exceptional in Miami. He's the perfect leader for any Fantasy roster.
In two years with the Dolphins, Hill has 341 targets for 238 catches, 3,509 yards and 20 touchdowns. He's averaged 21.8 PPR points per game over that span.
Hill is the first player in NFL history to have multiple seasons with at least 1,700 receiving yards. His 1,799 yards in 2023 are the most in a season in Dolphins history, breaking his own record of 1,710 set in 2022. He ranks No. 7 and No. 13 for the most receiving yards in a season in NFL history.
The resume speaks for itself. And in 2023, Hill became the third player in NFL history to register more than 110 receptions in three consecutive seasons, joining Antonio Brown (2013-15) and Wes Welker (2007-09). Hill had 111 receptions in 2021, his final season in Kansas City, and he has consecutive years of 119 catches in Miami.
This is our 12-part, PPR pick-by-pick series where me, Heath Cummings, Jacob Gibbs, Dan Schneier, Dave Richard and Adam Aizer all took part in a six-person mock draft. We each built two of the 12 teams in this 14-round draft to show you a different strategy from each spot.
This is an outline that you can follow if you pick from No. 2 overall in your league. The key is to study the strategy and not necessarily the players to see if this works for you.
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).
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Here's my team from No. 2 overall:
1.2: Tyreek Hill, WR, Dolphins
2.11: Drake London, WR, Falcons
3.2: Josh Jacobs, RB, Packers
4.11: Joe Mixon, RB, Texans
5.2: Dalton Kincaid, TE, Bills
6.11: David Montgomery, RB, Lions
7.2: Christian Watson, WR, Packers
8.11: Jameson Williams, WR, Lions
9.2: Devin Singletary, RB, Giants
10.11: Ty Chandler, RB, Vikings
11.2: Dak Prescott, QB, Cowboys
12.11: Demario Douglas, WR, Patriots
13.2: Gabe Davis, WR, Jaguars
14.11: Greg Dortch, WR, Cardinals
This roster build started like most for me this season with two receivers, and I'm excited about London in his third year in the NFL. In a three-receiver league with a flex, I usually love stockpiling receivers and going with a Hero-RB build.
I was on my way toward doing that with Jacobs in Round 3, and his outlook continues to improve with MarShawn Lloyd (hamstring) and A.J. Dillon (neck) banged up, including Dillon out for the season. But then I made a mistake in Round 4 with Mixon.
In full disclosure, I passed on George Pickens there with the potential of a Brandon Aiyuk trade to Pittsburgh still on the table. If I could re-do this draft, Pickens would have been my selection in Round 4.
That said, Mixon is a great No. 2 running back, and it's not awful to get two of the top 17 running backs this season because the position thins out after that. Montgomery is my No. 18 running back, and I thought he was the best value in Round 6 after I drafted Kincaid in Round 5.
But now I needed receivers, and I felt fortunate to draft Watson in Round 7 and Williams in Round 8 since both are breakout candidates this season. If they hit, this roster is in great shape.
And then I made another mistake in Round 9. Instead of drafting Singletary, I should have selected Josh Palmer or Khalil Shakir since both were available. That would have been the better move for this roster since I didn't need another running back, and I love Palmer and Shakir this season.
Probably the best move that I made with this roster was waiting on a quarterback. By Round 8, 10 of the 12 managers in this league had drafted a quarterback, and Prescott was easily the best one left.
If I missed on Prescott, I would have drafted two quarterbacks and paired Caleb Williams with either Tua Tagovailoa or Jared Goff. This worked out better, and I closed the draft with three receivers I like in this range in Douglas, Davis and Dortch.
I want to get an elite tight end when possible, and Kincaid has the chance to have a big season. He's an easy choice in Round 5 for me in almost every league. The Bills receiving corps will look entirely different with Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis gone, and that bodes well for Kincaid's outlook. He did well as a rookie in 2023 when he was featured by Josh Allen, which happened mostly when Dawson Knox was out with an injury. Kincaid had 10 games with at least six targets, and he scored at least 12.7 PPR points in six of them. He should continue to be featured by Allen in 2024, and Kincaid should be drafted right after Sam LaPorta, Travis Kelce, Trey McBride and Mark Andrews come off the board, which happened here.
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As stated above, I would have felt better about this team with a receiver like Pickens or even Michael Pittman Jr. instead of Mixon in Round 4 just because I like a more robust receiving corps, especially since I got Montgomery in Round 6. But Mixon should be a solid No. 2 running back in Houston, and he's coming off four seasons in a row with at least 15.7 PPR points in Cincinnati. He should get the chance for 250-plus carries with the Texans, and hopefully he's over 40 catches again, which he's done for three seasons in a row. I like Mixon as a Round 4 selection, but I would have preferred to draft a receiver instead based on how I like to build my teams.
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Watson will open the season as my No. 3 receiver, and I need him to be a breakout candidate. If that happens then this team should be excellent. Watson has the most upside of the Green Bay quartet of receivers with Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks, but Watson has struggled with injuries. Last year, he missed eight games due to repeated hamstring injuries, but the Packers are optimistic that Watson figured out the root cause of those problems. Before Watson's final stint on the injury report last year, he had 12 catches for 165 yards and three touchdowns on 16 targets in two outings against Detroit and Kansas City, and he scored at least 20.4 PPR points in each game. He may never become an elite Fantasy option because of all the weapons in Green Bay, but he could become a No. 2 Fantasy receiver if he can stay on the field. I'm hopeful his hamstring woes are behind him and this is the season that Watson will be a key contributor for the Packers and Fantasy managers.
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