Please let Bijan fall to me. Please let Bijan fall to me. Please let Bijan fall to me.
BOOYA! It wouldn't shock me if Bijan Robinson is the most valuable player in Fantasy this season, so I was clearly thrilled to start my draft with him. I think there are 10 easy first-round picks in Fantasy Football this season, and the eighth pick is great to have when it comes to your first and second round picks. After that, it gets tricky.
There is a noticeable drop off in talent and league-winning potential after about 30 picks. That means you may not love your options in Rounds 3 and 4 when you have the No. 8 overall pick in the draft. You won't get one of the top-three quarterbacks. You're probably missing out on DeVonta Smith, Tee Higgins and Chris Olave. Mark Andrews might make it to you in Round 3, but he didn't in this draft. So, what do you do?
Get a wide receiver in Round 3 or 4! Understanding wide receiver depth at this point in the draft is crucial. I happily drafted Amari Cooper in the fourth round, and I strongly recommend drafting a wide receiver here because you will not like your options in late Round 5. Grabbing Cooper in Round 4 gave me some security at the position instead of having to rely on Brandon Aiyuk, Diontae Johnson or Marquise Brown as my WR2.
On a side note, my third round pick was Jahmyr Gibbs who is absolutely worth a late third. In Bijan and Gibbs, I have the only two rookie running backs since Saquon Barkley to be drafted in the top 12 of the NFL Draft. Pretty exciting!
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 the 8th pick:
1.8: Bijan Robinson, RB, ATL
2.5: A.J. Brown, WR, PHI
3.8: Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, DET
4.5: Amari Cooper, WR, CLE
5.8: Joe Burrow, QB, CIN
6.5: Darren Waller, TE, NYG
7.8: Gabe Davis WR, BUF
8.5: A.J. Dillon RB, GB
9.8: Courtland Sutton, WR, DEN
10.5: Quentin Johnston, WR, LAC
11.8: Tyler Allgeier, RB, ATL
12.5: Russell Wilson, QB, DEN
13.8: Gus Edwards RB, BAL
14.5: Trey McBride, TE, ARI
I got lucky with Joe Burrow. The calf injury caused him to fall and I pounced in Round 5. I'm also happy when my team has a top-eight QB and a top-eight TE, which I have with Burrow and Darren Waller. I at least have a chance to be great at both positions, and not every team in your league will be able to say that.
I recommend drafting Quentin Johnston. The Chargers will move Mike Williams around to get Johnston on the field, and I see big sleeper potential for Johnston. I also recommend drafting Tyler Allgeier if you drafted Bijan Robinson. In case you forgot, I DRAFTED BIJAN ROBINSON!
A preseason injury can actually be a great thing for a Fantasy manager. I think Burrow lasting to 5.8 is an overreaction to the calf injury. If he's 100% healthy, he's a borderline Round 3 pick for me. While this injury could linger or resurface, is he really a bigger injury risk than Lamar Jackson or Justin Fields?
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A.J. Brown had only 88 catches last season and was basically even in targets with DeVonta Smith in the second half of the season. I struggled deciding between Brown, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Garrett Wilson in this PPR format.
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I said that Jahmyr Gibbs deserves to be picked in late Round 3, but I can't ignore the downside. Touchdowns could be hard to come by. His workload is obviously difficult to predict. I could see a worst case scenario in which he is barely more valuable than Samaje Perine. But I don't think that's going to happen! I think he'll be the most exciting and most dangerous player on the field for the Lions. He'll earn more touches as the season goes on. I have an optimistic outlook, so be aware that Gibbs is no sure thing as a rookie.
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