I can't believe what I'm about to write. Are you ready? Here we go. When picking at No. 12 overall in a 0.5-PPR league, you can start RB-RB with your first two picks.
I never expected to support this build, but it can work. Let me show you the way.
The first 10 players off the board should be, in some order, Christian McCaffrey, CeeDee Lamb, Tyreek Hill, Ja'Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Breece Hall Bijan Robinson, A.J. Brown and Garrett Wilson. Now, that doesn't always happen, so if any of those players slip to No. 12 then you should pounce.
But if those 10 players are gone, you're going to be left with two of the following three running backs in Jahmyr Gibbs, Saquon Barkley and Jonathan Taylor. And I would draft two of them, especially with Puka Nacua (knee) dealing with an injury right now.
This is our 12-part, 0.5 PPR pick-by-pick series where me, Heath Cummings, Dave Richard, R.J. White, Dan Schneier 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. 12 overall in your league. The key is to study the strategy and not necessarily the players to see if this works for you.
In this draft, Gibbs went at No. 9, Wilson went No. 10 and Brown went No. 11. That left Barkley and Taylor on the board, and I drafted both. Let's see how it turned out.
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 0.5 points 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. 12 overall:
1.12 Saquon Barkley, RB, PHI
2.1 Jonathan Taylor, RB, IND
3.12 Malik Nabers, WR, NYG
4.1 DK Metcalf, WR, SEA
5.12 Chris Godwin, WR, TB
6.1 Lamar Jackson, QB, BAL
7.12 Jameson Williams, WR, DET
8.1 Keon Coleman, WR, BUF
9.12 Jerome Ford, RB, CLE
10.1 Chuba Hubbard, RB, CAR
11.12 Elijah Mitchell, RB, SF
12.1 Pat Freirmuth, TE, PIT
13.12 Jahan Dotson, WR, WAS
14.1 Braelon Allen, RB, NYJ
Once I started RB-RB with Barkley and Taylor, I planned to grab two receivers at the Round 3-4 turn. And it worked out well that I got two of my favorite receivers this season with Nabers and Metcalf. Some other receivers you could find in this range are George Pickens, D.J. Moore, Amari Cooper, DeVonta Smith or Tee Higgins if you want other options.
For Nabers, he has the potential to be amazing in his rookie campaign and could see 130-plus targets. And Metcalf should thrive in Seattle's new offense under coordinator Ryan Grubb. Both have top-15 upside.
It might have made more sense to take a running back in Round 5, especially with guys like James Conner, D'Andre Swift and Rhamondre Stevenson. But since we start three receivers in this league, I was hoping for a third receiver with upside at the Round 5-6 turn, which is why I selected Godwin. He's poised to bounce back this year from a poor 2023 now that he's moving back to the slot.
Jackson was an easy pick in Round 6 since he's a top-four quarterback, and we'll see if I made the right call at the Round 7-8 turn by drafting two more receivers in Williams and Coleman. I passed on Jaylen Warren there, which could be a mistake, but I wanted to build up my receiving corps.
Williams has breakout potential in his third season, and he's having a great training camp by all accounts for the Lions. And Coleman could be the best receiver for the Bills this year, even in his rookie campaign.
My decision to pass on Warren worked out when I got Ford and Hubbard at the Round 9-10 turn. Ford will likely open the season as the No. 1 running back for the Browns with Nick Chubb (knee) hurt. And the same goes for Hubbard with Jonathon Brooks (knee) expected to be limited early in the year.
When we did this draft, Christian McCaffrey (calf) wasn't injured, but neither was Mitchell (hamstring). We'll see what happens with the 49ers backfield, but I'm hopeful Mitchell remains the No. 2 running back in San Francisco this season. It's a situation to monitor, and if Mitchell is healthy and McCaffrey remains injured the closer we get to Week 1, then Mitchell will get drafted higher than Round 11.
I waited on tight end, but I like Freiermuth with a late-round pick. He has the chance to be No. 2 on the Steelers in targets behind George Pickens, and Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Arthur Smith likes throwing the ball to his tight ends.
My last two picks were players who offer upside in Dotson and Allen. Dotson is entering his third season and should remain the No. 2 receiver for the Commanders, and Allen is a lottery ticket as the No. 2 running back for the Jets. If something happens to Breece Hall then Allen could be a league winner.
It feels like every time I update my rankings I move up Nabers, and he's creeping closer to Round 3. I drafted him in Round 3 here because I knew he would never make it back to me at the Round 5-6 turn. Nabers has the potential for 130-plus targets, and he could emerge as a top-15 Fantasy receiver, even in his rookie campaign. While Daniel Jones doesn't necessarily inspire confidence in making Nabers a top-tier Fantasy talent, I'm trusting Brian Daboll's offense to feature Nabers and give him every chance to succeed. I loved getting Nabers and Metcalf as my first two receivers after starting with a RB-RB build.
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Barkley or Taylor could be in this category because if you're going to commit to RB-RB with your first two picks then you better be convinced that both guys are studs. And I feel that way about Barkley and Taylor. For Barkley, he should benefit tremendously with his move from the Giants to the Eagles. He's playing with a better quarterback and behind a better offensive line, and Philadelphia's offense should help Barkley have one of the best years of his career. And Taylor, who played just two snaps with Anthony Richardson last year, could lead the NFL in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns. It wouldn't be a surprise if Taylor had 2,000 total yards and 20 total touchdowns this season.
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I might get burned by ranking Brown ahead of Moss, and Moss could be the better Fantasy running back for the Bengals this year. But the buzz out of Cincinnati is Brown has looked the part, and hopefully he'll be the starter in Week 1 -- and all season. If Brown is legit then this team is fantastic given the caliber of receivers, quarterback and tight end I put around Robinson. But I could be in trouble if Brown is a bust, as well as Singletary struggling and getting nothing from Lloyd or Laube. No matter what, I'll be aggressive on waivers with running backs, but hopefully, that won't be because I have to replace Brown. I'm excited to see what he can do as the lead running back for the Bengals this year.
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