Levitan: My Perfect Draft 2.0

Last Updated: August 9th at 5:20pm ET

Our fantasy draft is not going to go perfectly. We’re going to get sniped, we’re going to panic when on the clock and our best-laid plans will go awry.

But we can still dream. These are my favorite players in each round, as of August 9th. Note that I am using ESPN.com Average Draft Position (ADP) here in an effort to more closely replicate a “home league” setting.

Check back next week for the first run of my “Favorite Fliers,” where I’ll explore players to target beyond Round 10. 

ROUND 1
Ideal: Christian McCaffrey, RB, Panthers — If I could pick any draft spot this season, it would be No. 1. After CMC and Dalvin Cook, there is a significant tier drop. I can poke holes in every other first-round pick. Additionally, when picking at the 2/3 turn there are tier drops at tight end (after Darren Waller/George Kittle) and wide receiver (after Justin Jefferson, AJ Brown, DK Metcalf).

Runner up: Aaron Jones, RB, Packers — I am perfectly fine going with a wide receiver such as Tyreek Hill, Stefon Diggs, or Davante Adams when picking in the mid- to back-end of Round 1. But accessing the league-winning ceiling of an elite RB sets up a draft in my preferred fashion. With Jamaal Williams gone, Jones’ underrated pass-catching ability is about to be unlocked.

ROUND 2
Ideal: Calvin Ridley, WR, Falcons — Even with Julio Jones playing 9 games last year, Ridley’s usage was absurd. He was 8th among WRs in aDOT (Average Depth of Target), had an elite 65.7% catch rate despite that long aDOT, was 5th among WRs in red-zone targets and held a 22.7% target share. With Julio gone, that target share could creep to 30% and Ridley would absolutely erupt.