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. Note that I am using the half-PPR “home league” Average Draft Position (ADP) we have on our site in an effort to more closely replicate a “home league” setting.
Click here for my Favorite Fliers and Sleepers, where I explore players to target beyond Round 10. For more help with your draft, see all of our rankings.
ROUND 1
Ideal: Get one of the “Top Six” – I consider Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase, and Christian McCaffrey in a tier of their own. So a top-three pick was what I preferred when one of Bijan Robinson, Saquon Barkley, Nick Chubb, or Tony Pollard would fall back to me in Round 2.
But now that doesn’t happen, so I am fine with picks 4, 5, or 6 also. That gives me access to Tyreek Hill, Cooper Kupp, and Travis Kelce — and then I have a good shot to come back with one of the aforementioned RBs in Round 2. The reason I don’t like the later Round 1 picks is the tier of players from Pick 9 to roughly Pick 16 is extremely flat. There’s no real edge to picking two from that tier.
Runner-up: Nick Chubb, RB, Browns – Ideally I’ll start WR-RB in home league, half-PPR formats. But when I pick late in Round 1 of half-PPR drafts, I’m willing to flip that to RB-WR ensure I land Chubb. One of the best pure runners in NFL history, Chubb finally has a backfield to himself and strong QB play. Plus a top-five offensive line.
ROUND 2
Ideal: Tony Pollard, RB, Cowboys – My favorite starts this year are WR-RB in Rounds 1-2. And for some reason, drafters keep letting the wildly explosive Pollard fall to the middle of Round 2. Pollard’s profile is not all that different from Christian McCaffrey or Austin Ekeler — obviously he’s lagging behind in receiving work. I expect Dallas to be far more pass-centric this season than the market believes, which will help Pollard.
Runner-up: Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Lions – In best ball formats, Amon-Ra typically goes at the end of Round 1. But in home leagues, he’ll often slip to Round 2 and that’s a smash. Especially on teams where we started with RB in Round 1.
Amon-Ra ran bad on touchdowns last season and also dealt with nagging injuries… yet still finished as fantasy WR10 in points per game. He is one of the favorites to lead the entire league in targets this year.
ROUND 3
Ideal: Mark Andrews, TE, Ravens – If you’re in a 10-team league, I’d prioritize the onesie position here. With either Andrews or Jalen Hurts/Josh Allen/Patrick Mahomes/Lamar Jackson. In a 12-team league, I’m still looking at Andrews. With Todd Monken now at the controls, the Ravens are going to play more pass-centric and faster. Andrews has a great chance to separate from all tight ends not named
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