Levitan: Pick-by-Pick Recap of $555 Fantasy Football Draft

I recently did a $555 buy-in best ball draft on DraftKings. Here are the results with my thoughts. I drew the No. 9 pick and my picks are in bold.

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ROUND 1
1 – Justin Jefferson, WR, Vikings
2 – Ja’Marr Chase, WR, Bengals
3 – Christian McCaffrey, RB, 49ers
4 – Travis Kelce, TE, Chiefs
5 – Cooper Kupp, WR, Rams
6 – Austin Ekeler, RB, Chargers
7 – Tyreek Hill, WR, Dolphins
8 – Stefon Diggs, WR, Bills
9 – A.J. Brown, WR, Eagles
10 – Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Lions
11 – CeeDee Lamb, WR, Cowboys
12 – Bijan Robinson, RB, Falcons

Notes: I think the No. 9 spot is the worst pick to draw this year. I consider Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase in a tier of their own, and then the following six players in their own tier. … The two players I considered at No. 9 were A.J. Brown and Davante Adams. I decided to go with Brown as the younger player with the better quarterback and systemic situation. … I was pretty shocked Tyreek Hill lasted until No. 7 here. We have him third overall in our ranks and that’s where I’d personally take him as well.

ROUND 2
13. Davante Adams, WR, Raiders
14. Garrett Wilson, WR, Jets
15. Jaylen Waddle, WR, Dolphins
16. Jalen Hurts, QB, Eagles
17. Saquon Barkley, RB, Giants
18. Tony Pollard, RB, Cowboys
19. Derrick Henry, RB, Titans
20. Nick Chubb, RB, Browns
21. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Chiefs
22. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Colts
23. Tee Higgins, WR, Bengals
24. DeVonta Smith, WR, Eagles

Notes: If this was a normal redraft league (not a best ball tournament with 5,220 entries), I would NOT have taken Jalen Hurts this high. The opportunity cost in a 12-team league is just too high — in that format, I would have taken Saquon Barkley or Tony Pollard. But in a best ball tournament, I’m reaching (slightly) for correlation. It certainly helps that I expect far more raw volume from the Eagles’ pass game this year as their schedule is far tougher. And the “tush push” play remains legal. Hurts is my No. 1 fantasy QB. … With Jimmy Garoppolo (foot) getting cleared for camp as we expected, I suspect Davante Adams’ ADP will rise. I prefer him to Amon-Ra St. Brown, CeeDee Lamb, and Garrett Wilson. … This draft started about a week before the Saquon Barkley “news” broke. Of course, this isn’t really news — we already knew Saquon wants a new contract and we know he has no leverage after getting the franchise tag. I got Saquon at 27 overall on Sunday July 23, and I was fist-pumping that in. I’d bet the under on a 1.5-game “holdout” for Barkley. … I wouldn’t take Patrick Mahomes this high in redraft formats either — the person who took Mahomes already took Travis Kelce at the 1.04. To me, this is a reason not to go Kelce at 1.04 because I don’t want to be cornered into a reach for Mahomes. Going for Tyreek Hill, Cooper Kupp, or Austin Ekeler gives me stack candidates on QBs I think are a bit undervalued (Tua Tagovailoa, Matthew Stafford, Justin Herbert). … In previous iterations of fantasy football, Tony Pollard, Derrick Henry, and Nick Chubb would all be going in Round 1. I’m fine with all three in Round 2, although I try not to start RB-RB in full-PPR formats. … The Derrick Henry/Nick Chubb pass-game profiles make me a bit queasy in Round 2, but the run-game efficiency is a lock.

ROUND 3
25. Chris Olave, WR, Saints
26. Josh Allen, QB, Bills
27. Josh Jacobs, RB, Raiders
28. Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, Patriots
29. Mark Andrews, TE, Ravens
30. Deebo Samuel, WR, 49ers
31. Breece Hall, RB, Jets
32. Keenan Allen, WR, Chargers
33. DK Metcalf, WR, Seahawks
34. Lamar Jackson, QB, Ravens
35. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Lions
36. Calvin Ridley, WR, Jaguars

Notes: It was a no-brainer pick for me here with DK Metcalf. I needed elite WR upside after going QB in Round 2, I want to bet on the Seahawks’ offense this year, and this was a few spots past Metcalf’s ADP. … I’ve been shying away from Rhamondre Stevenson in this