Fantasy: Strategy for drafting at the end of the round
Get ready for your season with theScore's 2018 Fantasy Football Draft Kit.
theScore's Justin Boone breaks down the best ways to approach your draft depending on where you're selecting in the order.
Draft Position- Top of the round
- Middle of each round
- End of the round
Here's a look at how you can attack your draft if you've been assigned one of the final two picks in a 12-team standard scoring league.
Average draft position (ADP) data courtesy of Fantasy Football Calculator and is based on 12-team leagues with standard scoring.
Round 1Picks: 1.09-1.12
There are a variety of paths you can take at the end of the opening round, but my approach in 2018 is to come away with at least one running back with my first two picks.
You can pair an RB like Melvin Gordon, Leonard Fournette, or Kareem Hunt with a second-round receiver like Michael Thomas or Keenan Allen. Or you can secure one of the elite wideouts and see if a first-round RB talent falls.
We've elected to go with the latter, drafting DeAndre Hopkins, who finished with the most fantasy points at his position in 2017. There's no telling how high Hopkins can go with a full season of Deshaun Watson as his quarterback.
| Roster | Player | Round |
|---|---|---|
| WR1 | DeAndre Hopkins | 1st |
Others to consider: Melvin Gordon, Odell Beckham Jr.
Round 2Picks: 2.01-2.04
Since we went WR with our first pick, we can survey the RB landscape in an effort to keep our roster balanced. Not drafting an RB here is a strategy that's worked for many, but I don't want to force myself into any decisions as the draft progresses.
If Fournette, Hunt, and Dalvin Cook are off the board, Freeman becomes an even more appealing option as one of the last RB1 targets left from my rankings. Freeman's last three full-season fantasy results are RB1, RB8, and RB13. With the Falcons' offense poised for a bounce-back season, Freeman is a safe pick here.
| Roster | Player | Round |
|---|---|---|
| RB1 | Devonta Freeman | 2nd |
| WR1 | DeAndre Hopkins | 1st |
Others to consider: Dalvin Cook, Michael Thomas, Keenan Allen
Round 3Picks: 3.09-3.12
Alex Collins is being undervalued in many drafts. The Ravens committed to him as the season went on last year, and he's set to carry the load for their offense moving forward.
Despite missing a game early in the season a year ago, Collins was the RB20. If he had played 16 games, Collins would have moved into the top 15, which is exactly where I have him ranked this year.
| Roster | Player | Round |
|---|---|---|
| RB1 | Devonta Freeman | 2nd |
| RB2 | Alex Collins | 3rd |
| WR1 | DeAndre Hopkins | 1st |
Others to consider: Jay Ajayi, Doug Baldwin
Round 4Picks: 4.01-4.04
We'll continue to maintain a balanced lineup through the fourth round thanks to one excellent value at receiver.
Few players disappointed fantasy owners as thoroughly as Amari Cooper did last season. But it's hard to imagine the 24-year-old having another down year with Michael Crabtree now gone and the new coaching staff wanting to run the offense through him.
After back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons to start his career, expect Cooper to flirt with WR1 numbers once again.
| Roster | Player | Round |
|---|---|---|
| RB1 | Devonta Freeman | 2nd |
| RB2 | Alex Collins | 3rd |
| WR1 | DeAndre Hopkins | 1st |
| WR2 | Amari Cooper | 4th |
Others to consider: Kenyan Drake, Zach Ertz
Round 5Picks: 5.09-5.12
Receiver is one of the deepest positions, which is how a talent like Marvin Jones is still available late in the fifth round of most drafts.
Jones' numbers dipped with Kenny Golladay in the lineup, so another WR7 finish might be out of the question, but Jones is still more than capable of posting top-20 stats as the Lions' most dangerous pass-catcher.
| Roster | Player | Round |
|---|---|---|
| RB1 | Devonta Freeman | 2nd |
| RB2 | Alex Collins | 3rd |
| WR1 | DeAndre Hopkins | 1st |
| WR2 | Amari Cooper | 4th |
| WR3 | Marvin Jones | 5th |
Others to consider: Rex Burkhead, Chris Hogan
Round 6Picks: 6.01-6.04
With our starters in place at RB and WR, we can start to take shots on league-winning talents who may have more risk associated with them.
Dion Lewis was a low-end RB1 for fantasy owners who scooped him up late last year. Now, he's locked in a battle for touches with Derrick Henry in Tennessee. The duo seems to complement each other nicely, with Henry the hammer and Lewis the more dynamic weapon. However, I believe Lewis is the more talented player, and the Titans targeted him for a reason.
In the sixth round, we can stash him on our bench and see how Tennessee decides to deploy him. Even if he sees a 60-40 split in his favor, this will be an excellent pick.
| Roster | Player | Round |
|---|---|---|
| RB1 | Devonta Freeman | 2nd |
| RB2 | Alex Collins | 3rd |
| WR1 | DeAndre Hopkins | 1st |
| WR2 | Amari Cooper | 4th |
| WR3 | Marvin Jones | 5th |
| Bench | Dion Lewis | 6th |
Others to consider: Tevin Coleman, Corey Davis
Round 7Picks: 7.09-7.12
Hyde has emerged as the lead back in a Cleveland offense that should be much improved with several new additions.
Hyde's skill was never in doubt, it's his ability to stay healthy that worries fantasy owners. He'll also be trying to hold off rookie Nick Chubb who will become more of a threat as the season goes on. At the moment, Chubb seems to be still acclimating himself to life as a pro.
For now, Hyde offers a massive return as a clear early-season starter who can be had for a seventh-round investment.
| Roster | Player | Round |
|---|---|---|
| RB1 | Devonta Freeman | 2nd |
| RB2 | Alex Collins | 3rd |
| WR1 | DeAndre Hopkins | 1st |
| WR2 | Amari Cooper | 4th |
| WR3 | Marvin Jones | 5th |
| Bench | Dion Lewis | 6th |
| Bench | Carlos Hyde | 7th |
Others to consider: Isaiah Crowell, Delanie Walker
Round 8Picks: 8.01-8.04
When the eighth round arrives I should basically have Trey Burton's name set to automatically be selected.
In the offseason, I fell for his potential after being handpicked to star in Matt Nagy's offense. Burton has backed up my belief that he could be the next impact tight end in fantasy, yet his ADP has stayed in the eighth and ninth rounds.
If you miss out on one of the elite options, Burton is one of the best tight ends to target in 2018.
| Roster | Player | Round |
|---|---|---|
| RB1 | Devonta Freeman | 2nd |
| RB2 | Alex Collins | 3rd |
| WR1 | DeAndre Hopkins | 1st |
| WR2 | Amari Cooper | 4th |
| WR3 | Marvin Jones | 5th |
| TE1 | Trey Burton | 8th |
| Bench | Dion Lewis | 6th |
| Bench | Carlos Hyde | 7th |
Others to consider: Robby Anderson, Randall Cobb
Round 9Picks: 9.09-9.12
Kenny Stills is Miami's receiver to own in fantasy this year. I've been shouting this from the rooftops since early in the offseason and yet it doesn't seem like the general public has caught on.
DeVante Parker was struggling before breaking his finger, and now his future with the Dolphins might be in doubt. All the while, Stills has finished as a top-30 fantasy WR in each of the past two seasons. Last time we saw Ryan Tannehill leading the Dolphins' offense was in 2016, when Stills posted nine touchdowns.
His ADP is set in the 11th round, but his upside puts him as a borderline WR2. Don't hesitate to take him a round or two early.
| Roster | Player | Round |
|---|---|---|
| RB1 | Devonta Freeman | 2nd |
| RB2 | Alex Collins | 3rd |
| WR1 | DeAndre Hopkins | 1st |
| WR2 | Amari Cooper | 4th |
| WR3 | Marvin Jones | 5th |
| TE1 | Trey Burton | 8th |
| Bench | Dion Lewis | 6th |
| Bench | Carlos Hyde | 7th |
| Bench | Kenny Stills | 9th |
Others to consider: Peyton Barber, Nick Chubb
Round 10Picks: 10.01-10.04
Owning Patrick Mahomes might be a roller-coaster ride in his first season as a starter. It also might end up with you taking home your fantasy title.
Mahomes has as much upside as anyone going in the QB2 range thanks to his outstanding supporting cast and a coach who is normally able to get the most out of his quarterbacks.
If Mahomes struggles out of the gate, you can have Jameis Winston on speed dial. Due to his suspension, Winston will likely be on the waiver wire in most leagues to start the year.
| Roster | Player | Round |
|---|---|---|
| QB1 | Patrick Mahomes | 10th |
| RB1 | Devonta Freeman | 2nd |
| RB2 | Alex Collins | 3rd |
| WR1 | DeAndre Hopkins | 1st |
| WR2 | Amari Cooper | 4th |
| WR3 | Marvin Jones | 5th |
| TE1 | Trey Burton | 8th |
| Bench | Dion Lewis | 6th |
| Bench | Carlos Hyde | 7th |
| Bench | Kenny Stills | 9th |
Others to consider: D.J. Moore, Corey Clement
Later roundsAfter the 10th round, you no longer need to pay close attention to ADPs. You should instead focus on filling out your bench with as many high-upside players as possible, targeting running backs and receivers. Quarterbacks and tight ends can always be streamed, or at worst, acquired by trading a bench player.
Players to consider: Latavius Murray, Giovani Bernard, Jordan Wilkins, Nyheim Hines, Anthony Miller, Michael Gallup, Austin Ekeler, John Ross
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