- No one can beat peak Christian McCaffrey: The San Francisco 49ers running back, at his best, has outscored every other active running back at their best.
- Brian Thomas Jr. found his rhythm: Over the last seven weeks, Thomas consistently scored fantasy points and had the third-most points among wide receivers during that stretch.
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Estimated reading time: 13 minutes
This perfect draft strategy for 12-team, single quarterback, redraft, PPR fantasy football leagues uses current average draft positions (ADPs) specifically from Sleeper to deliver a round-by-round guide for managers picking at the end of the draft — specifically from Picks 10, 11 or 12. To find more information about any player mentioned in this article, click on the player's name to find their fantasy football player profile.
Last updated: Friday, August 8
Round 1, Picks 10-12: Draft a wide receiver
Anyone picking from the middle of the first round to the end is either selecting their top available wide receiver or a running back, such as Ashton Jeanty or Derrick Henry. There are six wide receivers ranked third to eighth, where seemingly no two analysts have the receivers in the same order. All could end up as the top overall wide receiver if everything goes well, but all of them are going through some changes with some combination of new play-callers, new quarterbacks and new competition for targets. In Brian Thomas Jr.’s player profile, I detail why I believe he is the best option of the group, but there are legitimate reasons to pick a different receiver.
Top Target: Brian Thomas Jr.
Brian Thomas Jr. had a strong start to his rookie season and ended it among the league’s best fantasy receivers. In his final seven games, he gained at least 13 PPR points each week and averaged 21.5 points, third behind only Ja’Marr Chase and Puka Nacua. He played at least 84% of his team’s offensive snaps in all but one of those games. The team added Travis Hunter in the draft, and he will see a decent target rate, but typically, two great wide receivers can co-exist as long as there isn’t much more competition for targets. Thomas led all wide receivers in yards per route run out of the slot with 3.12, and new offensive coordinator Liam Coen has found a lot of success with his slot receivers in the past. An increased role in the slot could lead Thomas to remain among the top wide receivers in fantasy football.
Possible Targets: Nico Collins, Drake London, A.J. Brown, Ladd McConkey, Tee Higgins
Round 2, Picks 13-15: Draft a running back or wide receiver
Christian McCaffrey has moved up to being a first-round pick on other sides, but on Sleeper, his ADP remains in the early parts of the second round. If he’s available here, he’s a steal. It is also difficult to find running backs you would be happy with in the fifth round, so to end up with two top-20 players, it is helpful to add a running back here. Because of that, Bucky Irving is the top second option, even though this is a little early compared to his ADP. If both running backs are gone, then it’s fine to pick the best available wide receiver.
Top Target: Christian McCaffrey
Christian McCaffrey has been the most dominant fantasy running back of the past decade, given his success in both the pass game and the run. However, he’s missed over 50% of the season during three of the last five years due to a wide variety of injuries. It’s hard to know exactly how predictive those injuries are of future injury, but there is also a risk of the 49ers limiting his snaps, or his play simply declining from all of the injuries and age. This makes McCaffrey one of the riskiest early draft picks.
Possible Targets: Bucky Irving, Drake London, A.J. Brown, De'Von Achane, Ladd McConkey
Round 3, Picks 34-36: Draft a quarterback
It’s generally helpful to have at least one quarterback or one tight end early. While on some platforms, it can be difficult to land two solid running backs picking at the end of the draft, it’s easier on Sleeper because of Christian McCaffrey. That should make it easier to select either a quarterback or a tight end. Jalen Hurts and George Kittle should both be available, and this team ends up a little better when selecting a quarterback.
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