Perfect 2023 fantasy football draft strategy, round by round for 10-team leagues — Picks 4-7 | Fantasy Football News, Rankings and Projections

Consider Travis Kelce in the first round: The fewer the number of teams in the league, the easier it is to get a quality starting lineup, making it easier to jump on Kelce early and fill other starters later.
Take a star running back in Round 2: Several players who would have been first-round picks five years ago are now falling to the second round as fantasy managers start valuing wide receivers more.
Also add a star quarterback: By drafting elite players at quarterback and tight end, you can take more shots at sleeper running backs and wide receivers.

Estimated reading time: 15 minutes

The perfect draft series takes current ADPs from expert and casual drafts to see who should be available at each pick so that we can make the best picks. For help on other pick numbers or league sizes, rankings or more details about the players, check out the rest of my summer content below. For rankings with better filtering along with auction values, check out our draft rankings page.

Last updated: 7:15 a.m. Friday, July 28

Round 1, Picks 4-7: Draft a running back, wide receiver or Travis Kelce

You can’t go wrong with one of the highest-ranked players at running back or wide receiver, but Kelce is worth seriously considering. The argument against Kelce in the first round of a 12-team league is the roster will have a clear weakness at another position. In a 10 or fewer-team league, it’s a lot easier to put together a well-rounded roster and add depth at whichever position is weakest. This makes it a lot easier to draft Kelce in the middle of the first and build around him.

If Kelce is taken, then pivot to the best running back or wide receiver available.

Top Target: Travis Kelce

Kelce has finished as the top fantasy tight end in six of the last seven seasons.

Kelce averaged 6.5 receptions for 78.7 yards and 18.6 PPR points per game last season, which all ranked first among tight ends.
The only basic stat where he wasn’t first is touchdowns, where his 0.7 per game ranked second.
It’s very helpful that he is both the most talented tight end and the one who runs the most pass routes, which is why the gap between him and everyone else in fantasy is so large.
He is 33 years old and will be 34 by the end of the season, which is far past the age receivers typically start to decline. His age will start to catch up with him sometime, but it may or may not be this year.

Possible Targets: Bijan Robinson, Cooper Kupp, Tyreek Hill, Stefon Diggs, Saquon Barkley

Round 2, Picks 14-17: Draft a running back or Garrett Wilson

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