The NFL season is almost upon us, and that means fantasy football drafts are happening! Having a strategy going into your draft is extremely important as it sets the stage for a championship winning season. Each and every draft is different, and strategies will vary based on the draft slot. I’m here to show some strategies based off the slots you could be drafting from to help win your league!
I took a look at some strategy from the #2 pick in my last article, now onto pick #3. This is one of my personal favorite spots to draft from. Sleeper will be the mock draft platform I use again with the same 12 team PPR format.
Pre-draft Strategy
I will go into this draft trying to get an elite pass catching duo. Whether that is two of the top WR1 or one of the three main TE, I am looking to get an advantage by stacking that early. The reasoning for this is I expect the high end RB2s worth this pick to be taken. I don’t want to reach for a lower tier RB2 at this spot either. I hope one slides, but I don’t expect it.
Round 1
This pick was an easy one for me with McCaffrey and Cook going 1-2. Alvin Kamara is 2b in my RB ranking and I love grabbing him with the third pick. He has the potential to end as the RB1 overall. There were some questions surrounding him if Taysom Hill won the QB battle in New Orleans, but those have been vaporized with Jameis Winston winning the job. To be honest, I would have had Kamara ranked the same if Hill won the job. The dude is a stud as all fantasy players know. He gives me one of the safest cornerstones in the game.
Rounds 2-5
I got very lucky as Antonio Gibson slid to my spot in the 2nd round. I didn’t consider anyone else here as Gibson gives me RB1 potential. The pivot in strategies was necessary with a player of Gibson’s caliber falling to me. I now have an elite RB stack that I am extremely excited for.
Justin Jefferson, Terry McLaurin, and AJ Brown were three great WR1s with higher upside I would have liked here, but they were all selected following my 2nd round pick. Keenan Allen or Allen Robinson would have been decent picks here, but I decided to go with Darren Waller as he offers more value here in the 3rd. He was the last of the top tier TEs available, and gives me an amazing positional advantage against most other teams. Adding him to the roster gives me a third guy who could finish the season top 5 at his position. That is why he offered more value than drafting one of the WR available.
With my 4th pick, I selected Chris Godwin. There were some decent RBs available, but I thought it was too early for them. Godwin is almost a sure bet to outperform his ADP and have low end WR1 potential. He fits very well into my WR1 slot, especially with the positional advantage I have already built on my roster.
It is wild to me that a guy with 100 catches and double digit touchdowns is going this late in drafts. Yes Tyler Lockett gets knocked for some consistency, but those are still insane numbers. Even if the Seahawks run the ball more and he regresses, He is still good for 70-80 receptions and around 1,000 yards. Not to mention the fact that he has scored 28 touchdowns the past three seasons. Lockett secures my WR2 spot, and gives me weekly boom potential. I love the pass catchers I was able to snag after going RB in the first two rounds.
Rounds 6-9
From here on out I am looking for some high upside to fill out my roster. Damien Harris was sitting here in the 6th round which surprised me. The release of Cam Newton gives Harris a lot more potential goal line touches. Mac Jones starting could also mean the Patriots rely more on the run game. Getting him in the 6th round was a steal and he gives me a super solid RB trio. I also considered Aaron Rodgers here to solidify my QB spot, but I saw the two teams ahead of me already had their QBs and I could pass on him for another round.
Aaron Rodgers was my pick in the 7th. There were some really solid WR I considered, but I knew that a few of them would slip into the coming rounds. Rodgers allows me to forget about QB the rest of the draft.
Once again I was able to snag Antonio Brown in the mid rounds. He brings unique value to this specific team though as he is also an insurance policy should Godwin struggle with injuries again. I drafted him a round earlier that I usually do for that reason.
With my 9th round pick I drafted Jets WR Corey Davis. He has already built a connection with Zach Wilson, and someone on that team will have to catch the balls. My bet is on Davis. He gives great value at this point in the draft and could end up as a really solid WR2. Consider him a steal around here in your drafts.
Rounds 10-16
I selected Darnell Mooney here in the 10th round which is no surprise. As I have said, he offers incredibly high upside should his QB play improve. Stashing him on my bench risks me nothing and it’s nothing but rewards should be breakout.
With my 11th round pick, I took a shot on Mike Williams. The Chargers are looking to push the ball down the field a lot this season, and Williams could be the main beneficiary. He was stronger towards the end of last season as he grew more comfortable with Justin Herbert. Williams is also in a contract season and is looking to prove himself, so the flier on him could pay dividends.
Phillip Lindsay plays on an abysmal Texans team, but could still offer some value. He is the most talented guy in the RB room and I expect him to lead the team in carries. He also doesn’t need to be a vital part of my team as my RBs are already great. Lindsay gives good value as a backup though.
I chose my the Denver Bronson defense here as they offered more value than other guys on the board. Their early season schedule is a cakewalk, and I could see them feasting on the teams they face. I will probably end up streaming the position, but there are worse options for the first few weeks.
Rondale Moore was my 14th round pick. It is no secret the Cardinals are looking to include him heavily in the offense. He most likely won’t make much of an impact early, but by the end of the season he could be the WR3 or even WR2 on that team. He is worth stashing on my bench for a while.
With my 15th round pick I snagged Alexander Mattison, Dalvin Cook’s handcuff. Should cook struggle with injuries, Mattison’s value skyrockets. I will stash him on my bench for the season should that happen.
Robbie Gould was my final pick. He should be on an improved offense in San Francisco and will get his fair share of field goals and extra points.
Final Result
As I said earlier the #3 spot is one of my favorite spots to draft from. I really like how this team turned out, especially at the top with Kamara, Gibson, and Waller. I pivoted my strategy at the beginning but was able to still grab a really good group of pass catchers. That combined with the upside of my bench WRs gives this team great potential.
- QB: Aaron Rodgers
- RB: Alvin Kamara
- RB: Antonio Gibson
- WR: Chris Godwin
- WR: Tyler Lockett
- TE: Darren Waller
- FLEX: Damien Harris
- D/ST: Denver Broncos
- K: Robbie Gould
- Bench: Antonio Brown
- Corey Davis
- Mike Williams
- Darnell Mooney
- Phillip Lindsay
- Rondale Moore
- Alexander Mattison
Below is the entire draft board to see how it all went down.
Thanks for reading and I hope this helps you build some strategy if you’re drafting from that 3rd spot! Stay flexible and good luck in your draft!