Well, it’s finally here. The moment you’ve been waiting all spring and summer for … fantasy football draft day has arrived, and you have the No. 1 overall pick. It’s an advantageous spot because, of course, you have your choice of every single player in the NFL. On the flip side, you’ll have a long time to wait between your first pick and your second pick, your third pick and your fourth pick, and so on and so forth. So, it’s imperative to have a good strategy.
That’s where I come in!Â
To help you draft the best possible fantasy football squad from the first overall pick, here’s a look into my head (scary, I know) and the decisions I would make in each and every round. Also, I’ll give you some of the actual players I’d most like to target in a best-case scenario based on the average draft position data at FantasyPros. Also, make sure to check out my Top 200 player rankings, which I update regularly.
Alright, let’s kick things off!
Rounds 1-2
The current consensus No. 1 overall pick is Bengals wideout Ja’Marr Chase, and that’s who I’ll be taking in PPR leagues. This selection might be Falcons running back Bijan Robinson in a standard league (zero points for catches), so make sure you know your scoring system.
In Round 2 (pick No. 24), I’ll be looking for the best available wide receiver or running back in most cases. In the scenario where Chase is my first overall pick (remember, I only play in PPR leagues), then I’ll be grabbing a player like A.J. Brown, Garrett Wilson or Ladd McConkey at the end of the second round. This would give me two wide receivers with my first two picks.
If you want an elite quarterback, this is probably where you’ll need to take him (you’ll have back-to-back picks, so you can grab a star like Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson. The same goes for the tight end. If you want Brock Bowers or Trey McBride, you’ll have to take them here or you will likely lose them.
However, I typically wait until later in the draft to fill those two positions.
Fabs’ ideal Round 1 pick (No. 1): Chase
Fabs’ ideal Round 2 picks (No. 24): Brown/Wilson/McConkey
Rounds 3-4
You hold the top pick in every odd round, so you’ll have a chance to grab the best player on the board yet again (fun, right?). If you’re of the Zero-RB mindset (waiting on a running back until Round 5 or 6), you could go with a third wide receiver in this spot. In fact, I might even get two of the players I mentioned as my ideal second-round picks (Wilson, McConkey) in Round 3.
Since I have such a long wait until my fourth-round pick, however, I’d more than likely look to target the best available running back with the No. 25 overall selection.
After your extended wait, you now have two draft picks in a row again. It’s important to keep tabs on whether or not there’s been a run at a position, leaving it a bit thinner in terms of depth and if you want to grab a player at that spot now or punt it down the line instead.
In this case, I’m going with the best available player between the running backs and wideouts. Based on ADP data, those players would include Alvin Kamara, DJ Moore, Chuba Hubbard, Joe Mixon and DK Metcalf.
Fabs’ ideal Round 3 picks (No. 25): Wilson, McConkey
Fabs’ ideal Round 4 picks (No. 48): Kamara/Moore/Hubbard/Mixon/Metcalf
Rounds 5-6
The depth of options has dwindled at this point, as you’ve been waiting to make your pick for two full rounds. If you’ve followed my strategy, you have either one running back and three wide receivers or a pair at each position heading into the 49th overall selection. In the first scenario, I’m grabbing my second running back here (Kamara, Hubbard or Mixon could have fallen to this spot).
If I already have an RB2, I’ll likely go with the best available back or wideout in the fifth round. More than likely, it will be the latter to grab that third receiver. Moore, Metcalf, and Xavier Worthy could be on the board.
It’s at this point that I might look into a tight end based on who is available. My ideal first five rounds includes a pair of runners and three wideouts. Tight ends like Sam LaPorta, T.J. Hockenson or Travis Kelce could still be on the board at the end of Round 6. If LaPorta were gone, however, I’d most likely punt the position down the line and grab another runner or wideout. The best options based on ADP would be guys like Kaleb Johnson, Isiah Pacheco, Jaylen Waddle or Chris Olave.
If you don’t have a quarterback yet, don’t fret … there will be plenty of good options in future rounds.
Fabs’ ideal Round 5 picks (No. 49): Kamara/Hubbard/Mixon/Moore/Metcalf/Worthy
Fabs’ ideal Round 6 picks (No. 72): LaPorta/Johnson/Pacheco/Waddle/Olave
Rounds 7-8
I would continue to focus on the best player available strategy here, picking either a back or a wideout (assuming you took a tight end in Round 6). If you’re still without a tight end, now could be the time to target that position. Hockenson and Kelce could still be options. If they’re gone, I’d likely wait and punt the position down the road a few more rounds.
I’d also be looking at the draft flow and seeing what quarterbacks are on the board. Based on Fantasy Pros ADP, the trio of Patrick Mahomes, Baker Mayfield or Bo Nix could be on the board. I’d still wait, however, looking instead to get a younger running back or wide receiver. The best available players are likely to be on the tier of Kaleb Johnson, Olave or Rome Odunze.
At the end of the eighth round, it’s either time to fill your quarterback position (depending on the depth that’s left), or continue to bolster your offensive skill spots with potential sleepers. There’s a chance Kyler Murray could have slid to this round in some leagues, otherwise you can look for upside player options like Jaylen Warren, Odunze or Ricky Pearsall.
Fabs’ ideal Round 7 picks (No. 73): Hockenson/Kelce/Mahomes/Mayfield/Nix/ Johnson/Olave/Odunze
Fabs’ ideal Round 8 picks (No. 96): Murray/Odunze/Pearsall
Rounds 9-10
With the first pick in the ninth round, you can go in any number of directions. Those of you who waited on quarterback can grab player like Brock Purdy, Dak Prescott or Justin Fields. This is also a good time to grab sleepers or even a handcuff such as Issac Guerendo or Zach Charbonnet.
Other good options who will be available at this point in drafts include Tyrone Tracy Jr., Jakobi Meyers or Evan Engram … again, this is all based on how your roster is built. But getting depth with upside is important in these mid-to-late rounds.
Looking ahead to the final pick of the 10th round (120th overall pick), you could get a second quarterback (unless you took an elite player in the first five rounds, then I would wait a few more rounds). That would be borderline QB1s such as Prescott, Fields or Jared Goff.
You could also continue to bolster your depth at running back or wide receiver, where players such as Travis Etienne Jr., J.K. Dobbins, Jordan Mason or Michael Pittman Jr. will likely still be on the board.
Fabs’ ideal Round 9 picks (No. 97): Purdy/Prescott/Guerendo/Charbonnet
Fabs’ ideal Round 10 picks (No. 120): Fields/Goff/Etienne Jr./Dobbins/Mason/Pittman Jr.
Late Rounds (11-plus)
Once you’re in the final rounds, you shouldn’t be just drafting players lazily… there is often value to be had. There will still be a lot of good young quarterbacks, such as veterans like Justin Herbert or Jordan Love and sleepers like Drake Maye and J.J. McCarthy.
I also like to grab a second tight end (unless I have one of the top five players at the position). That includes guys like Jake Ferguson or Tucker Kraft.
Like I said, there’s still good options.
Deep sleepers should be targeted, too. Think about players like Trey Benson, Jaylen Wright, Marvin Mims Jr., Cedric Tillman or Brenton Strange (to name a few). Throw those darts at players with a path to workload/targets or an injury away from being thrust into a big role.
You’ll also be rounding out your roster in these final stanzas, including drafting a kicker and a defense if they’re required (many leagues have removed both positions). I’d wait to draft those until the last two rounds, unless you want to grab a high-end kicker (Brandon Aubrey or Jake Bates) or defense (Broncos, Eagles, Steelers) in the third-to-last round. Â
