The NFL season is finally here! Many fantasy football players wait right until the start of the season to hold their drafts so they have every last piece of news about injuries, cuts and preseason. If your draft is still coming up and you need a few quick tips about drafting in a PPR league, you've come to the right place. Here are five key strategies specific to your PPR league.
Make Sure You Take Your First WR in the First Two Rounds
Wide receiver is the name of the game in PPR. The NFL is a passing league, and teams are passing it more than ever. That means more receptions for the league's best WRs, who are all threatening 100 receptions these days. DeAndre Hopkins and Antonio Brown scored over 300 points in PPR last year. Only 3 RBs outscored them: Todd Gurley, LeVeon Bell, and Alvin Kamara. What about PPR stalwarts like Jarvis Landry and Larry Fitzgerald? They each used 100-reception seasons to finish top-5 among WRs, outscored by only 7 RBs. Landry and Fitz were borderline first-round fantasy values. Wide receivers go really fast in PPR leagues, faster than you think. If you go old school RB-RB early and wait on WR, you'll be behind the eight ball all season long. Get a stud WR in the first two rounds or two, if you prefer.
Don't Be Afraid to Wait at RB2
Only 13 RBs scored 200 points in PPR leagues last year, but 17 more scored between 140 and 175. In PPR leagues, the stud bell-cow RBs are as valuable as ever, but everyone else's value flattens out as third-down backs like Theo Riddick, Giovanni Bernard, Tarik Cohen, Bilal Powell, and Chris Thompson get into the mix. Those players are perfectly viable PPR starters if you're loaded elsewhere, and they're available way lower than others like Marshawn Lynch, Lamar Miller, and Jay Ajayi they may score just as much as.
Place Increased Value on Tight End
PPR makes tight ends score more points too. And more importantly, it creates even more separation between the studs and everyone else. Last year's top tight end Travis Kelce had 83 catches. Most of the replacement-level tight ends (that finished 10th-15th in the rankings) had around 50 receptions. That's 33 extra points for Travis Kelce that's like five extra touchdowns! Don't be afraid to invest in a stud tight end that will catch a lot of passes. Those extra points count at every position.
Wait, Wait, and Wait Some More at Quarterback
You probably know all about waiting on QB, but it's more important than ever in PPR leagues. There's just too many points to scoop up at WR, plus you'll want to use a decent pick on tight end. Quarterback is deeper than ever. If there's a stud that falls so far you just can't pass, go for it, but otherwise just stock your roster with high-point RBs and WRs. You won't regret it.
Value Those Steady, Boring Possession Receivers
We already talked about Jarvis Landry and Larry Fitzgerald. They may be boring possession receivers, but boring often means steady, and possession receiver means lots of catches and PPR points. Those guys that make a living in the middle of the field may be more valuable than ever with the new hitting rules. In standard leagues, it makes more sense to gamble on an athletic TD target in those middle rounds. In PPR, names like Golden Tate, Nelson Agholor, Cooper Kupp, and Jamison Crowder become key every-week starters. And don't forget about Julian Edelman he's suspended for four games but might just be the steal of the draft in PPR leagues this fall.
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