Draft Strategy: Picking 11th in Half PPR
While an early pick might be preferred in fantasy football drafts, the back end isn’t so bad either. You will get two high-end players to start your team, and that is especially true for the 11th pick. There’s a feeling of stability going into a draft knowing that you will get two of the top fourteen picks, and with only one person picking between you at the turn, you can predict what positions they need to avoid getting sniped for a player that you want. In this article, I’ll walk through a hypothetical draft from the 11th slot, building a team and going over the potential options for each round.
Rounds 1 and 2
The first two rounds are easy if you go into the draft with a list of your top 14 overall players. For me, I rank the 9-14 range as AJ Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs, Jonathan Taylor, Garrett Wilson, Saquon Barkley, and Puka Nacua. It’s worth noting that both Gibbs and Nacua are dealing with injuries right now, so hopefully their timetable will be clearer by the time you draft. If either aren’t ready for Week 1, Kyren Williams and Marvin Harrison would be next in line for my top 14. While I’d consider starting a draft with two wide receivers in a full-point PPR league, I’d want to get at least one running back with my first two picks in a half-point PPR league.
Hypothetical Picks: Jonathan Taylor and Puka Nacua
Rounds 3 and 4
With your next two picks, you have the typical running back and wide receiver options but could also consider a quarterback like Mahomes or Jackson. This is another example of my philosophy changing due to this being a half-point PPR league. I’d have no problem passing at running back altogether here in a full-point league, but in a half-point league, I find myself staying balanced with another wide receiver and running back with these two picks most of the time. In terms of running backs, I’d be ecstatic if someone like Etienne or Pacheco fell to me, but you should expect your best options to be James Cook, Rachaad White, or Josh Jacobs, who I view to be the end of a tier. At wide receiver, you’re looking at names such as Malik Nabers, DK Metcalf, Michael Pittman, Stefon Diggs, and DJ Moore. You honestly can’t go wrong with any of the guys here, but on the running back side, I will say I prefer Josh Jacobs the most since Cook and White won’t get as much out of their pass-catching abilities in this format.
Hypothetical Picks: Josh Jacobs and DK Metcalf
Rounds 5 and 6
The next picks (59th and 62nd) also give you a lot of options. The best quarterbacks available will likely be Burrow, Prescott, Murray, and Love, and the best tight ends could be Pitts and Kittle. You could also choose to bolster your running back or wide receiver depth by selecting guys such as David Montgomery, Deandre Swift, Christian Kirk, and Terry McLaurin. Since I’m happy with the first two running backs I picked for this team and I’m confident in the wide receiver value later, I actually prefer to double dip at the one-off positions here. I think Joe Burrow has the most upside by far of the remaining quarterbacks, and Pitts and Kittle represent the end of a tier at tight end for me.
Hypothetical Picks: Kyle Pitts and Joe Burrow
Rounds 7 and 8
With quarterback and tight end taken care of, it’s a no-brainer to add to our wide receivers and running backs with the 83rd and 86th picks. I might consider going back-to-back wide receivers here if the value is there, but you can’t go wrong with going with one of each to maintain a balanced roster. Some running backs who get drafted in this range are Tony Pollard, Brian Robinson, Zack Moss, Javonte Williams, and Chase Brown. The wide receiver options will be guys like Diontae Johnson, Calvin Ridley, Christian Watson, and Rashee Rice. My favorites at these spots are Pollard, Moss, Johnson, and Rice, but they are also the likeliest to be taken before it gets to you. For this scenario, I’ll imagine that they were all taken earlier in the round, so I’ll settle for my next favorite options, Ridley and Brown.
Hypothetical Picks: Calvin Ridley and Chase Brown
Later Rounds
In the second half of the draft you want to take shots on high-upside league winners, but you also want to balance your team with depth and stability that will keep your team from collapsing due to bye weeks or injuries. Joe Burrow is good enough for me to not have to bother drafting a backup quarterback, but if you waited later to take your starter then you probably want to consider it. I will rarely draft a backup tight end, and that’s especially true in this draft where I took Kyle Pitts. This allows me to focus solely on running backs and wide receivers, and since I have three of each through the first eight rounds, all I have to do is focus on taking the best value at each pick.
Hypothetical Picks:
Round 9 - Jameson Williams
Round 10 - Gus Edwards
Round 11 - Khalil Shakir
Round 12 - Rico Dowdle
Round 13 - Khalil Herbert
Round 14 - Adonai Mitchell
Round 15 - Defense
Round 16 - Kicker
Recap
You won’t walk away with a player like McCaffrey or Lamb, but the 11th pick still gives you the opportunity to draft a great team. With the right decision-making, you’ll be able to maintain a balanced team throughout the draft, allowing you to take advantage of value when it falls to you instead of worrying about catching up at a position you’re behind in. I think the team I put together has a very strong starting lineup, with plenty of high-upside breakout candidates on the bench that could really bring the team to the next level.
Final Hypothetical Team:
QB: Joe Burrow (CIN)
RB: Jonathan Taylor (IND)
RB: Josh Jacobs (GB)
WR: Puka Nacua (LAR)
WR: DK Metcalf (SEA)
WR: Calvin Ridley (TEN)
FLEX: Chase Brown (CIN)
K and DST
BN: Jameson Williams (DET)
BN: Gus Edwards (LAC)
BN: Khalil Shakir (BUF)
BN: Rico Dowdle (DAL)
BN: Khalil Herbert (CHI)
BN: Adonai Mitchell (IND)
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