Stuck In The Middle: 6th Spot in a Half PPR League
Fantasy football drafts are quickly approaching. Depending on how you build your roster, different draft spots will be more or less appealing. This season picks five through eight feel like the sweet spot of the draft. While drafting tends to be less important than how you manage your team throughout the season, drafting at number six provides a nice opportunity to build a strong, well-balanced team. Those at the top or bottom of the draft may need to reach on certain players to make sure they “get their guy,” but landing the sixth spot limits that temptation. No spot is fail-proof, but let’s look at how you may want to address the draft if you have the No. 6 pick.
Round 1 and Round 2
The first thing to know about the sixth spot is that there is, at least to me, a clear top-eight in fantasy football this season. This means you should have a few solid options when it’s your turn to make your first pick. Looking at the rankings, you should be in line to draft Ja’Marr Chase, Bijan Robinson, Justin Jefferson, or Amon-Ra St. Brown. My favorite pick in the first round would be Chase but he may not fall to you. Assuming Chase is gone, I would target St. Brown. Jefferson is an option here as well, but there are a lot of question marks surrounding his QB, so I’d take the known production of St. Brown. In Round 2, after choosing an elite pass-catcher, you have options. You could draft top-two QB, although I would wait on quarterback this season. You could select a top-tier TE like Travis Kelce or Sam LaPorta. Or you could double down at wide receiver. If a player like Travis Etienne or De’Von Achane falls to you that could be tempting. But I would avoid it and pivot to either Drake London, Davante Adams, Marvin Harrison Jr., or Chris Olave, unless you’re sold on the positional advantage that Kelce or LaPorta could give you.
Round 3 and Round 4
After starting your squad with two solid position players you should have some flexibility when the draft comes back to you in Round 3. One option is to grab an elite quarterback or an elite tight end. Players like Josh Allen and Jalen Hurts have been consistent difference-makers in the NFL over the last several seasons with their dual-threat abilities. Still, I would prefer to take a wide receiver like Jaylen Waddle, Brandon Aiyuk, or Cooper Kupp. You can also take a running back, but any running back likely to fall to you is someone you would have to reach for, so I like the value at wide receiver more. With the decision to wait on your quarterback and no tight end of value available to you, Round 4 is where I would target a running back. My favorite targets in this range are Joe Mixon, Alvin Kamara, and Kenneth Walker. All three are soundly at the top of their depth chart and should have ample opportunities to produce. Rachaad White and James Cook are great options, but with ADPs of 35th and 40th overall, respectively, they are usually unavailable at this point. Of the other three, Kamara has the most receiving upside so the format matters, but regardless, all three are great value targets.
Round 5 and Round 6
Assuming you waited on both quarterback and tight end, it’s reasonable to look to QB and TE here. This will likely be your last chance to choose a top-10 quarterback or a top-five tight end. Dak Prescott and Kyler Murray should be available as well as George Kittle and Kyle Pitts. Joe Burrow is sometimes available here and if you selected Chase in the first round then it could be hard to pass up the stack. Trey McBride usually goes at the end of the fourth round, but if he somehow falls to you he would be an elite option at an inconsistent position. But there’s value to be had late in drafts at the tight end position, and since I usually adhere to the “be first, or be last” strategy when it comes to the position, I would go running back or Burrow. My favorite RB targets are Rhamondre Stevenson, David Montgomery, and James Conner. All three seem unexciting but will provide a solid weekly floor with either touchdown or pass-catching upside. If you’ve passed on QB up to this point then the sixth round will be your final opportunity to grab a top-12 option. I prefer Jordan Love to Brock Purdy due to his upside. But Purdy does come with a safe floor. If you already have your QB then you’re looking at either RB or WR. Assuming you only have one RB then players like Zamir White or Raheem Mostert would be the pick.
Round 7 and Round 8
This is where things start to become about the best player available. What you did in those first six rounds will determine which direction you go. If you selected McBride in the fifth round then you have to land another RB in round 7. But in any other scenario, you should have two RBs already which gives you more flexibility as you approach these later rounds. I prefer the wide receivers available in round 7 to the running backs. As long as I didn’t select McBride early, I would opt for a player like Calvin Ridley or Diontae Johnson over running backs like Zack Moss and Tony Pollard. Ridley and Johnson should be the No. 1 target for their respective teams and produce, especially in half and full PPR formats. Then you can set your sights on a running back in Round 8. My favorite targets are Brian Robinson Jr. or Tyjae Spears. You would have to reach a bit for Spears but there’s no guarantee he’d fall to you in Round 9 and the value on him as, at worst 1B to Pollard’s 1A, is incredible. Robinson doesn’t provide much in the passing game but he does come with a defined role, solid floor, and touchdown upside.
Later Rounds
From this point on you should be looking to build depth by targeting the best player available. In a standard 16-round draft I like to leave my drafts with 7-8 WRs, 4-6 RBs, 1 TE, and 1-2 QBs. Usually, I only have one QB on my roster, but if you waited until the sixth round to grab your starter then grabbing Jayden Daniels or Caleb Williams in the later rounds as a high-upside backup who can develop into a weekly starter is not a bad idea. If you have yet to secure your tight end, you should target one of the last top-12 options in the ninth round. Other than that, these later rounds are all about taking risks and targeting upside, while trying to avoid busts. The hope is that you’ll find a hidden gem who becomes a real contributor at some point, like Kyren Williams or Puka Nacua last season. That type of surprise is rare but if you hit on one it can be the difference between a championship and missing the playoffs.
Recap
Unless it’s a keeper league, which throws a wrench into everything, drafting in the middle of the draft is my favorite position in 2024. Of course, it is possible to win no matter where you draft. With injuries, busts, breakouts, and everything in-between the fantasy football season is as unpredictable as it is exciting. While you can’t win your league during the draft you can make winning much more difficult. But as long as you have a basic plan and are willing to adjust it as the draft unfolds you should be in a good position to compete. Just remember that after the draft is when the real work begins.
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