Drafting from the 5th Spot in a 12 Team 0.5 PPR League
You blinked, and now it's time to draft your fantasy. Are you prepared?
If not, this week is probably your last real chance at practicing before the big day arrives. Mock drafting is a great way to not only see where players are landing but also help you prepare for drafting in certain spots and in certain league formats. My favorite place to mock draft, of course being a homer, can be found here.
I've already spent some time mock-drafting from the fifth spot of a 12-team PPR league, so this time I decided to switch it up a tiny bit by staying in the same spot but in a 0.5 PPR league.
Not a ton of changes for me between these two league types, but obviously there is less emphasis on pass-catching and more on yardage and touchdowns. Suddenly your 10-catch, 50-yard guys don't sound as appealing.
Still, it helps to practice these kinds of drafts to really see how player ADPs change, and is always a good way to see if any of your "must-haves" will need to be reached for or not.
Here is the completed draft for viewing. Let's dive into some strategies drafting from the fifth spot of a 0.5 PPR 12-team league.
First Two Rounds = Best Available
I've debated whether to use zero RBs or zero WRs in the first few rounds, but I have found that I don't like many of the mid-round WRs and RBs. For that reason, I try to see what falls to me to start the draft.
The fifth spot usually means you'll have a solid choice at a top-three Wide Receiver or a top-three Running Back, so it just depends on who is taken before you. Once the first three guys were drafted, I knew it would come down to Tyreek Hill or Breece Hall. I knew I would go with whoever was left.
The second round should be the same. Isiah Pacheco was one of the last solid backs before a dropoff, so I decided to go with him instead of grabbing another receiver.
Starting WR/RB is just fine in a 0.5 PPR league like this.
QB/TE Plans
This is another strategy that is often hard to maneuver, so take some time to think/choose a Quarterback and Tight End you want to target before drafting. Understand their ADPs and remember how your league drafts (fan faves, tacos taking 4 QBs), so you can get a rough estimate of when you are going to have to jump on your guy.
Personally, I've wanted to pair Kyler Murray with Jayden Daniels for my fantasy teams this year, so I made sure to grab them a tad early to ensure they landed on my team.
As for TE, there are a few later-round players I wouldn't mind going after, but there really aren't many hyped up TEs other than the top few this year. I decided to go with Jake Ferguson, who at least had a solid season for the Cowboys last year.
Knowing who you want for QB/TE and studying their ADPs will open up tons of solid WR/RB options in the mid and late rounds.
Middle-Round Wide Receivers - Meh
I actually skipped the receivers in the middle rounds, mostly because a lot of them have big question marks going into the 2024 season. New team, new QB, bad first season on a new team, etc.
Now that doesn't mean it's the right strategy, but if you really want value in the middle rounds at WR, try and find a guy who is a true #1 or is on the same team as last year. I also try and avoid Wide Receivers on teams with a "committee" approach. Green Bay and Kansas City are two teams that have 3-4 players who can blow up at any time, but you won't know who it is week-to-week. That can be very frustrating during fantasy season, so wait until the later rounds to grab guys on these offenses.
Middle-Round Running Backs - Draft Players on Run-Heavy Offenses
There are a lot more mid-round Running Backs that will see the field, so that is why I went a bit heavier on RBs from round 3-8. I wanted to grab players who should see the field at least half of the time, avoiding any players who are in a three-back committee.
Rhamondre Stevenson seems to be getting some hype as an every-down type of player for New England this year, and guys like Gus Edwards and Najee Harris should see plenty of work on run-heavy offenses.
Double Digit Rounds - Rookies and Handcuffs
This is the time to grab rookies and backup RBs that you think have a good shot at seeing the field this season. There were plenty of solid rookie WRs available still, and if they bust it's really not a big deal (unlike if Marvin Harrison or Malik Nabers would bust).
Guys like Brian Thomas Jr and Rome Odunze are going later in drafts and could be worth a shot.
As for RBs, I look for promising rookie backs who won't start but could see the field more as the season progresses. Blake Corum, Braelon Allen, and Trey Benson are all rookies who impressed in camp/preseason and could see some work to start the year...and are just an injury away from being the full-time starter.
The nice thing is you can draft these guys late and not really feel bad if you need to drop them for someone else on waivers.
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