Drafting from the 12th Spot in a 12-Team 2 QB League
Waiting until the 12th pick in a 2 QB league seems like an eternity. You lose out on the top-end QBs and you miss out on the top RB or WR. Your strategy will be a lot different than if you were drafting 12th in a half-PPR league - the quarterback position becomes extremely important and you want to leave the first 4 rounds, at the latest, with 2 QBs. If value falls to you in the first 4 rounds at a specific position you can jump at it, but otherwise, you will be balancing your RBs and WRs, while I recommend somewhat punting the TE position altogether. If you draft two elite QBs and a top-5 TE you will likely suffer at receiver and running back.
The best way to get a feel for the change in strategy is to complete mock drafts which will show you very quickly how it’s very important to grab an early QB or two. You can mix it up with taking one early QB and waiting, or waiting entirely until the 3rd round to grab your first QB. You just don’t want to make those mistakes if you can avoid them during your actual drafts.
Let’s review a recent draft I completed with a run down on how the draft went, why I chose who I did, and how I would have made other picks based on how the draft ultimately went. I drafted based on the following league starter requirements: 2 QB (or 1 QB and a “Super Flex”), 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 Flex, and 1 TE. Kicker and defense will be left out of the discussion as they should be the last two picks of the draft.
Round One (Pick 1.12): D’Andre Swift, RB, Detroit Lions
If you take a look at our 2 QB ADP rankings , most are choosing Joe Mixon ahead of D’Andre Swift at the back of round 1. While the Bengals have a high-scoring offense, it’s going to be very hard for all of Burrow, Mixon, Higgins, and Chase to all pay off at their current ADP - someone is going to not meet expectations. Meanwhile, the Lions’ offense is using D’Andre Swift like Austin Ekeler or CMC. He’s getting a ton of targets through the air and is the primary back for his squad. Swift had a career year last season but the offense should be a lot better in its second year with Dan Campbell. With some touchdown luck, it wouldn’t surprise me if Swift finished as a top-5 running back this season.
Round Two (Pick 2.01): Kyler Murray, QB, Arizona Cardinals
With three QBs already gone in Josh Allen, Justin Herbert, and Patrick Mahomes, I knew it was now or never if I wanted an elite QB. In 2 QB leagues, I like at least one of my QBs to provide a rushing floor and Murray was a perfect choice. The offense is going to be top-8 in scoring, which might start off slow with the suspension of Hopkins, but this will allow Murray to run more and call his own number near the goal line. If I didn’t choose a QB here I would have seen 7 QBs roll off the board. While it’s ahead of ADP, my other choice here would have been Jalen Hurts who I think is going to have another fantastic year.
Round Three (Pick 3.12): Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
After choosing Murray, I had to wait for two full rounds until my next pick. Here, I wanted a wide receiver who I could rely on to provide a safe floor for my team. With not having chosen a WR up to this point, I couldn’t take a chance on someone who could potentially not see a healthy target share. Keenan Allen continues to be underrated as he is one of the league’s best route runners. While Mike Williams will post great numbers alongside him, Allen should still see the most targets and he and Justin Herbert have a nice rapport. If he remains healthy he will finish the year as a top-12 WR.
Round Four (Pick 4.01): Tom Brady, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
In round 4 I wanted to draft another quarterback or select a running back that would get a set workload that I could count on. All four running backs taken in round 4 scare me this year and so I went with TB12. Chris Godwin is hobbled and Gronk retired, but Brady has averaged over 40 TDs and 4,900 yards in his two years in Tampa Bay. He still has a ton of talent at his disposal and the Bucs will be one of the higher-scoring teams in the league. I love the weekly floor you can count on.
Round 5 (Pick 5.12): Breece Hall, RB, New York Jets
After picking Brady there were 9 running backs selected. Fortunately, Breece Hall fell to me at 5.12 and I gladly scooped him up as my RB2 on my team. Michael Carter was good last year but the Jets drafted Hall in the early 2nd round for a reason. Hall will be the bell cow in New York and he’s going to see a weekly floor of 20-25 touches. In the fifth round, I will take that every day since after Hall there are maybe only 1-2 other running backs that have a stable workload.
Round 6 (Pick 6.01): AJ Dillon, RB, Green Bay Packers
After drafting Hall in the 5th round, I knew I needed additional help at the RB position as I knew I could get good, high-upside receivers later on in the draft. I went with AJ Dillon over Miles Sanders or Javonte Williams because of the workload I expect. Javonte Williams could earn a larger role in Denver but what if Gordon still shares half the workload? Miles Sanders was unlucky with TDs last year but he’s in an offense with a QB that runs 10-15 times a game and often gets spelled by one or more running backs. With Davante Adams off to Las Vegas, the Packers are going to be asking more of both Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon. The latter was very effective last year as a runner and in the passing game, and there will be instances where both players are on the field at the same time.
Round 7 (Pick 7.12): D.J. Moore, WR, Carolina Panthers
After loading up on RBs the past two rounds, it was now time to balance out my roster with a wide receiver. In 2 QB leagues, you will see RBs and WRs fall later in drafts than what you’re used to with normal leagues and D.J. Moore fell to me with the last pick in the 7th round. My other choices would have been Marquise Brown or Devonta Smith and there’s no guarantee they will be the leading receivers on their respective teams. With Moore, he’s recently received a big QB upgrade in Baker Mayfield and he’s one of the most underrated WRs in the NFL. If Moore had some TD luck on his side and scored double-digit TDs last year, he would be going at least two rounds higher. He’s a consistent receiver who could break out this year in an offense that doesn’t have a ton of talented pass-catchers aside from CMC. As my 2nd WR on my team, I love this pick!
Round 8 (Pick 8.01): Chase Edmonds, RB, Miami Dolphins
In the middle-to-late rounds, the best strategy is to notice where you may be weak and to balance your roster out between the RB and WR positions. During the season there will be injuries and we will be wrong about players’ roles or how much volume they will receive. You can never have enough running back depth so I went with Chase Edmonds who I am expecting to have a very large role in the Dolphins’ offense. Backup RBs Raheem Mostert and Sony Michel do not scare me in the slightest as Mostert is extremely fragile and Michel could not hold a starting role on the Patriots or Rams. Edmonds is a fantastic pass-catcher who should see an uptick in volume in an offense that many are expecting to be very good this year.
Round 9 (Pick 9.12): Zach Ertz, TE, Arizona Cardinals
As I picked two QBs early I opted to wait on the TE position. If you choose 2 QBs and a top 3-5 TE, you’re going to have massive holes with your RB or WR positions. I was able to stack Kyler Murray with Zach Ertz who is going to see a massive increase in volume while Hopkins is suspended. Even when he returns, Ertz has seen a lot of volume in the Cardinals’ offense since he arrived and is a very good red zone threat. If there is another up-and-coming TE on the waiver wire that flashes I might drop someone in the slight chance Ertz’s production falls off a cliff once Hopkins returns.
Round 10 (Pick 10.01): Elijah Moore, WR, New York Jets
Through 10 rounds I only drafted 2 receivers. It was obvious I needed more depth and over the next four rounds, I went after players with a lot of upside who didn’t need to start for my squad in Week 1. Elijah Moore fell to me in the 10th round and even though I had Breece Hall on my roster who was likely a starter, I couldn’t pass him up. Considering his quarterback and the fact he only played 12 games, Moore had a great rookie season which ended with over 500 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns. Moore looked to be on pace to surpass 100 targets and saw 6 targets or more in 10 of 12 games. While the offense isn’t great, there will always be times where he can get you a ton of yardage underneath when the defense is playing prevent defense in garbage time. If Wilson can progress this season Moore has the chance to sneak into the top 24 as a receiver if he can double his TDs from his rookie campaign.
Round 11 (Pick 11.12): Chris Olave, WR, New Orleans Saints
Without having seen him against defenses in the preseason, there is a lot that is unknown with Chris Olave, who the Saints moved up to #11 overall to grab. This works in our favor. Michael Thomas has not fully healed from his injury which has now lasted over a full year and that’s concerning enough that the Saints traded a lot to go up and get their guy. Jarvis Landy will work the slot and Chris Olave has a chance to break out in his rookie year and be the highest-scoring receiver on his team. As a late-round pick, he doesn’t need to produce for your team during the first couple of weeks, but if he is peppered with targets right away, you can throw him in the flex at a minimum.
Round 12 (Pick 12.01): Tyler Lockett, WR, Seattle Seahawks
After selecting two high-upside receivers I wanted to choose another receiver who would have a high target share in the offense and who could be a fantasy asset if we were wrong about the massive drop in production. Tyler Lockett was a 2nd/3rd round pick last season but now that Drew Lock is the projected QB (can Jimmy G please get traded to Seattle?) both D.K. Metcalf and himself have tumbled down draft boards. If there is an upgrade at QB throughout the season or if Lock can be even somewhat effective throwing the ball, I think Lockett is a great flex play depending on the matchup and he has a lot of room to outperform his ADP.
Round 13 (Pick 13.12): Marquez Valdes-Scantling, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
With my last dart throw of the draft, I went with Marquez Valdes Scantling (MVS) who signed a 3-year, $30 million contract this offseason. Others are drafting Skyy Moore or Mecole Hardman but I want the guy they paid the big bucks to. MVS has shown some flashes of greatness with Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay and he could end up being the 2nd fiddle in a high-scoring offense with Patrick Mahomes. If he’s not, I have no problem dropping him for a waiver wire pickup but this is a lotto ticket I want to hold - if he ends up being the deep-ball receiver for Mahomes, watch out!
Compare how this draft unfolded versus how drafting from the 1st spot in a 10 team, 2 QB league could turn out where you have two fewer teams competing for QBs. Completing multiple drafts from different starting positions will set you up for success if you don’t receive your draft position until an hour before the draft.
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