Draft Strategy: 3rd Spot in a PPR League
Creating a draft strategy for your PPR league can be fun and stressful, especially if you get a certain spot. When you are third on the board, you may get one of the best choices early, but it may leave you thin in other rounds. It's a significant difference from drafting seventh; you must know how to navigate the process. Be sure to go through your fantasy football mock draft and try out several different scenarios. You will need to know the options available for you with the third spot in the draft of your PPR league.
Rounds 1 and 2 of Your PPR League
The first pick is pivotal. Tyreek Hill is currently our pick in our average draft rankings. Amazingly, he went off for 119 receptions for 1799 yards and 13 touchdowns. His chemistry with Tua Tagovailoa was off the charts, and he can certainly replicate those numbers.
Breece Hall or Ceedee Lamb would be the only other choices for the third spot. Hall rushed 223 times for 995 yards and five touchdowns while catching 76 passes for 591 yards and four scores despite not playing with Aaron Rodgers for the entire season. Meanwhile, Lamb had a career year, catching 135 passes for 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Once you have completed your first-round pick, you will be waiting for your league mates in your PPR League to make their selections before finally arriving at the 22nd pick. With this pick, you should grab a solid running back like Josh Jacobs or Derrick Henry.
Jacobs struggled last season, rushing 223 times for 805 yards and six touchdowns while averaging 3.5 yards per carry, But there is optimism that he can bounce back after he rushed 340 times for 1,653 yards and 12 touchdowns while catching 53 passes for 400 yards in the previous season. Plus, it helps that he will be playing with Jordan Love, who is emerging as one of the best young quarterbacks.
Henry is also on a new team and was not bad last season, rushing 280 times for 1,167 yards and 12 touchdowns. Now, he gets a chance to play with Lamar Jackson, and while he is 30 years old, he still has something left in the tank.
Rounds 3 and 4 of Your PPR League
The advantage of having the third pick is you get a quick turnaround for your third pick. Therefore, this is where you should grab Sam LaPorta to lock yourself down with one of the best tight ends in football. LaPorta went off in his rookie season, catching 86 passes for 886 yards and 10 touchdowns. Thus, grabbing him ensures you have someone from each skill position through the first three rounds.
You will have to wait a while to make your fourth-round pick, as you get the drawback of selecting 46th in your PPR League. Ultimately, you can still get some value if you draft Kenneth Walker III as your second running back. Despite missing three games, Walker still rushed 219 times for 905 yards and eight touchdowns last season while also catching 29 passes for 259 yards and one touchdown. If Walker can stay healthy and play a full schedule, he is a lock for 1,100 yards and at least 10 touchdowns.
If Walker is not available, and you are weary about drafting someone like Aaron Jones or Alvin Kamara, then you can pivot and take Michael Pittman Jr. as your second wide receiver. Pittman had 109 catches for 1,152 yards and four touchdowns despite playing with mediocre quarterbacks. With Anthony Richardson back, he has a chance to take that next step.
Rounds 5 and 6 of Your League
You will have the 51st pick and look to solidify your roster. If you went with Walker, then you should grab a second receiver by taking Christian Kirk. If you went with Pittman, then draft David Montgomery with the 51st pick of your PPR League. Yes, Jahmyr Gibbs is also running the ball for the Detroit Lions. But the Lions still deployed the two-headed monster efficiently last season, with Montgomery rushing 219 times for 1,015 yards and 13 touchdowns behind the best offensive line in football.
Kirk stands to benefit the most with Calvin Ridley now on the Tennessee Titans. Unfortunately, he is coming off a down season, where he caught 57 passes in 787 yards and just three touchdowns before a season-ending injury. Before his injury, he was on pace for 1,112 yards and five touchdowns. Expect him to bounce back.
Your 70th pick can either be a quarterback or a position player. If you opt to go quarterback, Anthony Richardson can be a great option based on his potential to run all over the field. While he was not much of a passer, Richardson was on pace for some ridiculous rushing numbers as his 2023 stats inflated over 17 games, which could have resulted in 106 rushes for 578 yards and 16 touchdowns.
If you choose to wait another round for a quarterback, then grab Zamir White to round out your team. The potential for greatness is big with White, who is now the number-one option in the backfield for the Las Vegas Raiders.
Rounds 7 and 8 of Your PPR League
If you still have not grabbed a quarterback, select Brock Purdy with the 75th pick of your PPR League. Purdy proved last year that he was not a game manager when he passed for 4,280 yards, 31 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions while also leading the NFL in accuracy of passes over 20 yards. Otherwise, Calvin Ridley or Rome Odunze would be good selections to round out the flex spot for your team.
Ridley was solid, as he finished with 76 receptions for 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns last season. Now, he goes to the Titans and will operate as the top receiver alongside DeAndre Hopkins. Odunze is a rookie receiver who will likely start as the third option behind Keenan Allen and D.J. Moore. However, there is potential for more, considering Allen's injury history and Caleb Williams being the quarterback with the potential to spread it all around.
Later Rounds
By now, you should have filled all your skill positions and your quarterback position. While some people tend to overdraft in fantasy football. the general consensus is that a majority of players go near their average draft position. In this case, someone like Tony Pollard could be a steal. Likewise, guys like Gus Edwards can be great depth pieces, especially considering he will be playing in an offense that emphasizes the run.
Recap
The third pick can be beneficial if you know how to maximize your opportunities. Yes, you will miss out on a lot of talent at the start of the second round and fourth round. But if you plan correctly, you can make the right picks and adjustments to win your PPR League, thanks to your brilliant drafting strategies.
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