Mock Draft: 1st Spot in a 12-Team PPR League
Last week we tackled the 7 th spot in a PPR mock draft. This week, we will be moving all the way up to the first spot, one of the most exciting spots in Fantasy Football. If you have not been mock drafting already, it’s time to get started. ADP is and will continue to change as we go through training camps and preseason games, so don’t be married to certain players going in certain spots. You may want to take a look at the PPR Rankings page and start making your own rankings based on who you like going into the 2022 season.
I spent some time mock drafting in a 12-team PPR league, and I had the first overall spot. The final results can be seen here . You can take a look at the overall PPR ADP to get a better understanding of where players are being drafted.
Have Your Mind Made Up on Who you Want to Pick First
If you know you have the first spot, you should take a little time to think about what player you want. Do you want Jonathan Taylor after a breakout year? Do you want the recently injury-prone, yet potential fantasy record-breaking Christian McCaffery? Or do you want to ensure you grab one of the top receiving options?
Whatever you choose, know it going into the draft. The last thing you want to do is panic pick someone or just go with whoever everyone else thinks is #1 overall. Having your pick in mind early also allows you to plan on how you want Round Two and Three to go.
ADP No Longer Truly Matters
In other words, be prepared to reach pretty massively. You’ll have 22 picks before you get to go again, so it’s always a good idea to take a look at the players available and pick the two you want the most, regardless of their ADP.
It’s up to you what the combination will be, depending on how you want to build your team.
Reach for QB/TE
Depending on when you like to grab your Quarterback and Tight End, you most likely will need to reach for them based on ADP (see above why ADP shouldn’t matter). Again you’ll have a long wait between picks, so if you have a certain Quarterback and Tight End in mine, you may need to reach a round or two early to ensure you get your guy.
The nice part about Running Backs and Wide Receivers is that if you miss out on your guy, there probably is someone close/similar that you can still grab. That doesn’t fly with Quarterback and Tight Ends, so be prepared to hear a bunch of “Reach!” from your buddies when you grab the player you want.
High Risk, High Reward Wide Receivers
This is one of the first times I’ve drafted from the number one spot, so I found myself in a unique situation in the later rounds. I already had a nice start at Running Back and Tight End, so now it was time to look at the Wide Receiver position. I had already grabbed a high-reward Wide Receiver with Chris Godwin, but I decided to start going after some risky Wide Receivers who should/could massively outperform their ADP. That included Allen Lazard, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Marquise Brown, all of who have either switched teams or suddenly became the number one pass-catching option.
This strategy allows me to grab safe Quarterback, Running Back, and Tight Ends first, then go for broke on the Wide Receiver position. Also, since the Wide Receiver position is so deep each year, you can easily drop a dud for someone who is heating up.
Finish the Draft with Some Running Back Sleepers
Since I was pretty set on my Running Back starters, I decided to take some shots on potential sleepers. Isaiah Spiller is one of my favorite targets this year, thanks to being on a great offense and behind an often-injured Austin Ekeler. Gus Edwards could start (or at least will take carries from J.K. Dobbins), and Damien Williams has an excellent chance to start for the Falcons.
Building a great roster includes landing those players who suddenly become waiver wire heroes, so having them on your bench already is a huge head start towards winning a fantasy championship.
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