Drafting 9th in a 12-Team Half-PPR League
While it changes from year to year, this year I prefer to draft at the very beginning or very end of drafts, hoping to avoid the 5-6-7-8 draft slots, which trap you in the middle. Here you are susceptible to position runs at “onesie” positions (QB and TE) and you can’t stray too much away from your rankings. If you are near the ends you can jump ahead of where you have players ranked and get your guy and you can be the one to start the aforementioned position runs.
Today we will jump in and review a recent draft I completed from the 9th position. Compare this to how my draft went when I was drafting from the 2nd spot in a half-PPR league. If you don’t get your slot until an hour before your draft, now is the time to complete mock drafts so you can see where players are being drafted compared to last year and watch how their average draft position (ADP) changes over the next month. With camp well underway, injuries will undoubtedly start popping up which will have a huge effect on some players’ ADP.
For the purposes of the mock draft, I based the picks on the following league starter requirements: 1 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 Flex, and 1 TE. Kicker and defense will not be discussed as they should be the last two picks of your draft. Let's take a look at how this draft unfolded and go over the rationale for my choices.
Round One (Pick 1.09): Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati Bengals
With my first pick, I wanted to grab Najee Harris or Dalvin Cook, but grabbing Joe Mixon was a great consolation prize at 1.09. Mixon was the RB3 last season in half-PPR leagues and is now going near the back of the first round with an ADP of 1.10. The team is fresh off a Super Bowl appearance and should gel more smoothly starting right in Week 1. I consider him a very safe pick in the first round who is almost a guarantee to finish inside the top-8 as a floor if he remains healthy.
Round Two (Pick 2.04): CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys
In the 2nd round, I was debating between Alvin Kamara, who it looks like will not get suspended, Aaron Jones, and CeeDee Lamb. As there is a large selection of middle-to-late round WRs I like this year, I ended up with Lamb who would be my WR1, and then I would fill in the depth later on. Lamb is going to see a ton of targets in a high-scoring offense that does not have a lot of standouts at the wide receiver position. Amari Cooper left for the Browns and Michael Gallup is not 100% healthy. I wouldn’t be surprised if Lamb is a first-round pick next season as he has the chance to tally well over 1,200 yards and secure double-digit touchdowns.
Round Three (Pick 3.09): J.K. Dobbins, RB, Baltimore Ravens
After choosing Lamb in the 2nd round, I wanted another running back that could potentially be an anchor for my squad. I took a risk and went with J.K. Dobbins, a player who is looking like he should be healthy to start the season. After Zeke and Conner were taken before my pick, Dobbins was the last RB in a tier before a drop-off. Akers and Gibson were other RBs in this range but they both have concerns with their respective workloads and injury concerns. Dobbins has injury concerns as well but I feel like he has a much greater ceiling given the run-first offense.
Round Four (Pick 4.04): Courtland Sutton, WR, Denver Broncos
In the fourth round, I jumped ADP a ton and chose Courtland Sutton as I knew he wouldn’t get back to me with the 5.09 pick, especially in my home league. Wilson has always been able to support a top-15 receiver in fantasy football and Sutton is being taken too low. With the unfortunate injury to Tim Patrick this only further solidifies the large target share he will receive and I believe he is the better of the two receivers between him and Jerry Jeudy at this point in their respective careers. Sutton’s ADP will undoubtedly increase throughout the preseason and if you’re drafting soon jump on him now!
Round 5 (Pick 5.09): Breece Hall, RB, New York Jets
While J.K. Dobbins should be great this year, it would be foolish to say that he is 100% home free from further injury. Because of this, I went with Breece Hall with the 5.09 to add depth to an often injury-prone position. Hall ends the tier of RBs that I would want starting on my squad, and he currently makes up my flex position. Hall has the draft capital and talent to become a bell cow for the Jets, and while the team might not win a ton of games, Hall should be on the field for his regular work between the 20s, goal line carries, and catches out of the backfield.
Round 6 (Pick 6.04): Allen Robinson, WR, Los Angeles Rams
In the 6th round, Allen Robinson fell to me who, like Courtland Sutton, is being chosen too late in drafts. He’s also a candidate to see a large increase in ADP before the start of the season. Many believe Robinson has officially “lost it” and is no longer a great receiver. In his last year in Chicago, he totaled 38 receptions, 410 yards, and only 1 touchdown. That is not ideal for a player that was drafted in fantasy football as the WR12 last season. In the offseason, Robinson joined the LA Rams who have lost Robert Woods and are needing a second receiver to accompany Cooper Kupp. Just a year ago, before his season-ending injury, Woods was the WR11 in half-PPR leagues after the first nine games of the season. While Robinson is likely not in the prime of his career, he could easily post 1,000 yards and 6-10 touchdowns and we wouldn’t bat an eye. It’s within his range of outcomes this year and as the WR3 on my team, a flex spot at worst, I am thrilled with that.
Round 7 (Pick 7.09): Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys
After Hurts, Stafford, and Wilson were all chosen after my Allen Robinson selection, I decided it was time to select a QB. As it turned out, Prescott was the top QB left on my board which pairs nicely with my 2nd round selection in CeeDee Lamb. I don’t force the QB-WR stack, but if it happens naturally I love it. You could also use it as a tie-breaker if you are stuck between two similar QBs. While Prescott doesn’t have a ton of elite WR options, he is going to air out the ball to Lamb a ton and he still has Dalton Schultz, Ezekiel Elliott, Tony Pollard, and rookie wideout Jalen Tolbert. He has more than enough options, along with his running ability, to finish as a top-5 QB this season.
Round 8 (Pick 8.04): Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, New England Patriots
Stevenson was added in the 8th as depth behind Mixon, Dobbins, and Hall. He has the chance to full-out pass Damien Harris as the RB1 in New England, but even if he doesn’t, the team gives both of them a healthy amount of volume every week. He’s an excellent pass-catcher who will look to fill the “James White” role.
Round 9 (Pick 9.09): Allen Lazard, WR, Green Bay Packers
Allen Lazard was an easy pick for WR depth on my team as we know Davante Adams left to sign with the Raiders and there is no clear WR1. Lazard is the most tenured receiver on the team and should approach 80-90 catches at least in the offense with upside for double-digit touchdowns. Rookie Romeo Doubs has received a lot of praise recently but to start the year Lazard should be the main pass-catcher for the Packers.
Round 10 (Pick 10.04): Kadarius Toney, WR, New York Giants
In the 10th I looked to add more depth at receiver with Kadarius Toney who is an underrated player heading into the 2022 season. Every time he has the ball in his hand he can take it the distance. He showcased his ability in what he can do against the Cowboys in October where he had 10 catches on 13 targets for 189 yards. Toney will now have 2 full offseasons with the Giants and a new head coach who thinks outside of the box. Toney is going to receive a ton of work and should not be going in the 10th.
Round 11 (Pick 11.09): Kenneth Gainwell RB, Philadelphia Eagles
In the later rounds you want to add depth to your most vulnerable positions - running back and wide receiver. In the 11th I chose Kenneth Gainwell as he should be a nice pass-catching RB who could provide a decent floor in the event of a bye week fill-in. The Eagles are going to be more pass-heavy than last season and Gainwell is consistently used as part of a running back committee. He’s not going to win the RB job outright but should be able to contribute, especially in PPR leagues.
Round 12 (Pick 12.04): Cole Kmet, TE, Chicago Bears
I don’t tend to grab an early TE unless Kelce falls to me in the 2nd or Andrews in the 3rd. Neither of these things happened and so I “punted” at the position and selected Cole Kmet in the 12th round. Outside of Darnell Mooney, there are not a ton of targets to go around as both N’Keal Harry and Byron Pringle are both dealing with injuries. If these injuries are long-term, Kmet should walk into seeing the second-most targets on his team. That floor should provide enough value for him to be a weekly starter, even on a team that doesn’t project well in terms of wins this season.
Round 13 (Pick 13.09): D’Ernest Johnson, RB, Cleveland Browns
With the last positional player pick of my draft, I took a chance with D’Ernest Johnson. Backup running back Kareem Hunt wants out of Cleveland, and Johnson would slide into his position if he gets his wish (or is released). Kareem Hunt was always a worthy start as a flex player as starter Nick Chubb would get neglected as a receiver out of the backfield which provides some optimism for Johnson moving forward in the offense. In the event Nick Chubb misses time due to an injury, as he often has missed a couple of games per year, Johnson has shown he can get it done himself on the ground.
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