Perfect Draft Series: Drafting 10th in a 12 Team League

Aug 06, 2014

Many leagues throughout the country have become obsessed with the PPR format, but I am still one who appreciates a good old-fashion standard league. Obviously, running backs have always been the focus in the first round, but with the way NFL teams continue to be pass-happy and distribute RB workload, other positions have been gaining first round value.

With fewer teams featuring just one running back, the premier backs become even more valuable. It's never an easy decision early, but there is a path to the best team from the 10 spot I will show you in this Perfect Draft article.

I have my PC Drafter ready for this draft in which I will select 10th out of 12 teams. The team will start 1 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE, 1 K, 1 Defense and 1 Flex. Some leagues have restrictions on how many players at each position are allowed to be rostered, but most leagues I play in don't.

When drafting 10th, you miss out on some of the best players in fantasy, but of course you get two pretty good ones in the first two rounds because of the snake draft format.

So, here we go...

Pick 1.10 Montee Ball

Even though I am selecting towards the bottom of the 1st round, I hope a good running back falls to me. Maybe I am old fashioned (okay, I am), but I love having a stud back in a standard league. Luckily, there were three on the board to select with my 10th pick. Marshawn Lynch was the first to jump out at me just because 'The Beast' has been so good the last couple years. Montee Ball is on the best offense in the NFL so he is very attractive. DeMarco Murray is also a guy who the Cowboys will give the ball to as much as possible.

PC Drafter says Ball is my best choice and I think I know why. We could see Lynch's carries cut back some because of the Seahawks depth at the position and the need to keep Lynch healthy and fresh for another Super Bowl run. Murray is great when he is on the field, but durability is definitely an issue. Ball is going to be the man in Denver with Knowshon Moreno gone. Take a look at Moreno's numbers from last year and add more yardage and more touchdowns. Ball will at least equal the 10 TDs from Moreno and should be over 1,100 yards. His role in the passing game is still questionable, but that won't matter very much since this is not a PPR league.

Note: Since writing this, Montee Ball has undergone an appendectomy that will sideline him for the rest of training camp and the preseason. We still expect Ball to emerge as the team's primary RB1, but he could begin slipping to the 2nd round of fantasy drafts.

Pick 2.3 Peyton Manning

Tough call here whether to go with a QB, RB or WR. I looked long and hard at Brandon Marshall as my No.1 receiver and several pretty good running backs are still available. In fact, PC Drafter likes the Bengals' Giovanni Bernard. I like him too over LeVeon Bell and Arian Foster. (Lynch and Murray were taken by the way.)

I think I can get pretty good receivers later in the draft, and with this being a non-PPR league, I'll wait. So Peyton or an RB2? Hmmm.

I learned a lesson last year in one of my leagues. Peyton Manning can kill you. He did it to a lot of teams, even in standard leagues. In this one specific league, Manning's owner had multiple Broncos and boy, did they dominate. So, with Monte Ball in hand, I will try that strategy.