Perfect Draft: 7th in a 14-Team Yahoo Superflex PPR League

Aug 12, 2019

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Being smack in the middle of a 14-team league certainly has its pros and cons. This season, drafters are probably looking at starting with an elite WR and then seeing what comes back to them, knowing they are in a decent spot to avoid any crazy positional runs. The tough side is lacking the ability to implement game theory into your drafts since there are six teams on one side of you and seven on the other. When situated close to the turn of drafts, managers can take a look at the nearby teams’ rosters and foreshadow what positional direction they’re likely to go.

Editor’s Note: Click here to read all our Perfect Draft series entries.

In this edition of the Perfect Draft Series, I'll be walking through a perfect draft from the 7th slot in a 14-team Yahoo Superflex PPR league. Each pick was optimized using projections and value-based rankings from the 4for4 Draft Hero tool

Draft Hero Settings:

Roster Settings: 1QB, 2RB, 2WR, 1TE, 1QB/RB/WR/TE, 1RB/WR/TE, 1 Kicker, 1 D/ST, six bench spots.
No restrictions on when to draft positional players: With this being Superflex, I need to keep all options open and like to be aware if players are falling in a specific draft. This feature sets Draft Hero apart so I keep no limits on recommendations.
No K or DST until the last two rounds: I prefer to stream both positions and would rather draft depth for my bench than select either a kicker or team defense before the last two rounds.
Targets: Curtis Samuel and Tony Pollard. One amazing feature of Draft Hero is the option to target specific players. The software allows you to preselect players before your draft and DA will suggest them before the software’s top recommendation when it gets close to your targets’ ADP. These are two later-round guys that I want to have on my teams this season for reasons I’ll explain as we get to their picks.

Jump to Pick: 1| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16

Round 1, Pick 7 – Michael Thomas, Saints

Only one wideout, DeAndre Hopkins, was taken so I have my pick of elite WRs to start this draft. My plan was to go this route, so it’s now a matter of who to actually take. It was a difficult call between Thomas, Davante Adams, Julio Jones or Odell Beckham as they all have first-round merit this season.

I chose Thomas due to his projected points (314) which leads the pack of these top-tier WRs. He’s safe, dependable, and in an offense that consistently puts points on the board.

Each round, Draft Hero suggests the top available suggestion along with four alternatives, as shown at the top of this section. Throughout the rest of the article, I will note those suggestions as well as my top alternative to the player that I actually selected.

My Top Alternative: Odell Beckham

Round 2, Pick 8 – George Kittle, 49ers

I rarely take a TE this early but being in this draft spot, it makes sense as I am looking for balance. The first five teams selected RBs to start this off, so my hope is that they all won’t lean RB in their next two picks. A 14-team league is more limited in draft choices and eventual waiver wire, so with TE so top-heavy I like getting it out of the way in this particular draft.

Kittle was TE3 in PPR points last season, catching 88 balls for 1,377 yards and five touchdowns on 136 targets. With Jimmy Garoppolo healthy and back on the field, we should see similar production from the athletic TE this season. He’s projected to post 258 PPR points in 2019, which is more than all but two non-QBs on the board.

Suggested Alternatives: Zach Ertz, Patrick Mahomes, Damien Williams, Kerryon Johnson

My Top Alternative: Damien Williams

Round 3, Pick 7 – Josh Jacobs, Raiders

Patrick Mahomes was really tempting here in a Superflex format, but with no QBs taken yet, I feel more comfortable waiting on the position since there’s a decent drop off after these next few RBS currently on the board.

Jacobs is in for a massive workload this season as there are plenty of vacated balls with the absence of Marshawn Lynch. If the rookie can hold off Jalen Richard in the passing game, he could see 250-280 touches in 2019. Jacobs also came out on top of 4for4’s Kevin Zatloukal’s model for forecasting rookie RB success in their first three seasons.

Suggested Alternatives: Patrick Mahomes, James White, Devonta Freeman, Derrick Henry

My Top Alternative: Patrick Mahomes