Perfect Draft: 12th in a 12-Team ESPN PPR League

Aug 01, 2021

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Starting in the 12th spot certainly has its disadvantages, such as missing out on some of the big-name running backs that will be gobbled up early, but there are some advantages as well. After the top-six players—Christian McCaffrey, Dalvin Cook, Derrick Henry, Alvin Kamara, Davante Adams and Saquon Barkley—there are a lot of different opinions on where the rest of the elite players fall. Being in the 12-spot will often result in two of them falling to you in the first and second rounds.

One of the biggest factors fantasy managers need to be cognizant of when drafting at the very front or very back of any draft is missing out on a positional run that can happen at literally anytime. If one starts after our back-to-back picks, we may not have a chance to get in on it before it's too late. That's not the end of the world, though. Positional runs tend to involve some reaching and there can be excellent value picks made after they're finished.

More Perfect Drafts: 2nd in a 12-Team ESPN | 10th in 12-Team Yahoo Half-PPR

With the 12th spot, I'll be looking to do one of two things. The first being an elite-level running back who has a big role in the passing game, such as Aaron Jones or Austin Ekeler. I won't hesitate to draft both players if they are on the board. Otherwise, I'll be looking to add one of the elite wide receivers, such as DeAndre Hopkins or Stefon Diggs. That would be my ideal start to a draft from the 12-spot, but let's see how it plays out.

I'll be conducting a mock draft in the 12th spot of a 12-team ESPN full-PPR league. Each pick was optimized using projections and value-based rankings from the 4for4 Draft Hero tool.

Draft Hero Settings

Roster Settings: 1 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE, 1 Flex (RB/WR/TE) 1 Kicker, 1 DEF, 6 bench spots
Each team will only be select 1 TE, 1 Kicker and 1 Defense: This will help make the mock as realistic as possible, and more challenging.
Kicker and defense will not be filled until the last two rounds: There's no reason to take either one earlier than that.
Target either an elite quarterback or an elite tight end: Both provide a significant weekly advantage over opponents, so this will be a point of emphasis. It doesn't matter which one I get, but I definitely want one.

For a comprehensive tutorial on setting up Draft Hero for your league, read our Draft Hero Walkthrough.