Perfect Draft: 1st in a 10-Team ESPN PPR League

Aug 22, 2021

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The first overall pick in fantasy drafts this year is, predictably, a great spot. Fantasy managers will be able to secure the best fantasy player on Planet Earth in the first round, setting them up for success. While the long turns in between picks could get frustrating, managers will also be able to make back-to-back selections for the rest of their draft, giving them lots of control. Picking first overall, it’s important to stay active while you are not picking, as there could be long positional runs that affect your draft strategy.

In this article, I will walk through a perfect draft with the first pick in a 10-team ESPN PPR league. Each pick was optimized using projections and value-based rankings from the 4for4 Draft Hero tool. For a comprehensive tutorial on setting up Draft Hero for your league, read our Draft Hero Walkthrough.

Draft Hero Settings

Roster Settings: 1 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE, 1 Flex (WR/RB/TE), 1 Kicker, 1 DEF, seven bench spots
No restrictions on when to draft positional players: Even though it’s often recommended to wait on drafting quarterbacks, I’ll remove restrictions in case any values present themselves. With this being said, I’ll almost definitely only take a defense and kicker in the last few rounds.
Limit 1 TE, K, DEF: Limiting these less important positions to just one makes the draft a lot more realistic and challenging.
Targets: Tee Higgins and Darnell Mooney. I’ll explain why I like these specific targets in their respective draft rounds, assuming I am able to land them.

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

Round 1, Pick 1 (1) - RB Christian McCaffrey, Panthers

The obvious pick here, McCaffrey should be going first overall in just about every fantasy football league. Last season, CMC was marred by injuries, but in the three games that he did play, finished as the RB2, RB5, and RB2. In 2019, McCaffrey had one of the greatest fantasy seasons of all time, becoming just the third player to ever total over 1,000 rushing and receiving yards in a single season. He is one of the best pass-catching running backs in the league, and should easily see at least 80 targets on the year. Combined with his prolific rushing ability, McCaffrey offers a floor-ceiling combo that nobody else can. While the Draft Hero did suggest two receivers and two other running backs at this point, I think McCaffrey is the clear top option. Don’t overthink it if you have the first pick in drafts this year.

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

Suggested alternatives: Davante Adams, Tyreek Hill, Dalvin Cook, Alvin Kamara

My Top alternative: Dalvin Cook

Round 2, Pick 10 (20) - TE Darren Waller, Raiders

Round 3, Pick 1 (21) - WR Justin Jefferson, Vikings

I was ecstatic that Waller made it back to us in the second round. One of the clear top-3 tight ends for fantasy, Waller offers a positional advantage that few others can. He’s coming off of a season where he ranked 6th in the entire NFL in targets and had nearly 1,200 receiving yards. It’s easy to imagine him putting up similar numbers this year, as he’s still the top target in the Raiders’ offense. While your team might not look as good on paper if you take Waller early, you’ll definitely feel good in Week 3 when your opponent is scrambling to decide whether to start Mike Gesicki or Irv Smith against you.

After taking Waller, I wanted to lock in a WR1 for our team, and Jefferson is exactly that. The former LSU star had arguably the greatest rookie wide receiver season of all time, racking up north of 1,400 receiving yards en route to finishing as the overall WR6. Jefferson should remain the number one option for the Vikings, and could legitimately see over 150 targets. This guaranteed volume makes him a fantastic first receiver for our team.

Suggested alternatives: Joe Mixon, George Kittle, Najee Harris, Clyde Edwards-Helaire

My Top alternative: Keenan Allen

Round 4, Pick 10 (40) - WR Robert Woods, Rams

Round 5, Pick 1 (41) - RB Chris Carson, Seahawks

At the 4/5 turn, I was able to secure two of my most favorite players for fantasy this season in Woods and Carson. Woods has been one of the most dependable receivers in the past four seasons, and he ranks top-10 in almost every major receiving stat during this timespan. With Matthew Stafford replacing Jared Goff as the quarterback for the Rams, Woods’ upside should only increase, as the Rams’ offense will certainly be better with Stafford under center. He’s a very strong WR2 for our team.

Carson has finished as a top-20 fantasy running back in each of the last three seasons, outperforming his ADP every year. This season, he’s being drafted as the RB18 despite being the lead running back in one of the best offenses in the NFL. Adding on the fact that Carson signed an extension with the Seahawks this off-season, and he should safely finish as a top-15 running back if he stays healthy.

While the Draft Hero suggested three quarterbacks, I’d much rather secure my skill position players at this point. In the first five rounds, we’ve built an excellent foundation for our team, with elite talent at running back, wide receiver, and tight end.

Suggested alternatives: Aaron Rodgers, Lamar Jackson, Dak Prescott

My Top alternative: Dak Prescott

Round 6, Pick 10 (60) - WR Tee Higgins, Bengals

Round 7, Pick 1 (61) - RB Darrell Henderson, Rams

To fill out our starting skill position players, I’ll take Tee Higgins, one of my targets for this draft. Higgins had a stellar rookie season, accumulating over 900 yards and six touchdowns despite not playing with Joe Burrow for half of the season. When Burrow was his quarterback, Higgins was on pace for well over 1,000 receiving yards and was a top-20 fantasy wide receiver in this span. Even with the arrival of Ja’Marr Chase, Higgins should have more than enough targets to be a consistent starter for our team. If you don’t like Higgins, all of the other suggested receivers at this point are viable picks as well.

In the nine games for which both Tee Higgins and Joe Burrow were healthy in 2020, Higgins averaged 7.9 targets and 103 air yards per game (per @4for4football). He scored 12.1 half-PPR points per game (WR20 pace). As a rookie. Year 2 is the major breakout year for WRs.

ADP: WR23.

— Jack Miller (@JackMiller02) August 17, 2021

Henderson is an insane value in the seventh round and I am shocked that he’s still available. He’s the clear top running back in the Rams backfield (after the Cam Akers injury) and should see plenty of volume. Barring injury, he’ll safely finish as a top-24 running back and is an excellent first player off the bench.

Suggested alternatives: JuJu Smith-Schuster, Robby Anderson, Chase Claypool, Odell Beckham

My Top alternative: Odell Beckham

Round 8, Pick 10 (80) - QB Ryan Tannehill, Titans

Round 9, Pick 1 (81) - WR Antonio Brown, Buccaneers

With the rest of our starting lineup taken care of, it’s a good time to grab a quarterback. Since becoming the Titans starter back in 2019, Tannehill has been excellent, consistently putting up efficient numbers. Tannehill received a big upgrade at the receiver position this off-season with Julio Jones coming into town, and after a QB7 finish last season, should comfortably be a top-10 quarterback once again.

Why Antonio Brown is being drafted so low this year puzzles me. After joining the Buccaneers in Week 9 of last season, AB was second on the team in targets and a top-24 wide receiver. With a full off-season to get accustomed to the offense, Brown should be great for fantasy. While he might not put up overall WR1 numbers as he has in the past, he’s a value at his current ADP of WR34.

Suggested alternatives: Mike Davis, Tyler Boyd, DeVonta Smith, Jalen Hurts

My Top alternative: Tyler Boyd

Round 10, Pick 10 (100) - WR Curtis Samuel, Washington

Round 11, Pick 1 (101) - RB Michael Carter, Jets

Continuing to stack our bench, both Samuel and Carter are very solid backups at their respective positions. While he’s dealt with some nagging injuries during camp, Samuel should be healthy for Week 1 and will be the No. 2 option in the Washington offense. If he establishes a connection with Ryan Fitzpatrick, he could have a very high ceiling this year.

Carter is someone that I’ve been grabbing in almost every draft this year. He was drafted in the fourth round of the NFL Draft this year by the Jets, and has a chance at becoming the Week 1 starter. If he does become the lead back early in the season, he would see enough volume to be a solid fantasy option.

Suggested alternatives: Marquise Brown, A.J. Dillon, Henry Ruggs. Darnell Mooney

My Top alternative: Marquise Brown

Round 12, Pick 10 (120) - WR Darnell Mooney, Bears

Round 13, Pick 1 (121) - RB Gus Edwards, Ravens

My other target for this draft, I think that Darnell “Money with two O’s” Mooney has serious breakout potential. He had a very solid rookie season, with over 600 yards and four touchdowns. With Anthony Miller gone, Mooney will be the clear second option in the Chicago passing game. If Justin Fields wins the starting job and flashes as a rookie, Mooney could finish as a top-30 receiver.

Edwards is a prototypical backup running back. He’ll see enough opportunity to remain relevant for fantasy, and can be used to fill in for a starter in a pinch. If starter JK Dobbins were to go down with an injury, Edwards would vault up the rankings and be an elite fantasy running back.

Suggested alternatives: Tua Tagovailoa, Jamaal Williams, Matt Ryan, Baker Mayfield

My Top alternative: Jamaal Williams

Round 14, Pick 10 (140) - QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, Washington

Fitzpatrick is a good backup quarterback for our team. He’s the starting QB in Washington, and given that he has solid weapons around him, should be solid for fantasy. If Ryan Tannehill busts or gets injured, Fitz will be able to provide a solid fantasy output for our team.

Round 15, Pick 1 (141) - Rams Defense

Given that this is my second-to-last pick, I’ll finally take a defense. The Rams have two future Hall-Of-Famers on their defense (Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey), and should be a menace on that end. They are 4for4’s highest projected defense for 2021.

Suggested alternatives: Rams Defense, Steelers Defense, Washington Defense, Buccaneers Defense

My Top alternative: Steelers Defense

Round 16, Pick 10 (160) - K Mason Crosby, Packers

It’s crucial that our kicker is attached to a good offense, and Crosby is exactly that. The long-time Packers kicker should see plenty of scoring opportunities given the superstars on the Green Bay offense, making him a solid kicker for our team.

Suggested alternatives: Tyler Bass, Rodrigo Blankenship, Matt Prater, Ryan Succop

My Top alternative: Tyler Bass

Draft Recap

I’m pumped with the way this team turned out. After taking the best running back in fantasy football, we were able to grab an elite tight end and a bevy of great wide receivers. I love the value of Ryan Tannehill in the back of the eighth round, and he rounds out our starting lineup very nicely. Using the “Rate My Draft” feature as part of the Draft Hero, we have the highest projected fantasy points per game out of all the teams in this draft. All in all, selecting first overall in fantasy drafts this year puts you in a position to build a well-rounded team set to dominate your league.