Perfect Draft: 3rd in a 10-Team ESPN PPR League

Aug 17, 2021

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The third spot in fantasy drafts this year could be an inflection point of sorts. After the consensus top-2 running backs–Christian McCaffrey and Dalvin Cook–go off the board, fantasy managers are left to make a key decision very early on in their drafts regarding which running back they take. One big advantage of selecting third overall is that you can lock in an elite running back in the first round, which is always important. On the flip side, it might be a bit frustrating to wait through the long turns in between your picks.

In this edition of the series, I'll be walking through a perfect draft from the third slot 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 some positions, 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: Keenan Allen and Robert Tonyan. 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 3 (3) - RB Alvin Kamara, Saints

With the first two picks going exactly how I expected them to, I’ll go ahead and take 4for4’s third-highest projected PPR running back in Alvin Kamara. Kamara is fresh off of an overall RB1 finish last season, where he had a total of 1,688 yards from scrimmage and a whopping 21 touchdowns. While he’ll likely not be able to put up such lofty numbers with Drew Brees no longer the quarterback, Kamara should still be extremely fantasy relevant. With Michael Thomas injured and out to start the season, Kamara will be the focal point of the Saints’ offense, and legitimately might be their best receiver and runner. He should see the volume necessary to make him an elite fantasy running back, even if his touchdown efficiency takes a hit.

While the Draft Hero suggested two receivers above Kamara, I’d like to secure a running back this early in drafts. The wide receiver depth this year is absolutely insane, so it makes more sense to lock in my RB1 than to take a receiver.

Suggested alternatives: Davante Adams, Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, Derrick Henry

My top alternative: Derrick Henry