Perfect Draft: 8th in a 12-Team Sleeper Half-PPR Superflex League

Sep 01, 2021

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The eighth pick in fantasy football Superflex drafts is different because in these types of leagues quarterbacks are selected in the first round since you need to start two and roster three in case one gets hurt. This makes it a lot tougher to predict who will be available towards the end of the first round. In some drafts, the elite running backs still go high, but in others, elite quarterbacks make up the top of the first round. I like to use one of my first two picks on a quarterback in Superflex, just to make sure I have one who can produce at an elite level.

The good part about addressing QB1 with your first or second pick is that you’ll still have a chance to choose an RB1 or WR1 with your other selection since a lot of teams will be attacking quarterback early. In this draft, I’m hoping to have one of the four elite quarterbacks (Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Kyler Murray, and Lamar Jackson) fall to me in the first round. If they’re not available, I’ll choose the next best RB or WR and address the quarterback position in the second round.

In this article, I’ll go through a perfect draft with the eighth pick in a 12-team Sleeper half-PPR Superflex 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 (WR/RB/TE), 1 Superflex (QB/WR/RB/TE), 1 Kicker, 1 DEF, six bench spots.
No restrictions on when to draft positional players: In most Superflex leagues, I prefer to take a quarterback in the early rounds, but I still want to know which other positions are falling past their average draft position (ADP).
No Kicker or D/ST until the last two rounds: It’s much better to build up your depth before targeting a kicker or defense. The best strategy is to play matchups at each of these two positions. Target kickers who are on favored teams with high game totals because they’ll have more opportunities for field goal attempts. Target defenses who are on favored teams (the higher the point spread, the better) because they’ll be in a position for more pass-rushing opportunities while playing with a lead.
Limit 2 QB, TE, K, DEF: Using Draft Hero allows users to get familiar with the nuances of the software. One way to simulate a league full of advanced owners is to go to the League Settings from the Home page and manipulate the maximum number of players at each position under the Rosters tab. By capping these positions, mock drafts become much more challenging and realistic, especially in leagues like this one where there are only 15 roster spots.
Targets: Lamar Jackson and DK Metcalf. One useful feature of Draft Hero is the ability to target specific players. The software allows you to select players before your draft and will suggest your targets over the software’s top recommendation when it gets close to your targets’ ADP. I’ll explain why I like these specific targets in their respective draft rounds. You can also avoid players, but I usually opt against this feature since every player is a value at some point.
ADP Settings: Another great feature of Draft Hero is the ability to choose which ADP you use. In most cases, choosing the site ADP of your hosting site will lead to the most optimal drafting strategy. You can also upload custom ADP, which I did here since most platforms are still relying on mock draft data rather than paid leagues.

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

Round 1, Pick 8 (8) - QB Lamar Jackson, Ravens

I was happy to see one of the elite quarterbacks fall to me at eight overall. I went with Lamar Jackson over Kyler Murray because I like the additions the Ravens made on offense in signing Sammy Watkins and drafting Rashod Bateman. The Ravens will look to pass more often this season, which could end up helping Jackson’s fantasy production. I also like this team’s schedule, opening up against the Raiders, Chiefs and Lions.

Since I wanted to take a quarterback in the first round if an elite one was available, I would have gone with Murray if Jackson was off the board. Murray was the clear-cut overall QB1 before his season was derailed by a shoulder injury last year. We can expect another strong performance in 2021. I’ll look to draft the best RB or WR available with my second pick. I’ll wait on TE because of the need to use an early pick on a QB in Superflex.

Suggested Alternatives: Tyreek Hill, Calvin Ridley, Aaron Jones

My Top Alternative: Kyler Murray