Perfect Fantasy Football Draft: 10th in a 10-Team ESPN PPR League

Aug 13, 2023

Perfect Draft: 10th in a 10-Team ESPN PPR League

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Drafting from the very last spot is one of my favorite places to be in a fantasy draft. In very specific leagues (such as 2QB leagues), it might benefit you to have the first pick. However, with all due respect to Justin Jefferson and Christian McCaffrey, I’d rather have two of the top 11 players than one in the top 15 or so. I also think the back of the draft is the best place to take an Anchor RB approach—drafting one elite running back in the first few rounds and then filling out the rest of your roster before returning to the position. After McCaffrey and Austin Ekeler, I don’t see a big difference between the next tier of running backs and the tier after that.

In the ESPN full-PPR format, I am extra incentivized to load up on pass catchers and am more willing to spend up on an elite tight end. The full-PPR makes a larger difference between volume tight ends and players banking on touchdowns. If the non-Kelce options slide at all, I’m happy to take advantage.

In this article, I will walk through my favorite players in each round that should be available to me based on ESPN ADP and discuss my overall draft strategy from this spot.

More Perfect Drafts

ESPN 12-Team PPR: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |12
ESPN 10-Team PPR: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
Yahoo 12-Team Half-PPR: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |12
Yahoo 10-Team Half-PPR: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

The 4for4 staff uses the Draft Hero software for all of our leagues. Draft Hero syncs directly to your league and optimizes each pick using projections and value-based rankings from 4for4. Draft Hero lets you customize your draft experience with settings on which rounds you want to draft a position, how many players you want at each position, and players to target or avoid.

For those new to Draft Hero, be sure to explore this walkthrough of the app!

My Plan of Attack When Drafting Last

Roster Settings: 1 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE, 1 Flex (WR/RB/TE), 1 Kicker, 1 DEF, six bench spots

Obviously, I like to draft for value and remain open to different draft strategies on the fly, but when I’m drafting in the back portion of the draft, this is my general approach:

Get 1-2 top-tier wide receivers before addressing other positions – This is a theme for all my perfect drafts. I like the early wide receivers significantly better than the middle and later-tier wide receivers, whereas I like the late-round running backs more than I do in most years.
Employ an Anchor RB strategy – Guys like Najee Harris and Aaron Jones can anchor your team and are available at the three-four turn when you’re picking last. Get a quality Anchor RB for nearly the cost of a Zero RB (no running back in the first four rounds).
Wait on a quarterback – with the top three going in the third round, I have no interest in reaching on the next tier of options. Quarterback is deep enough this year to wait on the position and even stream if necessary.
Take the guy that shouldn’t be there – ESPN ADP is a little different and more running back-heavy than some of the other leagues. Use that to your advantage. Lock up talent at other positions early on and then grab quality late-round running backs with RB2 upside.

Continue reading for a breakdown of my favorite picks through Round 10 and a list of the best late-round targets at each position.