Perfect Draft: 7th in a 14-Team CBS Standard League

Aug 12, 2018

Smack in the heart of a 14-team draft is all about balance, and sometimes that’s what it takes to come away with a fantasy championship. While you may miss out on an elite RB in the first round, there are high scoring players available at 1.07, with another pick just 14 players away. You won’t be handicapped by large positional runs, and shouldn’t find yourself having to chase any one position throughout the draft.

Editor's Note: Click here to see all our Perfect Draft series entries.

In this Perfect Draft article, I will walk through a perfect draft from the seventh slot in a 14-team CBS Standard league. Each pick was optimized using projections and value-based rankings from the 4for4 Draft Hero tool.

Draft Hero Settings

Roster Settings: 1QB, 2RB, 3WR, 1TE, 1K, 1D/ST, five bench spots.
No QBs until the seventh round: In a single-quarterback league, I don't think about drafting a signal-caller any earlier than the seventh round, unless someone like Russell Wilson or Tom Brady happens to fall. With such a deep QB pool this season, it’s more advantageous to grab positional players early as those points are tough to make up later in the draft.
No TEs before the third round: There are only three guys I’d even consider taking this early, Rob Gronkowski, Travis Kelce and Zach Ertz, as their potential output is on par with the other guys being drafted around them, otherwise known as opportunity cost. The drop-off after Ertz at TE is massive, so if none of these guys fit my roster at the time, I’ll most likely wait until at least the fifth round, most likely the seventh, to look at the position again.
No Kicker or D/ST until the last two rounds: I let my league mates jump the gun for the top-rated D/ST, and grab plenty of depth in those later rounds. Kickers do matter, but should not be taken ahead of your handcuffs and possible streamers.

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

Round 1, Pick 7 – RB Alvin Kamara, Saints

The sophomore RB has the highest-projected points of any non-QB on the board and boasts a whopping +95 VBD score, which is his value compared to the worst starter in any NFL backfield this season. From Week 4 through the playoffs last season, Kamara averaged 13.8 touches for 104 yards and finished as the RB4 in standard scoring formats. Behind one of the best run-blocking offensive lines in the league, I like what we should see from Kamara this season.

I am fairly open to what the next round will bring this early in the draft, whether it’s a stud WR or another solid RB.

Round 2, Pick 8 – RB Devonta Freeman, Falcons

Once again, I chose overall points and value here, as Freeman is the player with the highest-projected output on the draft board. His estimated 186 standard points is more than 30 points higher than the next two players, Doug Baldwin and T.Y. Hilton. If I scroll down the list of WRs, I feel confident I’ll get similar value on my next turn, which isn’t the case in the RB department.

Freeman ended last season as the RB13 in standard points, after an RB6 finish in 2016. He should be a low-end RB1 this season, which I’ll gladly take as my squad’s second back.

Round 3, Pick 7 – WR Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals

Draft Hero wanted me to take Ertz, but I decided to grab a WR since we are already entering teams’ WR2 territory, and I don’t want to miss out. Fitzgerald is Arizona’s clear No. 1 WR and the best pass-catching weapon in Arizona. Nine of his 14 seasons have resulted in over 1,000 receiving yards, and the 34-year old has been among the top 16 wideouts in total fantasy points in three straight seasons.

Fitzgerald is as rock-solid as they come, and I expect this season to be on par with the rest of his career. Arizona’s QB situation is not ideal, but the Cardinals vet seems to be teammate and matchup-proof. I look ahead to the third round, where I’ll most likely add another WR the mix.

Round 4, Pick 8 – WR Marvin Jones, Lions

Alex Collins is tempting here, but since this league has no flex spot, my priority right now is the most points for my starting roster. Jones is projected to post 141 points, with a VBD score of +32, making him the highest ranked receiver left. He ended 2017 as the WR5 in standard formats and is the 24th WR off the board for me in the fourth round. I’m pleased with his value and happily click that draft button.

I may look to grab Jones’ QB Matthew Stafford a bit later in this draft, as I love his overlooked consistency from year-to-year, and draft value so far this season. Only one QB has been selected so far, so it appears most teams could be waiting for their signal-caller.

Continue reading to see how the rest of Jen's roster shakes out and to see which picks she deemed to be the best and worst values of the draft, as well as any final takeaways that may help you on draft day...