Perfect Draft: 11th in a 12-Team Yahoo! Half-PPR League

Aug 10, 2020

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On the backend of a draft, I’m most likely going to target an elite WR in the first round, unless one of the top RBs happens to fall. One disadvantage of being on the turn is the chance to get stuck on the wrong side of a positional run, so evaluating opportunity cost is paramount in these first few rounds. A positive is the ability to implement game theory in this draft, meaning you can look at the manager’s roster in the 12 spot and put off say a QB or TE for another round if they’ve already fulfilled that particular position.

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In this edition of the series, I'll be walking through a perfect draft from the 11th slot in a 12-team Yahoo half-PPR 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, 1DEF, (no flex) 6 bench spots
No restrictions on when to draft QB: I’m usually one to wait until at least the seventh round for my QB because I’ll miss out on potential points from position players that are difficult to make up if they are skipped in those beginning rounds. However, it is beneficial to know if one of the top guys is falling, as my strategy is always fluid.
No TEs between rounds four and seven: I may use an early pick on one of the elite TEs, Travis Kelce, George Kittle or Mark Andrews, so I want to keep them open for recommendations. However, I’ll pass on that next tier and wait until at least the eighth round to consider drafting a TE.
No K’s or DSTs until the last two rounds: I prefer to stream both positions and would rather draft depth for my bench than select either a kicker or team defense before the last two rounds.
ADP Settings: Draft Hero also includes the advantage of choosing which ADP you use. Most of the time, the ADP of your hosting site will translate to your optimal drafting strategy. There’s also the option to upload custom ADP, which I did for this draft since most sites are still using data from mock drafts rather than paid leagues.

For a comprehensive tutorial on setting up Draft Hero for your league, read our Draft Hero Walkthrough.

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

Round 1, Pick 11 (11) - WR Davante Adams, Packers

I entered this draft wanting to take an elite WR here, and Davante Adams certainly qualifies. I am not afraid to take Julio Jones in this spot either, but for some reason, he seems to be slipping this season and could be available at my next pick. The RB hoarding is real in 2020 and drafters are passing on 235 and 232 projected half-PPR points from Adams and Jones, respectively, in order to secure a back early like Nick Chubb (216 pts) or Josh Jacobs (214 pts).

Adams has proven that he’s one of the best receivers in the NFL and if healthy, could lead the league in targets this season. At the end of 2019, the Green Bay WR saw double-digit targets in eight of the final nine games and the Packers did very little to add to their pass-catching corps this offseason. I must also mention that Aaron Rogers is single again and while I have no actual stats to back it up, it’s widely known that he performs better when solo.

Draft Hero also mixed in a few other positional suggestions in their top five, so there are multiple options if you have a different preference in roster construction.

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

My Top Alternative: Julio Jones

Round 2, Pick 2 (14) - WR Julio Jones, Falcons

Clyde Edwards-Helaire was tempting for me, but in the end, I decided to go with the player with the highest value score of the two. Jones boasts a +74 to CEH’s +59, which means he’s projected to score +74 more points than the lowest starting WR on the board.

I like securing a proven performer here, especially with the wonky season ahead of us. CEH could be a total stud, we already know that Jones reached that status in 2016 and has been a top-five fantasy finisher ever since. I’m pretty stoked about having two of 4for4’s three highest-ranked WRs in half-PPR leagues on my squad and happily move on.

Suggested Alternatives: Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, George Kittle

My Top Alternative: Clyde Edwards-Helaire