Perfect Draft: 1st in a 12-Team Yahoo! Half-PPR League

Aug 17, 2020

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Getting the first pick in the draft is both a blessing and a curse, but if you plan accordingly, the spot can certainly pan out in your favor. The blessing portion, of course, grants you the elite running back of your choosing in 2020 and the ability to start positional runs throughout the draft. Spot one also is cursed with having to let 22 players off the board before you get to select your second guy, and you can also miss out on positional runs coming from the back end of the draft.

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This year specifically, the first two rounds are incredibly running back heavy, so my plan is to start with a top rusher and then grab two stud WRs on the next turn, or perhaps one of the elite TEs if they happen to fall.

In this article, I will walk through a perfect draft with the first pick 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: 1 QB, 2 RB, 3WR, 1 TE, 1 Flex (RB/WR/TE), 1 K, 1 DST, 6 bench spots
No restrictions on when to draft positional players: I tend to be one of the last to draft a QB or sometimes TE, but I still like to be aware if players are falling in a specific draft. This feature sets Draft Hero apart so I keep no limits on recommendations.
No K or DST 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.
1 QB, TE, K, D/ST: For this mock, I want to simulate a league that has a more advanced approach to roster construction, so I’m switching the maximum number of the “onesie” positions to just one. This can be done by going to League Settings from the Home page and selecting the Rosters Tab. With only 15 rounds, this creates a more realistic approach to the modern draft.
ADP Settings: For this particular draft, I changed the ADP from the default to a custom one that favors half-PPR. Once we move a bit farther into draft season, choosing the hosting site, in this case, Yahoo, should provide your optimal draft strategy.

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 | 16

Round 1, Pick 1 (1) - RB Christian McCaffrey, Panthers

Christian McCaffrey is the centerpiece of the Carolina offense and should repeat his RB1 performance from 2019 if he remains healthy. His 142 targets from last season were the most on record for a running back since PFR began tracking them in 1992 and combined with carries, the Panthers’ back led the league in total touches (387) and was second only to Lamar Jackson in half-PPR points per game (26.1). It’s a no-brainer for me and I smash that draft button.

It should be noted that Draft Hero also gave me Michael Thomas and Travis Kelce, in the event you prefer a different 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: Ezekiel Elliott

Round 2, Pick 12 (24) - WR Kenny Golladay, Lions

Despite losing Matthew Stafford midway through the season, Kenny Golladay quietly ended 2019 as the WR5 in half-PPR formats. His size and speed create a nightmare matchup for opposing secondaries and if his QB can stay upright in 2020, Golladay should be in line for a WR1 output.

If Lamar Jackson had fallen to me here, I may have debated drafting him and pairing him with Mark Andrews with my next pick. However, taking a set of high-end WRs feels like the right move.

Suggested Alternatives: Patrick Mahomes, Mark Andrews, Mike Evans, Allen Robinson

My Top Alternative: Allen Robinson