Perfect Draft: 2nd in a 12-Team Yahoo! Half-PPR League

Aug 30, 2021

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The second spot in fantasy football drafts usually comes down to two players: Dalvin Cook and Alvin Kamara, as Christian McCaffrey is the consensus first overall pick. Originally, Cook was the clear-cut choice at pick two, but with Michael Thomas out for a few weeks and Jameis Winston now starting at quarterback, Kamara should see a ton of volume, putting him firmly in play. Whichever player you choose, there’s no real wrong answer, as each back should have huge roles with upside in the passing game. It just comes down to personal preference.

The great part about choosing second is that there’s a great chance you’ll have a stud young wide receiver, like A.J. Brown, Justin Jefferson or DK Metcalf fall to you in the second round. You’ll also have the opportunity to secure an elite tight end like Darren Waller or George Kittle in the early third round. This is my preferred start when drafting from this slot because it really provides balance for the top end of your roster.

In this article, I’ll go through a perfect draft with the second 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, 2 WR, 1 TE, 1 Flex (WR/RB/TE), 1 Kicker, 1 DEF, six bench spots.
No restrictions on when to draft positional players: In most standard-sized leagues, I prefer to take a quarterback in the late rounds, but I still want to know when a player is falling past their average draft position (ADP).
No Kicker or Defense 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 1 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 at one, mock drafts become much more challenging and realistic, especially in leagues like this one where there are only 15 roster spots.
Targets: A.J. Brown and Darren Waller. 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 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 2 (2) - RB Dalvin Cook, Vikings

Despite having thoughts about Alvin Kamara, I had to go with Dalvin Cook. The Vikings running back is slated for another huge role in a run-heavy offense. He’ll be running behind an improved offensive line with the addition of first-round rookie offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw. It’s an added bonus that Cook will get to face the sieve-like Detroit Lions defense twice. Cook finished as the RB1 in half-PPR points per game last season.

The half-PPR format put Cook ahead of Kamara. I would have gone with Kamara in a full PPR league because of Kamara’s incoming massive target share with Michael Thomas out until midseason. Cook is a safe pick with fantastic upside, with the only real risk being with injury. He should remain an elite RB1 in the 2021 season. I’ll look for a wide receiver in the second round.

Suggested Alternatives: Tyreek Hill, Davante Adams, Derrick Henry

My Top Alternative: Alvin Kamara