Perfect Fantasy Football Draft: 5th in a 12-Team ESPN PPR League

Drafting from the number five spot in 2023 ESPN fantasy football leagues allows you to grab a tier-two player (tier one only being Justin Jefferson and Ja'Marr Chase) early and still gain the advantage of snagging premium players in the first five rounds. It also prevents you from falling at the end of most positional runs in your league.

There are plenty of options with the fifth pick, but only one perfect pick. Bijan Robinson is the youngest elite running back in the league and a near-lock for 300+ touches in a weak division. From there, you can capitalize on some of ESPN's full-PPR scoring ADP and offseason injury discounts.

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 Fourth

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

You should be flexible in every draft. Odds are, if you hold firm to one strategy, you will reach and miss value, but if things fall according to ESPN ADP, my go-to draft strategy is:

• Bijan Robinson or premium WR (Hill or Kupp)
• BPA (Best Player Available) with an edge to wide receivers
• Try to Flex a wide receiver
• Get a top-5 QB
• Wait on TE
• Balance my bench (Going QB/TE in the first five rounds means you need upside at the RB/WR position more than your league mates)

Round 1, Pick 5 (5) - RB Bijan Robinson, Falcons

Bijan Robinson, the prince that was promised, or something like that. Bijan is finally in the NFL, and while it might feel early to snag him in your league, you won't regret the decision. Whether on the ground or through the air, the Atlanta Falcons are one of the most running back focused teams in the NFL. While there has been talk of Tyler Allgeier still being involved in Arthur Smith's offense, it shouldn't hurt Robinson's chances of hitting 20+ touches a game in his rookie season. The benefit of Robinson is that he can make an impact in every phase of the game, and even as a running back, he is unlikely to be affected by the game script.

My top alternatives: Tyreek Hill, Cooper Kupp

Round 2, Pick 8 (20) - WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, Lions

If you read my Perfect Draft article for the fourth pick, you recognize the answer here, but it's too good to pass up if you are anywhere in this range. The Sun God is the safest pick at wide receiver not named Justin Jefferson or Ja'Marr Chase. With Jameson Williams dealing with a six-game suspension and T.J. Hockenson now a Minnesota Viking, St. Brown is the only high-volume target earner returning on this offense from last season. Early in the season, he is a lock for a nine-target per game floor, which is virtually unheard of. He saw three games last season where he had less than nine targets, and he was injured or hobbled in all of them. St. Brown saw double-digit targets in half of his games last season. 2023 is coming up all Sun God Season, and he has a shot to vie for the WR1 overall.

My top alternatives: Jaylen Waddle, DK Metcalf

Round 3, Pick 5 (29) - RB Jahmyr Gibbs, Lions

I did not think I would ever recommend two Detroit Lions in a row, but here we are. When it comes to first-round running backs, history tells us we should be drafting them early and often. In 2023, we were gifted Bijan Robinson and Gibbs. Both should be top-12 running backs this year, but only Gibbs can be a league-winner, going two to three rounds later than Robinson. The only knock on Gibbs is that he is 199 lbs, not 200. That’s it. Gibbs has elite speed and burst and is one of the best route-runners and receivers out of the backfield that we have seen from a prospect since Christian McCaffrey. In PPR leagues, Gibbs should be a top-10 running back. Gibbs could see 100+ targets in 2023, and you can snag him at the end of the third or early fourth round.

My top alternatives: DeVonta Smith, Chris Olave

Round 4, Pick 8 (44) - QB Justin Fields, Bears

Locking up a premier quarterback this year is more critical than ever. Last year showed us that there is a steep cliff after you hit the QB5-6, and you do not want to be on the wrong side of that cliff. Justin Fields was already QB6 in PPG last season. If he has even a marginal improvement in his play, QB6 is likely his floor for this season. He is an elite rushing quarterback who got drafted on his merit as a passer in college. Fields is putting the league on notice this year, and you are acquiring him at his floor.

My top alternatives: Justin Herbert, Amari Cooper

Round 5, Pick 5 (53) - WR D.J. Moore, Bears

When looking at the wide receiver position, there are few left that provide the upside of D.J. Moore. Moore has been a WR2 for five of the last six years. Here is a list of his starting quarterbacks in that time: Cam Newton, Taylor Heinicke, Kyle Allen, Will Grier, Teddy Bridgewater, P.J. Walker, Sam Darnold, and Baker Mayfield. He now gets Justin Fields. Moore has averaged 14.5 yards per catch over his career and had his career-high in touchdowns (7) last season. While he may have a difficult time finding his way to 160 targets, he may not need it in an improved offense with his playmaking ability. Moore is an excellent addition as a team's WR2 or WR3 for the 2023 season.

My top alternatives: Diontae Johnson, Alvin Kamara

Round 6, Pick 8 (68) - RB James Cook, Bills

The best way to win at running back is to focus on high-powered offenses and versatility. Enter James Cook. In 2022, Cook was third in yards per touch and first in breakaway run rate. The concerns about Damien Harris joining the team this offseason are real, but thus far in the preseason, we have seen Cook dominate snaps with the starters, and in Week 3, he saw over 70% of the rush attempts and a 17% target share. Cook may not have much goal-line opportunity, but he should make up for that as a pass-catcher. He is one of my favorite values at the running back position, and adding him nearly 70 picks into the draft feels unfair for the rest of your league.

My top alternatives: Javonte Williams, Brandon Aiyuk

Round 7, Pick 5 (77) - WR George Pickens, Steelers

George Pickens is one of the most polarizing players in fantasy football. Posting over 800 yards and four touchdowns in his rookie season, Pickens looks like he is primed for a big Year 2 in Pittsburgh. Pickens is now two years removed from an ACL injury and continuing to build chemistry with Kenny Pickett. All reports out of camp are that he is running a more complete route tree, where he already saw solid success rates in short and intermediate areas of the field. Adding Pickens in your Flex allows you to have a high-upside player who is guaranteed to be an integral part of his offense—he is one of my flag plant players at the position. You may be drafting the next A.J. Green.

My top alternatives: Drake London, Christian Kirk

Round 8, Pick 8 (92) - QB Kirk Cousins, Vikings

In his first year in Kevin O'Connell's offense, Kirk Cousins had the most pass attempts of his career, second-most yards in his career, was fourth in pass attempts in the NFL, and ninth in passer rating. The Vikings added T.J. Hockenson and Jordan Addison, and moved on from Dalvin Cook. Cousins is going nearly 100 picks into the draft because he doesn't provide anything as a rusher, but he is a dark horse to lead the league in passing yards in 2023.

My top alternatives: D'Andre Swift, Dak Prescott

Round 9, Pick 5 (101) - WR Jordan Addison, Vikings

Jordan Addison is another young player to add to your roster, but when we look at the marriage of talent and situation, it's hard to argue drafting Addison, especially since you drafted his quarterback last round. Last season, Cousins had the most pass attempts of his career and the fourth most passing attempts in the NFL. The Vikings lost Adam Thielen and Dalvin Cook. Addison is stepping into an enormous opportunity as the WR2 for Minnesota and has a chance to lead all rookie WRs in receiving yards.

My top alternatives: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Courtland Sutton

Round 10, Pick 8 (116) - WR Jahan Dotson, Commanders

Round 10 is where I start to draft for upside. ADP should be mostly out the window, and you should target your guys. Dotson is an enormous value right now due to Terry McLaurin's injury. Sure, McLaurin may be back soon, but in the meantime, Dotson can establish himself as a force in the Commander's offense. With an improved offense, the emergence of Sam Howell as a potential franchise quarterback, and the addition of Eric Bieniemy as offensive coordinator, Dotson has a chance to be a true breakout player in 2023. Last season, he scored seven touchdowns on only 35 receptions. With an entire season under his belt now, you should buy Dotson everywhere, especially in the 10th round.

My top alternatives: Zay Flowers, Treylon Burks

Top Late-Round Targets

Late-round picks are primarily dependent on how I drafted in the early rounds—strong wide receiver teams will take more late shots at running back, while strong running back teams should typically eye more wide receivers toward the end of drafts. The only real caveat I have for anyone drafting fifth is that because you waited on the tight end position, you need to find two options with a path to either volume or touchdown opportunity. Those are the keys to success at tight end.

Going with a tight end and quarterback early also allows you to not draft backups or roster handcuffs at those positions in your late draft. When it comes to kickers and defenses, the rule is they are your last two picks. If you are not drafting online, I am not afraid to not draft a kicker and wait until Week 1 rolls around to add my kicker.