Who Should I Draft with the 4th Pick in Fantasy Football

To nail your fantasy football draft, you need the right strategy, along with savvy player takes. This article outlines the best player to draft with the fourth overall pick, along with tips for filling out the remainder of your roster based on ADP and specific scoring settings.

Our Perfect Draft series covers multiple draft spots in various scoring formats and league sizes using Draft Hero software. Find your perfect draft today!

Here are the current Perfect Drafts from the 4th spot:

• Perfect Draft: 4th in a 12-Team ESPN PPR League

Standard League: RB Bijan Robinson, Falcons

Bijan Robinson’s coaching staff must have rostered Falcons backup running back Tyler Allgeier in fantasy football last season. Robinson out-carried Allgeier by a slim margin 214-186, despite averaging a robust 4.6 yards per carry to Allgeier’s paltry 3.7. Touchdowns are paramount in standard scoring leagues, and Allgeier actually out-touched Robinson 37-31 within 20 yards of the end zone.

There was also the headache game, where Robinson carried the ball just once for three yards in Week 7. Removing that strange anomaly, Robinson averaged 91 total yards per game, which would have ranked sixth-best at the running back position. With a new coaching staff that’s hinted at an even higher workload, plus Kirk Cousins replacing Desmond Ridder at quarterback, Robinson is set up for a filthy amount of yards and touchdowns – the two main food groups in standard scoring leagues.

Eight running backs and just four wide receivers reached 200 standard fantasy points last season. Beginning with Robinson is the right way to start your draft, positionally. Because Sam LaPorta was the lone tight end last season to even reach 150 points (153), we aren’t going to worry about drafting a tight end in Round 1 for standard leagues. Running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends all catch passes, yet standard scoring does not reward fantasy points per reception. This makes the quarterback position relatively more important since none of their fantasy scoring comes from catching passes. Seven quarterbacks reached 300 total fantasy points last year, while McCaffrey was the only non-quarterback to hit that mark in 2023.

The next three rounds will probably be some order of another running back, an anchor wide receiver in a top offense, and an elite fantasy quarterback. By Round 6, your team should have its quarterback, 2-3 running backs, 1-3 receivers, and potentially a tight end. Standard scoring leagues are the one popular format where flexing a running back is not just allowed, but encouraged.

Best Alternative Pick: Breece Hall or Tyreek Hill

If Hall is still on the draft board, he should be considered over Robinson here. For those wanting to start with a receiver, Hill is one of the few receivers who can actually rival running back scoring in standard. Hill has averaged an insane 1,778 yards and 10.5 touchdowns during his time in Miami.

PPR Scoring: RB Breece Hall, Jets

Usually, you’ll want to start your PPR drafts with a wide receiver, as they catch the most passes among all the fantasy-relevant positions. However, Hall is one of the exceptions. He just led all running backs with 76 receptions, and Aaron Rodgers’ return from an Achilles tear opens the door for more check-down opportunities once again.

The Jets’ offensive line looks like it’ll be one of the NFL’s better units after signing veterans Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses to play the offensive tackle positions. Alijah Vera-Tucker also returns from injury to fortify the interior. Hall was playing behind a patchwork offensive line last year, lining up next to backup quarterbacks defenses did not respect. Even still, he was the only back to reach 175 rushing yards multiple times last season.

Drafting multiple horses at wide receiver is the most important aspect of a PPR draft, so once Hall is on the squad, it’s time to pivot heavily to the receiver position. Aim for a wide receiver in Round 2 and Round 3, along with at least one more in Round 4 or 5. An elite quarterback and tight end can be considered in Rounds 4-6, too.

Most likely, drafting Hall with your first pick will signal the Hero RB strategy, where you load up at the other positions next, before double or triple-tapping running back beginning in Round 7 or 8.

Best Alternative Picks: Bijan Robinson or Ja’Marr Chase

Robinson quietly caught 58 passes for 487 yards last year on an extremely low-volume Falcons passing offense. Chase was pacing for 130 receptions, 1,550 yards, and nine touchdowns before Joe Burrow went down with an injury last year.

Half-PPR Scoring: Bijan Robinson

Standard scoring favors the running back position, while PPR fairly clearly favors early-round receivers. With half-PPR, the balance shifts slightly in favor of running backs once again. Since 2019, seven running backs and just two wide receivers have reached 20 half-PPR fantasy points per game.

Robinson offers the touchdown and yardage upside that matter in half-PPR formats as mentioned in the first section. Additionally, his strong pass-catching role ensures he’s always on the field, regardless of game script. The floor most weeks should be double-digit fantasy points, with 20 to 30 points always in his weekly range of outcomes.

For your next few rounds, blend the strategies from standard and PPR leagues. Elite quarterbacks are better in this format than PPR, yet matter slightly less than in standard leagues. Aim for three to four wide receivers by Round 6 or 7 in a half-PPR league to make sure you aren’t locked out of the position. It’s slightly easier to find competent running back starters in Round 7 or 8 than it is for the receiver position.

For a full 16-round draft with picks and explanations from the 1.04 spot see Pranav Rajaram's article as part of our Perfect Draft series.

Best Alternate Pick: Breece Hall, Tyreek Hill or Ja'Marr Chase

Hall should be the pick here if he’s still available. Hill and Chase are the two receivers on the board at this stage that can rival the fantasy output of elite running backs in the half-PPR format.

Superflex: RB Christian McCaffrey, 49ers

Generally, we’d advise taking a quarterback with your first pick in a superflex league. However, once Jalen Hurts, Josh Allen, and Patrick Mahomes are off the board, it’s time to snag McCaffrey.

He’s the one running back who has consistently scored like an elite fantasy quarterback year after year. Particularly if your superflex league has PPR scoring, then McCaffrey can add four to six fantasy points each week through receptions in a way that quarterbacks simply cannot. If your superflex league has standard scoring, it’s advisable to scroll down this article to look at the alternative options, since running back is no longer quite as preferred here.

If we start with a running back in Round 1, two of the next four picks should be quarterbacks to make sure you have two viable starters each week. In a 12-team league, 24 quarterbacks start in superflex leagues each week, and there are usually closer to 20 who you can count on for 15 or more points each week. Tight ends can often be deprioritized in superflex, so focus on two quarterbacks and two to three receivers over your next five picks.

Best Alternate Pick: Lamar Jackson

Jackson still holds the greatest fantasy season ever for a quarterback with his 2019 campaign. While he doesn’t run quite as prolifically now, he started showing flashes of increased passing upside last year.

Top Late-Round Targets

Late-round picks should complement your draft strategy from the early and middle rounds. For example, if your team includes several early receivers, take more shots on running backs late.

These ground rules for your fantasy bench should help you stay on track towards the end of your draft:

• If you took an elite quarterback or tight end, a second one is not needed

• Always keep at least two handcuff running backs on tap in case of injury

  • ​Prioritize your opponents’ backup running backs, as opposed to your own

• Stash at least one rookie or second-year player

• Wide receivers should be under the age of 29

• When deciding between two players, choose the younger option or the one on the better offense

Before outlining a couple of players that fit these bullet points, if your league starts a kicker and defense, wait until the final two rounds to fill these slots.

Chuba Hubbard: The Panthers traded up in the draft to select Jonathon Brooks early in Round 2, but all indications are he’s going to miss the first month of the NFL season. Hubbard tallied 277 touches last year, and he straight-up outplayed veteran Miles Sanders in 2023. He should be a useful flex-worthy piece early in the season, with contingent upside if anything negative happens to Brooks’ recovery.

Khalil Herbert: One thing we can all agree on? The Bears offense should be significantly better than years past now that superstar rookie Caleb Williams is in town. Herbert has a good chance to out-perform free agent addition D’Andre Swift on early downs, and should Swift go down, we’ve seen a high fantasy ceiling anytime Herbert starts games. He topped 100 rushing yards three times last year and had multiple targets in each of those starts, too.

Below, you can see a realistic 16-round draft with the fourth overall pick. The following table provides the round you can expect to draft each player in a typical, 12-team half-PPR fantasy league.