If there was ever a year to have the sixth pick in a fantasy football draft, 2023 is a good one. With no clear consensus top five this year, I’m content with a slightly later pick because I know I’ll still land a really good player to start my team regardless.

I also like picking in the middle because it offers some protection from positional runs and provides a bit more flexibility as you bob and weave throughout the draft.

So how should you go about handling the sixth position in your upcoming draft? I break down my full strategy for you here.

More Draft Pick Advice

• How to Draft from the 1.01
• How to Draft from the 1.02
• How to Draft from the 1.03
• How to Draft from the 1.04
• How to Draft from the 1.05

How to Draft from the 1.02 Position in 2023 Fantasy Football Drafts

You’ll have great options at Pick 1.06

When I wrote about how to strategize while picking from the third position, I mentioned that many players could make a case to go third overall. Justin Jefferson, Austin Ekeler, Saquon Barkley, Bijan Robinson, Jonathan Taylor, and even Ja’Marr Chase all are viable choices there. But there’s a good chance at least one of these guys will be available at pick 1.06.

In my mock draft research for this article, Barkley and Taylor were on the board in all of my mocks. Robinson and Chase were also available a couple times.

While I likely wouldn’t consider Chase with the sixth pick unless the top five tailbacks were off the board, you could wind up drafting the No. 1 RB in fantasy at sixth overall. Even in Round 1, the potential value is exceptional.

Now it’s a matter of choosing the right guy. I’m far more comfortable taking Bijan at 1.06 than I am in the top three. But I’ll likely still lean with Saquon Barkley, who has the highest ceiling in my opinion. I love Taylor as a bounce-back candidate, but I’d understand if you’d rather stay away from the Colts offense given their quarterback uncertainty.

Who you pick is purely your preference, but I’d feel good about just about anyone I land with this pick.

Picking 6th gives you the opportunity to be flexible – take advantage

Another advantage of picking in the middle of your drafts is that you’re in prime position to take advantage of players that slip as your opponents focus on filling starting spots. For instance, Derrick Henry and Nick Chubb slipped to me at pick 2.07 in several mock drafts. Don’t be afraid to pounce on the value in situations like that, even if it comes at the sacrifice of early roster imbalance.

In this case, I took running backs with my first two picks. While I’m normally a proponent of balance, I also know that it’s far easier to find starting receivers than running backs.

In most cases, players such as Rhamondre Stevenson, A.J. Brown, Breece Hall, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Garrett Wilson were often still available by pick 2.07. I tend to take the wideout here, with Brown or Wilson as my preferred choices.

Round 3 is where the decisions start to get tougher. The most commonly available players at pick 3.06 were Tee Higgins, DeVonta Smith, and Kenneth Walker. Higgins is certainly enticing, but I recommend Walker, as running backs start to get dramatically uglier after he’s off the board. While I’ve written about my interest in J.K. Dobbins and Cam Akers, I’d rather draft them as RB3s given their uncertainty.

Round 4 is where I tend to deviate a bit from our Expert Consensus Rankings. If Akers is on the board, I’ll take him. But in most cases, he wasn’t. I can’t stand the highs and lows with Amari Cooper, so I’ll pass on him. Dalvin Cook‘s future is uncertain, so he’s in “do not draft” territory until we get some resolution. Miles Sanders is a massive regression candidate going from Philadelphia to Carolina, and Dameon Pierce could see himself in a committee with Devin Singletary.

This is partially why I recommend taking a running back in Round 3 and looking for a WR2 in Round 4. Deebo Samuel and D.J. Moore are definitely options here. If neither of them are available, I tend to gravitate a bit further down the board to Drake London, who I believe is poised for a year two breakout.

When to take your QB

If you’ve been following my other “how to draft from” articles in this series, you know that I’m targeting either Justin Fields, Justin Herbert, or Trevor Lawrence as my quarterback. However, that’s more a plan than a hard rule. I don’t feel as comfortable taking either quarterback in the middle of the sixth round when players like Javonte Williams and Diontae Johnson are still on the board.

In most of these mock draft exercises, I ultimately waited awhile to grab my quarterback and tight end, as I was often enticed by the value falling to me at running back and wide receiver.

Obviously, it’s critical to read the draft room when deciding when to take your quarterback. If you have a sense quarterbacks will go early, then adapt your strategy accordingly. In this case, I’ve waited until Rounds 10 or 11 in most mocks to grab my signal caller.

Oftentimes, I’m passing on guys like Daniel Jones, Tua Tagovailoa, Kirk Cousins, and Geno Smith and drafting Aaron Rodgers as my starter. Rodgers has a higher ceiling than all four of those passers who are ranked ahead of him and when you’re taking a QB this late, you might as well shoot for the moon.

Example Draft for Picking 1.06

Below is a sample draft that I conducted, picking sixth overall. For what it’s worth, the Draft Wizard gave it an A grade. Feel free to use this as a guide.

• Pick 1.06: Saquon Barkley (RB – NYG)
• Pick 2.07: A.J. Brown (WR – PHI)
• Pick 3.06: Kenneth Walker (RB – SEA)
• Pick 4.07: Deebo Samuel (WR – SF)
• Pick 5.06: Drake London (WR – ATL)
• Pick 6.07: Javonte Williams (RB – DEN)
• Pick 7.06: Diontae Johnson (WR – PIT)
• Pick 8.07: Khalil Herbert (RB – CHI)
• Pick 9.06: Gabe Davis (WR – BUF)
• Pick 10.07: Jeff Wilson (RB – MIA)
• Pick 11.06: Darnell Mooney (WR – CHI)
• Pick 12.07: Aaron Rodgers (QB – NYJ)
• Pick 13.06: Juwan Johnson (TE – NO)

More Fantasy Football Draft Strategy & Advice

• More Fantasy Football Advice
• Snake Draft Pick Strategy: Early | Middle | Late
• Draft Targets for Every Round: Early | Middle | Late
• Fantasy Football Draft Strategy

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | SoundCloud | iHeartRadio