The quest to win your fantasy football league starts with the draft. Whether you have the first pick or the twelfth, there is value to be had at every stage, and with the proper blueprint, you can walk away with championship hardware at the end of the season.
If you landed the 1.08 pick, don’t fret. You might feel like you’re missing out on the early, league-winning studs, but that’s not true. In this article, I’ll give you all the tools you need to feel good about your roster when you walk away from your fantasy football drafts.
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Fantasy Football Draft Strategy & Advice: Drafting from 1.08 Pick
How to Draft from the 1.08 Position in 2023 Fantasy Football Drafts
It might seem like you’re missing out on early value out of the gate, but there is one clear advantage to having a pick in the middle of the pack. Managers drafting ahead of you in RD1 will have to wait as long as 22 slots to make their second pick. However, you won’t have to wait nearly as long, allowing you to immediately stack quality players in the first 17 selections.
First-Round Targets
The first round is where you set the tone for your draft and your entire fantasy football season. Holding the eighth pick means you’ll likely miss out on the top-tier fantasy RBs, but that’s fine. So, who will still be around at 1.08?
If you like to draft RBs early in drafts, you’ll still have your choice of some quality ball carriers
Josh Jacobs, the 2022 overall point-per-reception (PPR) RB3, has been falling to the back half of the first rounds of drafts as of late. Given the situation in Las Vegas with QB Jimmy Garoppolo, Jacobs could be in for a similar workload this season and has a shot again at being a top-tier RB.
Nothing the Tennessee Titans did this offseason indicates their offensive scheme will differ from last season. Derrick Henry landed as the overall PPR RB4 behind Jacobs, Christian McCaffery and Austin Ekeler in 2022 in a run-heavy attack. With no competition in the backfield yet again in 2023, Henry will be the bell cow for the Titans and should slot in as a top-5 PPR RB this season.
Heading into his sixth NFL season, Nick Chubb has finished worse than PPR RB15 only once, in his rookie season. The team allowed fellow RB Kareem Hunt to leave in free agency, and it appears head coach Kevin Stefanski is content to let Chubb carry the load in 2023.
If taking RBs early isn’t your jam, there’s a good chance you can snag one of these elite WRs at 1.08
If the best TE in fantasy football history is still available when the eighth pick comes around, you don’t argue with it; just say thank you. Kansas City didn’t make any splashes in free agency to acquire pass-catching help, and it looks like Travis Kelce will yet again be QB Patrick Mahomes‘ number-one target in 2023.
The Minnesota Vikings selected WR Jordan Addison with the 23rd overall pick, which could have some managers nervous about a dip in volume for Justin Jefferson. However, the more likely scenario is that Addison makes it more difficult to defend this receiving corps overall, and Jefferson finishes as the overall PPR WR1 yet again in 2023.
Just like the energizer bunny, Tyreek Hill never stops going. Hill, who finished 2022 as the overall PPR WR2, is primed to repeat that stellar performance as Tua Tagovailoa‘s primary target.
After suffering a devastating knee injury nine weeks into the 2022 season, WR Cooper Kupp is back and ready to roll. QB Matt Stafford‘s primary target finished last season as the PPR WR23 despite missing the entire second half. His floor is a low-end WR2 with an overall PPR WR1 ceiling.
The Next Two Rounds
Now that you’ve landed your stud, it’s time to build out the core of your roster. Regardless of how you decide to approach RD1, your focus in the next four rounds should be to find talent, irrespective of position. My preference in RD1 would be Justin Jefferson, which leaves a need for a high-end RB. Nick Chubb and Travis Etienne will likely remain available and are solid choices at 2.05. If you decide to go RB in RD1, snagging an elite receiver should be your priority here. A.J. Brown and Amon-Ra St. Brown fit the bill and should be available to pick.
When it comes to RD3, this is a get-your-guy situation. This is a great time to grab a TE. Kelce and Mark Andrews will be gone, but T.J. Hockenson, the 2023 TE2, and George Kittle will be ripe for the taking.
Building Depth
You should feel good about your fantasy football roster through three rounds of your draft. You’ve locked in a top-tier WR and RB and could have found a steal at TE. These first three picks will be the heart of your roster, but they can’t do it alone.
My best advice is to draft WRs early and often. While there is a fair amount of depth at the position, quality, reliable pass-catchers aren’t as plentiful. Receivers I’m targeting include Amari Cooper, Jerry Jeudy and Christian Kirk.
Once I’ve locked down my receivers, filling out my RB room becomes the priority. Isiah Pacheco and A.J. Dillon are two players in situations that could lead to high-end RB2 production at a fraction of the cost.
When To Draft a QB
In non-Superflex formats, I wait on drafting a QB until the middle rounds. While you might miss out on top names like Justin Fields, Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes, you’ll still land a quality signal caller without sacrificing depth at other positions.
Daniel Jones, Tua Tagovailoa and Kirk Cousins will all likely be on the board in RD9 or later. Tua has the most upside of the group, and I’ve been snatching him up in almost every draft this offseason. If he stays healthy, he could easily be a top-5 QB in 2023.
Example Draft from the 1.08
I conducted a mock draft using the FantasyPros Draft Wizard from the 1.08 draft position in the name of science. After all was said and done, I received an A- grade on my mock draft.
Here are the results:
- Pick 1.08 Justin Jefferson (WR – MIN)
- Pick 2.05 Nick Chubb (RB – CLE)
- Pick 3.08 T.J. Hockenson (TE – MIN)
- Pick 4.05 Amari Cooper (WR – CLE)
- Pick 5.08 Jerry Jeudy (WR – DEN)
- Pick 6.05 Christian Kirk (WR – JAC)
- Pick 7.08 Isiah Pacheco (RB – KC)
- Pick 8.05 A.J. Dillon (RB – GB)
- Pick 9.08 Tua Tagovailoa (QB – MIA)
- Pick 10.05 Evan Engram (TE – JAC)
- Pick 11.08 Hunter Renfrow (WR – LV)
- Pick 12.05 D’Onta Foreman (RB – CHI)
- Pick 13.08 Curtis Samuel (WR – WAS)
- Pick 14.05 Chuba Hubbard (RB – CAR)
- Pick 15.08 Darius Slayton (WR – NYG)
- Pick 16.05 Pierre Strong (RB – NE)
- Pick 17.08 Jordan Love (QB – GB)
- Pick 18.05 Parris Campbell (WR – NYG)
- Pick 19.08 Tyler Bass (K – BUF)
- Pick 20.05 Cincinnati Bengals (D/ST)
More Draft Pick Slot 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 1.06
- How to Draft from the 1.07
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Nate Polvogt is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Nate, check out his archive and follow him @NatePolvogt.
