So you’re drafting a fantasy football team? Welcome to your new obsession. You might be going into the process thinking, “Let me just grab the best players and claim a championship.” I’m so happy it isn’t that easy, or else I wouldn’t have a job.
Strategies vary depending on the type of league you are in. Several variations of fantasy football leagues range from the number of designated positions to the scoring system. The basic scoring systems are standard and PPR scoring.
What is the difference? PPR stands for points per reception, which means you can earn points every time your player makes a catch. In standard leagues, catches don’t earn points. So, your drafting strategy will differ between these types of leagues. Let’s look at some PPR draft strategies.
- 2024 Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- 2024 Dynasty Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- 2024 Best Ball Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- Free Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator
Fantasy Football Draft Strategies to Win Your PPR League
WR1 Is Important
If you’re going to play in a PPR league you want players who will get the ball. Wide receivers like CeeDee Lamb, Tyreek Hill, Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase and Amon-Ra St. Brown who will have 100 catches. They will go early in your draft, so grab at least one of them in the first two rounds.
You do not want to wait for this position. You could get lucky and maybe you find this year’s Puka Nacua, but your top receiver will most likely be on a heavier-run team or have an unproven quarterback, leaving you frustrated.
While they won’t be unknown, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Malik Nabers are thought to come in and immediately receive a large number of targets, so they could be excellent choices a little later.
Find the Dual Threat Running Back
There are a couple of outliers to the previous rule. Christian McCaffrey led 2023 in scrimmage yards. Breece Hall was fourth and led all running backs in catches. Those are two players you could pick early who can carry your team.
After that, you might want to wait, but you should target dual-threat running backs, players who will run the ball but are also a factor in the passing game. They will get you points on the reception, but they will also play a lot of snaps, including passing downs.
Now you have to find one that will get the necessary usage to help you. In 2023, 20 running backs had 40+ catches; of those, only five had 1,000+ rushing yards (Christian McCaffrey, Travis Etienne Jr., Tony Pollard, Joe Mixon, James Cook). Of those five, only McCaffrey had more than 500 receiving yards.
McCaffrey is the consensus top pick in PPR drafts, Etienne will be around a second-round pick and Cook should go a couple of rounds later, Mixon moves over to the Houston Texans and is their presumed featured back. Pollard is now in Tennessee, where, at best, he’ll split carries with Tyjae Spears.
You can also look at some players who had high usage in the passing game but didn’t reach 1,000 rushing yards. Bijan Robinson and Rachaad White are players who came close to that threshold and are good enough to reach it.
Worry About Quarterback Later
In this scoring system, waiting on a quarterback is the ideal strategy. That could even mean until the last few rounds.
In most PPR drafts, quarterbacks tend to be taken later, but there are a few exceptions. Someone will go after the top-tier ones like Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts or Lamar Jackson. They will go in the earlier rounds. While you get someone who will likely finish at the top of the position, you have to consider if you would rather miss out on strengthening the aforementioned more critical positions.
You could wait because other quarterbacks like Jordan Love, Jared Goff, Baker Mayfield, Matthew Stafford and C.J. Stroud, who were all top-11 fantasy quarterbacks last year, will be available later in the draft after you have built roster depth.
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