Perfect Draft: 10-Team PPR (updated Sept. 1)


You should go into every fantasy draft with a general plan of attack.

Of course, you’ll need to be able to adjust throughout the draft and pounce on value wherever it presents itself. That’s where the Draft War Room with customized, dynamic rankings comes into play.

But building a round-by-round strategy beforehand certainly helps. That’s exactly what we’re doing with the Perfect Draft series — using the Draft War Room and ADP to get an idea of where the value will be in each round.

This is the 10-Team PPR Perfect Draft. Each strategy guide assumes 16-round drafts and starting lineups of 1 QB, 2 RBs, 2 WRs, 1 TE, 1 Flex, 1 K and 1 DST. The Draft War Room will help you adjust your strategy if your league settings are different.

Note: Sept. 1 updates are in bold. Remember to check your Draft War Room for the most up-to-date rankings customized to your league's rules.


Pick 1, 2 or 3

Round 1

RB: Christian McCaffrey, Jonathan Taylor
WR: Cooper Kupp

I had the #1 pick standing along for this article last year. We’re grouping the top 3 this time, however, because there’s not so clear a break in the projections.

If you start 2 WRs each week, then you’ll most likely see McCaffrey leading the way in your Draft War Room. Kupp and then Taylor likely follow, in close enough proximity that you can choose your favorite – or feel good about whichever player reaches you.

McCaffrey’s extreme receiving ceiling still gives him the most upside at the position. And his injury risk isn’t as high as you might expect, relative to other high-volume RBs.

If you still just feel comfier with Taylor, that’s fine. Just know that he needs more TD luck than either McCaffrey or Kupp to pay off here.

If you start 3 WRs, then Kupp jumps to the top of the board – probably by a wide margin. And Justin Jefferson likely leaps ahead of the RBs as well.

Starting with a WR at #1 overall might feel strange, but it’ll likely be easier to find RBs you like than pretty WRs over the next few turns.