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 brand new 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 12-Team Non-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 DEF. The Draft War Room will help you adjust your strategy if your league settings are different.
Note: Sept. 3 updates in bold.
Round 1
RB: Christian McCaffrey, Dalvin Cook, Derrick Henry, Ezekiel Elliott
You’re going RB here. McCaffrey is the clear top choice. About 10 projected points separate Cook from Henry and Henry from Elliott.
Round 2
RB: Joe Mixon, Clyde Edwards-Helaire
WR: A.J. Brown, Justin Jefferson
TE: Darren Waller
Expect to see RBs topping your rankings again here -- especially if Mixon is still available.
If Mixon and Edwards-Helaire are gone, consider pivoting to Brown, Jefferson or Waller.
Round 3
RB: Chris Carson, James Robinson, David Montgomery
WR: A.J. Brown, Justin Jefferson
TE: Darren Waller
The WRs and Waller look good again here.
If you have just 1 RB at this point, Carson and Dobbins are worth a look.
J.K. Dobbins was removed from consideration here. Robinson and Montgomery added. Aim to have 2 RBs plus a WR or TE through 3 rounds.