Best fantasy football picks from each round

Good morning, good evening, and good day! The fantasy football season is nigh and we are suited up to battle in those fantasy trenches! Today I’ll take us through a half PPR, 12 team draft using ADP as my guide. I’ll give a target I like for the first ten rounds while discussing some strategy along the way.

Round 1

For the first round, I very much want to get a running back. Here we have the best to choose from, so it is hard to go wrong, but I do have my favorites.

Bijan Robinson, RB, Falcons (ADP, 2)

Robinson left a little meat on the bone last season, as his workload increased after Week 6. He still had a great year despite the slow start, accumulating 1,887 yards and 15 touchdowns along with 61 receptions. He finished third in running back PPR fantasy points behind Jahmyr Gibbs and Saquon Barkley. Those two are of course great picks, but Gibbs did see elevated usage when David Montgomery went down last season, which shot him over the top in fantasy at the end of the season, while Barkley touched the ball 482 times on the way to a Super Bowl ring. I’ll take Robinson here, who will continue to see huge usage, while Gibbs will need to continue his great per touch efficiency. Robinson also doesn’t have as much wear and tear on his body as Barkley, and we should expect the Eagles to throw a little more than they did in 2024.

Ashton Jeanty, RB, Raiders (ADP, 10)

Jeanty often goes around the first turn of your draft, which is where I like to get him if I have a draft position around 10-12. You’re taking a small leap of faith with a rookie, but even if he isn’t quite as good as what we’ve seen from him in college, we know he’s still going to get all the work he can handle. The Raiders should also be better with Geno Smith under center and Pete Carroll as head coach.

I want running backs over stud wide receivers in the first round due to the fact that there are a ton of good wide receivers with first round upside going in the third, fourth, and fifth rounds. On the other hand, running backs who handle huge workloads both on the ground and through the air are hard to find that late.

Round 2

I’m still looking for a running back here, but at this point there’s a chance your league mates had the same idea and went heavy into the position and left you with a wide receiver you just can’t pass on. For this endeavor we’ll just stick with ADP though.

Josh Jacobs, RB, Packers (ADP, 14)

Jacobs was very good last season, finishing with 1,671 total yards and 16 touchdowns. Those numbers came after a slow start to the season and a game he only carried the ball six times in Week 18. The Packers will once again be run heavy, as they ran the ball the fifth-most in the league last year and they also just added Micah Parsons to their defense. The closer the games, the more chances Jacobs gets.

Jacobs isn’t as flashy as some other picks, but he led the league in forced missed tackles last season per PFF and also rated as the second-best receiving back. Add in Jaylen Reed’s Jones fracture and Marshawn Lloyd’s continued injury trouble and I don’t see how Jacobs isn’t the engine behind this offense once again.

Round 3

Round 3 is where you likely need to take a quarterback if you want one of the Top 4 of Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Jayden Daniels, or Jalen Hurts. Those are the only QBs I’d take this early in the draft, as their rushing ability gives them a great floor to help with consistency, while their passing ability can give them huge spike weeks when added to their rushing stats. When you can get a player with floor AND upside advantages, you take him.

Jayden Daniels, QB, Commanders (ADP, 29)

There is a chance that Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson are available here, but ADP has them right at the end of round 2 for the most part. If they do last, I prefer Jackson in the third, but Daniels is right up there and I still feel great taking him here. Yes, we’re behind the 8-ball when it comes to wide receivers to start, but I still feel good about the middle round receivers in comparison to the running backs and quarterbacks.

Round 4

Terry McLaurin, WR, Commanders (ADP, 43)

This isn’t best ball, so stacking isn’t imperative, but I still like it in redraft if it comes naturally, which it does here with the Daniels-McLaurin duo. McLaurin was WR7 in PPR leagues last season and is currently going as WR18 in ADP. There is concern he won’t hit 13 touchdowns again, as his previous high was seven his rookie year. The good news is that he also didn’t have Jayden Daniels as his QB in any of those seasons other than the one he caught 13 touchdowns! He’s still the No. 1 target, Daniels should continue to improve, and they have a Top 10 offensive line.

Round 5

George Pickens, WR, Cowboys (ADP, 60)

I love the receivers in the fifth round and I have trouble choosing between Xavier Worthy, Tetairoa McMillan, and George Pickens. If I could pick those three as my three starters, I’d be happy. But, I’m going to lean Pickens here because I see the most fantasy upside in Dallas’ offense. They are going to throw the ball as much or more than anyone in the league because they don’t have a running back they can rely on and their defense (now without Parsons) gives up big plays as their norm. I expect plenty of shootouts in Big D. You may be able to get Pickens in the sixth round, so if you can make it happen, I could see waiting, but I wanted to point out how much I like Pickens this season.

Round 6

Calvin Ridley, WR, Titans (ADP, 68)

Ridley has put up two 1,000 yard seasons since returning from his gambling suspension and he did so with some truly bad quarterback play. This season he gets Cam Ward as his quarterback and should be in line for a better statistical year, and more touchdown opportunities. Ward is unproven, but he is a very good deep ball passer, which should fit Ridley well.

Round 7

Ricky Pearsall, WR, 49ers (ADP, 81)

The 49ers let Deebo Samuel go this offseason, while Brandon Aiyuk is recovering from a torn MCL and ACL. His return date is up in the air, but it looks like it could be around mid-season.The 49ers also have had terrible injury luck with receivers this offseason and Jauan Jenning is dealing with a calf issue while also trying to get a new contract. How hurt he really is, is unknown, but we know he hasn’t practiced and we’re getting very close to real games.

Pearsall had two big games to end last season after recovering from a gunshot wound early in the year. He should go into Week 1 as the No. 1 receiver and could hold onto that position all year in an always strong Kyle Shanahan offense

Round 8

Jordan Mason, RB, Vikings (ADP, 85)

The Vikings offense ranked ninth in total points last season with Sam Darnold as their quarterback. J.J. McCarthy will take over for Darnold, who signed a deal in Seattle, and I see no reason to believe he can’t be as good or better than him this season. Plus, the offensive line should be one of the best in the league after upgrading their interior this offseason. That all sets up well for Mason, who will share work with Aaron Jones in the backfield. Mason isn’t going to be an every down back, but he should be able to beat out Jones for early down work to start the season and be in line for plenty of scoring opportunities.

Round 9

Zach Charbonnet, RB, Seahawks (ADP, 98)

The Seahawks are going to run the ball a lot this season off of play-action under new OC Klint Kubiak. That should be helpful to Kenneth Walker and Charbonnet. Both backs have good fantasy upside when given the opportunity. Walker is that starter now, but injuries continue to be a concern, as he has dealt with a foot problem this preseason. There’s also been a fairly loud drumbeat for Charbonnet, who has looked good whenever he’s gotten more work due to a Walker injury. At worst, he’s a backup poised to be in the RB1 conversation if Walker misses time.

Round 10

Colston Loveland, TE, Bears (ADP, 116)

I like plenty of tight ends from the tenth round down, so grabbing Loveland here isn’t an imperative, but I do love his upside compared to others in this spot. He was an early first round pick by the Bears new head coach Ben Johnson this year. Johnson wanted to get more passing work toward the middle of the field for Caleb Williams and I expect Loveland will be key in that plan. The rookie wasn’t drafted to block, and should be used in the slot plenty. Plus, the Bears upgraded their offensive line this offseason enough to expect good protection without Loveland needing to chip linebackers. We’ve already seen Johnson turn rookie Sam LaPorta into a top fantasy tight end and Loveland appears to be an even better prospect.

Round 11 and beyond

A lot depends on how many bench spots you have, but no matter the number of spots, I much rather have upside players on my bench than consistent, low ceiling players. In redraft, you can always find replacements for bench players if your upside picks aren’t working out early on.

Some higher upside picks I like later in drafts — Josh Downs, Jaydon Blue, Bhayshul Tuten, Rashid Shaheed, Trey Benson, Marvin Mims, Darnell Mooney, Ray Davis, Ollie Gordon, Christian Kirk, Josh Palmer, Rashod Bateman, Chig Okonkwo, Woody Marks, Will Shipley, Isaac TeSlaa, Brashard Smith, and Jalen Coker.

With Loveland as my tight end, I’d feel fine grabbing another tight end that has a higher floor in case the rookie is a non-factor to start. There are plenty of cheap possibilities out there. Some of my favorites are Jake Ferguson, Dallas Goedert, and Brenton Strange.

As for D/STs and kickers, find matchups you like Week 1 and start streaming.

Overall, I want at least one stud running back, but preferably two. I also want one of the Top 4 quarterbacks. I won’t box myself in by reaching into the second round for QB though. If I miss out, I’m perfectly fine going after an upside fantasy QB like Justin Fields, Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, or Trevor Lawrence.