Whether you’ve never played fantasy football or haven’t played in a while, we’ll break down some of our favorite picks for a can’t miss team. We won’t swing too deep here. Our entire goal with this article is to create a solid team that won’t disappoint you. We’ll do that by focusing on solid veteran talent and finding great value throughout the draft. This team may end up a little dull, but if there is one thing about fantasy, you’re often your worst enemy in the draft. Let us take some of the guesswork out of it and provide great options for every pick in the draft!
If you want to test your draft skills, we recommend trying Underdog Best Ball. It’s a great system that lets you draft a team and forget about it! It’s easy to play and cheap to start. Some lobbies even begin at just $3; if you’re lucky, you can get extra cash! Check them out if you want some practice before your draft!
It depends on your league, but for this article, we’ll assume it’s a half-PPR (Point Per Reception) league and a snake draft in a 12-person league. We’ll also assume it’s a standard starting lineup with 1 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 standard Flex, 1 TE, 1 Defense, and a Kicker. So, we’ll identify some high-value targets in stable team situations you should go after.
Since the first pick can be one of the most impactful, it’s essential to hit it. So, if you’re selecting in the top 3, take either Christian McCaffrey, CeeDee Lamb, or Tyreek Hill. After those three, it’s a little more challenging. If you’re selecting 4 to 8, our favorite player is Amon-Ra St. Brown on the Lions; he’s a dependable WR on a stable offense that will be solid. Avoid Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson at this point because their quarterback situations are turbulent.
If you’re selecting below 8th Saquon Barkley or Jahmyr Gibbs are both great options on a stable offenses. So, for your first pick, it should look something like this:
Tier 1
Christian McCaffery RB
CeeDee Lamb WR
Tyreek Hill WR
Tier 2
Amon-Ra St. Brown WR
Breece Hall RB
Tier 3
Saquon Barkley RB
Jahmyr Gibbs RB
These next two picks get slightly more interesting, but we recommend adding a wide receiver and a running back to keep your team balanced. We’d also recommend avoiding taking a quarterback or tight end this high because their value can fluctuate. Even though players like Josh Allen or Travis Kelce can be profoundly impactful, there are better values later in the draft.
Tier 1
Derrick Henry RB
Mike Evans WR
DeeBo Samuel WR
Tier 2
Cooper Kupp WR
Travis Etienne RB
DK Metcalf WR
Tier 3
Josh Jacobs RB
Chris Olave WR
DJ Moore WR
If you can snag one of these wide receivers and a running back with your second and third pick, you’ll be off to a great start! If, for some reason, all of these options are off the board at your third pick, then consider a quarterback like Lamar Jackson or Patrick Mahomes, but that’s unlikely.
This is the bread and butt of the draft, but also where people start to make mistakes. Remember, the name of the game at this point is balance; you’ll want to keep aiming for more high-end WRs and RBs. By pick 7, we’ll see what the QB market looks like, but that’s an excellent pick to jump on some solid QB options.
The favorite players to target for picks 4 and 5 are:
Tier 1
DeVonta Smith WR
Amari Cooper WR
Joe Mixon RB
Tier 2
James Conner RB
Alvin Kamara RB
David Montgomery RB
Zay Flowers WR
Tier 3
Keenan Allen WR
Aaron Jones RB
Stefon Diggs WR
We’re just trying to grab some more talent to round out your top starting spots. It doesn’t matter if you snag two RBs or WRs here because this is where you can load up on skill positions. After picks 4 and 5, it should be time to start looking for a QB or TE with your next two picks.
Our best players for pick 6 and 7 are:
Tier 1
Raheem Mostert RB
Chris Godwin WR
D’Andre Swift RB
CJ Stroud QB
Tier 2
Jayden Reed WR
Javonte Williams RB
Zack Moss RB
Dalton Kincaid TE
Tier 3
Dak Prescott QB
Jordan Love QB
George Kittle TE
Jake Ferguson TE
Starter-level talent starts to get thin this deep, but if you’ve reached this point and still don’t have a TE or QB, definitely prioritize them with picks 8 and 9.
Our favorite players for the 8 and 9 picks are:
Tier 1
David Njoku TE
Tony Pollard RB
Caleb Williams QB
Tier 2
Brock Bower TE
Courtland Sutton WR
Jared Goff QB
Tyler Lockett WR
Tier 3
Tua Tagovaila QB
Trevor Lawrence QB
Nick Chubb RB
Ladd McConkey WR
Gus Edwards RB
Rome Odunze WR
Jaxon Smith-Njigba WR
There are a lot of exciting names in the draft at this point. Nick Chubb might be the most controversial, returning after a devastating knee injury. If you see him around the 9th round, you can’t go wrong with a big swing on a guy like that, but it’s doubtful he’ll fall that far. There are also some solid QB options here, so don’t stress too much if you end up with one of these guys.
For picks 10 through 12, the talent starts to get spotty. There are still plenty of players who can heavily influence your season, but it can take time to identify them. We’ll do our best to give you some options that have sleeper potential.
Our favorite players pick 10 - 12:
Tier 1
Joshua Palmer WR
Curtis Samuel WR
Brandon Cooks RB
Jerry Juedy WR
Tier 2
Trey Benson RB
Ezekiel Elliott RB
Chuba Hubbard RB
Gabe Davis WR
J.K. Dobbins RB
Mike Williams WR
Tier 3
Adam Thielen WR
Rahsod Bateman WR
Bucky Irving RB
Dameon Pierce RB
Elijah Mitchell RB
Bo Nix QB
For picks below 12, focus on adding a defense and a kicker. These aren’t highly consequential, so don’t worry about it. Aim for the highest-ranked player still available at your pick, take a defense before a kicker, and finish your draft! Congrats. Hopefully, your team will do well for you. We’ll include a quick reference table at the bottom to help you with your draft!