Christian McCaffrey is not without flaws. He's 28 and just had over 400 total touches last season, including the playoffs. It might be a mistake to draft him at No. 1 overall in PPR.
Then again, what if nothing happens to McCaffrey, and he plays the majority of the season? What if he's just as dominant as he was in 2023 when he led all non-quarterbacks at 24.5 PPR points per game?
Your goal is to win your league, and no one gives you a better chance to do that than McCaffrey. It's why you're drafting him with the No. 1 overall pick.
But now, the toughest decision for your team will come the next time you're on the clock. At the Round 2-3 turn, you're going to have plenty of great players staring you in the face. And the moves you make will likely determine how you build your team.
This is our 12-part, pick-by-pick series where me, Dan Schneier, Adam Aizer, Dave Richard, Thomas Shafer, Heath Cummings and Dave Richard all took part in a six-person mock draft. We each built two of the 12 teams in this 14-round draft to show you a different strategy from each spot.
This is an outline that you can follow if you pick No. 1 overall in your league. The key is to study the strategy and not necessarily the players to see if this works for you.
After drafting McCaffrey, I would have preferred two receivers at the Round 2-3 turn, but it was hard to pass on Derrick Henry after selecting Nico Collins. Since this is a three-receiver league, I knew I was going to be chasing receivers, so Christian Kirk was my selection in Round 4.
I now had a decision to make in Round 5, which was to draft another wide receiver (Amari Cooper, Zay Flowers, Tank Dell or Stefon Diggs were the top options) or take the best-player available. And I went that route instead with Trey McBride, followed by Joe Burrow in Round 6.
My team now has arguably the best running back duo in this league with McCaffrey and Henry, a top-five tight end and a top-five quarterback. Two of my receivers are solid in Collins and Kirk, but I still need a No. 3 receiver and flex. Let's see how this all played out.
As a reference point, all touchdowns in this league are worth six points, and we award one point for every 10 yards rushing and receiving and one point for every 25 yards passing. We also award one point for every reception. We feature a starting lineup of QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, TE and FLEX (RB/WR/TE).
Here's my squad from the first pick:
1.1: Christian McCaffrey, RB, 49ers
2.12: Nico Collins, WR, Texans
3.1: Derrick Henry, RB, Ravens
4.12: Christian Kirk, WR, Jaguars
5.1: Trey McBride, TE, Cardinals
6.12: Joe Burrow, QB, Bengals
7.1: Jayden Reed, WR, Packers
8.12: Rome Odunze, WR, Bears
9.1: Jameson Williams, WR, Lions
10.12: Ty Chandler, RB, Vikings
11.1: Jaleel McLaughlin, RB, Broncos
12.12: Elijah Mitchell, RB, 49ers
13.1: Xavier Legette, WR, Panthers
14.12: Michael Wilson, WR, Cardinals
Starting in Round 7, I knew I had to prioritize receivers, which is why I drafted Reed, Odunze and Williams with my next three picks. There's definitely plenty of upside with that trio, and Reed should prove to be a serviceable No. 3 Fantasy receiver in his sophomore campaign.
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Despite having McCaffrey and Henry, I still needed running back depth, which is why I selected Chandler, McLaughlin and Mitchell with my next three picks. I'm counting on Chandler and McLaughlin to have prominent roles this season as backups, but both have potential paths to starting roles, even without an injury. And Mitchell is a handcuff for McCaffrey, which gives me insurance if I draft him at No. 1 overall.
Legette and Baker are good late-round rookies to target since both could play important roles this year. This roster is top heavy, especially at running back, quarterback and tight end. If the receivers pan out then this team could be dominant.
McBride averaged 14.9 PPR points from Week 8 on last season after Zach Ertz left the Cardinals, which would have made him the No. 1 Fantasy tight end. McBride also averaged 14.9 PPR points in eight games with Kyler Murray. While some Fantasy analysts are concerned that Marvin Harrison Jr. joining the Cardinals is a detriment to McBride, I see it as a benefit. His targets could decline from the 8.5 per game he averaged in his final 10 outings, but if that happens it won't be by much. But he also was the only real threat in the passing game then, and Murray was just coming back. McBride scored two of his three touchdowns with Murray, and McBride should see significant growth in that area of his production.
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I'm worried about Henry, who is 30, and he just averaged 14.7 PPR points per game, which was his lowest total since 2018. He looked bad at times last season with the Titans, but I'm expecting him to improve with the Ravens. Last year, Henry was awful in losses for Tennessee, which happened 11 times, and he averaged 11.9 PPR points in those outings. In six wins for the Titans, Henry averaged 21.4 PPR points per game. Under John Harbaugh, the Ravens have averaged 10 wins per season for 16 years. Aside from Henry himself, one reason why I might regret this pick is drafting two running backs in the first three rounds with just one receiver. But if Henry has a dominant campaign, along with McCaffrey, I might not need a standout receiving corps to win.
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Reed emerged as the No. 1 receiver for the Packers during his rookie campaign in 2023, scoring 10 total touchdowns, and we'll see if he can build off that performance in Year 2. Last year, Reed averaged 13.6 PPR points per game, and he scored at least 15 PPR points in seven of his final eight games to close the regular season. Green Bay has a crowded receiving corps, and most of Reed's production came when Christian Watson was dealing with hamstring problems, which are hopefully under control this season. That said, Reed was used in a variety of ways (he had 11 carries for 119 and two touchdowns), and he's someone Jordan Love should continue to rely on. I would prefer Reed as my No. 4 Fantasy receiver, but he has to be my third option here unless someone else emerges. If he performs like he did last season then I should be OK.
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