It’s a philosophical debate that rages every August — in my head:
When drafting a fantasy roster in 12-team PPR leagues, are owners better off spreading out star-driven byes over a nine-week period (Weeks 4-11, 13 this year), or would they profit more from maintaining a maximized roster for eight of the aforementioned weekends — with the unapologetic intent of self-immolation for just one Sunday per year?
Most fantasy GMs, experienced or novice, prefer the safe route of building a team that seemingly competes for victory every week, even when not at full strength.
For me, though, there’s great intrigue in pursuing a roster-construction strategy which banks heavily on stars with byes from Week 6 (Saints, Seahawks, Raiders, Patriots), Week 8 (Ravens, Cardinals, Steelers, Texans, Broncos, Washington Football Team), Week 10 (Chiefs, Cowboys, Falcons, Chargers) or Week 11 (49ers, Bills, Giants, Jets, Dolphins, Bears).
POSITIONAL RANKINGS
QB-STARTER RANKINGS
TOP 60 PPR TAILBACKS
TOP 75 PPR WIDE RECEIVERS
TOP 35 PPR TIGHT ENDS
TOP 160 PPR PLAYMAKERS
THE ANNUAL PPR SPECTACULAR
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS
Keen observations after executing three simultaneous drafts
Tips for faking your way through an uncomfortably early PPR draft
A Fun Facts-style breakdown of the NFL master schedule
The cool results from BATSBY Sports’ ‘Noah’s Ark’ mock draft
Our second crack at NFL ‘Survivor Pool’ picks for the 2020 season
The NFL’s 30 most anticipated matchups of the season
MOCK DRAFT SIMULATION: # 11 slot
MOCK DRAFT SIMULATION: #4 slot
The following piece has no regard for the safe rationale of drafting. Instead, it presents potentially dynamic options for only the four weekends listed above, covering Rounds 1-8 (or 9), when assigned an early, middle or late slot in 12-team drafts.
As our Average Draft Position muse, we’ll loosely work off Fantasy Football Calculator’s current ADP rankings with PPR leagues.
‘WEEK 6 BYE’ DRAFT STRATEGY
MIDDLE SLOT
ROUND 1 — WR Michael Thomas, Saints
ROUND 2 — RB Josh Jacobs, Raiders
ROUND 3 — RB Chris Carson, Seahawks
ROUND 4 — WR D.K. Metcalf, Seahawks
ROUND 5 — TE Darren Waller, Raiders
ROUND 6 — WR Julian Edelman, Patriots
ROUND 7 — QB Drew Brees, Saints
ROUND 8 — WILD CARD PICK (best player available)
ROUND 9 — RB Sony Michel, Patriots
‘WEEK 8 BYE’ DRAFT STRATEGY
LATE SLOT
ROUND 1 — WR DeAndre Hopkins, Cardinals
ROUND 2 — RB Kenyan Drake, Cardinals
ROUND 3 — RB James Conner, Steelers
ROUND 4 — TE Mark Andrews, Ravens
ROUND 5 — WR Terry McLaurin, Washington Football Team
ROUND 6 — QB Kyler Murray, Cardinals
ROUND 7 — WR Will Fuller, Texans
ROUND 8 — WILD CARD PICK (best player available)
ROUND 9 — RB Adrian Peterson, Washington Football Team
‘WEEK 10 BYE’ DRAFT STRATEGY
EARLY SLOT
ROUND 1 — RB Ezekiel Elliott, Cowboys
ROUND 2 — RB Austin Ekeler, Chargers
ROUND 3 — QB Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs
ROUND 4 — WR Amari Cooper, Cowboys
ROUND 5 — WR Keenan Allen, Chargers
ROUND 6 — WILD CARD PICK (best player available)
ROUND 7 — WR Michael Gallup, Cowboys
ROUND 8 — TE Hunter Henry, Chargers
ROUND 9 — WILD CARD PICK
‘WEEK 11 BYE’ DRAFT STRATEGY
EARLY SLOT
ROUND 1 — RB Saquon Barkley, Giants
ROUND 2 — TE George Kittle, 49ers
ROUND 3 — RB Le’Veon Bell, Jets
ROUND 4 — WILD CARD PICK (best player available)
ROUND 5 — RB Raheem Mostert, 49ers
ROUND 6 — WR DeVante Parker, Dolphins
ROUND 7 — WR Sterling Shepard, Giants
ROUND 8 — QB Josh Allen, Bills
ROUND 9 — WR John Brown, Bills
Jay Clemons, the 2008 Fantasy Football Writer of the Year and 2015 Cynopsis Media award winner for “Sports Blog Of The Year,” has previously served as the lead fantasy analyst for Sports Illustrated, FOX Sports South, Bleacher Report and Fanball.com.