Happy Tuesday my Fantasy Guru fam! It’s that time of the week where we find ourselves in a draft with a decision to make. Remember, each week I will walk you through a scenario you may be faced with on draft day and present multiple options, then choosing the way I would go about it. There will also be weeks where I just talk about one player, in a specific format and round, and elaborate on why that player will likely make my roster at that time.
Last week, I picked out of the eighth hole with some interesting options at hand in a 12-team PPR format league. If you missed it, you can check it out here. Today we will continue with that team and draft out of the 2.05. The format remains the same, a 12-team PPR league and the roster consists of 1-QB, 2-RB, 3-WR, 1-TE, 1-Flex, 1-Defense, and 1-Kicker. Here is the draft board.
| PICK | PLAYER | POS |
| 1.01 | Saquon Barkley | RB |
| 1.02 | Alvin Kamara | RB |
| 1.03 | Christian McCaffrey | RB |
| 1.04 | Ezekiel Elliott | RB |
| 1.05 | DeAndre Hopkins | RB |
| 1.06 | Melvin Gordon | RB |
| 1.07 | Davante Adams | WR |
| 1.08 | Julio Jones | WR |
| 1.09 | David Johnson | RB |
| 1.10 | LeVeon Bell | RB |
| 1.11 | Michael Thomas | WR |
| 1.12 | James Conner | RB |
| 2.01 | Odell Beckham Jr | WR |
| 2.02 | Joe Mixon | RB |
| 2.03 | JuJu Smith-Schuster | WR |
| 2.04 | Todd Gurley | RB |
YOU’RE ON THE CLOCK!
As expected, some good players came off the board following my Julio Jones pick in the first round. Now it is our turn to make a pick and based on my rankings, here are my top options at this spot.
TE Travis Kelce, Chiefs – Kelce is the first tight end that comes off the board in most drafts and rightfully so. He led all tight ends last season in fantasy points and was top four in fantasy points per touch (TE’s that played in at least 50% of the offensive snaps). Kelce was also second at his position in each of the following categories – targets, receptions, yards, and receiving touchdowns. He has now posted three consecutive seasons with 1,000+ receiving yards and at least 83 receptions, while scoring a combined 22 touchdowns in that span. His efficiency is the red zone is also pretty impressive, with a 65 percent catch rate and converting over 50 percent of his receptions to touchdowns inside the 20. There is no denying that he is the top producing tight end offering the perfect combination of upside and consistency. This season should be no different for Kelce, and he could actually be in for more volume, due to the uncertainty of Tyreek Hill’s status with his off the field issues. There is definitely a ton a merit to taking Kelce with this pick.
RB Nick Chubb, Browns – By now you likely have an idea as to how much I like Chubb this season. Feel free to let me have it for that first sentence, I set myself up for it. If you have read my previous articles, you may have seen these numbers before, so I apologize in advance. From Week 7 on, Chubb averaged 17.6 carries, 82.3 rushing yards, 2.0 receptions, and 14.9 receiving yards per game, while scoring a total of eight touchdowns and averaging 4.6 yards per carry. These are great numbers and if you actually watched him play, you would know he is a special back. The addition of Kareem Hunt does cause some concern, but he is suspended for eight games, and if Chubb plays up to the expectations I have for him during the first half of the season, it will be very difficult for the Browns to justify limiting his touches. This is an ascending offense that has potential to score plenty of points this season. Chubb should benefit immensely from that as the bell-cow of this offense. He offers top five upside and I could get him in the second round.
WR Antonio Brown, Raiders – It is very tempting to take one of the best receivers of all time with this pick. Brown has been as consistent as they come in fantasy football for many years now. Since 2014 he has finished as WR1 three times, WR2 once, and last season he finished as WR5. In addition, he has topped 1,200 receiving yards in six straight seasons. This year, however, he is no longer with the Steelers, as he was traded to the Raiders. The move to Oakland is somewhat concerning because he gets a downgrade at quarterback and goes from the team that attempted the most passes last year, to a team that was in the middle of the pack in pass attempts per game. That being said, the volume should remain high for Brown, who has seen no less than 153 targets in each of his last six seasons. There is no denying the talent here and the upside, though I do have my concerns about him on this new offense. After all, Derek Carr has never had a 1,200 yards receiver since joining the league. That said, he should still be able to produce WR1 numbers, making him a viable option with this pick.
RB, Dalvin Cook, Vikings – Cook is someone I like a lot this season. So long as he can stay healthy, he has the chance to put up big numbers. It is worth noting that he has battled injuries since joining the league, playing just 15 games in his two seasons in the league. With that said, he was very efficient when on the field last year, averaging nearly a fantasy point per touch and 4.6 yards per carry. He has also displayed the ability to catch passes out of the backfield, with 40 receptions last season in just 11 games and an 82 percent catch rate. Cook is a solid pass blocker as well, which will keep him on the field during passing downs. Not to mention, there is no Latavius Murray to vulture touches. Another plus for him this year is that the Vikings hired Gary Kubiak as an offense advisor, but he is expected to get this offense straightened out. It is not all positive for Cook. As a matter of fact, there are two big red flags here for me. The first is that he is running behind a bad offensive line, which is very important for a back. The second, well like I mentioned above, he struggles to stay healthy. Aside from these two concerns, I really like the ceiling that Cook brings to the table, making him a candidate for my pick in this round.
MY CHOICE
It is difficult to skip on Kelce here because the numbers do not lie. However, I have never been one to take a tight end this early in a fantasy draft and that is not changing today. You only need one tight end in your starting lineup, making receivers and running backs a priority here for me. As far as Brown is concerned, he comes with some risk being that he is in a new offense with a downgrade at quarterback, and I did not think it was necessary to take him here because I like the receivers that could fall to me in the next two rounds quite a bit.
It comes down to the two running backs and by now I have a feeling you already know I am taking Nick Chubb. Look, I am very high on him this season for numerous reasons and from what I have seen, he looks like the real deal. In addition, this is an improved offense and he is running behind a pretty solid offensive line. With him, I am expecting consistent production and I am getting a running back with elite upside. I already drafted a receiver in the first round and I liked the idea here of getting a running back I feel strongly about, solidifying each position. By drafting Chubb, I feel like I have two players that can finish as top five fantasy producers at their positions. This really gives me a strong foundation to build off of.
