Favorite Picks Each Round

Tue Jul 29 10:38am ET
By JEFF PAUR
Sr Fantasy Writer

Ridley should benefit from new QB

We thought it would be a fun exercise to go over my favorite picks in each round of the draft. So using the ADP, I picked the player that goes in each round that I like to target come draft day. This would kind of be my ideal draft scenario. You can see my starting lineup and full roster at the end of the article for this 12-team league.

Here is what I’m thinking round-by-round. . . . .

Round 1: CeeDee Lamb, WR, Cowboys (5.86). I think Lamb might be the safest first-round pick. He is the clear top target in an offense that is going to throw the ball a ton. The Cowboys running game is a mess. And a healthy Dak Prescott is a huge plus for Lamb as well. I think he is going to have a monster season and make a run at top fantasy receiver in the game.

Round 2: Chase Brown, RB, Bengals (18.65). Brown had a breakout season last year, and I don’t think it was a fluke. He didn’t even open the season as the starter and still managed to finish 10th overall in fantasy scoring. He starts from day one in an explosive offense and should get all the goal-line work. Brown is setup for an even better season this year.

Round 3: Tyreek Hill, WR, Dolphins (26.22). Hill carries some risk, but he was bothered by a wrist injury much of the year, which hindered his production. I don’t think there is a player with a higher ceiling in Round 3 than Hill, which is why I’m taking that risk. He is healthy and has 111 or more receptions three of four seasons. He has something to prove this year, and I think he gets it done.

Round 4: Chuba Hubbard, RB, Panthers (39.12). I have a ton of shares of Hubbard already. I just love the fact he has next to no competition for carries and plays in an offense that could be much better this year if Bryce Young continues his development. Hubbard seems like a really safe pick with a consistent weekly floor. He is an ideal No. 2 fantasy back in my view.

Round 5: Tet McMillan, WR, Panthers (60.83). I hate to target players on bad teams, but McMillan really intrigues me. I just wonder why he isn’t getting the same love as some of the rookie receivers last year - Marvin Harrison, Malik Nabers, Brian Thomas. McMillan is going to get a ton of targets and could have a similar season to Nabers in my view. That is big-time value at this point of the draft.

Round 6: Calvin Ridley, WR, Titans (70.01). Ridley is another one of my favorite targets. He is the clear top option in the Titans passing game. He gets a huge upgrade at quarterback this year, having rookie Cam Ward throwing him passes. Ridley hit the 1,000-yard mark in an awful offense last year with terrible quarterback play. He was targeted 120 times but caught just 64 passes last year. The ceiling is super high for Ridley this coming season. He is going to be a target magnet.

Round 7: Jaylen Warren, RB, Steelers (81.93). Rookie Kaleb Johnson is around and is going to get carries, but Warren is clearly the top back in passing situations. And we know new quarterback Aaron Rodgers wants to throw the ball. This is going to have Warren on the field offense. I like him a lot as a flex play or low-end No. 2 fantasy back in this offense.

Round 8: Evan Engram, TE, Broncos (90.60). Engram heads to the Broncos and an offense that likes the tight end, especially in the red zone. And after Courtland Sutton, the options in the passing game aren’t the best. You could see Engram becoming a favorite target of Bo Nix in a hurry. Engram has some potential for a big first season in Denver.

Round 9: Tyjae Spears, RB, Titans (101.37). Spears was a bust last year but didn’t get the chances you hoped. The Titans are already stating they want more of a split backfield. Spears is a big-play threat with the ball in his hands, so he is the type of home-run hitter I like to have on my bench. He is a good spot play capable of the huge game any given week. And I look for his numbers to be a little more consistent this year, getting more weekly touches.

Round 10: Dak Prescott, QB, Cowboys (110.01). I do like going early on a quarterback at times, but Prescott is a target of mine at this cheap price. He is going to throw the ball a ton in this pass-first offense. I can see him passing for 5,000-passing yards and pushing 40 touchdowns. He can be a top-five fantasy quarterback. If you want to wait a little on a quarterback, Prescott is a guy to target. And I like him even better if I take Lamb in Round 1.

Round 11: Jayden Higgins, WR, Texans (132.85). Higgins is another rookie receiver I like a lot this year. He has a good chance to start opposite Nico Collins from day one. And he plays in a passing attack that looks to be a lot better this year. C.J. Stroud wasn’t great in year two but he lacked a lot of quality options in the passing game because of injuries. Higgins can produce some big games as a reserve fantasy receiver.

Round 12: Brandon Aubrey, K, Cowboys (133.67). Normally, I would never act early on a kicker. Ever. Never done it, but my mind is changing. I recently posted a story about teams being the first to draft a kicker. Of those teams, nearly 1/5 finished first or second in their league. Having the best kicker in the game made a difference last year. So for me, I might try it this season to see if it pays off. The price isn’t super high for Aubrey, either. So why not?

Round 13: C.J. Stroud, QB, Texans (153.32). If I’m going to wait on a quarterback, I like to double up pretty quickly. And Stroud is a favorite target of mine. He is dirt cheap after disappointing last season. Stroud gets all sorts of help at receiver this year through the draft and free agency. Remember, this guy was 11th in fantasy quarterback scoring as a rookie.

Round 14: Kyle Monangai, RB, Bears (166.13). Monangai is a big back that could be a real asset in short-yardage work. And we all know new head coach Ben Johnson likes to have a split backfield, so it would not surprise to see Monangai earn a role quickly in this offense. Plus, Johnson has a history of producing some fantasy backs with big touchdown numbers. I like taking a chance on Monangai at this point of the draft, hoping he becomes the goal-line back in Chicago.

Round 15: Cedric Tillman, WR, Browns (169.35). I like to have boom or bust players on my bench. You might have figured that out from the rest of my roster. Tillman certainly fits the bill. He had some big games last year when getting a chance to start, but disappeared in others. He should start from day one, and if Joe Flacco is throwing him passes, you have to like his chances for some more big games this season.

Round 16: Kansas City Chiefs (185.00). I might wait another round or two to grab a defense because the data shows going early on a defense doesn’t really help your chances of winning the league. But for the purposes of this article and filling out my lineup, I’ll go with the Chiefs if I’m taking a defense a little sooner than normal. You can get them after a lot of the top options at the position, but I think they can still be a top-five fantasy option this season. They have an innovative defensive coordinator that gets after the quarterback and causes turnovers. This unit has a lot of talent on that side of the ball, especially at cornerback and along the defensive line.

LINEUP
QB:	Dak Prescott
RB:	Chase Brown
RB:	Chuba Hubbard
WR:	CeeDee Lamb
WR:	Tyreek Hill
WR:	Tet McMillan
TE:	Evan Engram
FLEX:	Calvin Ridley
K:	Brandon Aubrey
DEF:	Kansas City Chiefs

BENCH:	Jaylen Warren
BENCH:	Tyjae Spears
BENCH:	Jayden Higgins
BENCH:	C.J. Stroud
BENCH:	Kyle Monangai
BENCH:	Cedric Tillman

Jeff Paur is a two-time finalist for FSWA Fantasy Football Writer of the Year and won the FSWA award for Best Fantasy Football Article on the Web in 2011. He also was the most accurate expert in 2012, winning the FSTA Fantasy Football Accuracy Award. If you have any questions for Jeff, email him at [email protected]. Follow Jeff on Twitter @jeffpaur.

Favorite Picks Each Round

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