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USATSI

At a time when wide receivers are starting to dominate the early part of Fantasy drafts, is it smart to lean heavily on running backs, especially in a three-receiver, 0.5-PPR league? I attempted to find out picking from No. 11 overall in our latest mock.

It was easy to draft Jonathan Taylor in Round 1, although I would have had a tough decision if Cooper Kupp remained on the board. Thankfully, Kupp went at No. 10. I drafted Taylor, but then was surprised to see Tony Pollard still sitting there at No. 14 overall.

It's hard to argue with a backfield tandem of Taylor and Pollard in any format, and both could challenge to be the No. 1 overall player in Fantasy this season. In 2021, Taylor averaged 20.8, 0.5-PPR points per game as the No. 1 running back (No. 2 overall player behind Kupp), and he still has that potential after battling injuries in 2022.

Pollard averaged 14.3, 0.5-PPR points per game in 2022, but he had a three-game stretch last season where he scored at least 19.5, 0.5-PPR points in each outing, with Ezekiel Elliott missing two of those contests with a knee injury. As we all know, Elliott is no longer in Dallas (for now), giving Pollard immense upside.

In Round 3, I made the decision to pass on a wide receiver and select the No. 4 quarterback off the board in Lamar Jackson. Admittedly, this is too soon to draft Jackson, but I wanted to build a roster with an early-round quarterback. I drafted Jackson in the same round as Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts and Josh Allen, and I wouldn't recommend that, even though Jackson might have the same upside as that trio with his rebuilt receiving corps.

The receivers available in Round 4 weren't the most appealing -- DeAndre Hopkins, D.J. Moore, Deebo Samuel, DK Metcalf, Keenan Allen and Christian Watson all have flaws -- and I would have drafted Allen in full PPR. I went with Hopkins with the hope that he does get traded from Arizona to a spot where he can still maximize his production (hello Kansas City).

In Round 5, I went with the best-player available with Joe Mixon. There's still a chance the Bengals could release Mixon, which is why he continues to fall in our early mocks. But if Mixon remains in Cincinnati by the time training camp starts then he will likely be drafted in Round 3 given his upside in a high-powered offense.

At this point, I decided to essentially punt on wide receiver. Now, that doesn't mean what it sounds like, after all it's a three-receiver league. But instead of reaching for a receiver in Round 6 like Kadarius Toney, Mike Evans, George Pickens or Diontae Johnson, I drafted Dallas Goedert instead.

The idea is to be strong or elite at five of the starting positions I focused on (quarterback, two running backs, tight end and flex), and I should have accomplished that with Jackson, Taylor, Pollard, Mixon and Goedert. And I still have Hopkins, who could be a top-10 Fantasy receiver if he's traded, or Kyler Murray (ACL) is healthy by Week 1 should Hopkins remain in Arizona.

With this plan in place, it was time to attack receiver, and six of my next seven picks were dedicated to the position with Jahan Dotson (Round 7), Jordan Addison (Round 8), Nico Collins (Round 9), Romeo Doubs (Round 10), Elijah Moore (Round 12) and K.J. Osborn (Round 13). There's plenty of upside with this group, but ideally these are receivers that fill out your bench, not two of your starting spots.

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Jahan Dotson
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Dotson could challenge Terry McLaurin to be the No. 1 receiver in Washington, and Collins should be the No. 1 receiver in Houston. Addison should be the best rookie receiver this season, and pairing him with Osborn gives me the "friendship strategy" we often talk about on our Fantasy Football Today podcast. Hopefully, one of these Minnesota receivers emerges as a weekly No. 3 Fantasy option, and both could benefit in a big way if Justin Jefferson ever suffered an injury.

Doubs should play a prominent role in Green Bay opposite Watson, and Doubs was better than Watson to start 2021. And I like the setup for Moore in Cleveland, where he should be No. 2 in targets behind Amari Cooper.

Again, it's not the sexiest wide receiver group, even with Hopkins. But given this roster build with a heavy emphasis on running backs, I like the way this team came together, and it should be competitive this season.

In this league, all touchdowns 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 0.5 points for every reception. We feature a starting lineup of QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, TE and FLEX (RB/WR/TE) with six reserves for a 14-round draft.

Our draft order is as follows:

1. Thomas Shafer, FFT Podcast Producer
2. George Maselli, Fantasy Editor
3. Heath Cummings, Senior Fantasy Writer
4. Zach Brook, FFT Social Media Coordinator
5. Jack Capotorto, FFT HQ Producer
6. Ben Gretch, Stealing Signals
7. Meron Berkson, CBS Sports HQ Producer
8. Dave Richard, Senior Fantasy Writer
9. Robert Thomas, FFT Facebook Moderator
10. Will Brinson, Pick Six Podcast Host
11. Jamey Eisenberg, Senior Fantasy Writer
12. Scott Fish, Scott Fish Bowl

Round By Round
Round 1
Pos Team Player
1 Heath Cummings C. McCaffrey RB SF
2 Dan Schneier T. Hill WR MIA
3 Jamey Eisenberg C. Lamb WR DAL
4 Adam Aizer B. Hall RB NYJ
5 R.J. White J. Jefferson WR MIN
6 Joey Wright J. Chase WR CIN
7 Zach Brook B. Robinson RB ATL
8 Dave Richard A. St. Brown WR DET
9 Jacob Gibbs A. Brown WR PHI
10 Joel Cox J. Taylor RB IND
11 Brandon Howard J. Gibbs RB DET
12 Jay Balk G. Wilson WR NYJ
Round 2
Pos Team Player
13 Jay Balk S. Barkley RB PHI
14 Brandon Howard D. Moore WR CHI
15 Joel Cox P. Nacua WR LAR
16 Jacob Gibbs M. Harrison Jr. WR ARI
17 Dave Richard K. Williams RB LAR
18 Zach Brook C. Olave WR NO
19 Joey Wright D. London WR ATL
20 R.J. White T. Etienne RB JAC
21 Adam Aizer D. Adams WR NYJ
22 Jamey Eisenberg I. Pacheco RB KC
23 Dan Schneier J. Jacobs RB GB
24 Heath Cummings J. Cook RB BUF
Round 3
Pos Team Player
25 Heath Cummings R. White RB TB
26 Dan Schneier D. Henry RB BAL
27 Jamey Eisenberg M. Evans WR TB
28 Adam Aizer D. Samuel WR SF
29 R.J. White M. Pittman WR IND
30 Joey Wright S. LaPorta TE DET
31 Zach Brook N. Collins WR HOU
32 Dave Richard T. Kelce TE KC
33 Jacob Gibbs B. Aiyuk WR SF
34 Joel Cox J. Waddle WR MIA
35 Brandon Howard Z. Flowers WR BAL
36 Jay Balk K. Walker III RB SEA
Round 4
Pos Team Player
37 Jay Balk P. Mahomes QB KC
38 Brandon Howard L. Jackson QB BAL
39 Joel Cox D. Achane RB MIA
40 Jacob Gibbs J. Hurts QB PHI
41 Dave Richard A. Kamara RB NO
42 Zach Brook J. Allen QB BUF
43 Joey Wright S. Diggs WR HOU
44 R.J. White M. Andrews TE BAL
45 Adam Aizer T. Higgins WR CIN
46 Jamey Eisenberg C. Kupp WR LAR
47 Dan Schneier D. Smith WR PHI
48 Heath Cummings C. Ridley WR TEN
Round 5
Pos Team Player
49 Heath Cummings T. McBride TE ARI
50 Dan Schneier C. Kirk WR JAC
51 Jamey Eisenberg J. Mixon RB HOU
52 Adam Aizer D. Montgomery RB DET
53 R.J. White Z. White RB LV
54 Joey Wright A. Jones RB MIN
55 Zach Brook T. McLaurin WR WAS
56 Dave Richard D. Metcalf WR SEA
57 Jacob Gibbs M. Nabers WR NYG
58 Joel Cox D. Kincaid TE BUF
59 Brandon Howard G. Pickens WR PIT
60 Jay Balk K. Pitts TE ATL
Round 6
Pos Team Player
61 Jay Balk D. Johnson WR BAL
62 Brandon Howard B. Bowers TE LV
63 Joel Cox A. Richardson QB IND
64 Jacob Gibbs J. Brooks RB CAR
65 Dave Richard T. Dell WR HOU
66 Zach Brook J. Reed WR GB
67 Joey Wright C. Stroud QB HOU
68 R.J. White A. Cooper WR BUF
69 Adam Aizer D. Swift RB CHI
70 Jamey Eisenberg J. Burrow QB CIN
71 Dan Schneier C. Godwin WR TB
72 Heath Cummings C. Sutton WR DEN
Round 7
Pos Team Player
73 Heath Cummings L. McConkey WR LAC
74 Dan Schneier K. Allen WR CHI
75 Jamey Eisenberg N. Harris RB PIT
76 Adam Aizer K. Murray QB ARI
77 R.J. White D. Prescott QB DAL
78 Joey Wright J. Addison WR MIN
79 Zach Brook N. Chubb RB CLE
80 Dave Richard T. Pollard RB TEN
81 Jacob Gibbs R. Stevenson RB NE
82 Joel Cox R. Odunze WR CHI
83 Brandon Howard X. Worthy WR KC
84 Jay Balk A. Ekeler RB WAS
Round 8
Pos Team Player
85 Jay Balk J. Conner RB ARI
86 Brandon Howard J. Daniels QB WAS
87 Joel Cox J. Williams RB DEN
88 Jacob Gibbs C. Watson WR GB
89 Dave Richard J. Love QB GB
90 Zach Brook T. Benson RB ARI
91 Joey Wright E. Elliott RB DAL
92 R.J. White Z. Moss RB CIN
93 Adam Aizer T. Spears RB TEN
94 Jamey Eisenberg M. Brown WR KC
95 Dan Schneier E. Engram TE JAC
96 Heath Cummings R. Rice WR KC
Round 9
Pos Team Player
97 Heath Cummings D. Hopkins WR KC
98 Dan Schneier C. Williams QB CHI
99 Jamey Eisenberg G. Kittle TE SF
100 Adam Aizer R. Mostert RB MIA
101 R.J. White D. Singletary RB NYG
102 Joey Wright J. Warren RB PIT
103 Zach Brook K. Coleman WR BUF
104 Dave Richard B. Corum RB LAR
105 Jacob Gibbs C. Brown RB CIN
106 Joel Cox J. Smith-Njigba WR SEA
107 Brandon Howard T. Chandler RB MIN
108 Jay Balk B. Thomas Jr. WR JAC
Round 10
Pos Team Player
109 Jay Balk C. Samuel WR BUF
110 Brandon Howard A. Mitchell WR IND
111 Joel Cox M. Williams WR PIT
112 Jacob Gibbs M. Lloyd RB GB
113 Dave Richard B. Robinson Jr. RB WAS
114 Zach Brook G. Edwards RB LAC
115 Joey Wright J. Williams WR DET
116 R.J. White K. Shakir WR BUF
117 Adam Aizer Q. Johnston WR LAC
118 Jamey Eisenberg J. Dotson WR PHI
119 Dan Schneier J. Herbert QB LAC
120 Heath Cummings T. Tagovailoa QB MIA
Round 11
Pos Team Player
121 Heath Cummings T. Lockett WR SEA
122 Dan Schneier A. Gibson RB NE
123 Jamey Eisenberg Z. Charbonnet RB SEA
124 Adam Aizer D. Njoku TE CLE
125 R.J. White J. Ford RB CLE
126 Joey Wright J. Palmer WR LAC
127 Zach Brook T. Hockenson TE MIN
128 Dave Richard R. Wilson WR PIT
129 Jacob Gibbs J. Ferguson TE DAL
130 Joel Cox R. Dowdle RB DAL
131 Brandon Howard A. Estime RB DEN
132 Jay Balk J. Dobbins RB LAC
Round 12
Pos Team Player
133 Jay Balk D. Wicks WR GB
134 Brandon Howard J. Burton WR CIN
135 Joel Cox J. Downs WR IND
136 Jacob Gibbs T. Tracy Jr. RB NYG
137 Dave Richard B. Purdy QB SF
138 Zach Brook J. Meyers WR LV
139 Joey Wright J. Wright RB MIA
140 R.J. White T. Franklin WR DEN
141 Adam Aizer X. Legette WR CAR
142 Jamey Eisenberg E. Mitchell RB SF
143 Dan Schneier K. Vidal RB LAC
144 Heath Cummings T. Lawrence QB JAC
Round 13
Pos Team Player
145 Heath Cummings M. Mims WR DEN
146 Dan Schneier J. Jeudy WR CLE
147 Jamey Eisenberg R. Shaheed WR NO
148 Adam Aizer J. Polk WR NE
149 R.J. White R. Doubs WR GB
150 Joey Wright R. Pearsall WR SF
151 Zach Brook D. Goedert TE PHI
152 Dave Richard M. Corley WR NYJ
153 Jacob Gibbs J. Baker WR NE
154 Joel Cox C. Hubbard RB CAR
155 Brandon Howard W. Robinson WR NYG
156 Jay Balk B. Cooks WR DAL
Round 14
Pos Team Player
157 Jay Balk D. Douglas WR NE
158 Brandon Howard R. Bateman WR BAL
159 Joel Cox K. Miller RB NO
160 Jacob Gibbs R. Davis RB BUF
161 Dave Richard J. McLaughlin RB DEN
162 Zach Brook B. Irving RB TB
163 Joey Wright D. Pierce RB HOU
164 R.J. White K. Mitchell RB BAL
165 Adam Aizer B. Sinnott TE WAS
166 Jamey Eisenberg G. Davis WR JAC
167 Dan Schneier B. Allen RB NYJ
168 Heath Cummings M. Sanders RB CAR
Team by Team
Heath Cummings
Rd Pk Player
1 1 C. McCaffrey RB SF
2 24 J. Cook RB BUF
3 25 R. White RB TB
4 48 C. Ridley WR TEN
5 49 T. McBride TE ARI
6 72 C. Sutton WR DEN
7 73 L. McConkey WR LAC
8 96 R. Rice WR KC
9 97 D. Hopkins WR KC
10 120 T. Tagovailoa QB MIA
11 121 T. Lockett WR SEA
12 144 T. Lawrence QB JAC
13 145 M. Mims WR DEN
14 168 M. Sanders RB CAR
Dan Schneier
Rd Pk Player
1 2 T. Hill WR MIA
2 23 J. Jacobs RB GB
3 26 D. Henry RB BAL
4 47 D. Smith WR PHI
5 50 C. Kirk WR JAC
6 71 C. Godwin WR TB
7 74 K. Allen WR CHI
8 95 E. Engram TE JAC
9 98 C. Williams QB CHI
10 119 J. Herbert QB LAC
11 122 A. Gibson RB NE
12 143 K. Vidal RB LAC
13 146 J. Jeudy WR CLE
14 167 B. Allen RB NYJ
Jamey Eisenberg
Rd Pk Player
1 3 C. Lamb WR DAL
2 22 I. Pacheco RB KC
3 27 M. Evans WR TB
4 46 C. Kupp WR LAR
5 51 J. Mixon RB HOU
6 70 J. Burrow QB CIN
7 75 N. Harris RB PIT
8 94 M. Brown WR KC
9 99 G. Kittle TE SF
10 118 J. Dotson WR PHI
11 123 Z. Charbonnet RB SEA
12 142 E. Mitchell RB SF
13 147 R. Shaheed WR NO
14 166 G. Davis WR JAC
Adam Aizer
Rd Pk Player
1 4 B. Hall RB NYJ
2 21 D. Adams WR NYJ
3 28 D. Samuel WR SF
4 45 T. Higgins WR CIN
5 52 D. Montgomery RB DET
6 69 D. Swift RB CHI
7 76 K. Murray QB ARI
8 93 T. Spears RB TEN
9 100 R. Mostert RB MIA
10 117 Q. Johnston WR LAC
11 124 D. Njoku TE CLE
12 141 X. Legette WR CAR
13 148 J. Polk WR NE
14 165 B. Sinnott TE WAS
R.J. White
Rd Pk Player
1 5 J. Jefferson WR MIN
2 20 T. Etienne RB JAC
3 29 M. Pittman WR IND
4 44 M. Andrews TE BAL
5 53 Z. White RB LV
6 68 A. Cooper WR BUF
7 77 D. Prescott QB DAL
8 92 Z. Moss RB CIN
9 101 D. Singletary RB NYG
10 116 K. Shakir WR BUF
11 125 J. Ford RB CLE
12 140 T. Franklin WR DEN
13 149 R. Doubs WR GB
14 164 K. Mitchell RB BAL
Joey Wright
Rd Pk Player
1 6 J. Chase WR CIN
2 19 D. London WR ATL
3 30 S. LaPorta TE DET
4 43 S. Diggs WR HOU
5 54 A. Jones RB MIN
6 67 C. Stroud QB HOU
7 78 J. Addison WR MIN
8 91 E. Elliott RB DAL
9 102 J. Warren RB PIT
10 115 J. Williams WR DET
11 126 J. Palmer WR LAC
12 139 J. Wright RB MIA
13 150 R. Pearsall WR SF
14 163 D. Pierce RB HOU
Zach Brook
Rd Pk Player
1 7 B. Robinson RB ATL
2 18 C. Olave WR NO
3 31 N. Collins WR HOU
4 42 J. Allen QB BUF
5 55 T. McLaurin WR WAS
6 66 J. Reed WR GB
7 79 N. Chubb RB CLE
8 90 T. Benson RB ARI
9 103 K. Coleman WR BUF
10 114 G. Edwards RB LAC
11 127 T. Hockenson TE MIN
12 138 J. Meyers WR LV
13 151 D. Goedert TE PHI
14 162 B. Irving RB TB
Dave Richard
Rd Pk Player
1 8 A. St. Brown WR DET
2 17 K. Williams RB LAR
3 32 T. Kelce TE KC
4 41 A. Kamara RB NO
5 56 D. Metcalf WR SEA
6 65 T. Dell WR HOU
7 80 T. Pollard RB TEN
8 89 J. Love QB GB
9 104 B. Corum RB LAR
10 113 B. Robinson Jr. RB WAS
11 128 R. Wilson WR PIT
12 137 B. Purdy QB SF
13 152 M. Corley WR NYJ
14 161 J. McLaughlin RB DEN
Jacob Gibbs
Rd Pk Player
1 9 A. Brown WR PHI
2 16 M. Harrison Jr. WR ARI
3 33 B. Aiyuk WR SF
4 40 J. Hurts QB PHI
5 57 M. Nabers WR NYG
6 64 J. Brooks RB CAR
7 81 R. Stevenson RB NE
8 88 C. Watson WR GB
9 105 C. Brown RB CIN
10 112 M. Lloyd RB GB
11 129 J. Ferguson TE DAL
12 136 T. Tracy Jr. RB NYG
13 153 J. Baker WR NE
14 160 R. Davis RB BUF
Joel Cox
Rd Pk Player
1 10 J. Taylor RB IND
2 15 P. Nacua WR LAR
3 34 J. Waddle WR MIA
4 39 D. Achane RB MIA
5 58 D. Kincaid TE BUF
6 63 A. Richardson QB IND
7 82 R. Odunze WR CHI
8 87 J. Williams RB DEN
9 106 J. Smith-Njigba WR SEA
10 111 M. Williams WR PIT
11 130 R. Dowdle RB DAL
12 135 J. Downs WR IND
13 154 C. Hubbard RB CAR
14 159 K. Miller RB NO
Brandon Howard
Rd Pk Player
1 11 J. Gibbs RB DET
2 14 D. Moore WR CHI
3 35 Z. Flowers WR BAL
4 38 L. Jackson QB BAL
5 59 G. Pickens WR PIT
6 62 B. Bowers TE LV
7 83 X. Worthy WR KC
8 86 J. Daniels QB WAS
9 107 T. Chandler RB MIN
10 110 A. Mitchell WR IND
11 131 A. Estime RB DEN
12 134 J. Burton WR CIN
13 155 W. Robinson WR NYG
14 158 R. Bateman WR BAL
Jay Balk
Rd Pk Player
1 12 G. Wilson WR NYJ
2 13 S. Barkley RB PHI
3 36 K. Walker III RB SEA
4 37 P. Mahomes QB KC
5 60 K. Pitts TE ATL
6 61 D. Johnson WR BAL
7 84 A. Ekeler RB WAS
8 85 J. Conner RB ARI
9 108 B. Thomas Jr. WR JAC
10 109 C. Samuel WR BUF
11 132 J. Dobbins RB LAC
12 133 D. Wicks WR GB
13 156 B. Cooks WR DAL
14 157 D. Douglas WR NE