We did our first Salary Cap Draft of the summer Thursday, and it's always a fun exercise to get that first one out of the way because the results are often way different than your typical snake draft.
How different? Well, you can see the full results here – and get Dave Richard's thoughts on the best Salary Cap draft strategies here – but just zooming in on my team can give you a sense: I got three first-round caliber wide receivers, in Stefon Diggs, CeeDee Lamb, and Davante Adams on my team. That's a combination you simply will never be able to put together in a snake draft, where Diggs is 9.66 in ADP, Lamb is 11.71, and Adams is 15.09.
In your snake drafts, of course, what kind of team you are building is often as much a product of where you end up picking and who is picking around you as much as how you actually want to build your team. Personal preference matters, obviously, but if a player is gone by the time you're making your pick, it doesn't matter how badly you wanted them – that is one of the benefits of doing a Salary Cap Draft.
We'll have a lot more on Salary Cap Drafts in the coming weeks, including my valuations for each position along with updated rankings starting Monday of next week. But in today's newsletter, we're going deep on snake draft strategy, as the whole Fantasy Football Today team has their thoughts on how you should approach every pick, from 1 through 12.
You won't pick the same team from the No. 1 spot that Jamey Eisenberg did, but you can use his walkthrough and our walkthroughs for every other pick, to help figure out how to build the best team from each spot in the draft. Let's get going.
Pick-By-Pick Advice
Picking from No. 1 Overall
Jamey Eisenberg: "The first pick in a PPR league is easy. You draft Justin Jefferson and don't think twice. He was the No. 1 receiver in 2022 and just continues to get better, and he should have another dominant campaign this season.
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."
The Roster
1.1: Justin Jefferson, WR, Vikings
2.12: Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, Patriots
3.1: DeVonta Smith, WR, Eagles
4.12: Lamar Jackson, QB, Ravens
5.1: James Conner, RB, Cardinals
6.12: Rachaad White, RB, Buccaneers
7.1: George Kittle, TE, 49ers
8.12: Rashaad Penny, RB, Eagles
9.1: JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, Patriots
10.12: Elijah Mitchell, RB, 49ers
11.1: Odell Beckham, WR, Ravens
12.12: Allen Lazard, WR, Jets
13.1: Jerome Ford, RB, Browns
14.12: Ezekiel Elliott, RB, FA
Picking from No. 2 Overall
Adam Aizer: "Get ready for some change at the top of your Fantasy drafts. Multiple wide receivers were drafted before the top running back in this draft, which could be the norm this season. According to Fantasy Football Calculator's ADP data, a running back has had the highest ADP in six straight seasons. Justin Jefferson could very well end that streak.
I would take Jefferson first overall, but with him off the board I pivoted to Ja'Marr Chase. I selected Chase despite thinking that the wide receivers available to me in Round 2 would be better than the running backs available there. I wanted a wide receiver in his prime to anchor my squad regardless of what might be available next round. Sure enough, a run on running backs in the second round left me with limited options at the position. When this happens, don't reach! Don't panic and pick a running back just for the sake of having one. Take the best player available, and that was Josh Allen in this case."
The Roster
1.2: Ja'Marr Chase, WR, CIN
2.11: Josh Allen, QB, BUF
3.2: Joe Mixon, RB, CIN
4.11: Alexander Mattison, RB, MIN
5.2: Drake London, WR, ATL
6.11: Javonte Williams, RB, DEN
7.2: Jordan Addison, WR, MIN
8.11: Zach Charbonnet, RB, SEA
9.2: Treylon Burks, WR, TEN
10.11: Greg Dulcich, TE, DEN
11.2: Jonathan Mingo, WR, CAR
12.11: Cole Kmet, TE, CHI
13.2: Chase Brown, RB, CIN
14.11: Daniel Jones, QB, NYG
Picking from No. 3 Overall
Dave Richard: "There used to be a time when getting the consensus No. 1 overall running back was reserved only for the person drafting first overall. That time has passed -- and it means good things for those who pick second, third or maybe even fourth overall.
Such was the case for my team when I took Christian McCaffrey at No. 3 overall in our recent PPR draft. Drafting Justin Jefferson at 1.01 seems like a no-brainer because he should be in line for more targets than anyone in football. But after him, I am good with McCaffrey over literally everyone else. Watching Ja'Marr Chase go second overall made the pick all the sweeter. "
The Roster
1.03: Christian McCaffrey, RB, SF
2.10: Jaylen Waddle, WR, MIA
3.03: Jalen Hurts, QB, PHI
4.10: DK Metcalf, WR, SEA
5.03: T.J. Hockenson, TE, MIN
6.10: George Pickens, WR, PIT
7.03: Mike Evans, WR, TB
8.10: Skyy Moore, WR, KC
9.03: De'Von Achane, RB, MIA
10.10: Jeff Wilson, RB, MIA
11.03: Dalton Schultz, TE, HOU
12.10: Zamir White, RB, LV
13.03: Jerick McKinnon, RB, KC
14.10: Sean Tucker, RB, TB
Picking from No. 4 Overall
Heath Cummings: "If you land the No. 4 pick in a PPR draft, the hope should be that one of Justin Jefferson or Ja'Marr Chase happens to fall to you. Assuming they don't like they didn't in this draft, you're going to have a difficult decision to make as to whether you want to go with a running back, a wide receiver, or Travis Kelce. Kelce offers the biggest positional advantage, but he is also in the twilight of his career and will turn 34 years old in October. Also, picking fourth means there is an excellent chance you can land Mark Andrews in Round 3 if you really want a difference maker at tight end.
The safest pick after Jefferson and Chase is Tyreek Hill. Hill is still in the prime of his career, he plays wide receiver, a position that isn't as prone to injuries as running back, and he proved last year that he is completely quarterback proof."
1.04: Tyreek Hill, WR, MIA
2.09: Jonathan Taylor, RB, IND
3.04: Mark Andrews, TE, BAL
4.09: Deebo Samuel, WR, SF
5.04: Christian Kirk, WR, JAC
6.09: Jahan Dotson, WR, WAS
7.04: Cam Akers, RB, LAR
8.09: Samaje Perine, RB, DEN
9.04: Nico Collins, WR, HOU
10.09: Dak Prescott, QB, DAL
11.04: Deshaun Watson, QB, CLE
12.09: Jaylen Warren, RB, PIT
13.04 Isaiah Hodgins, WR, NYG
14.09: Israel Abanikanda, RB, NYJ
Picking from No. 5 Overall
Chris Towers: "If I knew what I know now, would I have still taken Cooper Kupp with the No. 5 overall pick? Kupp left practice Tuesday with a hamstring injury that is expected to keep him on the sidelines for a few weeks, but isn't currently expected to cost him any regular season time. That's the good news.
The bad news is that, well, he's currently hurt. Predicting injuries is hard, and avoiding injury risks in your draft is often impossible, but one sure way to invite injury risk is to take players who are already injured a week into training camp."
The Roster
1.05: Cooper Kupp
2.09: Patrick Mahomes
3.05: Travis Etienne
4.09: Breece Hall
5.05: Chris Godwin
6.09: Marquise Brown
7.05: Mike Williams
8.09: Dalvin Cook
9.05: Rondale Moore
10.09: Devin Singletary
11.05: Dalton Kincaid
12.09: Rashee Rice
13.05: D'Onta Foreman
14.09: Justyn Ross
Dan Schneier: "It feels like just a few years ago when we used to see running backs come rattling off the board at the start of and throughout the first round of Fantasy Football drafts. So much has changed since then. The first round in 2023 is filled with early wide receivers and even one non-running back/receiver. It's that exact player who I look to target in most drafts and when picking in the middle of the round, I feel like I'm in a prime position to land Travis Kelce."
The Roster
1.06: Travis Kelce
2.07: Garrett Wilson
3.06: Chris Olave
4.07: Dameon Pierce
5.06: Terry McLaurin
6.07: D'Andre Swift
7.06: Tyler Lockett
8.07: Antonio Gibson
9.06: Elijah Moore
10.07: John Metchie
11.06: Aaron Rodgers
12.07: Kyler Murray
13.06: Wan'Dale Robinson
14.07: Kendre Miller
Picking from No. 7 Overall
Jamey Eisenberg: "I never want to get locked into a plan or strategy on Draft Day. Unless you have the No. 1 overall pick, anything can happen in Round 1 that can alter your expected roster construction. And that could happen all throughout the draft.
This team at No. 7 overall is a great example of that in a PPR league. I wasn't expecting Austin Ekeler to be there, but it was easy to draft him after Justin Jefferson, Ja'Marr Chase, Christian McCaffrey, Tyreek Hill, Cooper Kupp and Travis Kelce were off the board.
In Round 2, I didn't expect Amon-Ra St. Brown to be there at No. 18 overall, but I was thrilled to add him to my team. Tee Higgins fell to Round 3, and that felt like a gift. And I also loved the value for Aaron Jones in Round 4 and J.K. Dobbins in Round 5."
The Roster
1.7: Austin Ekeler, RB, Chargers
2.6: Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Lions
3.7: Tee Higgins, WR, Bengals
4.6: Aaron Jones, RB, Packers
5.7: J.K. Dobbins, RB, Ravens
6.6: Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jaguars
7.7: Michael Pittman, WR, Colts
8.6: Isiah Pacheco, RB, Chiefs
9.7: Jameson Williams, WR, Lions
10.6: David Njoku, TE, Browns
11.7: Tank Bigsby, RB, Jaguars
12.6: Tyler Boyd, WR, Bengals
13.7: Nathaniel Dell, WR, Texans
14.6: Richie James, WR, Chiefs
Picking from No. 8 Overall
Adam Aizer: "Please let Bijan fall to me. Please let Bijan fall to me. Please let Bijan fall to me.
BOOYA! It wouldn't shock me if Bijan Robinson is the most valuable player in Fantasy this season, so I was clearly thrilled to start my draft with him. I think there are 10 easy first round picks in Fantasy Football this season, and the 8th pick is great to have when it comes to your first and second round picks. After that, it gets tricky.
There is a noticeable drop off in talent and league-winning potential after about 30 picks. That means you may not love your options in Rounds 3 and 4 when you have the 8th overall pick in the draft. You won't get one of the Top 3 quarterbacks. You're probably missing out on DeVonta Smith, Tee Higgins and Chris Olave. Mark Andrews might make it to you in Round 3, but he didn't in this draft. So, what do you do?"
The Roster
1.8: Bijan Robinson, RB, ATL
2.5: A.J. Brown, WR, PHI
3.8: Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, DET
4.5: Amari Cooper, WR, CLE
5.8: Joe Burrow, QB, CIN
6.5: Darren Waller, TE, NYG
7.8: Gabe Davis WR, BUF
8.5: A.J. Dillon RB, GB
9.8: Courtland Sutton, WR, DEN
10.5: Quentin Johnston, WR, LAC
11.8: Tyler Allgeier, RB, ATL
12.5: Russell Wilson, QB, DEN
13.8: Gus Edwards RB, BAL
14.5: Trey McBride, TE, ARI
Picking from No. 9 Overall
Dave Richard: "There feels like a consensus top-three picks (Justin Jefferson, Christian McCaffrey and Ja'Marr Chase), followed by a consensus next-five picks (Austin Ekeler, Cooper Kupp, Bijan Robinson, Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce). That makes things easy when you're picking first through eighth, but it kinda stinks for the manager picking ninth.
So what did I do when I picked ninth overall in our recent PPR mock draft? Simple: I took the player who I thought had the best shot to be just as good as anyone picked in the first eight picks AND was also at the thinnest remaining position among the elite-tier players. For me, that was Stefon Diggs."
The Roster
1.09: Stefon Diggs
2.04: Derrick Henry
3.09: Najee Harris
4.04: DeAndre Hopkins
5.09: Justin Fields
6.04: Diontae Johnson
7.09: Alvin Kamara
8.04: Brian Robinson
9.09: Zay Flowers
10.04: Evan Engram
11.09: Jakobi Meyers
12.04: Roschon Johnson
13.09: Ty Chandler
14.04: Evan Hull
Picking from No. 10 Overall
Heath Cummings: "If you land the 10th pick in the draft you may feel a little bit of FOMO about the fact that you won't get to take one of the truly elite players in Fantasy. I'd counter that you actually get to take two of them. It's just everything after Round 2 that stinks.
With my first two picks in this draft from the 10 spot I took Saquon Barkley and CeeDee Lamb. In past years there is no chance Barkley would have been available to me, but in full PPR we are really seeing running backs pushed back in the draft. Lamb is one of the few proven alpha No. 1 wide receivers, and I would expect to see his target share rise in Mike McCarthy's system."
The Roster
1.10: Saquon Barkley, RB, NYG
2.03: CeeDee Lamb, WR, DAL
3.10: Miles Sanders, RB, CAR
4.03: Christian Watson, WR, GB
5:10: Kyle Pitts, TE, ATL
6.03: David Montgomery, RB, DET
7.10: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, SEA
8.03: James Cook, RB, BUF
9.10: Anthony Richardson, QB, IND
10.03: Romeo Doubs, WR, GB
11.09: Adam Thielen, WR, CAR
12.03: Kirk Cousins, QB, MIN
13.09: Sterling Shepard, WR, NYG
14.03: Deuce Vaughn, RB, DAL
Picking from No. 11 Overall
Chris Towers: "A lot of people will tell you you can't win your Fantasy Football league with your first-round pick, but you sure can lose it with the wrong pick. I don't quite buy that viewpoint, as you can see with how I approached picking from the No. 11 spot in our pick-by-pick series.
With my first-round pick, I took Josh Jacobs. Yep, I know he's not at camp with the Raiders yet, as he continues to hold out after being hit with the franchise tag. There's certainly risk inherent to that pick, though not necessarily from Jacobs just never showing up – the NFL CBA actively disincentivizes players from holding out, so while I can't say there's no chance Jacobs won't show up, I'm not too worried about that. The concern for me comes from how skipping most or all of training camp might impact Jacobs' readiness for the season."
The Roster
1.11: Josh Jacobs
2.2: Davante Adams
3.11: Calvin Ridley
4.2: Keenan Allen
5.11: Justin Herbert
6.2: Kenneth Walker
7.11: Pat Freiermuth
8.2: Michael Thomas
9.11: Kadarius Toney
10.2: Jamaal Williams
11.11: D.J. Chark
12.2: Damien Harris
13.11: Jalin Hyatt
14.2: Marvin Mims
Picking from No. 12 Overall
Dan Schneier: "It feels like just a few years ago when we used to see running backs come rattling off the board at the start of and throughout the first round of Fantasy Football drafts. So much has changed since then. The first round in 2023 is filled with early wide receivers and even one non-running back/receiver.
With more receivers coming off the board in the first half of the first round, an opportunity presents itself to grab running backs when you're at the end of the round. That's the position I found myself in during our pick-by-pick draft when I inherited the 12th overall selection -- the back-to-back."
The Roster
1.12: Nick Chubb, RB, CLE
2.1: Tony Pollard, RB, DAL
3.12: Jerry Jeudy, WR, DEN
4.1: D.J. Moore, WR, CHI
5.12: Brandon Aiyuk, WR, SF
6.1: Dallas Goedert, TE, PHI
7.12: Brandin Cooks, WR, DAL
8.1: Khalil Herbert, RB, CHI
9.12: Rashod Bateman, WR, BAL
10.1: Tua Tagovailoa, QB, MIA
11.12: Geno Smith, QB, SEA
12.1: Sam LaPorta, TE, DET
13.12: Michael Wilson, WR, ARI
14.1: Gerald Everett, TE, LAC
