Being stuck with a draft pick in the back end of a 12- or 14-team league means you need to work harder to build your team. The traditional logic of going heavy on running backs early may not yield the best results. However, using one of these best fantasy football draft pick strategies from spots 11-14 can propel you to a championship this season.
Before we get started, it is important to note you need a backup plan in place someone takes the players you are targeting. You never know when a free radical does something crazy in the first round and creates chaos.
For example, if you are sitting at pick 12 and for some reason Michael Thomas or Clyde Edwards-Helaire is still on the board, you have to go grab them. It’s easy for managers to get so locked in on their draft strategy that they are blind to value available on the board.
Related: You better factor in O-line play when drafting your fantasy team
The 3 best fantasy football draft pick strategies from spots 11-14
1) The undervalued running backs
Once you get past the tenth pick, the available running backs carry some risk such as Aaron Jones suffering regression, Kenyan Drake’s short track record or Miles Sanders possibly being injured. However, there are two running backs who are undervalued in this range of the draft. Austin Ekeler and Josh Jacobs form a great foundation if you can grab both at the end of the first and start of the second round.
Ekeler was a top-six running back in .5 PPR and RB4 in PPR. Sure, the quarterback situation with the LA Chargers is questionable, but he is by far and away the team’s best weapon. As for Josh Jacobs, he’s a dark horse pick to lead the NFL in rushing and everyone is talking about him catching more passes for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020.
Related: Here’s who to target and who to avoid on the LA Chargers this season
2) RB0
Every year, most fantasy football analysts insist you have to draft two running backs with your first two picks. That has been no different in 2020. However, history shows us that going RB0 almost always works every season assuming you can get two top-five wide receivers with your first and second round picks.
If you are drafting in the 11-14 range, grabbing two of Davante Adams, Tyreek Hill or Julio Jones provides a lot more value than forcing running backs who haven’t consistently produced at the NFL level.
3) Total disruption
The best fantasy football draft pick strategies from spots 11-14 require you to zig while everyone else zags. But this strategy involves you zagging the most. With your first two picks, draft Lamar Jackson and either Travis Kelce or George Kittle. A lot of fantasy football experts tell you to be risk adverse. And that’s fine if you have a pick early in the draft. But if you are selecting in the back end of a 12- or 14-team league, who dares wins.
Building a team after the first two rounds
Regardless of which of these best fantasy football draft pick strategies from spots 11-14 you use, building the rest of your team works the same. In the third and fourth rounds, you want to target running backs with a path to volume. David Johnson, Leonard Fournette and Cam Akers are all interesting choices.
In the fifth and sixth rounds, look to fill out the wide receiving corps. Michael Gallup, Tyler Boyd and Julian Edelman are just a few of the players to target. With your next three picks, look for those high upside running back handcuffs and make sure you have enough depth at wide receiver.
What do you think are some of the best fantasy football draft pick strategies from spots 11-14? Let us know in the comments and don’t forget to like our Facebook page.
