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USATSI

When it comes to first-round draft picks in Fantasy Football drafts, there's the haves and the have-nots. In a full PPR scoring format, drafting from the No. 8 overall pick gives you a lock to draft one of the haves. Your rankings for wide receiver may vary, but you're likely to draft one of the borderline elite options even all the way down the board at No. 8 overall. Selecting a wide receiver in Round 1 of a PPR draft buys you flexibility when it rolls back around in the second. 

Once Christian McCaffrey came off the board in this full PPR draft, I was sure that wide receiver would be my first-round pick. While Ashton Jeanty and Derrick Henry are promising Fantasy draft picks, they are best left for standard scoring and half-PPR formats. 

I led things off with Nico Collins, a wide receiver who is unique to this year's draft class because he is so dominant on a yards per route run basis, but also does it while almost exclusively lined up as an X (boundary) wide receiver. In simpler terms, teams can't stop Collins despite the fact that his job is a lot more difficult on the outside than it would be in the slot, where he is getting a higher percentage of free releases off the line of scrimmage and "two-way go" routes. 

The Stroud-Collins connection will continue to dominate in 2025, and I feel confident in that. Round 2 is where things get interesting when picking from No. 8 overall. You have a decision to make. If you pass on running back here, despite it being a full-PPR format, you may just have to commit to a zero-RB type strategy. By the time the draft rolls back to you in Round 3, the best players available are often not likely to be running backs. That's exactly what happened in this draft, but I came out of it fine -- at least in my mind -- grabbing two mid-tier RB2s that I see both a safe floor and upside for. 

Plus, with a receiver corps this stacked and an elite quarterback to carry me -- I won't need much from my running backs -- or at least I hope.

Let's dive into this thing.

My Draft from No. 8 overall:

As a reference point, all touchdowns in this league 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 one point for every reception. We feature a starting lineup of QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, TE, and FLEX (RB/WR/TE)."

1.8: Nico Collins, WR, Texans
2.5: AJ Brown, WR, Eagles
3.8: Lamar Jackson, QB, Ravens
4.5: Courtland Sutton, WR, Broncos
5.8: James Conner, RB, Cardinals
6.5: Tony Pollard, RB, Titans
7.8: Chris Godwin, WR, Buccaneers
8.5: Travis Kelce, TE, Chiefs
9.8: Tank Bigsby, RB, Jaguars
10.5: JK Dobbins, RB, Broncos
11.8: Rashod Bateman, WR, Ravens
12.5: Marvin Mims, WR, Broncos
13.8: Jalen Coker, WR, Panthers
14.5: DJ Giddens, RB, Colts

Favorite pick: Tony Pollard

What's not to like about Pollard this season? I'm struggling to understand his low ADP. First of all, Tyjae Spears has already been placed on IR to start the season with a high-ankle sprain. The history of backs coming back from those injuries in-season is not glowing. Pollard was more efficient than most realize last year with the Titans, and they have since improved the offensive line and, more importantly, the quarterback. Pollard could sneakily get back to his RB1 days in Dallas if the Spears injury lingers. Even without it, he's a rock-solid RB2.

Pick I might regret: James Conner

Conner has remained incredibly efficient; he's a perfect fit for the Cardinals' blocking scheme, he's involved in the pass game, in the red zone, and he's most likely going to handle most of this backfield. He's also one of the older starters in the NFL with an injury history. If this is an ugly injury year for Conner, my chances in this league plummet due to a lack of depth at the running back position. 

Player who could make or break my team: A.J. Brown

Brown has struggled to return elite WR scoring and value in Fantasy leagues due to a lack of volume. Last season, his volume fell to its lowest levels, and he was just the WR13 overall in PPR scoring. His production will in part depend on the Eagles' game script. We need more passing from this offense, and a tougher schedule should lead us there.