Fantasy Football Strategy: How to draft from No. 7 overall in PPR leagues; full results, favorite picks

The No. 7 overall pick in a 12-team, PPR league is probably the spot where you have to make the toughest call in the first round. It's the spot where Christian McCaffrey could be the best player on the board.

Now, in full disclosure, I have McCaffrey as a top-five overall pick. There's only four players I would draft ahead of him in Ja'Marr Chase, Bijan Robinson, CeeDee Lamb and Jahmyr Gibbs, and all of them were picked in the first six selections here, along with Justin Jefferson and Saquon Barkley.

I understand why some Fantasy managers are skeptical of McCaffrey. We all know what happened last season when he was limited to four games due to Achilles and knee injuries. He's also 29. But he's been healthy throughout training camp and the preseason, and by all accounts in San Francisco he appears poised for a bounce-back campaign -- in a big way.

I'm not going to pass on that upside -- he averaged 24.5 PPR points per game in 2023 -- and neither should you. I was thrilled to start my team with the player who could be the No. 1 non-quarterback in Fantasy this season.

This is our 12-part, pick-by-pick series where me, Dan Schneier, Dave Richard, Heath Cummings, Thomas Shafer and Jacob Gibbs all took part in a six-person PPR mock draft. We each built two of the 12 teams in this 14-round draft to show you a different strategy from each spot.

This is an outline that you can follow if you pick No. 1 overall in your league. The key is to study the strategy and not necessarily the players to see if this works for you.

After drafting McCaffrey, you'll likely have another tough choice to make in Round 2. Ideally, Drake London will be available, but he was gone here. A.J. Brown was also off the board, but I was probably going to pass on him due to his hamstring injury.

I could have selected Brock Bowers, but I wanted to wait on a tight end. Instead, I went with Josh Jacobs. I don't love starting RB-RB in a three-receiver, PPR league, but Jacobs was the best player on the board. And now, I was on my way with this roster.

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). 

Here's my team from No. 7 overall:

1.7: Christian McCaffrey, RB, 49ers

2.6: Josh Jacobs, RB, Packers

3.7: Mike Evans, WR, Buccaneers

4.6: RJ Harvey, RB, Broncos

5.7: Garrett Wilson, WR, Jets

6.6: D.J. Moore, WR, Bears

7.7: Stefon Diggs, WR, Patriots

8.6: David Njoku, TE, Browns

9.7: Christian Kirk, WR, Texans

10.6: Brian Robinson Jr., RB, 49ers

11.7: Dak Prescott, QB, Cowboys

12.6: Trey Benson, RB, Cardinals

13.7: Wan'Dale Robinson, WR, Giants

14.6: Romeo Doubs, WR, GB

Building out my receiving corps was the No. 1 priority on this roster from the third round on, and I was thrilled to get Evans, which you can read about below. But then Harvey landed in my lap in Round 4, and I couldn't pass on him, so he'll be my flex. You never want to pass on a player you covet, and I expect Harvey to have an outstanding rookie campaign.

It worked out well that receivers like Wilson and Moore were available in Rounds 5 and 6. I have my concerns about that duo, but that's when they are being drafted in Round 3 for Wilson and Round 5 for Moore. They were a bargain here.

I also felt fortunate to get Diggs in Round 7 and Kirk in Round 9, and now my receiving corps was in great shape, along with late-round fliers on Wan'Dale Robinson and Doubs. Given the strength of my running back corps, I only need to play three of these receivers, so I should be fine.

I made sure to handcuff McCaffrey with Brian Robinson Jr. in Round 10, and I recommend doing that if you select McCaffrey in Round 1. Locking up the San Francisco backfield makes sense, and Robinson should be at least a No. 2 Fantasy running back if McCaffrey misses any time due to injury. Benson is also a good reserve and could be a lottery ticket if James Conner were to get hurt.

I got great value on Njoku in Round 8, and he has top-five upside with Joe Flacco as the starting quarterback in Cleveland. It could be a monster season for Njoku, who averaged 18.6 PPR points per game in five games with Flacco in 2023.

It was easy to wait on a quarterback in this draft, and I loved getting Prescott in Round 11. He missed nine games last season due to a hamstring injury, but he's healthy now. And prior to 2024, he averaged at least 24.7 Fantasy points per game in four of the previous five seasons.

Favorite pick: Garrett Wilson

I don't want to draft Wilson in Round 3, but I love him in Round 5, especially with how I built this team. He was the No. 21 PPR receiver in 2024 at 14.8 points per game. He had six games with at least 16.3 PPR points, and he was No. 4 in the NFL with 154 targets. Wilson had to share the field with Davante Adams for the second half of 2024 after he was traded from the Raiders to the Jets, and Adams was reunited with Aaron Rodgers in New York. This season, Wilson is the receiver with the quarterback connection since he played at Ohio State with Justin Fields, and hopefully that rapport shows. I'm excited about Wilson as the No. 2 receiver on this roster.

Pick I might regret: RJ Harvey

I'm expecting a big year for Harvey as a rookie, and he looks the part in the preseason. Harvey has played 34 of 40 first- and second-down snaps with the starters in the preseason, and that should be great in Sean Payton's offense. He's played none of the 11 third-down snaps, which means he'll share with J.K. Dobbins, but we want Harvey on the field as much as possible early in his career. The reason I might regret drafting Harvey here is that I passed on some high-end receivers in George Pickens, Xavier Worthy and Tetairoa McMillan. Given my roster build, it might have made more sense to take a No. 2 receiver instead of a third running back, so I'll need Harvey to have a big year.

Player who could make or break my team: Mike Evans

It's not ideal that Evans is 32, and Tampa Bay's receiving corps might be crowded by the end of the season when Chris Godwin (ankle) and Jalen McMillan (neck) are healthy. But heading into Week 1, we don't expect Godwin or McMillan to play for the first month. That should lead to Evans being a dominant Fantasy option as the top target for Baker Mayfield. I was hesitant to draft Evans at the start of training camp. Now, he's someone I reach for in Round 3, and I need him to be awesome for this roster to succeed.