Fantasy football drafts are running rampant, especially in the world of “experts” who are playing against one another in industry leagues. One such league was held this past week in Canton, Ohio, called “The King’s Classic.” There are several leagues that are run under this umbrella, and mine (the Len Dawson league) is a 14-team, full PPR format.
Each manager was required to draft 16 players. including 10 starters (one quarterback, two running backs, three wide receivers, one tight end and three non-quarterback flex spots). There are no kickers or defenses in the league. Justin Tucker would not approve!
Knowing that the rest of the managers in the league were going to wait on quarterbacks, it was easy to predict big initial runs on wide receivers and running backs. That was going to be my strategy, as you’ll see in the result below, and in many respects it paid off.
Unlike the running-back heavy philosophies I had employed for so many years, I didn’t take a runner until the fifth round. I also waited on a quarterback until the eighth, and I was still able to land a potential superstar. This is why it’s always good to know not only who you want to target in a draft, but also the tendencies of who you’re drafting against.
With that said, here’s how this 16-player fantasy football roster was built.
Click here to see the full draft results.
Round 1 (5 overall): CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys: Lamb falling to fifth overall has everything to do with his current holdout, but I’m not concerned (I think he’ll be back in time for the start of the season). As a result, I happily took the “discount” and landed Lamb in Round 1. Last year’s WR1, he should continue to produce in what could be an important contract year.
Round 2 (24 overall): Davante Adams, WR, Las Vegas Raiders: I went into the draft wanting to start with three wide receivers, and Adams was the best player at the position on my board at this point. I know his elite fantasy days are behind him, but Adams still finished as the WR10 last season. He’ll also remain the centerpiece of the Raiders offensive pass attack once again.
Round 3 (33 overall): Jaylen Waddle, WR, Miami Dolphins: I was going back and forth between picking Waddle or Malik Nabers here, and I decided on the former. It never hurts to have members of the Miami offense on a fantasy squad, and Waddle will be a strong No. 3 in his league. I can expect 80-plus catches, 1,000-plus yards and six to eight touchdowns in 2024.
Round 4 (52 overall): Trey McBride, TE, Arizona Cardinals: I wanted to get a running back here, and was hoping to land Josh Jacobs or James Cook. Unfortunately, both were taken a few spots ahead of me. So, I decided to grab a high-end tight end in McBride. That can be a huge advantage in a 14-team league, and I like the Cardinals tight end to be a superstar this season.
Round 5 (61 overall): Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, New England Patriots: I wanted to get Kenneth Walker in this round, but he went two spots ahead of me. That left Stevenson, who was the next best running back on my board. Considering I didn’t take a runner until the fifth round, I feel fine getting Stevenson at this point. Remember, he was a top-10 back just two years ago.
Round 6 (80 overall): Zack Moss, RB, Cincinnati Bengals: I was thinking about Ladd McConkey as a flex starter in this round, but he went three spots ahead of me. As a result, I went with my second runner and took Moss. He’s shown the ability to post strong fantasy totals when given the chance in the past, and Moss is the favorite to be the lead back, ahead of Chase Brown, in Cincinnati.
Round 7 (89 overall): Courtland Sutton, WR, Denver Broncos: I was thinking about getting the best available back or wideout in this round, as there were still plenty of good quarterbacks on the board. Since Jaylen Warren, Tony Pollard and Brian Robinson Jr. were all picked just ahead of me, I went with a receiver in Sutton. He’ll be a nice WR4 and flex starter for this fantasy team.
Round 8 (108 overall): C.J. Stroud, QB, Houston Texans: I wanted a quarterback at this point, and I felt good about what was available. What surprised me, however, was that Jordan Love, Dak Prescott and Kyler Murray were all picked ahead of Stroud. Had I missed something? He wasn’t hurt! So, I gladly scooped up the second-year signal-caller at what I think is a serious discount.
Round 9 (117 overall); Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns: I was hoping to get Austin Ekeler here, but he was picked right after I took Stroud. As a result, and needing more running back depth, I took a chance on Chubb. There’s definitely some risk involved, but I didn’t love the runners who were still on the board (Gus Edwards, Zach Charbonnet, Rico Dowdle) and took the leap.
Round 10 (136 overall): Dontayvion Wicks, WR, Green Bay Packers: With both Chase Brown (Moss’ handcuff) and Jerome Ford (Chubbs’ handcuff) already off the board and no great running back options available, I went with another wide receiver in Wicks. I’m looking for upside at this late stage of the draft, and Wicks has plenty of it in the explosive Packers offense.
Round 11 (145 overall): Michel Wilson, WR, Arizona Cardinals: I had my eye on Antonio Gibson in this round, but he was picked with the first selection in the round. I also missed out on Jaleel McLaughlin. As a result, being this is a PPR league, I went with yet another receiver and took Wilson. He could be the third option in what could become a high-scoring Cardinals pass attack.
Round 12 (164 overall): Audric Estime, RB, Denver Broncos: I had Kimani Vidal all queued up for this pick, but he went one spot ahead of me. Snaked again! My audible was another rookie runner, Estime. The Broncos backfield is crowded with Javonte Williams, Samaje Perine and McLaughlin, but Estime has been getting positive reviews in camp and is worth a dart throw here.
Round 13 (173 overall): Luke Musgrave, TE, Green Bay Packers: I didn’t really need to take a second tight end until late in the draft, as I already have McBride on the roster. Still, it was nice to grab a sleeper in Musgrave as a backup. With Tucker Kraft banged up, he should have the inside track on the starting job for the Packers. I took him over both Hunter Henry and Cade Otton.
Round 14 (192 overall): Justin Herbert, QB, Los Angeles Chargers: As I mentioned at the top of this article, most of the analysts in this draft wait on quarterbacks. For that reason, even a player like Herbert is on the board very late. Most in the fantasy community expect him to regress statistically in the offense of OC Greg Roman, but Herbert is still a solid backup for Stroud on this team.
Round 15 (201 overall): Alexander Mattison, RB, Las Vegas Raiders: The 15th round of a 14-team fantasy draft isn’t what you might call loaded with talent, so I’m just focused on filling out the roster here. With just four backs on the roster, I decided to add Mattison. While he’s clearly second on the Raiders depth chart behind Zamir White, Mattison is one injury away from a starting position.
Round 16 (220 overall): Kendrick Bourne, WR, New England Patriots: The dart throws continued in this round, and my dart landed on Bourne. He’s coming back from a torn ACL and is on the active/PUP list, so I can put him in an injured spot (along with Chubb) and add a couple more players until the Pats put him on the active roster. Bourne might be my first cut of the year, however.
Final Roster
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Fantasy Football Draft Results: Michael Fabiano's Kings Classic 14-Team PPR Strategy.
