If you're planning on picking fifth in a PPR draft, the easiest first step in preparation is to rank your five favorite fantasy football players: five running backs, five receivers, a combination of two positions, or five quarterbacks if you're superflexible.
I know I'll get one of those, easy.
You can view my top 5 list along with 195 other players. I followed my list and chose the highest ranked players remaining.
1. Christian McCaffrey
2. C.D. Lam
3. Tyreek Hill
4. Breece Hall
5. Bijan Robinson
To be honest, I was tempted to put Amon-Ra St. Brown or Justin Jefferson in the top five because I think the mid-second round of a PPR draft is going to be loaded with running backs. Drafting Hall or Robinson with the first pick would be like drafting a starting RB-RB, which is never the best idea in a league where receiving is valued and there are four lineup spots available for receivers. But I decided to do it anyway. There are two reasons. First, I can't afford to overlook Robinson with the expectation that he will be utilized even more than last season and will have the added benefit of an improved passing game and a strong offensive line. Second, I believe in the depth at wide receiver and have remained committed to working at the position while waiting for both a quarterback and a tight end. And third, I really like the value of a running back in the mid-second round.
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So how did the teams fare? Let's take a look at the results for fifth place.
1.05 Bijan Robinson, RB, ATL
2.08 Isaiah Pacheco, RB, KC
3.05 Davante Adams, WR, LV
4.08 Brandon Aiyuk, WR, SF
5.05 George Pickens, WR, PIT
6.08 Christian Kirk, WR, JAC
7.05 Zamir White, RB, LV
8.08 Jordan Love, QB, GB
9.05 Khalil Shakir, WR, BUF
10.08 David Njoku, TE, CLE
11.05 Gus Edwards, RB, LAC
12.08 Marshawn Lloyd, RB, GB
13.05 Brock Purdy, QB, SF
14.08 Zach Ertz, TE, WAS
I like the depth at receiver this year and feel like I took advantage of the “buy low” with all four receivers selected in rounds 3-6. It wasn't that long ago that offseason Pickens was selected in the fourth round, Aiyuk in the third round and Adams… well, all in the third round. But these guys, along with Zamir White in the seventh round, all felt like bargains.
The best part is that if I missed out on all four receivers I could have been happy with someone else, like Malik Neighbors or DK Metcalf instead of Adams in the third round, Rushe Rice instead of Aiyuk in the fourth, Amari Cooper, Calvin Ridley or Terry McLaurin instead of Pickens in the fifth, and a Packers receiver or Diontay Johnson instead of Kirk in the sixth round. I should have taken James Conner in the sixth round and hoped one of the other receivers (or Kirk) would come back to me in the seventh round.
The bottom line is that there is obviously depth at the position, and you should be able to find pass-catching players you're happy with by the eighth round. You can't do much worse than starting with two running backs with your first two picks, and if you do select two rushers first, then go hard on receivers after that, at least get some to start with.
Another helpful tip is to look at the teams who pick after you in the even rounds and ahead of you in the odd rounds. Their needs may help you craft your decision and how you proceed with future picks. Remember I should have picked Connor in the 6th round? That would have been the best decision since the three teams picking in draft slots 1-4 each had a running back. I would have left Connor out of the player pool and probably let them pick another running back. I almost wonder if Kirk will come back to me.
But here's a side note. I was also looking at teams 6-12. When I was picking in the seventh round, I actually wanted to pick Jordan Love, but literally, teams 6-12 had quarterbacks. I took a risk and knew I could count on Love coming back to me in the eighth round. And he did. And then I pulled that exact same trick with David Njoku in the 10th round. Nothing feels better than picking a guy you want to pick one round later. Paying attention to other teams' needs and who they've picked helps make that happen.
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