Part of the problem with planning your Fantasy Football draft is not knowing what to expect after you make certain picks. Like, if you pick a running back in Round 1, should you go RB in Round 2, understanding what type of wide receiver you’ll get in Round 3? Or will your team look much better if you go WR/WR with your first two picks, settling for a third-round running back?
We took some of the guess work out of it, by showing you what Fantasy Football lineups might look like depending on which route you go with in each round.
We’re going to automatically assume you are not going to draft tight end Rob Gronkowski or a quarterback in your first three rounds. Yes, you can draft Gronk or a quarterback, but that skews the number of different possible lineups below, and we’re just trying to show you how the RB/WR combinations might work.
6 Different Fantasy Football Lineups For First 3 Rounds of 2017 Drafts
When we refer to Average Draft Positions, we’re using ADP for 12-team, non-PPR Fantasy Football leagues from FantasyFootballCalculator.com. Also, the assumption is you’re drafting near the middle of each round, with a fifth, sixth, seventh or eighth pick in each round.
This is generally the most common form people will want to draft as they get ready to fill their roster. A solid base of a top-10 RB, and a top-10 WR, with a good RB2. Here are some lineup options when you draft that way in August of 2017:
Devonta Freeman, Dez Bryant, Christian McCaffrey
Melvin Gordon, Amari Cooper, Dalvin Cook
LeSean McCoy, Brandin Cooks, Lamar Miller
Of this group, I think I like the second trio best, with the understanding that Cook could be swapped out with McCaffrey or Miller and I’d be completely happy.
Photo Credit: AP Photo/John Bazemore
Drafting In This Order: Round 1RB, 2RB, 3WR
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If you decide to lean RB-heavy early on, this is the setup you could end up with:
Devonta Freeman, Todd Gurley, Terrelle Pryor
Melvin Gordon, Leonard Fournette, DeAndre Hopkins
LeSean McCoy, Isaiah Crowell, Keenan Allen
While I do like those second-round RB options, I’m not crazy about those third-round WR possibilities as my WR1. Of this grouping, I think I like that first trio best.
Photo Credit: AP Photo/Ben Margot
Drafting In This Order: Round 1RB, 2WR, 3WR
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While you might not be a fan of going Zero-RB Theory, you likely understand the elevated importance of wide receivers in the Fantasy Football world in recent years. Here’s what your lineups might look like if you go RB first, backed up by two wide receivers:
Devonta Freeman, Dez Bryant, Terrelle Pryor
Melvin Gordon, Amari Cooper, DeAndre Hopkins
LeSean McCoy, Brandin Cooks, Keenan Allen
Again, the third-round wide receivers aren’t really doing it for me in this setup, but that second group really does look fantastic. All three players have great upside in 2017.
Photo Credit: AP Photo/Weston Kenney
Drafting In This Order: Round 1WR, 2WR, 3RB
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Maybe you choose to avoid the Zero-RB Theory, but you still want to lean heavily toward the passing game – even in a non-PPR format. So here’s a look at a Packers-type offense in Fantasy:
Odell Beckham Jr., Dez Bryant, Christian McCaffrey
Mike Evans, Amari Cooper, Dalvin Cook
Jordy Nelson, Brandin Cooks, Lamar Miller
How stacked does that second group look!?! Unfortunately, you just can’t enter into the season with a rookie running back as your RB1. Replace Cook or McCaffrey with Miller, and that makes more sense. It’s a much more stable lineup.
Photo Credit: AP Photo/Mark Zaleski
Drafting In This Order: Round 1WR, 2RB, 3WR
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Maybe you can upgrade at running back from the previous setup, and bookend that RB with good wide receivers?
Odell Beckham Jr., Todd Gurley, Terrelle Pryor
Mike Evans, Leonard Fournette, DeAndre Hopkins
Jordy Nelson, Isaiah Crowell, Keenan Allen
Unfortunately, none of these trios stand out to me as Fantasy Football foundations of which championship teams are built on. Gun to my head – I choose the first option, replacing Pryor with Hopkins.
Photo Credit: AP Photo/Paul Sancya
Drafting In This Order: Round 1WR, 2RB, 3RB
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
So we’ve established that the third-round wide receivers aren’t worthy of being good WR1s, and the third-round RBs aren’t worthy of being good RB1s. So let’s split the diff!
Odell Beckham Jr., Todd Gurley, Christian McCaffrey
Mike Evans, Leonard Fournette, Dalvin Cook
Jordy Nelson, Isaiah Crowell, Lamar Miller
Three very solid groups – although, relying on two rookie running backs (second option) has to be pretty scary for everyone involved in that lineup. I’d prefer the first or third option, or replacing Cook with Miller or Fournett with Crowell.
This is generally the most common form people will want to draft as they get ready to fill their roster. A solid base of a top-10 RB, and a top-10 WR, with a good RB2. Here are some lineup options when you draft that way in August of 2017:
Devonta Freeman, Dez Bryant, Christian McCaffrey
Melvin Gordon, Amari Cooper, Dalvin Cook
LeSean McCoy, Brandin Cooks, Lamar Miller
Of this group, I think I like the second trio best, with the understanding that Cook could be swapped out with McCaffrey or Miller and I’d be completely happy.
Photo Credit: AP Photo/John Bazemore
2/6
Drafting In This Order: Round 1RB, 2RB, 3WR
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
If you decide to lean RB-heavy early on, this is the setup you could end up with:
Devonta Freeman, Todd Gurley, Terrelle Pryor
Melvin Gordon, Leonard Fournette, DeAndre Hopkins
LeSean McCoy, Isaiah Crowell, Keenan Allen
While I do like those second-round RB options, I’m not crazy about those third-round WR possibilities as my WR1. Of this grouping, I think I like that first trio best.
Photo Credit: AP Photo/Ben Margot
3/6
Drafting In This Order: Round 1RB, 2WR, 3WR
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
While you might not be a fan of going Zero-RB Theory, you likely understand the elevated importance of wide receivers in the Fantasy Football world in recent years. Here’s what your lineups might look like if you go RB first, backed up by two wide receivers:
Devonta Freeman, Dez Bryant, Terrelle Pryor
Melvin Gordon, Amari Cooper, DeAndre Hopkins
LeSean McCoy, Brandin Cooks, Keenan Allen
Again, the third-round wide receivers aren’t really doing it for me in this setup, but that second group really does look fantastic. All three players have great upside in 2017.
Photo Credit: AP Photo/Weston Kenney
4/6
Drafting In This Order: Round 1WR, 2WR, 3RB
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Maybe you choose to avoid the Zero-RB Theory, but you still want to lean heavily toward the passing game – even in a non-PPR format. So here’s a look at a Packers-type offense in Fantasy:
Odell Beckham Jr., Dez Bryant, Christian McCaffrey
Mike Evans, Amari Cooper, Dalvin Cook
Jordy Nelson, Brandin Cooks, Lamar Miller
How stacked does that second group look!?! Unfortunately, you just can’t enter into the season with a rookie running back as your RB1. Replace Cook or McCaffrey with Miller, and that makes more sense. It’s a much more stable lineup.
Photo Credit: AP Photo/Mark Zaleski
5/6
Drafting In This Order: Round 1WR, 2RB, 3WR
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Maybe you can upgrade at running back from the previous setup, and bookend that RB with good wide receivers?
Odell Beckham Jr., Todd Gurley, Terrelle Pryor
Mike Evans, Leonard Fournette, DeAndre Hopkins
Jordy Nelson, Isaiah Crowell, Keenan Allen
Unfortunately, none of these trios stand out to me as Fantasy Football foundations of which championship teams are built on. Gun to my head – I choose the first option, replacing Pryor with Hopkins.
Photo Credit: AP Photo/Paul Sancya
6/6
Drafting In This Order: Round 1WR, 2RB, 3RB
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
So we’ve established that the third-round wide receivers aren’t worthy of being good WR1s, and the third-round RBs aren’t worthy of being good RB1s. So let’s split the diff!
Odell Beckham Jr., Todd Gurley, Christian McCaffrey
Mike Evans, Leonard Fournette, Dalvin Cook
Jordy Nelson, Isaiah Crowell, Lamar Miller
Three very solid groups – although, relying on two rookie running backs (second option) has to be pretty scary for everyone involved in that lineup. I’d prefer the first or third option, or replacing Cook with Miller or Fournett with Crowell.
