Fantasy: Strategy for drafting in the middle of each round

theScore's Justin Boone breaks down the best ways to approach your draft depending on where you're selecting in the order.

Draft position

• Top of the round
• Middle of the round
• End of the round

Here's a look at how to attack the draft if you've been assigned one of the middle picks in a 12-team half-PPR scoring league. While the average draft positions (ADP) can vary from site to site, this will help guide you toward building a roster that can be dominant in 2024.

Round 1

Picks: 1.05-1.08

When you're picking in the middle of the opening round, you'll still have an opportunity to secure an elite receiver or one of the two running backs with the best chance to unseat Christian McCaffrey as the RB1 overall in fantasy.

Breece Hall is slightly ahead of Bijan Robinson in my rankings and projections, but both players are excellent picks based on talent, projected volume, and the quality of their offenses.

It's exciting to consider what a healthy version of Hall can do now that Aaron Rodgers is under center for the Jets again. Coming off an ACL tear and dealing with subpar quarterback play last year, he still managed to finish as the RB6 in fantasy points per game.

Hall got better the further he was from the knee injury and posted more fantasy points than any back over the final five weeks of the regular season, including three weekly finishes as the RB1 or RB2 overall.

Others to consider: Bijan Robinson, Justin Jefferson, Amon-Ra St. Brown

Round 2

Picks: 2.05-2.08

With an anchor RB locked in already, we can shift our sights to receiver in the second round.

Fortunately, there are a pair of young upside wideouts in Drake London and Chris Olave who are perfect selections in this spot.

London ranked inside the bottom eight among WRs in terms of catchable target rate in each of his first two NFL campaigns. However, help is on the way in the form of Kirk Cousins and new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson.

If London was able to post 1,771 yards over the last two years in an unfriendly passing environment, I can't wait to see what he'll do this season.

Others to consider: Kyren Williams, De'Von Achane, Chris Olave

Round 3

Picks: 3.05-3.08

With a balanced approach through two rounds and an anchor RB draft plan in place, we can continue to address receiver in this round.

DK Metcalf sometimes falls to the early fourth round in drafts, but that's because people are accounting for the changes in the Seahawks' offense.

New OC Ryan Grubb is bringing in a more aggressive scheme that promises to push the ball downfield more. Based on what he did during his time with the Washington Huskies, I believe him.

Meanwhile, new head coach Mike Macdonald has spoken about moving Metcalf around the formation to cause problems for opposing defenses. He even said they want to get their big wideout the ball as much as possible.

The result should be something closer to Metcalf's WR8 overall performance in 2020 rather than his WR20, WR27, and WR21 finishes over the last three years.

Others to consider: Jaylen Waddle, Travis Etienne, Isiah Pacheco

Round 4

Picks: 4.05-4.08

The fourth round can sometimes turn into a dead zone - not just for running backs but for most positions. Despite my suggestions below, Malik Nabers rarely lasts this long in competitive leagues, and this might be slightly early to take Kenneth Walker.

If you're struggling to find a suitable WR or RB in a given round, that might be a window to grab a QB or TE.

We do that here by selecting a guaranteed producer in Lamar Jackson.

If you remove the games where he left early due to injury, Jackson was a top-five fantasy quarterback (fppg) among qualified starters the last three seasons. He's a high-floor and high-ceiling option who deserves to be taken in this range.

Others to consider: Malik Nabers, Kenneth Walker, Mark Andrews

Round 5

Picks: 5.05-5.08

The fifth round is filled with more thrilling players, which gives us a few directions we could go in. The first decision is whether we want to take a tight end here or risk missing out on one of the top seven players at the position.

It's a dangerous game to play hoping that George Kittle or Kyle Pitts will make it back to us in the sixth round, and one you'll probably lose in most leagues.

However, the chance to pair Jackson with his top receiver Zay Flowers is too hard to pass up.

As a rookie, Flowers caught 77 passes for 858 yards and five touchdowns - adding another 56 yards and a score on the ground. There's also plenty of room for those numbers to grow in a receiving corps that failed to add a difference-maker this offseason.

Others to consider: George Pickens, George Kittle, Kyle Pitts

Round 6

Picks: 6.05-6.08

With our flex position still open, we could easily take a receiver here, but there's one running back that stands out from the rest.

Why James Conner continues to be available into the sixth round remains a mystery to us all.

Concerns about his age (29) and durability (missed four games each of the past two seasons) have overshadowed what he's accomplished since arriving in Arizona.

In the games where Conner has been healthy, he's returned RB1 fantasy production. While he might miss a few contests, you won't take a zero in those games because you'll find a spot starter.

Others to consider: Terry McLaurin, Rashee Rice, Rhamondre Stevenson

Round 7

Picks: 7.05-7.08

With no value to be had at tight end, we can leave that position for another round. Instead, we'll scoop up one of the few No. 1 receivers left on the board.

Diontae Johnson already showed us his ceiling when he finished tied as the WR10 (fppg) as a member of the Steelers in 2021 - catching 107 balls for 1,161 yards and eight touchdowns.

Though he was unable to replicate those numbers over the past two seasons in Pittsburgh, Johnson now joins a Panthers attack in desperate need of a top target.

New head coach Dave Canales has worked his magic during his last two stops with the Seahawks' and Buccaneers' passing attacks, so I'm willing to invest again in his offense.

Others to consider: Chris Godwin, D'Andre Swift, Raheem Mostert

Round 8

Picks: 8.05-8.08

There still isn't adequate value on the board at tight end, so we won't force a pick at that position.

Javonte Williams gives us a proven starter who, by all accounts, is beginning to regain the form he showed before his ACL and LCL tears in 2022.

Between struggling coming off the injury last year and some misleading beat writer opinions this offseason, Williams' ADP is incredibly low. Even though it's rising, there might not be enough time for it to properly adjust, so take advantage while you can.

Even in a projected committee backfield, Williams is expected to be the clear lead back. He could return low-end RB2 value if he looks like the runner we saw during his rookie campaign.

Others to consider: Jonathon Brooks, Ladd McConkey, Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Round 9

Picks: 9.05-9.08

After missing out on the top seven tight ends, the time has finally come to address our last empty starter slot.

We've seen teams be more willing to use their rookie tight ends immediately in recent seasons, and you'd expect the Raiders to follow suit with an elite prospect like Brock Bowers.

The fact that they lined him up all over the formation in their first preseason game was also a great sign for his potential fantasy value.

The low-end TE1 ranks are fairly volatile, and Bowers has as good a chance as any to finish inside the top 10 in Year 1.

Others to consider: Devin Singletary, Chase Brown, Tyjae Spears

Round 10

Picks: 10.05-10.08

With the rest of our lineup filled, it's time to load our bench with upside late-round running backs.

The only strange thing is that Brian Robinson doesn't deserve to be going in this range. He's the Commanders' lead back, but the addition of Austin Ekeler has scared fantasy managers away.

However, at this stage of Ekeler's career, he's more of a complementary piece rather than a threat to Robinson's place atop the depth chart.

The Commanders' coaching staff continues to talk up Robinson, including his development as a pass-catcher. So don't be surprised when Robinson is posting usable fantasy performances, despite being drafted as an afterthought outside the top 100 picks.

Others to consider: Blake Corum, Zach Charbonnet, Trey Benson

Later rounds

You no longer need to pay close attention to ADPs after the 10th round or so. You should focus on stocking your bench with as many high-ceiling players as possible, setting your sights on running backs and receivers.

If you want to be extremely proactive, you can pass on taking a defense or kicker and use those last two bench spots on more RBs and WRs. Closer to the regular season, you can either make trades to free up a roster spot or simply drop the bench stashes that didn't pan out.

Draft position

• Top of the round
• Middle of the round
• End of the round

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