Fantasy Football 2017 – First Round Picks and Strategy

Are you ready for some football?  The NFL preseason is nearing its end, so get your fantasy football picks ready. 

To ensure the best fantasy football selections, you will need to do some research in order to plan the best strategy ahead of time.  When fantasy football season begins, you do not want to have to rush to make decisions while the clock is ticking.

To help you prepare for the draft before NFL season formally begins, here’s a first-round mock draft and a few tips to help you out in the later rounds.  In fantasy football, as in real life, preparation is key:


  1. David Johnson, RB, Cardinals
  2. Le’Veon Bell, RB, Steelers
  3. Antonio Brown, WR, Steelers
  4. Odell Beckham Jr., WR, Giants
  5. LeSean McCoy, RB, Bills
  6. Julio Jones, WR, Falcons
  7. Devonta Freeman, RB, Falcons
  8. Mike Evans, WR, Buccaneers
  9. DeMarco Murray, RB, Titans
  10. Jordy Nelson, WR. Packers
  11. A.J. Green, WR, Bengals
  12. Jay Ajayi, RB, Dolphins
     

After the first two options are off the board, the first round becomes much more difficult.  Make sure to take stock of risky and safe choices on your draft list.  In general, once David Johnson and Le’Veon Bell are not on the board, wide receivers are the best first-round options in this draft.  Julio Jones and Mike Evans are two safe choices.  For people who enjoy taking risks, LeSean McCoy could be a good option.  However, the Bills are currently rebuilding their team and there is a lack of talent around him.  Whether you want to gamble on McCoy or take the safer route with Evans or Jones, make sure you do your research and make a decision before the draft clock starts counting down. 

You should also consider whether you want to select Ezekiel Elliott, running back for the Dallas Cowboys.  While Elliott is suspended for the first six games of the season, he will be re-energized and ready for getting back to football after he misses the first half of the fantasy football season.   Want to take a gamble on Elliott?  If you have a league where many teams make it to the postseason, it may be worth acquiring Elliott early, even if you potentially could miss out on the No. 1 seed in the draft.  However, if only a few teams make it to the postseason in your league, Elliott may be too risky of a gamble.

You may also want to make yourself a “do not draft” list.  Use this list to exclude people who you feel are too risky, who have many injuries, or who play on a rival team that you do not like.  Make sure to make these decisions before the draft so that you are not frantically researching the players when the draft has already started and you are pressed for time.