Fantasy Football: How to Draft From the 10th Spot

So, you've got the 10th pick in your fantasy football draft. It's not ideal, but it's not the end of the world.

The good news is that you'll have an early second-round pick and should get two of the very best players in fantasy on your squad. There are also advantages to drafting near the end of rounds as fewer people will be drafting between your picks on the turn, making it easier to set up your selections. On the flip side, you'll have a long wait between picks after you take your guy in even-numbered rounds.

Here are some strategies you can deploy from the 10th spot.

Fantasy Football 10th Pick Strategy

Round 1 and Round 2

We won't be getting any of the truly elite players with the 10th pick. There are definitely a few different routes we can go early in terms of players and roster construction.

Looking at the half-PPR average draft position (ADP) data from FantasyPros, the player who goes closest to 10th is often Nick Chubb. He would be a solid pick as numberFire's model has him with the second-highest projection among all RBs.

If one of Travis Kelce or Cooper Kupp falls to this spot, you'd be wise to grab them. Kupp had an injury in training camp, which may cause him to slide some in drafts. Kelce probably won't get to us, but he is turning 34 this October and the age -- as well as his position -- might scare off some people to the point where he is available at 10.

Other picks we can make here could be Saquon Barkley or Bijan Robinson if we want to go with a running back. Both of these guys are likely to catch more passes than Chubb will, which is important, even in half-PPR.

Barkley had a really nice bounce-back season in 2022, got his contract concerns over with already, and should be in line to be a big part of the New York Giants' offense this season.

Passing over running back with this pick is also viable. It's a good chance to get a top-tier wide receiver, such as Stefon Diggs, A.J. Brown or Davante Adams. Brown or Adams may be available with our second pick, as well.

If I take one of the running backs, I'd like to get a wide receiver in the second round. These receivers have ceilings that are hard to find later in the draft, but there are running backs who may have similar ceilings to the backs in this range.

Another route to consider taking is stacking your pass catcher with his elite fantasy quarterback. We are talking Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes or Jalen Hurts if you drafted their teammate listed above. Taking a QB this early may feel weird, but those three have a floor/ceiling combination that is through the roof. Pairing them with their number-one target will give your roster a lot of upside.

Round 3 and Round 4

We'll have to see how the draft is playing out before making our third- and fourth-round picks. In some drafts, a lot of the wide receivers we like will be gone, but in others, a run on RBs may have happened.

Our pick in Round 3 will be the 34th selection overall. Around that pick, some of the quarterbacks in the next tier will start to go -- namely Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson. We've seen Jackson break fantasy football in the past, so if I had to pick one, I'd go with him over Burrow. However, this is not the range where I'd typically want to take my quarterback unless one of the big three fell.

Usually, I want to keep filling out my roster with receivers and running backs. The only tight end I'd consider in this range is Mark Andrews if he fell. The running backs around this part of the draft who we can look at are Breece Hall, Jahmyr Gibbs and Joe Mixon.

I'm careful to not select too many running backs early in the draft, as they tend to bust at a higher rate than wide receivers, so I'll probably limit myself to two RBs in the first five rounds -- unless there is a screaming value.

The WRs here who would be targets are Tee Higgins, D.K. Metcalf and Calvin Ridley or Chris Olave if we are lucky. These are players who have great upside but ideally would be the second receiver on our roster. That could be the case if we landed one of our WR targets in the first two rounds.

When it comes back to us in the fourth round, we can look at some of the same players if they are still available. At running back, we can expand our scope to include is Kenneth Walker III. For receivers, Amari Cooper and Keenan Allen are players to consider.

Taking Lamar Jackson is also more digestible here, as he arguably has as much upside as the top three QBs. If you find yourself not liking the available WRs and RBs, T.J. Hockenson is a tight-end pick who is reasonable.

Round 5 and Round 6

We'll see a pretty big drop in talent and players we'll feel comfortable selecting when we are on the clock in Round 5.

This will be pick 58th overall. The only quarterback who goes around this range is Trevor Lawrence. If you haven't drafted a QB yet, Lawrence is not a bad option, especially if you have Calvin Ridley.

Tight ends in this pocket of the draft still have some upside. You can get Dallas Goedert, Kyle Pitts or Darren Waller, but those three may also be available with our next pick.

A running back to target in this range is Alexander Mattison. It's not too much capital to invest in him as the lead back on a good offense. He's been effective in fantasy in the past and won't have too much competition for touches. I'd much prefer him to the other RBs who go in this range -- such as J.K. Dobbins, Cam Akers or James Conner. I'd avoid needing to take an RB here if I could, but Mattison is fine if he gets to us.

We can still be taking receivers even if we have two or three to this point. Going by ADP, some of the names we can look at are Drake London, Christian Watson, Chris Godwin or Tyler Lockett.

London and Watson are similar bets as receivers going into their second seasons who flashed a lot of talent but also have some question marks. London's questions will be the overall passing offense for the Atlanta Falcons. Watson will also have that question, and he is likely in line for some TD regression after he had ridiculous efficiency to propel him to good fantasy games last season.

I'd like to take those young players if I already landed some wideouts I feel good about because Watson and London could be a little boom or bust. If I need some solid WR production, Lockett or Godwin would make sense.

Takeaways

If you follow this plan, you should be able to get a solid team. In the first six rounds, if we are going to take a quarterback, we should be looking to get one who will link up with one of our pass catchers.

It's important to pay attention to how the draft is going if you land the 10th pick and are selecting near the end/beginning of rounds. We don't want to get frozen out at a particular position. After we pick in the even rounds, 19 players will come off the board before we choose again.

We need to consider drafting for upside, too, as we'll need to play a bit of catch-up with teams that were able to draft the truly elite players with the first three or four picks. Taking a shot on a younger player later in the draft makes sense.

Best of luck in your draft, and if you follow a solid game plan, you can win your league from the 10th slot.

While you wait for Week 1's daily fantasy football slates to lock, you can get in on some best-ball fantasy football drafts on FanDuel. Just draft your team and watch the points pile up throughout the season.

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.