Fantasy Football: How to Draft From the 2nd Pick

Read and react is often the name of the game in fantasy football drafts. Even though you have the "perfect" draft strategy prepared, queued players still fly off the board, and it very rarely goes as planned.

Holding the number-two overall pick can erase some of this uncertainty, mainly in the first round. You're guaranteed to get one of your top two choices with the first pick, but then it's back to usual in the later round -- read and react.

Let's jump into potential draft strategies for fantasy managers who hold the No. 2 selection. Our strategies in this piece will be crafted for a 12-team league.

Fantasy Football 2nd Pick Strategy

Round 1 and Round 2

Much of draft strategy depends on what positions are more valued in your league. If you've been in the same league for years and have learned running backs typically go quick, that should clearly alter the draft strategy. If quarterbacks tend to go late, then you can fall in line or you can jump on that elite signal-caller early on to separate your team from the rest.

With the second overall pick, there's only one other pick you need to worry about -- what will the top selection do? Across the board, Christian McCaffrey is projected to be the first pick, whether it be standard, half point per reception (PPR) or full PPR.

After CMC, we then hit a pair of receivers as CeeDee Lamb and Tyreek Hill are viewed as the next-best players on the board. The second pick will likely be between these superstar wideouts. CeeDee led the league in receptions and total fantasy points last season while Tyreek topped the NFL in receiving yards and fantasy points per game.

According to FanDuel Sportsbook's odds to lead the NFL in receiving yards, Hill is favored to repeat as the receiving champ (+650) while Lamb carries the third-shortest odds (+850).

After Lamb soaked up the most targets in football in 2023, will his workload keep up? Should we be concerned about the Dallas Cowboys' stud sitting out of training camp? Is Hill, at the age of 30, too risky to take over Lamb -- who is in the middle of his prime?

That's probably the big debate if you hold the second pick. If receivers are out the question, the next-best running backs behind McCaffrey are expected to be Breece Hall and Bijan Robinson. However, this would be considered a reach as Hall's earliest average draft position (ADP) via FantasyPros is fifth overall pick in full-PPR leagues while Robinson's is also fifth in half PPR.

Then we get to perhaps the worst part about picking early: the absurdly long wait. Following 1.02, managers will have to wait until 2.11 -- a 20-pick gap -- to pick again.

This is where the "plan" could quickly go off the rails. No one knows what can go down during a 20-pick span. Chances are the top options for 2.11 will be off of the board.

According to ADP, Drake London, De'Von Achane, Isiah Pacheco, and Chris Olave are some receiver and running back options who are expected to go around the 23rd or 24th overall pick in half-PPR leagues. In full PPR, Travis Kelce is holding a 23rd overall ADP alongside Olave.

Taking a top flight tight end or quarterback with your second-round pick could prove to be a difference maker. Kelce and Sam LaPorta are potential options for tight end while Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes are targets for quarterback.

Round 3 and Round 4

Moving on to the third and fourth rounds, the same ideas for the second round apply in the third. There's good and bad about holding one of the top first-round picks, as can be said for every selection. While there will be some long waits, doubling up on players with two picks over a four-pick span is like heaven.

Following 2.11, managers get 3.02. This is still a prime spot to take one of the top quarterbacks or tight ends in most leagues. The options for the 26th overall pick could change some for running back and wide receiver as Josh Jacobs, Deebo Samuel, and Nico Collins are some players holding ADPs around this pick.

Samuel is one player who could generate excellent value amid Brandon Aiyuk's trade request. If Aiyuk ends up being moved, Samuel should have a larger workload ahead as Aiyuk led the team with a 23.1% target share last season.

After you go in the third, your fourth-round selection will require another 20-pick wait. As we get later into the draft, which position to target has a lot to do with what you've done so far. If you still haven't take a QB or TE, now could be the time to do so.

According to ADP, C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson are a pair of quarterbacks falling around the 47th overall pick. At tight end, Trey McBride and Mark Andrews are solid options.

As usual, a group of running backs and wide receivers are always available. At this slot, Joe Mixon, Kenneth Walker III, Alvin Kamara, D.K. Metcalf, and DeVonta Smith could be here.

Round 5 and Round 6

If quarterback and tight end were taken care of already, it's time to stack up on running backs and wide receivers. Malik Nabers, Amari Cooper, Tee Higgins, and Aaron Jones are some options in the fifth round. The sixth round -- the 71st pick -- will likely feature players like Terry McLaurin, Christian Kirk, Raheem Mostert, and Zack Moss, according to ADP.

Following the fifth and sixth rounds, it'd be wise to have weekly starters for each position pretty much shored up. A late-round quarterback strategy could be deployed here as Jordan Love has a high ceiling with his overall ADP of 73. Love has the fifth-shortest odds to win the NFL MVP (+1400). Getting this kind of ceiling in the sixth round is very intriguing.

Don't wait too long for a signal-caller, though, as a big drop off will be present past the seventh round (another 20-pick wait from the seventh to the eighth). The eighth round is the 95h overall selection, featuring QBs such as Brock Purdy, Tua Tagovailoa, and Jared Goff.

Tight end is a similar situation as players like Dalton Kincaid, George Kittle, and Evan Engram are all potential options for the fifth and sixth round. The ceilings are intriguing as Kittle and Engram finished in the top five of their position last season. Kincaid will likely see his work increase following the trade of Stefon Diggs in the offseason. Keep in mind Kincaid already had the eighth-most targets at his position in 2023.

Once again, the seventh round can be viewed similar to the sixth since it's only a four-selection gap. When you get into the eighth round, David Njoku and Brock Bowers will probably be the best possible options at tight end. That's a significant drop off compared to Kincaid, Kittle, and Engram.

Now could also be the time to take your third running back or wide receiver, depending on preference -- options include James Conner, Rhamondre Stevenson, D'Andre Swift, Zay Flowers, Tank Dell, and Keenan Allen from the fifth to sixth .

Takeaways

There could be some debate on which receiver to take with the No. 2 pick as McCaffrey seems like the clear choice at No. 1. Managers with the second selection have a great shot at rostering the best wideout in fantasy football.

As we get into the later rounds, this is where preference and adapting to the draft come into play. Plenty of surprise picks will occur and may alter the plan you came into the draft with. Here's what can help us get through the uncertainty past the first round:

• Taking an elite quarterback could pay off big time. It's not a must, though, as there is still good value in later rounds -- including Love of the Green Bay Packers.
• Picking a tight end prior to eighth round fits well with this pick. Sure, a tight end in the second or third round would be nice, but you can wait. Deciding to not take a tight end in fifth or sixth rounds comes with a ton of risk, though. We could go from players with past top-five fantasy seasons to TEs with much less upside.
• Depending on which position goes quicker in your league, selecting your third running back or wide receiver by the seventh round could pay off big time. If running backs have flown off the board while you stacked up on wideouts, this could provide a ton of great value. A position holding a higher priority in your league should mean another position has plenty of players sliding in the draft. Take advantage of this.

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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.