Fantasy Football: How to Draft From the 6th Pick

The sixth overall selection in fantasy football drafts is arguably one of the best slots to pick from. It has some clear advantages in early rounds, such as being in a prime spot to get sliding players touting exciting upside.

Fantasy drafts are full of difficult decisions and mind-numbing debates. Some managers even label the few hours of selecting players as stressful -- I certainly do. Driving ourselves on the verge of insanity goes hand in hand with drafting year in and year out.

However, holding the sixth slot can help cut back on some of these crucial decisions. Managers in these spots can sit back, watch the draft unfold, and rake in the value picks.

Let's go in depth on how to draft with the sixth overall pick in fantasy football drafts.

Fantasy Football 6th Pick Strategy

Round 1 and Round 2

Starting with the first-round pick, this could be an easier selection than most may think.

First off, this is a great spot to take advantage of any player potentially sliding. The decisions at fourth and fifth will likely be the determining factors. Christian McCaffrey, CeeDee Lamb, and Tyreek Hill feel like the clear-cut top-three selections. It gets a little more ambiguous after that.

According to FantasyPros' average draft position (ADP) data, Breece Hall, Bijan Robinson, Justin Jefferson, and Ja'Marr Chase are averaging anywhere from pick five to seven, depending on the league's scoring format. In standard leagues, Jefferson and Bijan are viewed as the best players of this group, per ADP, followed by Hall and Chase. In half-PPR, Breece joins the party with Jefferson and Robinson. Full-PPR is where things switch up with Hall and Chase becoming the perceived top options.

Deciding on who your desired first pick will be has a lot to do with the scoring format. For any form of PPR leagues, I'm loving the value of Hall. He led his position in receiving yards a season ago while finishing with the fifth-most routes run. Plenty of targets should come his way after he carried the fourth-highest target share for halfbacks in 2023.

According to FanDuel Research's fantasy football projections, Hall is also expected to average 5.0 more rushing yards per game than Bijan -- or 85 more rushing yards for the season. However, projections have Robinson as the RB2; it's by only half-point, though. I like Breece more thanks to his high usage in the passing game.

In my eyes, the dream scenario here would be Hall at six. All things don't go to plan, meaning we need backup options. The absolute "worst case" could be Amon-Ra St. Brown of the Detroit Lions.

St. Brown is tracking for the seventh overall selection. I'd probably take Chase over St. Brown due to the Cincinnati Bengals' high volume of passing attempts. When it comes to Jefferson vs. St. Brown, I'm rolling with the Lions' receiver. Detroit has a more clear quarterback situation, and St. Brown had a higher target share than JJettas in 2023.

The priority list could be Hall, followed by Chase and then St. Brown. Robinson fits in there somewhere depending on your priority for wide receiver or running back. Breece could be the coveted value if he slides to the sixth slot.

When it comes to the second round, we don't have too long of a wait with the next pick coming at 20th overall (a 14-pick gap). This is likely too early for targeting a quarterback or tight end, leaving the options once again to running back or wideout.

Deciding which way to go will likely depend on what you took in the first round. I'm not a big fan of waiting until the third round -- or the 30th selection -- to take your first running back or wideout. For example, Josh Jacobs could be the best-case scenario for your top RB if you waited until the third, per ADP.

Another perk of carrying the sixth pick -- it allows your roster to be quite balanced. You can avoid being too top heavy at certain positions, building an all-around solid roster. This is in line with taking whatever you didn't pick in the first round (a receiver or tailback) -- options include Travis Etienne, De'Von Achane, Davante Adams, and Drake London.

Round 3 and Round 4

With the 30th overall pick, this is where we could get into taking one of the top QBs or TEs available -- this includes Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Sam LaPorta.

Allen has an ADP about eight picks before 30th overall while LaPorta (26th) and Kelce (27th) are going a few picks earlier in half-PPR leagues. Some of these players could be off of the board, which may effectively decide you third-round strategy as the next-best tight ends are expected to be Trey McBride and Mark Andrews --who are falling around late-fourth round in 12-team leagues.

Mahomes could be the only option for a QB or TE without taking a massive reach as the Kansas City Chiefs' signal-caller has a 33rd overall ADP in half PPR.

If snagging one of the top quarterbacks or tight ends are out of the question, wide receiver could be the next best bet. A couple of options carry high ceilings, including Nico Collins and Deebo Samuel.

The quality of wideout options in the third is more reason to not double up on the position in the first two rounds. Running back isn't quite as ideal here as it would likely require a reach on someone such as Rachaad White or James Cook, taking them at least five picks earlier than their current ADP.

Focusing on QB and TE once again, the fourth round (44th overall) will likely have the following options: C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson, McBride, and Andrews.

Stroud or Richardson in this spot could make a ton of sense. The Houston Texans' QB has the second-shortest odds to lead the league in passing yards (+700), per FanDuel Sportsbook's NFL odds, and is projected to be the QB6 by our numbers.

Meanwhile, Richardson has a lot of upside thanks to his legs, and projections have him tracking for QB5.

Laying out the strategy so far, we have running back and wide receiver in the first two rounds (in either order), followed by a wideout in round three and QB in the fourth round. This leaves us with a hole a running back and tight end. What's next?

Round 5 and Round 6

Managers with the 6th selection hold the 54th overall pick in the fifth round. As previously mentioned, if the draft shakes out the right way, this could mean tight end and running back are still big needs at this point.

Unless Dalton Kincaid is staring at you in the fifth, the answer could be running back. Aaron Jones has an ADP of 56th overall and is forecasted to finish as RB18. His 0.48 rushing yards over expected per carry (RYOE/C) last season bodes confidence as the vet is still plenty efficient. As the top back for the Minnesota Vikings, Jones can be a solid RB2 in 12-team fantasy leagues.

If you still need a receiver, this is also a good spot as Tee Higgins and George Pickens will likely be available. Joe Burrow and Kyler Murray figure to be the top options at quarterback.

Moving onto the sixth round, the 68th overall pick could still offer good options at QB, such as Murray or Dak Prescott. Tight end is still tricky as Kyle Pitts (62nd ADP) and Evan Engram (71st ADP) are really the only options in this range. The others would require a big slide or a reach on someone like Jake Ferguson (85th ADP).

If you don't want to risk it, take a tight end in the fifth, even if it means reaching a few picks. George Kittle (61st ADP) and Pitts have enough upside to make sense in the fifth.

We could also look back to the decision to take a QB in the fourth round. McBride and Andrews were solid tight end options at that point, and we've seen solid QB value in almost every round since. Taking McBride or Andrews in the fourth can give you a quality TE1.

When it comes to running backs and wide receivers, Zamir White, Najee Harris, Keenan Allen, and Terry McLaurin are falling around the 68th overall selection.

Ultimately, knowing exactly who you want to draft this late is a tough call. This will depend on what needs are still present and how you drafted in the prior four rounds.

Takeaways

The sixth overall pick allows fantasy managers to build a well-balanced roster while avoiding too long of a wait between picks. The first-round selection has plenty of options, but Hall and Chase stand out as perhaps the best picks for running back and wide receiver, respectively.

After the first pick, the focus for each round becomes a little clearer. Here's what to keep in mind as the draft advances:

• Avoid going RB-RB or WR-WR over the first two rounds. The third round lacks great options for a top player at either position, unless Deebo ends up with excellent value due to Aiyuk being traded.
• Don't rush a quarterback pick if there's good value elsewhere. This draft slot should have good value for QBs from the third to the sixth round, and each one is a viable option for a week-to-week starting signal-caller in 12-team leagues.
• Finding a quality tight end could be the biggest challenge. Being only a few picks out of reach for a good value seems to be the running theme for TEs for several rounds. A slide or simply reaching a few picks above a player's ADP could be required for obtaining a quality tight end.

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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.