When it comes to fantasy football, the draft is one event every enthusiast looks forward to like a child during the holiday season. The player you select in the first round of your draft helps build a foundation for your fantasy team and can determine strategy. Who would you select if you were on the clock and had the second pick in a fantasy football draft? This article will address that question and more.
Fantasy football draft strategy for the second pick
Running back Christian McCaffrey is likely to be drafted No.1 overall in most fantasy football drafts. He’s averaged 24.3 opportunities (rushing attempts plus targets), 135 total yards, and 27 PPR fantasy points per game over his last 35 active games. Of those 35 games, McCaffrey has finished as an RB1 in 80% of them. He is healthy heading into this season and should pick up where he previously left off.
If you have the second pick, it’s imperative to select one of the top-tier running backs. PFN Fantasy Analyst Tommy Garrett wrote a fantastic article discussing draft strategy and different slots to draft from.
So many running back options
With the second pick in your fantasy football draft, you’ll have a phenomenal group of running backs to choose from. Dalvin Cook (26), Derrick Henry (25.6), Alvin Kamara (19.6), Nick Chubb (17.3), and Ezekiel Elliott (21.1) all averaged a high number of opportunities per game last season. This trend is likely to continue for all of them in 2021.
The recommendation to draft a running back comes down to supply and demand. The timeless economic concept is defined as the relationship between the quantity of a commodity that producers wish to sell at various prices and the quantity that consumers wish to buy.
Likewise, running backs are highly coveted in drafts. Thus, if you have the second pick in fantasy football drafts, it’s imperative you select a running back. I can almost hear you thinking — but what about drafting a quarterback or wide receiver?
Should I draft a quarterback, wide receiver, or tight end?
Quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, or Kyler Murray do score a lot of fantasy points. However, it’s not prudent to select them in the first round of your draft due to the supply of startable options. Therefore, you want to try and find the next Mahomes, Allen, or Murray later in your draft.
Jalen Hurts and Matthew Stafford are two options readily available later in drafts who could have similar per-game production in 2021 to the quarterbacks I mentioned previously.
Wide receivers Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill are not the best options in the early part of the first round. Conversely, they are excellent targets toward the tail end. The same thought process applies to top-tier tight ends such as Travis Kelce, Darren Waller, George Kittle, and Kyle Pitts.
At the end of the day, my recommendation is to draft Cook with the second pick in your fantasy football draft. Let me tell you why.
Dalvin Cook is a great option with the second pick in your fantasy football draft
Cook deserves to be selected as a top-three player in 2021 drafts. Last season, he averaged 26 opportunities, 137 total yards, and 24.6 PPR fantasy points per game. Furthermore, Cook finished as an RB1 in 71% of his 14 active games.
The veteran RB is just entering his prime in the Vikings’ run-heavy offense. Since 2019, only one other team has had more rushing attempts than Minnesota. Cook also led the NFL with 66 red-zone rushing attempts in 2020. Over the last two seasons, he’s finished as the RB2 and RB6 in PPR formats.
Dalvin Cook vs. Derrick Henry
Since 2019, only Henry (115) has averaged more rushing yards per game than Cook (96). This trend also applies to rushing touchdowns. Cook has scored 29 rushing touchdowns, while Henry has scored 33 over that time frame. However, one area that Cooks is superior to Henry is in his usage as a receiver out of the backfield. Cooks has averaged 4.2 targets, 3.5 receptions, and 31.4 receiving yards per game since 2019.
Can Cook coexist with Justin Jefferson?
Let me guess. You are concerned that WR Justin Jefferson’s magical rookie season will negatively impact the Vikings’ running game.
From Weeks 10 to 17, Jefferson averaged nearly 20 PPR fantasy points per game. Meanwhile, Cook averaged 20 fantasy points over that same time frame. Therefore, it’s clear these two can co-exist in the Vikings’ offense.
Bringing it all together
Cooks projects for around 360 opportunities, 1,700 total yards, and 15 touchdowns this season. He’s also tethered to a productive offense in Minnesota that ranked third in total yards per game (393.2) and 11th in points per game (27).
With this in mind, you shouldn’t hesitate to draft Cook No. 2 overall in your fantasy football drafts.