Having the 5th pick in your fantasy football draft is a fascinating spot to be in. Assuming that you're in a 12-man league, you are in an ideal spot to land a premier playmaker. The first four picks will be a combination of the top running backs or wide receivers coming off the board.
There is no perfect solution to building your roster but there are some things you should be watching for. The first three picks are typically a combination of Christian McCaffery, CeeDee Lamb, and Tyreek Hill, but after that things start to get unpredictable.
Plus, who knows if your draft ends up with a reach or two that sends one of those top three falling into your lap.
To help you with the strategy for picking the fifth overall spot in a 12-man PPR league, we'll walk through the different phases of the draft.
Round 1: Choose Your Route
The first pick for your team helps stir you in a direction. Being at the No. 5 overall pick puts you in the ballpark to land either a premier running back or wide receiver.
The first three picks will be a combination of CeeDee Lamb, Tyreek Hill, and Christian McCaffery. After that, everything is up for grabs. Breece Hall or Bijan Robinson are two guys who will be seriously considered with the 4th pick.
But whoever falls into your lap at No. 5 out of those five should be your pick.
Hall is set to be the lead tailback in a revamped Jets offense. The return of Aaron Rodgers along with the reshaped offensive line should spell great things for Hall. Behind a terrible offensive line and no real threat at QB in 2023, the Iowa State product still logged 994 rushing yards, 591 receiving yards, and nine total touchdowns. In addition, he was sixth among running backs with 17.1 PPR fantasy points per game during the 2023 campaign.
Robinson is in a similar boat over in Atlanta. The addition of Kirk Cousins will certainly elevate the floor of the offense. The Falcons have the likes of Drake London, Kyle Pitts, and Darnell Mooney as other playmakers on offense. The Texas product showed flashes of being an elusive runner and a dynamic weapon as a pass catcher. Last season, the 22-year-old notched 976 rushing yards, 487 receiving yards, and eight total scores. You can expect an uptick in production, making him a clear RB1 in 2024.
If neither guy is available, it likely means either Hill, Lamb, or McCaffery is on the board. And any of those guys would be an easy choice at No. 5.
Round 2/3: Stabilize Your Core
After adding an explosive running back with your first selection, it's time to look at wide receivers. The NFL is such a pass-heavy league now so getting your WR1 and WR2 for the season seems like the right approach in Rounds 2 & 3.
If you're in a typical 12-man league, you'll be picking No. 20 in the second round and No. 29 in the third. That will put you in a prime position to land two impactful receivers.
Guys like Chris Olave, Drake London, Nico Collins, Marvin Harrison Jr., and Mike Evans are ones to look at in this range.
Evans and Collins are two names that will catch the attention of most fans after they had effective campaigns in 2023. The 31-year-old Evans has notched 10 straight seasons with over 1,000 yards and was on a tear in 2023 with Baker Mayfield at the helm.
Last season, Evans was the fourth-ranked wide receiver with 203.5 total points. He had eight games with at least 12 points.
Collins is another player poised for a big season. I know the Texans added Stefon Diggs this offseason and still have Tank Dell and Dalton Schultz in the fold but the Michigan product is the No. 1 WR out there. In 2023, he logged five games over 15 fantasy points and finished the campaign as the ninth overall WR. He has built an outstanding rapport with CJ Stroud and it should continue to grow this fall.
Harrison Jr. is the most intriguing name on the list. He's a rookie who is expected to have a major role, which can throw off some managers but the Ohio State product is someone who should be heavily considered. Per FantasyPros' average draft position (ADP) data, he's going as the WR9 at an average pick of 17.2.
Playing with Kyler Murray is certainly not a bad way to start things either and he will be the de facto WR1 and should walk into 125-150 targets easily.
Round 4/5: Find The Best Value on the Board
As we get into Rounds 4 and 5, you'll be picking 44 and 53. Now it's all about finding the most value on the board. If you follow this strategy, you should have one RB and two WRs in your starting lineup.
Snagging another RB and WR would be a great choice to round out the majority of your skilled players in your starting lineup. There will be quality RBs and WRs available but it's all about picking the right guy in the right system.
Running backs like Alvin Kamara, Joe Mixon, and Kenneth Walker III are guys to look out for. All of these players are gritty runners who can provide an impact as pass catchers. Walker has an ADP of 41.4, Mixon is at 37.2 and Kamara is at 40.0
Even though Kamara missed four games in 2023, he still managed to rack up 1,160 total scrimmage yards and averaged 12.2 points per game. Meanwhile, Walker III tallied 170.4 points and put up 11.4 points per game.
In addition, Mixon is now in an explosive offense down in Houston that is littered with playmakers. He will face lighter boxes and also provides a pass-catching threat out of the backfield. Last season, the Oklahoma product finished as RB6 and had 10 games with double-digit points.
Meanwhile, wide receivers like Amari Cooper, Terry McLaurin, and Zay Flowers should be on the board. All these guys are WR1 on their respective clubs and should be effective again in 2024.
Last season, Cooper was WR16, Flowers WR29, and McLaurin WR33. Flowers should be even better with another year under belt and McLaurin should have better QB play with Jayden Daniels under center.
Adding any of these pass catchers to be your WR2 or WR3 sounds like the right call.
Round 6/7: Time to Land a Quarterback
Now it's time to think about adding your quarterback. After snatching up the bulk of your starting lineup, it would be ideal to pick up your QB1.
When getting on the clock at pick No. 68, there should be a few guys like Joe Burrow, Kyler Murray, Dak Prescott, and Jordan Love available. The ADP for these guys ranges from 67-77, which is the sweet spot in Round 6.
Prescott and Love were both healthy in 2023 and finished as QB3 and QB5 respectively. Both of these guys racked up at least 330 total fantasy points last year and should be in line for monster years again in 2024.
Murray missed the first nine games of the season as he was recovering from a torn ACL but once he suited up in Week 10, he seemed to have picked up right where he left off, tallying 151.4 total points.
Although Burrow suffered a wrist injury that ended his season prematurely, when he's on the field, the LSU product is one of the top signal callers in the league.
Getting any one of these quarterbacks in Round 6 or 7 would be a massive win for your team.
Later Rounds: Round out the Roster
At this point of the draft, you should be focused on rounding out your roster. Adding pieces like a starting tight end, defense, and kicker should be atop your list.
Gauging the draft board is a critical part of filling out your roster. There will be some diamonds in the rough that you can add to your bench that will strengthen the back half of your roster.
Tight ends like Jake Ferguson (ADP of 80), David Njoku (83), and Brock Bowers (96) are three guys who should be available in Round 8 and would be excellent choices.
Also looking to grab a dominant defense like the San Francisco 49ers, Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, or New York Jets could pay major dividends for your squad.
Each of these defenses have a dominant pass rush and stout secondary that can feast. They also have easier schedules to begin the year, which bodes well for fantasy.
Grabbing players and units like this toward the end of the draft can drastically raise the floor of your team and help you have a well-rounded fantasy team for the 2024 season.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Fantasy Football Pick 5 Strategy: How to Draft From the 5th Spot in 2024.
