The Perfect Fantasy Football Draft With the No. 1 Overall Pick

What's the best draft you can have when picking first overall? Fantasy football insider Michael Fabiano lays it out.

Dec 24, 2023; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (88) reacts toward Miami Dolphins fans during the fourth quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

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Fantasy fans are always looking for that elusive, yet attainable, perfect draft. You know, the one where all your favorite breakout and sleeper picks fall into your lap. I’m looking for that fantasy “nirvana” too, so I decided to create my perfect fantasy draft scenario based on the average draft position data (ADP) from my friends over at FantasyData.

In this exercise, I drafted from the No. 1 overall spot in both a 10- and 12-team league. The rule I drafted by is that I had to stay within two spots of ADP per round. So, if I’m at pick No. 20, for example, I couldn’t draft Drake London because his ADP is No. 17. On the flip side, I did allow myself to draft any player available beyond ADP. That means for the No. 20 pick, I could draft anyone as low as No. 18 and anyone with an ADP of 20 or higher.  

Here's how my perfect drafts came out!

Note: Each team finished with two quarterbacks, five running backs, five wide receivers, two tight ends, one kicker, and one defense.

Round 1

10 Team – 1.01. Christian McCaffrey, RB, 49ers: CMC is the consensus top overall pick, so I made him the top choice in this 10-team league. No non-quarterback has scored more points than McCaffrey over the last two seasons, making him the obvious choice.  

12 Team – 1.01. CeeDee Lamb, WR, Cowboys: While McCaffrey is the top overall pick in most drafts, I didn’t want to use him for both teams. So, I went with the second player in , Lamb, who is coming off a breakout 2023 campaign for the Cowboys.

Round 2

10 Team – 2.20. Chris Olave, WR, Saints: Olave is a potential third-year breakout player who was the best wideout left on my board based on ADP. He’ll serve as this team’s No. 1 wideout, and I can see Olave posting career bests as the alpha in New Orleans.

12 Team – 2.24. Brandon Aiyuk, WR, 49ers: The strategy of this team is to go heavy wide receiver in the early rounds, and pairing Aiyuk with Lamb is a great start. While he is having some drama with the 49ers, I’m confident he’ll remain their No. 1 receiver in 2024.

Round 3

10 Team – 3.21. Mike Evans, WR, Buccaneers: Sometimes a player is just too good a value to pass up, and that’s the case with Evans. A future Hall of Famer, he’s posted 1,000-plus yards in every year of his NFL career. Evans was also the WR7 just last season.

12 Team – 3.25. Mike Evans, WR, Buccaneers: Imagine being all in on wide receivers and starting your draft with Lamb, Aiyuk and Evans? That’s dreamy, or in this case, perfect.

Dec 31, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) runs with he ball against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports / Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

Round 4

10 Team – 4.40. Malik Nabers, WR, Giants: This team started with a “Hero RB” approach, grabbing McCaffrey at the top and following that up with three straight wideouts. Nabers, a rookie out of LSU, should dominate targets in the Giants offense in his first season.

12 Team – 4. 48. Alvin Kamara, RB, Saints: Talk about value! Kamara, whose ADP is No. 57, will be the RB1 for a fantasy team that started with three straight wideouts. Kamara is a year older, but he was third among backs in points per game average last season.

Round 5

10 Team – 5.41. James Cook, RB, Bills: I am a huge fan of Cook, who could bust out this season if the Bills continue to ride him like they did last season under OC Joe Brady.  So, in a best-case scenario, Cook would be a hell of an RB2 for this perfect fantasy roster.

12 Team – 5.49. Kenneth Walker III, RB, Seahawks: Walker has yet to truly “break out,” and it might not happen at an elite level with Zach Charbonnet on the roster. Still, he was still the lead back for the Seahawks last season and looks like a nice RB2 in 2024.

Round 6

10 Team – 6.60. Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, Patriots: Stevenson was a disappointment last season, but that didn’t stop the Patriots from signing him to a nice extension. Even with Antonio Gibson now in the roster, the big man still projects as a No. 2 back.

12 Team – 6.72. D'Andre Swift, RB, Bears: Swift is playing for his third team in three years, but he remains in a good position to succeed. I'm not sure he'll finish higher than RB20 like he did last season, but I'd say that's a good projected finish for 2024.

Round 7

10 Team – 7.61. Jayden Reed, WR, Packers: Reed was a league winner in the second half of last season, and I loved getting him as a fourth wide receiver. In a best-case scenario, Reed could push for WR2 value as the top wideout in the Packers passing game.

12 Team – 7.73. Evan Engram, TE, Jaguars: Engram is coming off a career season that will be difficult to duplicate, but I like having a top-10 tight end on my fantasy rosters. The fact that I was able to land him in the seventh round makes Engram an attractive option.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow returned to the practice field during an off-season workout at the practice fields outside of Paycor Stadium Tuesday, May 7, 2024. Burrow is recovering from wrist surgery after a season-ending injury he suffered in a Week 11. / Cara Owsley/The Enquirer / USA TODAY

Round 8

10 Team – 8.80. Joe Burrow, QB, Bengals: Burrow has the upside to be a top-five fantasy quarterback in what should remain an explosive Bengals offense. He’s entering training camp, and he’ll have star wideouts Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins at his disposal.

12 Team – 8.96. Brock Purdy, QB, 49ers: The QB6 last season, Purdy looks to continue his trend of success. Playing in the offense of head coach Kyle Shanahan and with oodles of weapons, Purdy could once again be a great value.

Round 9

10 Team – 9.81. Jake Ferguson, TE, Cowboys: The Cowboys always seem to have a solid fantasy tight end, and Ferguson is the latest in the line. He finished last season as the TE9, recording an impressive 71 receptions for 761 yards while scoring five touchdowns.

12 Team – 9.97. Jayden Daniels, QB, Commanders: This team went back-to-back at the quarterback position, landing Purdy and then Daniels. This is a strategy I like to use when the draft flow allows, and I absolutely love Daniels to bust out during his rookie year.

Round 10

10 Team – 10.100. Jameson Williams, WR, Lions: Wiliams has been quiet in his first two NFL seasons, but I like him to make serious strides in Year 3. With Josh Reynolds no longer in the mix, Williams will see more targets as the Lions No. 2 wideout this season.

12 Team – 10.120. Mike Williams, WR, Jets: Williams comes with plenty of risk due to his recent injury issues, but taking him as a WR4 in the 10th round is well worth it. Catching passes from Aaron Rodgers is also an attractive scenario for the veteran wideout.

Round 11

10 Team – 11.101. Austin Ekeler, RB, Commanders: Ekeler is coming off a disappointing season, but grabbing him as a fourth running back in a PPR league is a nice scenario.

12 Team – 11.121. Zach Charbonnet, RB, Seahawks: I’ll often look to handcuff my top running backs, so taking Charbonnet as insurance for Walker makes sense here.

Round 12

Dec 24, 2023; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) attempts a pass against the Dallas Cowboys during the second half at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports / Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

10 Team – 12.120. Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Dolphins: Burrow will be the main quarterback on this fantasy roster, but Tua is one heck of a backup. He’ll be a matchup-based starter.

12 Team – 12.144. Gabe Davis, WR, Jaguars: I’m not in love with Davis, but taking him at this point, as a WR5 in the 12th round, eliminates a lot of the risk in his selection.

Round 13

10 Team – 13.121. T.J. Hockenson, TE, Vikings: This squad boasts Ferguson as its TE1, so I can stash Hockenson until he’s back from an injured knee. Then I’ll have another TE1.

12 Team – 13.145. J.K. Dobbins, RB, Chargers: The Chargers backfield is full of question marks, but we know the team will run the ball. So, Dobbins makes sense as an RB5.

Round 14

10 Team – 14.140. Kimani Vidal, RB, Chargers: I’m on record as saying I think Vidal will be the lead back in L.A. at some point, so grabbing at this point in the drafts is solid.

12 Team – 14.168. Luke Musgrave, TE, Packers: This fantasy team will be starting Engram in most weeks, but grabbing a sleeper like Musgrave as a backup is a nice scenario.

Round 15

10 Team – 15.141. Justin Tucker, K, Ravens: Tucker is widely considered the best kicker in fantasy football, and he was still available here based on FantasyData’s ADP info.

12 Team – 15.169. 49ers defense: I’m simply looking for the best defense on the board at this point in the draft, and the 49ers were the cream of the crop with this selection.

Round 16

10 Team – 16.160. Browns defense: Again, I’m searching for the best defense I can find at this late stage of the draft, and the Browns were that defensive unit in this case.

12 Team – 16.192. Jake Moody, K, 49ers: Moody didn’t put up huge fantasy totals in his first NFL season, but I can see him pushing for top-five kicker value in Year 2.

Final Roster - 10 Team

QBs - Burrow, Tagovailoa
RBs - McCaffrey, Cook, Stevenson, Ekeler, Vidal
WRs - Olave, Evans, Nabers, J. Reed, Ja. Williams
TEs - Ferguson, Hockenson
K - Tucker
DEF - Browns

Final Roster - 12 Team

QBs - Purdy, J. Daniels
RBs - Kamara, Walker, Moss, Charbonnet, Dobbins
WRs - Lamb, Aiyuk, Evans, M. Williams, G. Davis
TEs - Engram, Musgrave
K - Moody
DEF - 49ers