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🔥 How to Draft Around CMC

🔥 How to Draft Around CMC

Got the first draft pick? Read this.

Joe Holka
August 15, 2024

How to Draft Around Christian McCaffrey in Fantasy Football 2024

Welcome to the Fantasy Drop Army newsletter!

Christian McCaffrey is about as close to a consensus top pick as we can get. He’s been boosting the prospects of teams that have drafted him for years now. If you’re lucky enough to score CMC with the first pick, follow this guide to help you build the rest of your draft.

Today in 5 minutes or less, you’ll learn:

How to draft around CMC in 12-team leagues ✍️
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Pick 1.01: Christian McCaffrey (SF)

It’s tough to start this off with anyone other than CMC. He’s the consensus top fantasy back, and probably the number one pick in your league. He was fantasy’s top non-QB scorer across all formats in 2023. He led all RBs last year in:

Snaps
Route Participation
Target Percentage
Red Zone Touches

So, even if his 24.5 PPR points per game comes down, there aren’t many guys that are safer picks, especially at running back.

Pick 2.12 and 3.01: Draft your WR1 and WR2

According to Underdog’s ADP for PPR leagues, you should be able to grab two high-end WRs with your two picks at the turn between rounds 2 and 3. That’s the best way to go, particularly in PPR leagues where you will want to amass those points for catches. There should be a good number of top wideouts available at this point in your draft, but my favorite targets include:

Davante Adams: If he falls to you here, he’s a guy who will amass a ton of targets for the Raiders. His QB situation will cap his upside a bit, but he’s still got the talent to make him a solid WR1.
Mike Evans: He’s been a LOCK to reach 1,000 yards for basically his entire career. His team is running it back with the same offense this year.
Brandon Aiyuk: If he stays with the 49ers, he’s Brock Purdy’s favorite deep threat. If he goes to Pittsburgh, he surpasses George Pickens as their WR1.
Malik Nabers: He’s NFL-ready and should be able to step in as the top option on the Giants immediately.

Any combination of these players will complement CMC really well, and set you up with a great team base.

Pick 4.12: Take an Early Chance on Lamar

Most of the time, I advise drafters to wait on a QB until the value is better in the later rounds of drafts. But, if you have McCaffrey and a couple of great WRs, you’re in a good position to go for a home run.

Lamar remains the top running option at QB, finishing no worse than 3rd in total rushing yards in any year since 2018. Additionally, his passing prowess has improved under Todd Monken. So if he’s available, take the early gamble. It will give you a realistic shot as having the top RB and QB on your roster.

Pick 5.01: Complete a MONSTER stack

Now that you’ve secured your top QB, time to take a flier on one of his top targets. Mark Andrews is being drafted right around this spot and the prospect of stacking him with Jackson is too tempting to pass up. Andrews is the ONLY tight end aside from Travis Kelce and Sam LaPorta to finish first in fantasy since 2017. Yes, there are questions about his durability, but in his 10 games last season, he ranked 3rd in yards per route, 5th in fantasy points per game, and 2nd in total touchdowns. This could be a league-winning pick.

Pick 6.12: Aim for Your RB2

By the end of Round 6, you’ll have a couple of solid options hanging around to pair with CMC as your starting RBs:

Alvin Kamara: He was 3rd last season in PPR points per game and still has a solid lock on a lot of the passing work for New Orleans. Derek Carr can check down with the best of them.
David Montgomery: He scored 12 touchdowns as the Lions’ goal line back last year. Now with Jahmyr Gibbs suffering a mysterious ankle injury in practice, Monty could be in line for even more work.

Pick 7.01: Get another WR for Depth

Here’s where you can look for a young up-and-coming WR to help bolster your position. Some guys going around this area include:

Xavier Worthy: Playing with Patrick Mahomes can automatically raise a young player’s stock. And now with Hollywood Brown out 4-6 weeks, Worthy has a shot to emerge alongside Rashee Rice.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba: A riskier pick considering the enduring presence of DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, but a Year 2 wideout that should develop this season nonetheless.
Ladd McConkey: The Chargers will have to adjust to their new situation post Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, and McConkey has the pieces to step into the Allen role for Justin Herbert

Picks 8.12 and 9.01: Sleepers and Depth Picks

Your starting lineup is looking pretty good by this point, so now you’ll want to focus on adding some depth and any sleepers you’ve identified in your summer research. Here are some of the best available around this spot:

Brock Bowers: An NFL-ready prospect who should step in to the Raiders’ offense immediately. He could be a nice option in case you’re worried about the durability of Mark Andrews.
Courtland Sutton: He’s the clear-cut WR1 for the Broncos now that Jerry Jeudy has moved on. If Bo Nix pans out, Sutton could return to relevance quickly.
Raheem Mostert: Sure, he’s 32, but he scored 21 touchdowns last year. De’Von Achane is great, but Miami is going to lean on both backs this season.
Chase Brown: If the Zack Moss experiment doesn’t work out for Cincinnati, Brown is the next guy up.