Fantasy Football Draft Strategy: Guide to building a dominant roster if you have a middle-4 pick

Yahoo Sports’ Justin Boone goes over the best approaches to take in this year’s drafts, depending on which spot you’re selecting from in fantasy football.

Draft Position

• End of the round (Aug. 21)

Here’s how I’m attacking the draft with one of the middle four picks in a 12-team, half-PPR scoring league. Average draft position (ADP) can vary from site-to-site, but consider this a guide to help you build a dominant roster in 2025.

If you’re still looking for more, our draft kit is a one-stop shop for all our content to get you ready for the season. To take it a step further, Yahoo Fantasy Plus Draft Kits provide draft cheat sheets personalized to your league. You’ll also get specialized cheat sheets from our Yahoo Fantasy analysts, including Justin Boone! If you haven’t signed up for Yahoo Fantasy Plus yet, now’s the time.

Round 1

Picks: 1.05-1.08

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Picking in the middle of the first round seems like a letdown, but you’re still going to come away with an absolute superstar at receiver or running back. A training camp hamstring injury caused Justin Jefferson to miss some practice time, resulting in his ADP dropping a couple spots. Don’t be scared away though, he’s back at practice and trending toward being fine for Week 1. He’s also coming off the quietest 100-catch, 1,500-yard, 10-touchdown season ever as fantasy managers are almost bored with his greatness. Jefferson has finished as a top-five fantasy receiver in four consecutive seasons and is about to make it five.

Others to consider: Jahmyr Gibbs, Christian McCaffrey, CeeDee Lamb

Round 2

Picks: 2.05-2.08

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While there’s nothing wrong with double tapping at the same position in the first two rounds, I’ve tended to stay balanced in this year’s drafts. Since we selected Jefferson in the opening frame, I’ll gladly take Brown, whose stock is on the rise and for good reason. The 25-year-old proved he can handle the lead-back role last year and produced fantasy RB1 numbers for the majority of the season. Now the Bengals’ coaching staff are talking him up as a focal point of the offense.

Others to consider: Drake London, A.J. Brown, Josh Jacobs, Brock Bowers

Round 3

Picks: 3.05-3.08

I wrote about my thought process behind targeting elite quarterbacks and highlighted Jayden Daniels as a great option in my players who can help lead you to a title article. The 24-year-old was an immediate top-five fantasy QB, but after getting over a midseason rib injury, took his game to another level, averaging 30.8 fppg over his last five full regular-season outings. Few passers have that kind of high-end consistency. So, if you miss out on Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, just select Daniels, who’s only scratching the surface of his talent.

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Others to consider: Kyren Williams, Omarion Hampton, George Kittle, Tee Higgins

Round 4

Picks: 4.05-4.08

You likely won’t be able to draft every name from my players who can help lead you to a title column, but we’ve drafted three of them through four rounds in Brown, Daniels and Tetairoa McMillan. The Panthers’ rookie is exactly what Carolina’s offense needed in terms of a true No. 1 receiver who can command significant volume and allow Bryce Young to become the quarterback the team hoped they were drafting first overall a couple years ago. McMillan is a smooth mover for a big wideout and has the route-running ability to emerge as a difference-maker in Year 1.

Others to consider: Mike Evans, Jalen Hurts, Kenneth Walker III, Alvin Kamara

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Round 5

Picks: 5.05-5.08

You don’t have to stay balanced in your approach at this point, but with a steep dropoff coming at running back — it’s a smart move to grab a second back here. James Conner has been a top-15 fantasy RB on a per game basis every year since joining the Cardinals and gets the fourth-easiest fantasy strength of schedule at his position this season. Whenever he’s on the field, he’ll be a strong RB2 in your lineup.

Others to consider: TreVeyon Henderson, DeVonta Smith, George Pickens, RJ Harvey, Travis Hunter

Round 6

Picks: 6.05-6.08

Having Egbuka as your WR3 is going to feel like a cheat code in 2025. The first-round rookie has earned unlimited praise from everyone in and around the Buccaneers’ organization, including Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans. He’s also learned every receiver position in the offense to make him a more versatile weapon. Chris Godwin is expected to miss time at the start of the season and might not be the same player when he returns from his ankle injury. Meanwhile, Jalen McMillan is heading to injured reserve after a scary fall in the preseason. Egbuka has a real opportunity to be a WR3 with WR2 upside and never look back.

Others to consider: Rome Odunze, Rashee Rice, Isiah Pacheco, Ricky Pearsall

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Round 7

Picks: 7.05-7.08

With no tight ends worth selecting in this range, we’ll instead chase the ceiling of yet another first-round rookie receiver in Matthew Golden. His blazing speed and sure hands have made him a favorite of the Packers’ coaching staff. He’s also benefitting from the short-term injuries for Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks, as well as the long-term injury to Christian Watson. Golden isn’t getting the same overwhelming hype that’s being bestowed on the other first-round wideouts, but he’s set up to produce right away as Green Bay’s top target.

Others to consider: Tyrone Tracy Jr., Jordan Addison, Jordan Mason

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Round 8

Picks: 8.05-8.08

While you don’t need to feel compelled to complete your starting lineup immediately, I do see Mark Andrews and Tucker Kraft as solid picks if they’re available in this round. Andrews finished tied for fourth among fantasy tight ends in per game scoring last year and should get a nice runout to start the season with Isaiah Likely recovering from injury.

Others to consider: J.K. Dobbins, Tucker Kraft, Tank Bigsby

Round 9

Picks: 9.05-9.08

With our starting lineup set, it’s time to start attacking pure upside plays. Braelon Allen flashed as a 20-year-old rookie last year and has been generating a ton of positive buzz throughout the offseason and training camp. While a backfield committee with Breece Hall is the most likely outcome under new head coach Aaron Glenn, there’s a non-zero chance Allen takes on a bigger role with Hall in the final year of his contract. Despite some uncertainty about Justin Fields’ ability to command the offense, New York has the third-easiest strength of schedule for running backs and have added first-round right tackle Armand Membou to a line that will hopefully have better injury luck this season.

Others to consider: Josh Downs, Zach Charbonnet, Trey Benson

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Round 10

Picks: 10.05-10.08

Loading up your bench with as many high-upside backup running backs as possible is never a bad idea. We’ll see where Jacory Croskey-Merritt’s ADP ends up after the latest news about the Commanders preparing to move on from Brian Robinson Jr., but for now the man known as “Bill” is one of the most intriguing late-round running backs to stash. His explosive big-play ability was on display in Week 2 of the preseason with a 27-yard touchdown, making it clear why Washington feels the need to shake things up on their RB depth chart.

Others to consider: Bhayshul Tuten, Travis Etienne Jr., Keon Coleman

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Late rounds

Once you’re outside the first 10 rounds, you can stop paying close attention to ADP and simply focus on loading your bench up with as many high-upside stashes as possible — with one-injury-away running backs offering the quickest path to value.

You should also consider passing on a defense or kicker and instead using those final two bench spots on more running backs and receivers who could see their value rise before the season. When we get closer to Week 1, you can drop whichever stashes don’t increase their stock or make trades to free up a roster spot.

Draft Position

• End of the round (Aug. 21)