Who should you pick 12th overall in your fantasy football draft?

It may not feel like it, but the fantasy football season is here. Teams across the league are reporting to training camps, leading to positional battles to help give insight into who will be featured in their respective offenses. Whether your league is getting ready to draft or if you're waiting closer to the regular season, it isn’t too early to get a sense of how players are being valued. With that in mind, here is how we approach the 12th overall pick in 2023 fantasy football leagues.

What does ADP say about the #12 overall pick?

ADP stands for average draft position and is a tool that can give you a sense of how players are valued in drafts. The 12th overall pick could be someone’s second pick of the draft or someone’s first pick. Either way, the mentality of giving yourself the best foundation for your team is the same. When approaching drafts, the main scoring formats we look at are half-PPR (an additional .5 points given per reception), full PPR (a full point given per reception) and standard/non-PPR (no additional points per reception).

When it comes to standard leagues, ADP suggests that you should be looking at Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown. This is assuming that Minnesota Vikings WR Justin Jefferson, San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey, Cincinnati Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase, Los Angeles Chargers RB Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Rams WR Cooper Kupp, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, Miami Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill, New York Giants RB Saquon Barkley, Atlanta Falcons RB Bijan Robinson, Indianapolis Colts RB Jonathan Taylor and Dallas Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb are off the board.

For half-PPR leagues, Jefferson, CMC, Chase, Ekeler, Kelce, Kupp, Hill, Barkley, Robinson, Taylor and Diggs should be off the board through the first 11 picks. At No. 12, you would be taking Cleveland Browns RB Nick Chubb. Switching to PPR leagues, the same first 11 players are expected to be off the board, but the 12th pick in this instance would be Lamb, just like in standard leagues.

Who should I pick at #12 in PPR?

When you are on the clock with the 12th pick in a PPR league, you should ensure that Jefferson, CMC, Ekeler, Chase, Kupp, Kelce, Hill, Barkley, Diggs and Taylor are all gone. If they aren’t, draft whoever remains in the order they are above. I am notably not as high on the Falcons' rookie running back, so Robinson slides down the rankings for me. Assuming all 11 are gone, you should take Lamb or Chubb, as ADP suggests.

Who should I pick at #12 in standard?

In standard leagues, I am very high on Tennessee Titans' RB Derrick Henry and Chubb. To be completely fair, I think the only player I would take above them is Justin Jefferson. This is a bold take early in the draft, but coming to the 12th pick, Henry or Chubb would be a great choice. If one or both of them are gone, then that means that one of Jefferson, CMC, Ekeler, Chase, Barkley, Taylor, Kupp, Chase, Kelce and Diggs is available for you to choose from.