Fantasy Football No. 12 Draft Pick Strategy: How to Win From the 12th Overall Spot

Drafting from the 12th position in a fantasy football league offers a unique strategy, focusing on securing two strong players early, likely emphasizing wide receivers and possibly waiting on running backs due to the position's depth. This approach can lead to great betting outcomes if players perform above expectations.

The first pick or the last pick ... which is better to have in fantasy football drafts? That debate will probably rage on forever, but you have to know the pros and cons of both. Since I’ve already covered how to draft from the top overall spot, let’s go to the back of the line ... the final pick in your draft.

I’m basing this on a 12-team fantasy football league. The benefit, of course, is that you’ll have two picks back-to-back between odd and even rounds, but you’ll also have an extended wait (24 picks) when the rounds go from even to odd. Being at No. 12, you’re very unlikely to get a top three running back or a top five wide receiver. Maybe you’ll get lucky and one will fall to you, but I wouldn’t count on it. And while you’ll still get a solid player, you might have to make a difficult decision in Round 1.

As a result, it’s imperative to have a good strategy for that 12th overall pick and the rest of the draft that will help you build a championship-level fantasy football roster. That’s where I come in! To help you draft the best possible fantasy football squad from the 12th pick, here’s a look into my fantasy football head space and the decisions I would make in each and every round from that spot. Also, I’ll give you some of the players I’d most like to target in each round in a best-case scenario based on the average draft position data over at FantasyPros. Also check out my Top 20 player rankings to help make decisions as well. Alright, let’s kick things off!

Fantasy Football No. 12 Draft Pick Strategy I don’t mind going last in a draft because I’m going to get two of the 13 best players in the league based on my rankings. That makes the long and arduous wait until the next pick in Round 3 at least somewhat more bearable ... well unless you’re impatient, in which case this will be painful and full of “snipes” on pie-in-the-sky players you weren’t getting.

In my list of the top 200 fantasy players, I have Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. ranked at No. 12. So, because I practice what I preach, I’m drafting him here. One of the alternatives who could be on the board, however, is 49ers runner Christian McCaffrey. Of course, he has played in seven or fewer games in three of the last five years and is very likely the riskiest top 15 pick in fantasy drafts this season. If you want to take the risk on McCaffrey, feel free (just make sure you get his backup, Isaac Guerendo). I just can’t take that gamble in the first round, and probably not with the top pick in Round 2 either. You might disagree, in which case you should take the awesome (and potentially league running), but injury-prone 29-year-old running back who missed most of last season.

In Round 2 (pick No. 13), and assuming I landed Thomas Jr. in the first round, I’ll look for the best available running back or wide receiver in most cases. Based on FantasyPros ADP data, that’s going to give me a choice of No. 1 fantasy running backs like McCaffrey, Derrick Henry, and Jonathan Taylor and veteran wideouts like Drake London or A.J. Brown. Don’t be afraid to grab a second wideout and wait on a running back either, as there will be plenty of good backs still on the board in the next two or three rounds. In fact, that is more than likely the direction I would go in unless a back who I loved fell to me in the round.

If you want Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson, this is probably where you’ll need to take one of them since they might not be on the board near the bottom of Round 3. That’s not my personal jam, however. The same goes for the tight end. If you want Brock Bowers or Trey McBride, you’ll have to take them here or lose them because they’ll be gone by Round 3. I typically wait on a quarterback and tight end though, and I might not even take a field general until the eighth or ninth round. It’s a deep position so I’d rather focus elsewhere.

Fabs’ ideal Round 1 pick (No. 12): Thomas Jr. Fabs’ ideal Round 2 picks (No. 13): London/Brown/Henry/McCaffrey

With two wideouts on my roster (more than likely), I’ll be looking hard at a No. 1 running back. Based on ADP data, the best runners on the board will be guys like Breece Hall or James Cook. If you’re not in love with either, however, you could draft a third wideout since you’ll have another pick near the top of Round 4. Receivers I’d consider grabbing over Hall or Cook (realistically) include players like Garrett Wilson and Jaxson Smith-Njigba. In Round 4, I’m going with the best player available at running back or wide receiver. That of course depends on what I did in the third round. If I’m still without a single runner, then I’m going in that direction ... I don’t want to go with a “Zero RB” strategy, that doesn’t allow a back to be drafted in the first five rounds.

The best available players are likely to be Cook, Omarian Hampton, and Kenneth Walker III if running back is the way you’re going to go. It’s important to keep tabs on whether or not there’s been a run at a particular position, leaving it a bit thinner in terms of depth and if you want to grab a player at that spot now or punt it down the line instead. If you want a quarterback (I’d wait), Jalen Hurts could still be on the board ... you likely won’t get a top-five player at the position in Round 5 or beyond.

Fabs’ ideal Round 3 picks (No. 36): Hall/Cook/Wilson/Smith-Njigba Fabs’ ideal Round 4 picks (No. 37): Cook/Hampton/Walker III

If you’ve followed my strategy, you have either one running back and three wide receivers or a pair at each position heading into the 60th overall pick. If I only have one running back, I’m grabbing my second here. James Conner, D’Andre Swift or Kaleb Johnson could still be on the board in some drafts. If I already have a second runner from a previous round, I’ll likely go with the best available wide receiver in the fifth round. That list includes players like rookies Tetairoa McMillan and Travis Hunter or vets like Zay Flowers or George Pickens. It’s at this point that I might look into a tight end based on who is available. My ideal first five rounds includes a pair of runners and three receivers, and tight ends like Sam LaPorta, T.J. Hockenson or Travis Kelce could still be on the board. If LaPorta were gone, however, I'd most likely punt the position down the line and grab another runner or wideout. Rookies like RJ Harvey or TreVeyon Henderson or a veteran like David Montgomery make sense. If you don’t have a quarterback yet, don’t fret ... there will be plenty of good options in future rounds.

Fabs’ ideal Round 5 picks (No. 60): Conner/Swift/Johnson/McMillan/Hunter/Flowers Fabs’ ideal Round 6 picks (No. 61): LaPorta/Henderson/Harvey/Montgomery

I would continue to focus on the best player available strategy here, picking either a back or a wideout (assuming you took a tight end in Round 6). If you’re still without a tight end, now could be the time to target that position. Hockenson and Kelce could still be options. If they’re gone, I’d likely wait and punt the position down the road a few more rounds. I’d also be looking at the draft flow and seeing what quarterbacks are on the board. Based on Fantasy Pros ADP, Bo Nix or Kyler Murray could be available. I’d still wait, however, looking instead to get a young running back or wide receiver like Quinshon Judkins, Kaleb Johnson, Rome Odunze or Jordan Addison. All could still be available at this point in drafts. Don’t be afraid to keep kicking the quarterback position down the road, either. Again, there will be plenty of good players at the position still on the board in Rounds 8 and 9.

At the end of the eighth round, you can either fill that quarterback position (depending on the depth that’s left) or continue to bolster your offensive skill spots with potential sleepers. There’s a chance Murray could have slid to this round in some leagues, otherwise you can look for upside players like Brian Robinson Jr., Jauan Jennings or Khalil Shakir. Fabs’ ideal Round 7 picks (No. 84): Hockenson/Kelce/Judkins/Odunze/Johnson/Addison Fabs’ ideal Round 8 picks (No. 85): Nix/Murray/Robinson Jr./Jennings/Shakir

With the 12th pick in the ninth round, you can go in any number of directions. Those of you who waited at quarterback can grab players like Brock Purdy, Dak Prescott or Caleb Williams. If there’s still depth at the position, you can still wait another round or two. This is also a good time to grab sleepers or even a handcuff such as Guerendo or Zach Charbonnet. Other good options who will be available at this point in drafts include Jayden Reed, J.K. Dobbins, Jordan Mason or David Njoku ... again, this is all based on how your roster is built. Veterans like Michael Pittman Jr. and Javonte Williams are also potential options based on ADP, but I like getting depth with upside players in these rounds.

Fabs’ ideal Round 9 picks (No. 108): Purdy/Prescott/Williams/Reed/Dobbins/Mason/Engram Fabs’ ideal Round 10 picks (No. 109): Prescott/Goff/Warren/Spears/Burden/Higgins

Once you’re in the final rounds, you should continue to focus on sleepers and players with upside (or just players who might have fallen a few rounds and are now bargains) ... there is often value to be had. There will still be a lot of good young quarterbacks, such as veterans like Justin Herbert or Jordan Love and sleepers like Drake Maye and J.J. McCarthy. I also like to grab a second tight end (unless I have one of the top five players) as another choice for my starting lineups. I mentioned Warren as an option in the previous round, but he could fall to Round 11 too. Jake Ferguson or Tucker Kraft are other attractive picks, and fantasy fans who like rookie tight ends who missed Warren could grab Colston Loveland. Deep sleepers should be targeted, too. Think about players like Trey Benson, Jaylen Wright, Marvin Mims Jr., Cedric Tillman or Brenton Strange (to name a few). Throw those darts at players with a path to workload/targets or an injury away from being thrust into a big role.

You’ll also be rounding out your roster in these final stanzas, including drafting a kicker and a defense if they’re required (many leagues have removed both positions). I’d wait to draft those until the last two rounds, unless you want to grab a high-end kicker (Brandon Aubrey or Jake Bates) or defense (Broncos, Eagles, Steelers) in the third-to-last round.

How to win your fantasy football draft if you pick from the No. 12 spot.

Si