How NOT to suck at your draft (round by round targets 9-16 + Deep Dives)

Round 9: I was ready to rename the 9th round "The Jamison Crowder round" I had usually been able to get him as late as the mid 9th but he's been climbing up the ranks. He offers tremendous value at this stage in drafts. He was Darnold's favorite target last year and Darnold missing time really hurt Crowder's campaign otherwise I think we'd view him a lot differently. If I really want him sometimes I'll snag him in the 8th but I'd rather wait to see if he makes it to the 9th round. In full PPR I'd be willing to take him as high as the 7th. CeeDee Lamb is another nice option in this range. At RB I like Cohen here. He should see increased volume early in the season while David Montgomery works his way back from injury.

Round 10: My favorite target here is Latavius Murray. If Kamara holds out or misses time Murray would instantly be an RB1. At WR I've amazingly seen Brandin Cooks available which gives you an unmatched floor and ceiling combo in this range. Cooks has produced everywhere he's been and figures to be at the very least the WR1b to Will Fuller who's seemingly always on the shelf. Cooks may see the most targets in a single season he's seen in his career. Ruggs is a decent option in the 10th as well. He could be the most targeted WR in the Raiders offense and he's electric with the ball in his hands.

Round 11: Draft Jerry Jeudy here. His ADP might reflect the 12th but I'm not willing to leave it to chance. I'm projecting him to become the #1 option and payout significant returns at this point in your draft. I like Mattison in this range as well. Similar situation to Latavius Murray where he could step in if Cook misses time and return RB1/2 value. Keep in mind if you draft handcuffs to your own RBs it limits upside. You're essentially taking up 2 roster spots to fill one need. If you hit on another player's handcuff you'll potentially wind up with 2 RB1s and dominte your league. 

Round 12: I'll start looking for values at the QB position this round on. I've gotten Matt Ryan in a 6 point passing TD format here Stafford is usually available as well and is a great option. If it's TE you're looking for Blake Jarwin should step into a bigger role in Dallas. At WR Anthony Miller is my guy. He's a 2nd year WR that figures to increase his target share in Chicago. An upside pick here I love is Mecole Hardman probably the cheapest piece of the Chiefs you'll see in drafts that has a decent shot at volume.

Round 13: Amazingly even after Fournette left the Jags I've been able to snag Chris Thompson here. Not only is he locked in as the passing down back but he's been rumored to be the redzone guy too. TEs I like here are TJ Hockenson and Noah Fant. Two second year TEs that could have increased roles in thier respective offenses. At QB Cam Newton is a phenomenal value here. Especially in 4 point passing TD formats due to the rushing floor he provides. At RB Duke Johnson here is insane value. Second year in the Houston offense that lost a target hog and his main competition for touches is a broken down David Johnson. A WR in this range I like is Parris Campbell. With Rivers at QB we'll see if he can finally live up to his draft capital.

Round 14: Has two RBs that could step into big roles if their lead back goes down. Chase Edmonds and Tony Pollard. Damien Harris is another sexy target here as he can end up being the lead man in the Pat's backfield. My favorite target in this round however is Bryan Edwards. Reports out of Raiders camp is this guy is locking himself into starting outside WR with Ruggs playing in the slot. Now that Tyrell Williams is out of the picture Edwards should fill that role and be a Red Zone target for David Carr. Another WR usually available here is Desean Jackson who finds himself as the defacto WR1 in Philly due to injuries. He's a plug and play WR2 week 1 and getting him at this point in your draft is insane value.

Round 15: If I don't have a QB by now and all the ones I mentioned above are gone I'll usually pull the trigger on one of Gardner Minshew, Joe Burrow, Jared Goff, Ben Roethlisberger, or Ryan Tannehill. I like them all. Joe Burrow I'm really high on as a prospect and see him becoming one of the top QBs in this league sooner rather than later. Big Ben has the juiciest week 1 matchup against the Giants swiss cheese secondary. At WR Tre'Quan Smith is a fun target here. Brees said himself he's primed for a breakout this year. Laviska Shenault is another great WR target here. He's really interesting because he can play RB and they have a Leonard Fournette sized hole at the position. Herndon is a TE target here for me. Gase scares me but I think if Herndon can stay healthy he'll return TE1 value. 

Round 16: Most casual players think these final rounds don't matter and it couldn't be farther from the truth. Joshua Kelly/Justin Jackson are both options here. I like Kelly due to him being a more recent draft pick but Jackson has been efficient with the touches he's received in the past. One of these guys should see a 10-15 touch role in LA for the Chargers question is who. I like to with till one goes off the board and take the other one. At TE Jonnu Smith is a fantastic option and could very well serve as your TE1 all year. A WR option here for me is Miles Boykin. He flashed as something of a redzone target last season and he's a possession WR with fantastic hands. 

Deep Dives: If you're in a deeper league 14-20 teams or maybe a bestball league where you draft 20+ rounds I've got some high upside picks to fill out the ends of your draft. 

RB: Deejay Dallas (could carve out role in Sea), Brian Hill (backup to Gurley), Benny Snell, Bryce Love (ADP has probably risen by now but if available get him), Jalen Richard (PPR flex in Oak), AJ Dillon (Rookie power back in GB), Boston Scott, Dion Lewis, Darrynton Evans, Lynn Bowden Jr (can play QB,WR,RB just traded to Maimi should return kicks as well if your league counts return yards), James Robinson (emerging as the early down option in JAX)

WR: Van Jefferson (Rookie #3 in LAR), Olabisi Johnson (2nd year WR reported to be the #2WR in Minn), Michael Pittman (Could be Rivers preferred Redzone target), Devin Duvernay, Scotty Miller (TB12s favorite target in Bucs camp 👀), Cole Beasley (Underneath routes should be cleared with Diggs on the outside), MVS (I know he burned me last year too but I'm giving him 1 more shot), Denzel Mims (love his talent at the college level needs to get healthy)

TE: Dawson Knox, Tyler Eifery, Kaden Smith (Backup to Engram flashed late last season), Cole Kmet, Dalton Keene (Possibly #1 TE in NE), Dan Arnold (Could be this year's breakout TE 👀)

QB: Tyrod Taylor, David Carr, Dwayne Haskins, Ryan Tannehill, Nick Foles (I've won championships with less at QB. Streaming is always an option in 12 team or smaller leagues. Keep an eye on this blog or my Twitter for streaming options every week)

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @Chris_Cianci. Have a great labor day weekend and happy drafting!!!