Perfect Fantasy Football Draft: 3rd in a 10-team ESPN PPR League

Aug 17, 2026

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Jahmyr Gibbs and Bijan Robinson are likely to be the first two players taken in most PPR drafts this season. But if you don’t have first or second pick in your draft, does a failure to land one of these two superstars mean you should throw in the towel? Absolutely not. In fact, having the very first pick after these two can open up the possibility of compiling quite a talented roster.

In this article, I will walk through my favorite players in each round that should be available to me based on ESPN ADP from the No. 3 spot in a 10-team Half-PPR league.

The 4for4 staff uses the Draft Hero software for all of our leagues. Draft Hero syncs directly to your league and optimizes each pick using projections and value-based rankings from 4for4. Draft Hero lets you customize your draft experience with settings on which rounds you want to draft a position, how many players you want at each position, and players to target or avoid.

For those new to Draft Hero, be sure to explore this walkthrough.

My Plan of Attack When Drafting 3rd

Roster Settings: 1 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE, 1 Flex (WR/RB/TE), 1 Kicker, 1 DEF, 6 bench spots

Focus on wide receivers - Proven running back talent has a nasty habit of drying up quickly this season, whereas receiver depth is abundant. That said, if I can’t land one of the big two, I’m going to prioritise wideouts where I can.
Look for Receiving Leaders - The smaller league size should mean that you have quite the opportunity to build a super roster, and as such I’ll be looking to add as many players as possible that should command the bulk of their team's targets. Running backs and tight ends with a strong receiving profile won’t go amiss, either.
Leave Kickers and Defenses until the very end of the draft - these are not positions of high priority in fantasy, and a strong case can be made that weekly streaming at these spots is a viable strategy for success. You should ensure that all of your starting spots and at least a few of your backup players are filled before you even contemplate picking a kicker.