Who to Draft First Round in 2013
The fantasy football season draws closer and team owners all around the nation are beginning to look at who they should draft this year and in what round. Everyone wants to draft a player that can be a major asset to their team and help them acquire that fantasy football trophy.
The time and thought that goes into making your list of “must have guys” takes countless hours. Scouring the Internet and magazines can be a grueling task for any fantasy owner. The crumpled up pieces of paper with scribbled out player names next to the recycling bin begin to pile up. You begin questioning yourself out loud, become agitated at everything around you and even mumble player names in your sleep.
This is precisely the reasons why this list has been comprised. It can give you a feeling of ease about who you should take when on the clock in the first round.
The first thing to rule out when making your first round selection should be quarterbacks. The quarterback position is extremely deep in this year’s draft. You can find out all the reasoning’s on why to wait on a quarterback in my fantasy football 2013 quarterback’s edition article here.
With that being said, the position to take into account for your first round draft pick would be the running back spot. In today’s era of the NFL, many teams have what is referred to as, a “two-platoon system.” This would be where head coaches game plan to rotate in two or three running backs throughout the game. Many running backs out there will score fantasy points but the ones who post the biggest numbers traditionally are the every down backs. These types of players are the ones that as a fantasy owner, you’re going to want to have on your team.
Let’s take a look at who are the top players to draft in the first round of the 2013 fantasy season.
Adrian Peterson
The Minnesota Vikings running back will be the No. 1 overall player taken in nearly all fantasy football drafts and deserving so. Peterson nearly broke the single-season rushing yardage record last year while carrying his team to a playoff appearance. Peterson is the every down back in which I described earlier. Every fantasy owner can depend on Peterson week in and week out, and needs to be part of your team if you have the chance to draft him.
Arian Foster
Yes, Ben Tate does steal carries away from the Houston Texans’ No. 1 back during the season, but typically by that point in every game, Foster has already accumulated some monster stats. Foster has been a dominate force in fantasy the past few season and the 2013 season surely will not be any different. You can guarantee this stellar back will go in the first round.
Marshawn Lynch
Since being added to the Seattle Seahawks’ depth chart, Lynch has been a main factor in making them a playoff-caliber team. Lynch has increased his total yardage in each of his three seasons with the Seahawks recording double digits in the touchdown column the past two. He will continue to play a key role in the game plan for Head Coach Pete Carroll and will post solid numbers for his fantasy owners.
Ray Rice
The Baltimore Ravens now have another Super Bowl ring in their possession and were clicking on all cylinders in their playoff run. While his amounts of carries and yardage have decreased slightly since the 2011 season, Rice’s average yards per carry have been nearly the exact same. When Rice’s number is called, he’s guaranteed to produce. Expect Rice to be more involved in the Ravens’ game plan this year and post even bigger totals than he did in 2012.
LeSean McCoy
Fantasy owners have high hopes for the Philadelphia Eagles’ running back in 2013. His stats were the worst we’ve seen them since his rookie season in 2009, but his entire Eagles team struggled to get anything going and were not the “dream team” they were once stated to be. With new Head Coach Chip Kelly bringing a new style of offense to the team, McCoy is sure to flourish on a revamped Eagles team and we could see his best NFL season yet.
C.J. Spiller
The Buffalo Bills ball carrier was the bright spot for the sub-par team. Spiller saw his rushing attempts double from 2011 to 2012 and gained his first 1,000 yard season. Coming into his fourth year in the league this young man has shown he has the speed and athleticism to sustain the No. 1 running back spot on the depth chart. Spiller will see more carries this season as 32-year-old back up running back Fred Jackson seems to be on the decline of his career. Spiller’s stats have been better every year he has been in the league and this season will be no different.
Jamaal Charles
This Kansas City running back compiled his best yardage total since joining the league with 1,509, despite his injuries. Charles had seven 100-plus yard games in 2012 including two 200-plus yard games. This back has the possibility to explode any week and give your team that added boost it needs to win games. The Chiefs brought in a new Head Coach in Andy Reid carrying his West Coast offensive scheme with him. There will be more opportunities for Charles to make big plays and Reid will be sure to get the ball into the hands of Charles many times per game.
Calvin Johnson
Finally rounding out our list of first round draft worthy players is, yes, the only receiver to make the list, Calvin Johnson. There’s simply no other receiver in the NFL that can match the ability to make plays as Megatron does. While his total touchdowns last season dropped, his receiving yardage made up for it as he recorded an eye popping 1,964 yards. Matthew Stafford threw for a record setting 727 pass attempts targeting Johnson with nearly 200 of them. The Detroit Lions will once again look to get the ball into Johnson’s hands as much as possible, clearly making him a first round worthy draft pick in this year’s fantasy draft.
