Jacob Gibbs breaks down how to draft a winner from No. 10 overall spot in PPR leagues

Jacob Gibbs goes pick-for-pick drafting from No. 10 overall in PPR leagues with his favorite picks, strategy for how to draft in the back of the snake and more. Sep 4, 2026 at 3:41 pm ET • 8 min read In 2026 Fantasy Football drafts, we are immensely blessed with talent at the top of draft boards. Ja'Marr Chase and Puka Nacua have been historic PPR producers to begin their careers, and both Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs finally have a backfield to themselves. Jaxon Smith-Njigba could not be covered as a third-year player, and we have no real idea what heights he might soar to -- he's still just 24 years old. Christian McCaffrey is always a strong bet to lead all scorers if healthy. Amon-Ra St. Brown is a set-it-and-forget-it PPR cheat code, and he keeps elevating his game. It sounds crazy, but he is just now entering the stage of a career typically referred to as a wide receiver's prime.The overwhelming riches at the top of drafts can make selecting with a later Round 1 pick feel like a bummer. Of course, there are still awesome options available at pick 10. And, picking at the back of Round 1 offers the opportunity to start a draft by anchoring a Fantasy team with two running backs. I really like the wide receivers who are available in Rounds 3-5. There are a couple of running backs who I like in that range, but in my opinion, we see a notable drop-off in RB talent after the first 12 backs leave the board. Those 12 RBs usually are all drafted as top-18 picks. So, if picking at the top of the order, you might find yourself looking at names like Jeremiyah Love, Kyren Williams, and Javonte Williams as the top RBs available by the time your second pick rolls around.In this draft, I did indeed go RB-RB to start. CeeDee Lamb was tempting with my first pick, and Justin Jefferson was still available with my second. I was committed to an RB heavy start, though, and I'm happy with how it turned out.This is our 12-part, pick-by-pick series where me, Adam Aizer, Dave Richard, Jamey Eisenberg, Dan Schneier and Heath Cummings all took part in a six-person PPR mock draft. We each built two of the 12 teams in this 14-round draft to show you a different strategy from each spot. This is an outline that you can follow if you pick No. 10 overall in your league. The key is to study the strategy and not necessarily the players to see if this works for you. The running backs who I like in Rounds 3-5 are Love in Round 3, D'Andre Swift in Round 4, and Bucky Irving in Round 5. If picking one of the two Williams's, I'm more likely to land on Javonte than Kyren. I see the two similarly - either could lead the NFL in rushing touchdowns in 2026, neither is expected to contribute much as a receiver or explosive play threat, and injury risk is worth considering as their Fantasy value is largely predicated on sponging up as many pass blocking reps and rush attempts (and thus additional wear and tear) as possible for their offense. Javonte is generally cheaper in drafts and has less backfield competition, so he's my who I land on occasion. I have yet to draft Kyren Williams.So, I have three running backs in that three-round range who I feel good about drafting. That's not a lot. There are way more receivers who I like to draft from the Round 3-5 range. I also love landing Colston Loveland at the 3-4 turn. That's why I decided to start this draft with two running backs. If you have other Round 3-5 RB picks that you like (Breece Hall, Travis Etienne, Quinshon Judkins, Rhamondre Stevenson, Bhayshul Tuten, Jadarian Price, and Cam Skattebo all left the board in this range), then starting RB-RB might not feel as pertinent to you. Personally, I love the RB-RB start. I feel more comfortable starting this way than I have when I've gone RB-WR. My RB spots are anchored and have massive upside. Now, I can simply pick the best players available. If a RB falls to me, I'm fine rocking with three studs at the position. Otherwise, my plan is to load up on high-upside picks at the WR position. Since I passed on receivers with my first two picks, my pursuit at this point is to identify discounted receivers who might be able to replicate Round 1-2 WR production. I have several candidates from the Round 3-6 range who I like! Now, let's see how the rest of the team turned out.As a reference point, all touchdowns in this league are worth six points, and we award one point for every 10 yards rushing and receiving and one point for every 25 yards passing. We also award one point for every reception. We feature a starting lineup of QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, TE and FLEX (RB/WR/TE). Here's my team from No. 10 overall:1.10: Chase Brown, RB, Bengals2.03: Kenneth Walker, RB, Chiefs3.10: Luther Burden, WR, Bears4.03: Ladd McConkey, WR, Chargers5.10: Bhayshul Tuten, RB, Jaguars6.03: Tucker Kraft, TE, Packers7.10: Josh Downs, WR, Colts8.03: Michael Pittman Jr., WR, Steelers9.10: Makai Lemon, WR, Eagles10.03: Rachaad White, RB, Commanders11.10: Cyrus Allen, WR, Chiefs12.03: Chris Bell, WR, Dolphins13.10: Baker Mayfield, QB, Buccaneers14.03: Jaylin Noel, WR, TexansTucker Kraft was the player who I was ecstatic to land. His ACL injury occurred early enough in 2025 to believe that a full recovery is possible at some point during the 2026 season. And with tons of targets vacated and simply not replaced in Green Bay's offense, Kraft feels likely to be featured. Also, I'm curious to see if we might get more passing from Green Bay than ever before if Josh Jacobs remains out of the picture. The Packers pass-catchers feel like some of the most undervalued players in Fantasy, to me. I swung big on upside with a lot of these picks, because I feel so anchored in with Chase Brown as my RB1. In a full-PPR scoring format, Brown feels like one of the safest running backs available.Favorite pick: Michael Pittman Jr.Weirdly, Michael Pittman Jr. is the player who makes this roster work. And because he is so drastically undervalued in drafts, I feel confident that I will be able to land Pittman (or Jakobi Meyers) in the late rounds anytime I feel a need to add a stabilizing PPR presence to the roster. With Pittman secured, I can afford to be patient with Jordyn Tyson and KC Concepcion as the rookies get acclimated. If Henderson ends up being a straight-up bust, I can likely replace him at the flex with Tyson. Pittman allows the young "upside" players I selected to function as luxuries for this team.The fit with Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy in a quick-hitting passing attack feels perfect for Pittman's skill set. Because he's a big-bodied WR, Pittman is often misidentified as a downfield threat. He's a technician as a route-winner who can quickly present a reliable target. I expect Pittman to be a significantly more consistent full PPR scorer than DK Metcalf on a week-to-week basis, and there's upside for him to establish trust as a red zone target for Rodgers. Pick I might regret: Luther BurdenOn Beyond the Box Score, Dan Schneier and I just recorded a "Bold Predictions" show where we each chose one player as our 2026 Fantasy Football flag plant. In our minds, this player is the best pick in Fantasy. I chose Luther Burden. Preferably, Burden is a player who can be drafted as an extreme value in Round 4 or even Round 5. In this draft, I decided to "reach" for him in Round 3, because I know that my colleague Heath Cummings is also enamored with Burden. Heath returned the favor by selecting Colston Loveland. That's who I hoped to get in Round 4. My optimism for the Year 2 Ben Johnson-led Bears offense is so high that I'm not only okay with grabbing two Bears in Rounds 3-4 (I also view D'Andre Swift as a good pick, and Rome Odunze is a valid upside pick in Rounds 5-6), I am actually ecstatic to do so.I might regret this pick because I went with Burden over Loveland. It's as simple as that, I absolutely could see Chicago's star tight end leading the team in points. I may have made the wrong choice, but Burden is the player who I believe has the higher yardage output available within his range of outcomes. He's a player who can win in a unique way with the ball in his hands, and I believe he's capable of winning as a downfield route-runner. That combination creates the potential for massive yardage totals. Because I know there's a group of tight ends who I love that are often available at the Round 5-6 turn, I decided to roll with Burden over Loveland. And while I did not get my preference (Sam LaPorta), my number two option (Kraft) at TE did make it back to me in Round 6. So, I think that my strategy worked. Now I need Burden to score in the way that I believe he can.Player who could make or break my team: Kenneth WalkerDerrick Henry is the player who I was debating taking when I selected Walker in Round 2. I actually have Henry ranked higher and feel more comfortable with him. Walker feels like possibly the riskiest pick who regularly leaves the draft board in Round 2. But, jeez, isn't the upside enticing? With the theoretical stability offered by my Round 1 selection (Chase Brown), I felt comfortable swinging for a potential Round 2 league-winner with Walker. And with my RB3 being an unproven player in Bhayshul Tuten, I'm not sure if I will be well-positioned to supplement the RB2 spot if Walker falters. Because I started RB-RB, I felt a need to overindex at the WR position, and so, I ended up only selecting four running backs. So I really need Walker to be reliable in 2026. I might regret this pick if Henry continues to be ole reliable and Walker continues to be hit-or-miss.