How to Go About Drafting Antonio Brown in 2019?

Drafting Antonio Brown in the First Round

So Draft Day has finally arrived in your league. The draft is underway and you patiently wait your turn as your other opponents make their selections. Now it’s your turn. All the big-name running backs have come off the board like Saquon Barkley, Ezekiel Elliott (if he doesn’t hold out), Alvin Kamara, Christian McCaffrey, and David Johnson.

The clock is ticking. Either you select a slightly lower running back like Joe Mixon or Le’Veon Bell, or you could choose another premier wideout. For years, Antonio Brown was a top-five pick in fantasy (sometimes even number one overall), but a lot of fantasy managers have dropped him lower in their rankings because of the new team he is on and the recent stories he’s been involved in.

Regardless, you are still a strong believer in AB, and still favor him over guys like DeAndre Hopkins, Michael Thomas, Davante Adams, and Julio Jones, who have been traditionally going before Brown in numerous drafts.

Okay, so the question is, should I take Brown now with my first pick, or can I wait until Round two and grab him then? Well, that’s based on preference, but let’s analyze both scenarios to get a little bit of a better idea.

So let’s say you’re a die-hard Antonio Brown fan and love him over the rest of the wide receivers available. Then, by all means, draft him. He certainly is still an elite player even at the age of 30 and can be a cornerstone piece to your fantasy team.

Okay, so now you selected Antonio Brown with your first pick of the draft. What are you going to do in the next round? There’s a two-pronged approach you can take at this point.

You can either select another high-end wide receiver, or you can select one of the last few remaining top running backs off the board before they all disappear. This is all based on preference depending on which position you tend to value more. Let’s examine both scenarios and what players will most probably be available for you to choose from.

If you decide to go wide receiver heavy in your draft, then guys such as Tyreek Hill, Odell Beckham Jr., Juju Smith-Schuster, and Mike Evans can be snagged with your second pick. Not bad, especially when you are pairing one of those guys up with Antonio Brown. It also serves as a good safety net in case another situation arises with AB during the season.

Now if you choose to go the other route and select a running back like Joe Mixon or Dalvin Cook, you will need to focus your attention at getting a solid enough wide receiver in the third round. Normally I don’t stress the importance of loading up on receivers in the early rounds as much because they are so deep with talent, but if a high-caliber player like Brown isn’t present for extended periods of time throughout the season, it’s going to hurt big time without someone fairly comparable enough to fill those massive shoes.

In my opinion, I believe selecting another wide receiver in round two might be the safer bet, but again it’s all a matter of preference and how you value each position.