The “Telephone” game was a favorite of mine as a kid.

Someone whispers a message to another person, who then passes it on, and so it goes. The information gets to the end and, of course, everyone’s laughing. A skipped word or misinterpreted term changes the original idea. The final recipient only has fragments to piece together. Drafting from 1.12 isn’t so different.

Throughout my series on building teams from different positions, we’ve relied on both structure and the expectation of high-end players. Neither is for certain from the twelve spot. Well, at least relative to the prior positions. Regardless, if we can use pieces of previous concepts and apply them to the turn, we can still put together a strong roster. 

The First Round for the 1.12 in 2025 Fantasy Football Drafts

Unfortunately, the differences between the 12th-overall pick and the other slots show up right away. There are two things to consider before it’s your turn on the clock. First, the number of players with ADPs at or around 12.0 can be off-putting.

I used our consensus ADP draft board to visualize the shift. At least six players have an average draft cost within two picks of the 1.12. It’s not like the 1.01, where it was Ja’Marr Chase or bust. Even the 1.07 kept it simple. The 12 spot feels like the Island of Misfit Toys. But here’s a second consideration.

• Avg. Number of RBs Drafted (between the 2.02 and the 3.11): Eight
• Avg. Number of WRs Drafted: Seven

You click once. It’s your turn again (at 2.01). You click again. And then, twenty-two players go off the board. Over half of them will be starters for your core positions (RB or WR). By consensus ADP, the next options will be Breece Hall or Davante Adams. So, the first round isn’t just about securing a single asset; we need to have an idea about how we’ll address our next few selections.

• Multiverse 1: Malik Nabers, Balanced
• Multiverse 2: Puka Nacua, Zero RB
• Multiverse 3: De’Von Achane, Robust RB

Your league is going to force you to think 22 picks ahead of time. But remember, this is like a game of telephone. The rules get distorted by the twelfth pick. And while I’ll be adhering to the general guardrails of the player and strategy, there are other concepts we can bend to our will and secure a contending squad.

Rest of the Early Rounds After Picking 1.12 In Fantasy Football

So, let’s start with the general tenets of drafting in the early rounds. 

• Grab one QB or TE.
• Build starter power at the core positions.

Now, go back to the scenario I laid out earlier. Let’s say you take two WRs at the 1-2 turn. A Nabers-Nacua or Nabers-Collins open is powerful. But then you don’t want Breece Hall as your RB1 at the 3.12. David Montgomery (ADP: 61.8) and D’Andre Swift (62.2) aren’t all that enticing either. The pressure to “catch up” to your leaguemates will draw you away from an optimal start. However, you can short-circuit their plans with calculated aggression.

Hayden Winks highlighted the concept of diminishing returns when reaching for players in best-ball leagues. Essentially, the more we pull a player’s ADP up, we’re bringing our total down. However, the effect isn’t as devastating if we stay within a round of a player’s original value. Let’s put this idea into practice.

• The Accepted Options: Breece Hall (225.4 projected PPR points), Omarion Hampton (166.8)
• An Aggressive Option: Alvin Kamara (256.3)

The choices around the 36th-overall pick are underwhelming. Our projections team has been able to paint a positive picture for the Jets’ RB1. But the quality of the offense, and Braelon Allen’s potential ascension, is difficult to factor into a player’s seasonal workload. Anyway, instead of following the usual guidelines of ADP, let’s move past Hall to Alvin Kamara. 

His pass-catching role appears to be intact, with the same likelihood of being in a bad offense. Or, TreVeyon Henderson (ADP: 54.8) offers lesser receiving upside than Kamara but a more stable offense. Pulling Henderson up invites more risk, but by weighing the reward via projections or comparing ranges of outcomes, we can avoid putting ourselves in a corner by adhering to average draft costs.

I had to use a similar process for Team 3. Swift was my closest option at RB. To stay on the RobustRB path, I looked past Chicago’s quasi-RB1 for another option. The projections have the two rushers close in total points (209.3 to 201.2). However, Swift has a narrower path to targets and goal-line touches, making Jones the better option in this case.

Mid-Round Strategy From 1.12 In Fantasy Drafts

Let’s assess Team 2’s roster heading into the middle rounds.

• Need a QB.
• Need rotational starters and depth at RB.
• Need depth at WR.

The hole at running back is glaring. However, the turn offers a quick fix. By identifying the needs, we can simply match the profile to the player.

• Round 7: Jordan Mason – projected to split time with Aaron Jones; likely goal-line option
• Round 8: Zach Charbonnet – working as the RB1 during preseason 

Of course, the job wasn’t complete after those selections. But I could focus on other positions once I was back up at the 9.12. However, the names are just the results. The process can take you elsewhere. 

Travis Etienne and Cam Skattebo, with Trevor Lawrence at QB, have similar viability. Etienne offers early-season opportunity, while the Giants’ rookie RB forces a committee with Tyrone Tracy. Meanwhile, at least Lawrence gets to face the Panthers in Week 1. In either case, once you’ve noted the holes in your roster, our tiered rankings can help you fill them.

Team 2 has the strongest roster. Admittedly, getting George Kittle at 3.12 might be a stretch. But I could swap out Kittle in the third for Mark Andrews or T.J. Hockenson in the sixth round if an early-round TE was my preference. However, critically, when drafting from the 12th spot, be ready to plan a few picks ahead to keep your roster on an optimal build path.

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