TORONTO, ON - MAY 14: Auston Matthews #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates against the Tampa Bay Lightning during Game Seven of the First Round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Play-offs at Scotiabank Arena o
n May 14, 2022 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. When it comes to preparing for fantasy drafts, a lot of emphases is understandably put on the later rounds. That's where the most deviation is going to be on a draft-to-draft basis and picking an underrated player late who goes on to have a great year can put you ahead. However, for those strong late picks to push you over the edge, you need to build a solid foundation in the early rounds.
With that in mind, let's explore who you should take with your first-round pick, depending on where you end up in the draft. These recommendations are based on a 12-team league, but you can easily adapt this advice to smaller or bigger formats. Also, please note for each selection, I'm going to assume the recommended pick is taken. If you have the sixth overall pick, but my recommendation for the third is still available, take my choice for the third overall selection.
This isn't to put MacKinnon down, it's just to note why he's listed below those players in my recommended draft order.Goaltenders in general are riskier than forwards or defensemen. That said, if you can anchor your team with an elite goaltender, you'll be saving yourself a lot of headaches in the long run.is a worthy option at this spot due to his long track record of success on an elite team, but I can't help but think Shesterkin's time is now.