Fantasy Football season is the time when strategic minds enter the draft lobby to craft winning teams, YOU ARE THE BOSS. It really is quite a rush. Some of you are brand spanking new, some of you are cranky old vets. Either way, the draft is the most critical portion of your season. Here are some common draft strategies for old and new alike. As well as some other things to think about prior to, and during the draft.
The Zero RB Strategy focuses on stocking up on high-value wide receivers in the early rounds of the draft before targeting running backs later on. WRs are much more valuable since PPR (point per reception) and 1/2 PPR leagues became the norm. Snagging a high-end receiver is critical to a successful team. This strategy is a misnomer you don't actually draft ZERO Running Backs, but you do wait till later in the draft to get them, hoping to find a hidden gem or two at the position. Perhaps you watched a lot of college football and are confident in a new rookie RB. You could also be tracking a specific team with a RB position battle that might end in a different way than most people are expecting. Whatever the case, this strategy will lock in some surefire performers at the WR position with at least 2 of your first 3 picks
The Upside-Down Strategy, is similar to the Zero RB strategy in that you target receivers in the opening rounds. However, this strategy advocates for grabbing a top tier Tight End early on also. Maybe not with your first pick, but with your second or definitely by the third pick. This strategy was popularized in the Gronk era, and continued through to the Travis Kelce and George Kittle era. The idea was that there were 1 or 2 TEs that were performing exponentially better than their peers and it was worth drafting those guys sooner than the position is typically drafted. Over the past 3 years, the TE position is becoming more heavily utilized in most offenses, and there have been a slew of young TEs coming into the league that can put up great fantasy numbers. As such, parity at the position is increasing, thereby decreasing the value of this strategy.
The Late-Round Quarterback Strategy doesn't so much focus on what you pick early, rather it says regardless of how you approach the early rounds, you are saving your QB pick till the later rounds. Here, the manager feels that the QB position doesn't impact performance nearly as much as the other positions and chooses to dig through some of the 'leftovers' to snag their QB. Some managers may even choose an option called 'streaming.' This is when you pick up a QB off the waiver wire every week based on their matchup. An average QB playing against the Redskins' defense (yes, I called them the Redskins you woke pukes) might perform better than a great QB getting all the Sauce from the Jets' defense. People choosing this strategy feel that one can find a valuable solution at QB from round 6 or 7 on so they don't focus on it early.
The Traditional Strategy (also known as ermahgerd I simply must draft all the running backs.....all of them) sees the manager going for the draft strategy fantasy football was built on: Draft the best RB available, then draft another because there is 2 RB slots, then draft another because you have to fill the flex spot too, oh and what if one of them gets hurt, I should draft another one, oh this guy has a great schedule I can't pass on him....You get the point. This strategy evolved in the dawn of fantasy football when the pass game wasn't as prolific as it is today, and the running back position was usually filled by a 4-down workhorse. Today's league executes a RB by committee approach more often than not. This means using a 'running down' back and a 'passing down' back. In today's fantasy scene, there are more viable running backs available, but they don't impact your fantasy team as much as they used to. That being said you will likely not find a league winning manager that didn't draft at least one of the RBs finishing in the top five for the season. RBs still matter. If you go with the Traditional Strategy try to look for those unicorns that still do 80% or more of the running for a particular team (Derek Henry fits that bill). If you can't snag one of them, look for RBs that have at least a 50/50 timeshare with another RB, but is the pass catching option for their team which gives them the edge in a 1/2 PPR league (like ours).
Additional pre-draft considerations:
If you see a great player that has somehow fallen way below their average draft position (ADP), you should draft them (providing it's not because they just got arrested or were injured in their preseason last game).
Pay attention to what other players are drafting. If the folks coming after you in the next few rounds haven't drafted any RBs expect them to do so with thier next couple picks. In fantasy jargon it's called a 'run.' If you are picking at the end of a run on a particular position there is likely only going to be trash left for you to pick through.
Yahoo has tools to help you see who has drafted what positions as well as what you have drafted and what you still need. Get in the draft EARLY if you've never done a fantasy draft before. Click the buttons see what information is available to you. I'm making no promises, but I will try to host a video chat (it will probably on Google Meet or Zoom) and be on there to answer any questions about the interface. If I end up not doing this feel free to text or email me with any questions. Larry and Lance can also help out.
Do some research. Are there some folks who aren't being talked about a lot but are poised to blow up (those are called 'sleepers'). From now until the draft, do some reading, do some mock drafts, figure out what strategy you want to use. Look at strength of schedule by position. Is there a team out there that has a great schedule against weak passing defenses then grab that QB or one of their WRs. Even average players can perform at above average rates when they play against bad competition.
It isn't ALWAYS true but a large portion of league winners end up taking the trophy because they found a top performer at one or more positions, but drafted them in later rounds. When trying to find these kinds of players fantasy veterans often consider 'ceilings' and 'floors.' A ceiling is what is considered the best that can be expected from that player, and the worst is considered the floor. Those late round league-winning picks are going to be players that are assessed to have a high-ceiling. This could be because they are a good player but are sitting on the bench behind an injury prone player, or it's a rookie that people don't believe can take the starting job, but if they do, they are going to drop fantasy masterpieces. Sometimes you are just looking for a steady player who isn't going to win the league for you, but they also aren't going to lose it for you. In that case you're looking for a player with a high floor. This means while they aren't going to drop you a 20 point game, they certainly aren't going to give you a 1 point game either. It is good to have a combination of both on your team.
Roster positions: in this league you get 1QB 2RBs 2WRs 1TE 1Flex and a DST. That's all you can play on any given week, the rest will just sit on your bench. Make sure you have depth at every position to cover yourself in the bye weeks, and in case of injury because it WILL happen. Whether it's for a couple weeks or the entire season, managers rarely go the whole season without being dinged by injuries.
Homers. Every newbie does it. Even some fantasy vets do it. Being a homer means you are going to pick players from your favorite team, or rookies who have just joined the league from your favorite college team. Hell, you may even pick your favorite team as your DST (Defense Special Teams). I'm not saying don't do it. For some it's a superstition, for some, due to bias, they truly think Dak Prescott is the best quarteback in the league so they pick him first overall. I'm not naming any names (it rhymes with Felissa), but we had someone take Carolina DST with their first pick overall (for you newbies, most people don't pick a DST until their last few rounds). This player has since learned much about fantasy football and is no longer a 'homer.' So for any of you reading this, ensure you are drafting with a clear head. If one of your favorite team's really good players is available at a reasonable draft pick, snag him. But don't go reaching for players just because you like them or they are on your hometown team.
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