by Justin Booska
Picking an effective draft strategy is vital for building a competitive roster. There are plenty of factors to weigh and several effective strategies to choose from, but committing to one without being willing to adjust can drag your team down if you’re too rigid to adapt. Personally, I have found that mastering one strategy is folly, and it is instead better to have a solid foundation in many strategies. Tilt is real and can ruin a season before it starts. Tilt is basically when you are married to a strat, and someone drafts a lynch pin in for your plan, and the overall roster starts to distort. This usually happens with player archetypes you favor in the strat, for instance, “the rushing QB” or “top tier TE” are stolen from you. These player types are rare, and there are never very many pivot options.
Running Backs Early: RBs are integral to every NFL team’s offensive game plan, and traditionally, there are only 1-2 noteworthy guys per team. Further narrowing the field of choices by looking at rush-heavy offenses and then by workhorse backs versus community backfields, you have a double handful of stellar RB options.
- Things to keep in mind: RB is the most physical fantasy position, and because of that, the odds of injury are much higher than in other slots. If you plan to go heavy in the paint with RB, keep depth at the forefront of your mind. Depending on the rules for your specific league, you may need three solid options just to field the team. This doesn’t factor in depth at all.
Hero RB: This strategy involves drafting one high-end running back early in the draft to establish a strong base of point production. After you have your RB1, you can distribute your remaining high-value picks on building out your WR/TE/QB core. You are literally riding on their coattails. While this is a valid strat, and is widely discussed in the fantasy football world, it is very dangerous due to the “all my eggs in one basket” mentality. One injury can be catastrophic for your team. If you choose this strategy, I highly recommend considering drafting a handcuff for your RB1.
Wide out supremacy in PPR Leagues: In PPR (Points Per Reception) leagues, wide receivers gain more value due to their increased scoring potential from receiving yards and receptions. Additionally, the possible flex position(s) could give you even more exposure to these points. Drafting WRs early and often gives you options to play guys in optimal matchups, but this will likely have you sacrificing depth at other positions.
Zero RB: This strategy involves waiting to draft running backs until the later rounds, often focusing on drafting wide receivers early to maximize point potential in PPR leagues. Every NFL team has a starting RB, and if you add in committee back fields, there are close to 50 RBs that get guaranteed snaps each week. This strategy focuses on the less desirable of these guys with the argument being that they only need to get you a double handful of points each game because the week winners are your WRs.
Punting QB Strategy: There are only a handful of superstar QBs in the NFL at any given time, and waiting on quarterbacks allows you to build a strong roster with running backs and wide receivers. While you may not have an every-week starter at QB, you can get a couple of situationally playable ones in the late rounds.
- The extreme edge of this strat is a streaming QB option (this means you go to the waiver wire each week to drop your current QB for the best available option). This style can be stressful or invigorating depending on your personality (and success).
Punting TE Strategy: This one is similar to the QB punt strategy with some notable differences. The drop-off after the elite TEs is even more pronounced than it is with QBs. Even if you plan on using a high pick on TE, if you see the top guys go off the board, it would behoove you to build out the rest of your roster before taking a few dart throws at the TE position. This is a great example of how not having a flexible draft strategy can tank your team.
Early Round TE/QB: In most formats, TE and QB are the only spots where you don’t start multiple players at the position. Some players prioritize drafting a top tight end and/or quarterback early to gain an advantage over opponents. Above all, this strategy makes you feel good seeing that elite guy locked in your lineup.
Keep in Mind:
- League Format: PPR leagues, which value receptions, tend to favor wide receiver-heavy strategies, while standard or half-PPR leagues may benefit from running back-heavy approaches.
- League Size: Smaller leagues may require you to draft quarterbacks and tight ends earlier to avoid being outscored by opponents, as there are fewer available players.
- Scoring Rules: There are a plethora of options for league owners to spice up league play with different scoring rules than standard. This will have a heavy impact on points scored and your draft strat as well. An example would be TEP (tight end premium; where TEs get bonus points for receptions), or SF (Super flex; where there is an additional flex slot that can have QB as an option greatly increasing the value of the position).
- Draft Position: Your draft position can influence your strategy, as you may need to adapt to the players available on the board.
- Personal Preferences: Some managers draft their favorite players or teams, even if it means deviating from traditional strategies. Often referred to as drafting from the heart instead of the mind. It should be noted that other managers may spot your draft trends and take advantage of you by either sniping value players or leaving less valued guys on the board knowing you will target them. If you consider players on the same tier, you can use this to break the tie. Conversely, if you are afraid you are overly biased towards your team’s players, you can knock them down a tier or avoid drafting them altogether.