Fantasy Football Draft Strategies
OK, enough of the Fantasy Football nuts and bolts. As all owners know, there is no more exciting day of the year than DRAFT DAY. This includes weddings, births, new jobs, engagements, etc. I am mostly kidding. Seriously though, the few weeks leading up to draft day rival those days as a child when Old Saint Nick was on the way. You dream of putting together the perfect fantasy roster and spend your available time researching and scheming on how to dominate your league. And after all, who doesn't always love their team at the end of the draft and the start of the NFL season? Unblemished and seemingly unbeatable. Your team becomes part of your family, so let's go....
.......................Oh, and one more thing. If you are new to the league, you will have to come up with a name for your team. Honestly, most names border on the ridiculous. So, by all means, have fun naming your team, but remember, you will have to live with the consequences of the name you choose. Also, don't be "that guy" that changes his team name during the season. On that note, pick a good name and stick with it year to year for continuity.
Draft Day Preparation- General Information and tips for success
OK, enough of the Fantasy Football nuts and bolts. As all owners know, there is no more exciting day of the year than DRAFT DAY. This includes weddings, births, new jobs, engagements, etc. I am mostly kidding. Seriously though, the few weeks leading up to draft day rival those days as a child when Old Saint Nick was on the way. You dream of putting together the perfect fantasy roster and spend your available time researching and scheming on how to dominate your league. And after all, who doesn't always love their team at the end of the draft and the start of the NFL season? Unblemished and seemingly unbeatable. Your team becomes part of your family, so let's go....
.......................Oh, and one more thing. If you are new to the league, you will have to come up with a name for your team. Honestly, most names border on the ridiculous. So, by all means, have fun naming your team, but remember, you will have to live with the consequences of the name you choose. Also, don't be "that guy" that changes his team name during the season. On that note, pick a good name and stick with it year to year for continuity.
Draft Day Preparation- General Information and tips for success
- Do your homework. I can't emphasize this enough. This may involve the following:
- Buy a trusted magazine devoted to Fantasy Football, and read it cover to cover.
- Consult online advice from the previously mentioned online hosts, or just Google "Fantasy Football", and you will find more information than you can consume.
- Study information from your previous season. This could be the draft results and final scoring by position. On that note, at the end of the season I like to print out all of the scoring statistics by position from the league that I am in, as it ranks them in order within the scoring system I am using.
- Watch some pre-season. Sometimes you can spot a player that may just break out this year. Watch the highlights at least, there is information here which may help you fill up your last roster positions at RB and WR.
- Current player information can also be found on Twitter. Follow @AdamSchefter for recent developments.
- Watch or listen to shows devoted to fantasy football. The NFL channel on TV has some (Good Morning Football e.g.). Sirius radio also has shows devoted to fantasy football talk.
- It is important to be up to date as possible before draft day.
- Print out some current cheat sheets, post pre-season. You may have to purchase these, but there are many free ones available. Some of these cheat sheets can be manipulated to your league's custom scoring system.
- Cheat sheets are made up by an individual, or a team of experts. Don't take them as gospel, just a tool, because there are no crystal balls out there, and every expert has their own set of biases.
- With enough research, even you can make up your own cheat sheet.
- Here is a free example of one that I grabbed off of the ESPN website:
- I like what Fantasy Football Index puts out. Here is a link to their website where you can get advice and purchase their magazine and updated cheat sheets. There are many free cheat sheets on the web, just 'Google it'.
- Remember, cheat sheets are based on historical scoring, and future projections (guesses). The sheets are only one of your resources, and another thing to remember: Just because a player killed it last year does not mean that they won't be a bust the next.
- Physically (or mentally) rank out your favorite players. You can also group players into "tiers". Tiers are basically groups of players that have similar values, and generally you would be as happy with one as the other.
- Make sure you are aware of any current injury situations.
- Participate in some mock drafts, or look at the results of mock drafts. Your Fantasy Football magazine probably has their expert's mock draft results. Mock Drafts can give you an idea of a players "ADP", or Average Draft Position. This is important, as it can help you know when players go off the board (generally), and can prevent overreaching.
- Make sure your computer is in working order, your internet is working, and you have tested your online Host's Draft site to see if your computer is compatible.
- Have your draft area set up with all of your cheat sheets and read ahead materials, and a pad of paper and pen for note taking.
- If your draft order is already pre-determined before draft day, have a strategy on what to do with your pick. If your draft order is determined right before the draft, then have different strategies in mind.
- Have your snacks and beverages at the ready.
- Don't drink too much. You will make better decisions if you keep a clear head. Chances there are some owners in your league that will, and you can benefit from their lack of attention and subsequent "reaches".
- Have fun, take a breath and relax. It's Draft Day.
The Blue Rhino's, Championship Draft Day Strategy
General Advice
There is no one draft strategy. Don't let any experts tell you differently. Drafts are unpredictable. The best thing that you can do is to be flexible during the draft, and generally pick the best player available. Don't chase runs on positions unless you can get a top value player, better yet, start a run, get a top tier player, then move on. This is a general rule, and not hard set one because you might need to get on a player run (early) if you are solid in other areas of your roster, but need to fill a critical vacancy. Stay agile.
I am not going to talk about any current players in particular, as there are many sites to research this information, as mentioned above. What I want to do here is to give you a method/strategy to consistently perform well in your league. By using this strategy, you can incorporate it within the current year's active NFL players.
A quick explanation of position values. Positions are ranked 1,2,3, etc. Therefore your top tier players will be designated QB1, second tier - QB2, third tier - QB3, and RB1, RB2, RB3, and so on. What this means is the 1's are elite players and scarce, 2's are good players, but are in the second scoring tier, and 3's and higher are more abundant because they do not put up the fantasy points that the 1's and 2's typically produce. This does not mean that on any given Sunday a WR3 might put up the best WR numbers for that day. It is mostly based on consistency. Your roster make up will have a combination of these players, so maximize as many of the #1's and #2's if you can.
A note regarding the 1,2,3 rankings mentioned above. You will also see drafting sites give players rankings that relate to their ADP (Average Draft Position), thus the first Quarterback picked would be QB1, and the 10th quarterback picked would be QB10, and so on. You will also see players ranked by what round that they are drafted in. For example, if a running back is the fifth pick in the fourth round, they would be pick 4.5.
Also, I have seen season championships lost by only a few points, so every single position (yes, even Defense/Special Teams and Kickers) and every single decision you make during the season on who to play that week or who to pick up off of the waiver wire could ultimately make or break you. It's time to build your team. Let's Draft!
Drafting in a 12 team league (Using a Snake Draft)
Picks 1-5: Usually there are about three to five running backs that are usually heralded as the top picks in the overall draft. Unlike the quarterback or wide receiver positions, top running backs are a scarce commodity. "Bell Cows" are three down backs that perform/score consistently, are not on a "running back by committee", and will get the high percentage of that team's running back touches. These top running backs are getting more scarce, so it is more acceptable than ever to be wary of a 'running back first' strategy.
But, owners that hit on one of these rare elite running back, that stays healthy during the season, usually do very well that year. Speaking of health, running backs get hurt a lot, and I have witnessed many seasons where an elite back gets injured immediately, or early in the season, nullifying the early pick to irrelevance. But that is just fate, and just part of fantasy football at any position, so if you are an early picker get an elite back that is on a good team, and that hopefully has a history of staying healthy.
Remember, this is general advice. In certain years/drafts there may be a few elite receivers that may warrant an early first round pick, or Quarterbacks, and maybe even Tight Ends.
PPR & Yardage & TD's. In leagues that award points per reception (PPR) (1/2 or 1 per), research the number of receptions, yardage, and touchdowns as they can heavily influence in a running back's scoring capacity. Use a cheat sheet that includes PPR. As mentioned above, with all positions, have handy the previous year's scoring statistics within your league's scoring system to help you with making decisions. Some running backs can make up for lack of PPR production with yardage and touchdowns.
Picks 6-12: Depending on the year, there may just still be fairly elite running backs left. Sometimes owners will grab a quarterback or wide receiver, or maybe even a TE in the first five or so picks, and if that is the case, an unexpected gift may land in your lap. Thank the Fantasy Football Gods, and get your elite back.
But, more likely, if at this early stage in the draft your research and gut feelings indicate that the truly elite running backs are gone, and the cream of the running back crop has passed you by, I say, and I say strongly, that this is when you need to act decisively and grab a superstar wide receiver, or possibly in some years a superstar quarterback or tight end if these two positions have a player that is far and away better than the rest of their class. Don't chase the milked cow at this juncture, i.e. a second tier running back, after the elite backs are gone! And, remember, your second pick will come before the early drafters pick again, so you can probably still get a low-end RB#1 or high end RB#2 in the second round depending on the best player available strategy, so get yourself a first round superstar (a true #1) in the bag. This is how you even out the draft. Don't Chase and be on the end of a positional run!
Refer to the following charts that I worked up from the 2020-2023 scoring results (in my PPR/Distance Yahoo! league) that illustrates scoring by position for the top 24's (I highlighted Final Ranks 12 & 13, as most leagues only have that many managers):
Link to .pdf for above chart
Hopefully you can read these, (if not upload .pdf) but with a little analysis of the total points for last season, you can gather that:
So these charts are a reality check as far as position values go. Also, look at the total points scored in each position and total points behind leader (memo) to give merit to how important that position is to the total season points. But the most important thing to take away is the points behind the leader across the positions, as this will be your sacrifice depending on which position (s) you focus on early in the draft.
But remember, doing analysis like this is one thing, but picking the top scoring players is another, as they can often come from sleeper picks from later rounds, rendering your top picks, who did great from prior years, moot. But, we can only use the information that we have, so look for trends.
First Round Summary: If you can't get an elite running back in the first round, by all means pick up the best #1 WR. In some years it might make sense to grab a #1 TE or even a stud #1QB. The central theme here is that in the first round you need get an elite player! Now is your chance. My mantra is still: Don't Chase. If you are always following other owner's strategies, then their picks will always be higher, and probably better than yours. Set off on your own path. Confusion is good.
Second Round, Picks 13-24: You should have made it out of the first round with at least one RB1, WR1, TE1, or maybe even a Stud QB1. Many FF pundits who picked up a running back in the first round (at any pick#) will also go for a second running back in this round too (some even go RB, RB, RB - none of that for us!). The pros of going RB, RB is that you have covered the RB positions early in the draft, and now you can focus your energies elsewhere. The cons of this RB, RB strategy are that it is hard to hit on two elite running backs, and you may not have an elite #1 at any position. Same goes for the WR, WR strategy in the first two rounds. Things can get a bit thin the third round.
If after the first round you already have your "anchor back" or stud receiver, now is the time to go on the hunt for the best available player at a different position (RB2, WR1-2, TE1, QB1 e.g.). Remember to be the alpha hunter at all times. Also, you will probably miss out on a superstar receiver if you focus on running backs early in the draft. Remember though, if for some reason you can land two #1 running backs or wide receivers, by all means consider it. If you do your homework you can find value in the later rounds to fill in your roster.
Conversely, if you didn't get a RB in the first round, and this assumes that you got a #1 WR, TE, or QB, then now you should probably go for the best RB available in the second round if they are the obvious starter/3 down back on their team.
Again, the Draft Gods, or league neophytes, may give you a value pick (i.e. a top 5 RB or WR) that you didn't expect, and so by all means pick them up here, and go RB, RB in rounds one and two. More likely though, in the 13-24th picks there will not be an obvious #1 RB available, so consider getting yourself a WR1, even at the expense of not having a running back after the first two rounds. This is where your research can pay off and have in mind one or two "sleeper" running backs that can be picked up late in the draft.
So, in summary, by the end of Round Two, you should have two number ones, and ideally one of these #1's will be a top tier elite "anchor" running back or wide receiver. I prefer this over the RB1 and RB2 strategy. But every year is different, and if you are able to get what you consider to be two RB1's in the first two rounds, than that could work too, if you are able to hit on some quality WR's and an overachieving QB.
Hey, thank you for the wishy washy advice! Well, that's just the reality of drafts, as they are unpredictable, and you have to adjust your strategy as you go.
Round 3, Picks 25-36: Now is the time to put the "Best Available Player" strategy into action. If there is a top 5 quarterback left, this is probably your only chance to make that pick, otherwise, shore up RB, or WR. It could be that there might be a top 5 TE left, and if so, consider making this move. Keep in mind in round 3 that there are more quality WR's than RB's or QB's. If you can still find a RB that is not on a "committee" (shares the touches of the team's backfield), or backs up a Bell Cow, then PICK THEM!
A note on "Homering": OK, we all have our favorite teams. We all have our favorite players. You are forgiven if you reach a little bit to get your guy. It adds a lot of enjoyment to your Sundays if you can root for the whole she-bango. Warning - do not under any circumstances go overboard on your homering (a big reach, too many of them, etc.) at the expense of the ultimate goal: Fantasy League Champion. Your homer players should come from the same tier as other available players at that pick position. Fantasy players that are under twelve years of age can disregard this advice.
Rounds 4 and above: It is impossible, usually, to know the composition of your team, after round 3 unless you were dedicated to your own personal strategy (e.g. RB, RB, WR), (RB, WR, RB), (WR, WR,RB), (RB, WR, QB), etc. that has worked in the past. My best advice, again, is to get the best available player when it is your turn, within reason (i.e. don't go QB, QB, QB, QB), until your starting roster is set, then work on filling out your bench players. As mentioned above, your D/ST and Kickers should be taken towards the very the end of the draft, and absolutely after you have filled out your starting roster. Some years will present higher value at these positions, and there is not too much shame to reach a little bit to get the top ones, or if you take your homer D/ST team.
Miscellaneous Advice to Improve your Performance:
A note on "Bye Weeks": Do keep track during the draft to not box yourself out of a week by picking too many players that have the same bye week. This can lead to an unnecessary mid-season waiver wire pickup, and you may have to drop a player that you didn't really want to do to accommodate the pick up.
Handcuffs: In the later rounds some players like to pickup the second best running back on a team or the "handcuff". This can work out well if the starter gets injured, and they can also get points as part of the committee. But, consider these as generally low-value picks.
Stacking: Picking a QB and a RB, WR or TE from the same team can be super great when they hookup for a touchdown. Don't overreach to do this, however.
The Zero Running Back Strategy: This strategy is one that you would probably only adopt, and is mentioned above, if your first round doesn't produce an elite running back, and your second round has only meh-ish's at running back, but there are some sexy #1's still available, so you are going to go full throttle at picking WR1's, TE1's, and QB1's, because they kept dropping into your lap.
What this means is that since your first 3-4 picks (or more) didn't include a running back, then you are going to have to luck out on some quality RB2's and RB3's that can sometimes be found mid-to-late (RB dead zone) rounds, but they will probably be part of a running back by committee, or just be goal line touchdown stealers (the Bell Cow's nemesis!). Week to week scoring from these types of mid/late round backs is unpredictable, and can lead you to a season of frustration and angst if you are unable to shore up your RB roster during the year with good waiver wire pick ups. In larger leagues (12+ teams), the waiver wire can be a wasteland, and even if a star back emerges during the season, your waiver position might not be high enough to snag them.
Bench Players: Be careful with these picks, as they can become your starters in the event of injuries, bye weeks, or unexpected overachieving, so this is why you have done your research, because now is when it should pay off. The roster of starters who score consistently are hard to find during the later rounds, so pick players from the best teams, players that may have done well in the preseason but are not the #1's on their team, and players from teams that have the best quarterbacks on them.
Some owners will fill up their bench so that when a bye week comes, they will always have a spare (D/ST, K, e.g.). This can save you from a forced trade (and $), but you may have also slighted some depth at other positions, and the D/ST & Kickers are often replaceable mid-stream anyway. It also depends on how many bench players you are allowed to have. On this note, you need to strike a balance in your league on the number of players on benches, as often they are wasted, and it makes the waiver wire too thin.
Waiver Wire & Roster Management Tips: Many leagues have a "waiver wire" of players that are not owned by any FF teams because they were not drafted, or because they were drafted, but sent back to the waiver because of a trade-out. But during the season, you will have to stay on top of your team, because of injuries, or better players emerging post-draft.
Waiver wire usage can make or break your season, so consider these general rules:
Playing Prime Time Players: My general rule here is that if you have a roster decision when one of your players is in one of the bigger games of the week (Monday Night, Thursday Night Football, e.g.) and all other factors are the same, then play them! There are some jinxes here, but it makes for a horrible game if your player blows up and you had benched them. This strategy can also bite you in the butt if your player bombs, but I usually take this risk.
Garbage Time: Not a rule, but garbage time is when the NFL game is all but decided, and "your guy" is still on the field and scoring points! These undeserved points make life good and worth living. Enjoy them.
Westerman's Week Top 5 Do's and Don'ts of Fantasy Football Drafting:
Do's:
Don'ts:
That's it. Good luck!
Hopefully you can read these, (if not upload .pdf) but with a little analysis of the total points for last season, you can gather that:
- For 2023, if your quarterback doesn't make it into the top ten, you may not win the league that year, as there is a fall off after that for the season long point total, but for head-to-head weekly play, the differences aren't as material. With running back and wide receivers, there is a big fall off after the top few, but scorers 4-10 fall within roughly the same tier, meaning that you should be able to get these in rounds 2-3. Notice for 2023 that tight end scoring finished way closer together than in prior years. Keep this in mind for draft day.
- Thankfully, all your picks do not need to do great, but to take home the trophy, you usually need some good consistency, some superstars, or both. And, perhaps most importantly, to get lucky and avoid significant injuries. And remember too, that your roster of players does not end on draft day, as there will be some really good undrafted players on the waiver wire, and often times managers will discard players that end up performing well later in the year.
- Analysis from other prior years:
- QB: There are generally several quarterbacks in the first and second tiers. For 2022, the top four quarterbacks were substantially better than the rest. The 9th in 2021 and the 14th in 2020 highest scoring QB is under 200 points behind the leader. This statistic alone is why most owners in most leagues will wait to pick up a quarterback in the middle to late rounds. As mentioned above, head to head weekly matches aren't as affected by season long totals.
- RB: Just a few elite running backs in the first tier, but many middle and lower end running backs. The 8th running back in 2020 and 2021 year is the cut off point for being less than 200 points behind the leader! In 2022 though, you have to get to the 23rd running back to get to that 200 point deficit. As mentioned above, head to head weekly matches aren't as affected by season long totals.
- WR: There are about seven to ten top tier wide receivers, but tons of second tier WR's. In 2020, The 24th best WR is still less than 200 pts behind the leader! 2021 is skewed a little as Cooper Kupp blew up. In 2022, the top 5-10 were pretty much on the same tier. As mentioned above, head to head weekly matches aren't as affected by season long totals.
- TE: This is important, depending on the year there may only be a few to draft in the first several rounds meaning if you don't get an elite TE early (i.e. Travis Kelce), you can wait. In 2021, it took the 20th highest scoring TE to break 200 points behind. In 2021 this was 18th. This is why some leagues go WR/TE/Flex, i.e. "receiver", as there are two definite classes here. But, I do think that the TE position is currently in flux in the NFL, becoming more of a weapon, and there could be more parity in the future, and maybe the future is a little sooner than later??, i.e., there might be one or two more in the "elite-ish class" this year. Although there was more parity in 2021.
- Kickers and defense/special teams have quite a bit of parity, so fill these positions after your starting lineup is complete, and they all have quality backups. These positions are especially good to "homer"*, as you can root for your favorite team, and you have about as good of a chance to score as any other.
So these charts are a reality check as far as position values go. Also, look at the total points scored in each position and total points behind leader (memo) to give merit to how important that position is to the total season points. But the most important thing to take away is the points behind the leader across the positions, as this will be your sacrifice depending on which position (s) you focus on early in the draft.
But remember, doing analysis like this is one thing, but picking the top scoring players is another, as they can often come from sleeper picks from later rounds, rendering your top picks, who did great from prior years, moot. But, we can only use the information that we have, so look for trends.
First Round Summary: If you can't get an elite running back in the first round, by all means pick up the best #1 WR. In some years it might make sense to grab a #1 TE or even a stud #1QB. The central theme here is that in the first round you need get an elite player! Now is your chance. My mantra is still: Don't Chase. If you are always following other owner's strategies, then their picks will always be higher, and probably better than yours. Set off on your own path. Confusion is good.
Second Round, Picks 13-24: You should have made it out of the first round with at least one RB1, WR1, TE1, or maybe even a Stud QB1. Many FF pundits who picked up a running back in the first round (at any pick#) will also go for a second running back in this round too (some even go RB, RB, RB - none of that for us!). The pros of going RB, RB is that you have covered the RB positions early in the draft, and now you can focus your energies elsewhere. The cons of this RB, RB strategy are that it is hard to hit on two elite running backs, and you may not have an elite #1 at any position. Same goes for the WR, WR strategy in the first two rounds. Things can get a bit thin the third round.
If after the first round you already have your "anchor back" or stud receiver, now is the time to go on the hunt for the best available player at a different position (RB2, WR1-2, TE1, QB1 e.g.). Remember to be the alpha hunter at all times. Also, you will probably miss out on a superstar receiver if you focus on running backs early in the draft. Remember though, if for some reason you can land two #1 running backs or wide receivers, by all means consider it. If you do your homework you can find value in the later rounds to fill in your roster.
Conversely, if you didn't get a RB in the first round, and this assumes that you got a #1 WR, TE, or QB, then now you should probably go for the best RB available in the second round if they are the obvious starter/3 down back on their team.
Again, the Draft Gods, or league neophytes, may give you a value pick (i.e. a top 5 RB or WR) that you didn't expect, and so by all means pick them up here, and go RB, RB in rounds one and two. More likely though, in the 13-24th picks there will not be an obvious #1 RB available, so consider getting yourself a WR1, even at the expense of not having a running back after the first two rounds. This is where your research can pay off and have in mind one or two "sleeper" running backs that can be picked up late in the draft.
So, in summary, by the end of Round Two, you should have two number ones, and ideally one of these #1's will be a top tier elite "anchor" running back or wide receiver. I prefer this over the RB1 and RB2 strategy. But every year is different, and if you are able to get what you consider to be two RB1's in the first two rounds, than that could work too, if you are able to hit on some quality WR's and an overachieving QB.
Hey, thank you for the wishy washy advice! Well, that's just the reality of drafts, as they are unpredictable, and you have to adjust your strategy as you go.
Round 3, Picks 25-36: Now is the time to put the "Best Available Player" strategy into action. If there is a top 5 quarterback left, this is probably your only chance to make that pick, otherwise, shore up RB, or WR. It could be that there might be a top 5 TE left, and if so, consider making this move. Keep in mind in round 3 that there are more quality WR's than RB's or QB's. If you can still find a RB that is not on a "committee" (shares the touches of the team's backfield), or backs up a Bell Cow, then PICK THEM!
A note on "Homering": OK, we all have our favorite teams. We all have our favorite players. You are forgiven if you reach a little bit to get your guy. It adds a lot of enjoyment to your Sundays if you can root for the whole she-bango. Warning - do not under any circumstances go overboard on your homering (a big reach, too many of them, etc.) at the expense of the ultimate goal: Fantasy League Champion. Your homer players should come from the same tier as other available players at that pick position. Fantasy players that are under twelve years of age can disregard this advice.
Rounds 4 and above: It is impossible, usually, to know the composition of your team, after round 3 unless you were dedicated to your own personal strategy (e.g. RB, RB, WR), (RB, WR, RB), (WR, WR,RB), (RB, WR, QB), etc. that has worked in the past. My best advice, again, is to get the best available player when it is your turn, within reason (i.e. don't go QB, QB, QB, QB), until your starting roster is set, then work on filling out your bench players. As mentioned above, your D/ST and Kickers should be taken towards the very the end of the draft, and absolutely after you have filled out your starting roster. Some years will present higher value at these positions, and there is not too much shame to reach a little bit to get the top ones, or if you take your homer D/ST team.
Miscellaneous Advice to Improve your Performance:
A note on "Bye Weeks": Do keep track during the draft to not box yourself out of a week by picking too many players that have the same bye week. This can lead to an unnecessary mid-season waiver wire pickup, and you may have to drop a player that you didn't really want to do to accommodate the pick up.
Handcuffs: In the later rounds some players like to pickup the second best running back on a team or the "handcuff". This can work out well if the starter gets injured, and they can also get points as part of the committee. But, consider these as generally low-value picks.
Stacking: Picking a QB and a RB, WR or TE from the same team can be super great when they hookup for a touchdown. Don't overreach to do this, however.
The Zero Running Back Strategy: This strategy is one that you would probably only adopt, and is mentioned above, if your first round doesn't produce an elite running back, and your second round has only meh-ish's at running back, but there are some sexy #1's still available, so you are going to go full throttle at picking WR1's, TE1's, and QB1's, because they kept dropping into your lap.
What this means is that since your first 3-4 picks (or more) didn't include a running back, then you are going to have to luck out on some quality RB2's and RB3's that can sometimes be found mid-to-late (RB dead zone) rounds, but they will probably be part of a running back by committee, or just be goal line touchdown stealers (the Bell Cow's nemesis!). Week to week scoring from these types of mid/late round backs is unpredictable, and can lead you to a season of frustration and angst if you are unable to shore up your RB roster during the year with good waiver wire pick ups. In larger leagues (12+ teams), the waiver wire can be a wasteland, and even if a star back emerges during the season, your waiver position might not be high enough to snag them.
Bench Players: Be careful with these picks, as they can become your starters in the event of injuries, bye weeks, or unexpected overachieving, so this is why you have done your research, because now is when it should pay off. The roster of starters who score consistently are hard to find during the later rounds, so pick players from the best teams, players that may have done well in the preseason but are not the #1's on their team, and players from teams that have the best quarterbacks on them.
Some owners will fill up their bench so that when a bye week comes, they will always have a spare (D/ST, K, e.g.). This can save you from a forced trade (and $), but you may have also slighted some depth at other positions, and the D/ST & Kickers are often replaceable mid-stream anyway. It also depends on how many bench players you are allowed to have. On this note, you need to strike a balance in your league on the number of players on benches, as often they are wasted, and it makes the waiver wire too thin.
Waiver Wire & Roster Management Tips: Many leagues have a "waiver wire" of players that are not owned by any FF teams because they were not drafted, or because they were drafted, but sent back to the waiver because of a trade-out. But during the season, you will have to stay on top of your team, because of injuries, or better players emerging post-draft.
Waiver wire usage can make or break your season, so consider these general rules:
- Don't give up on a known good player too early unless they have had a devastating injury. Usually even the best players have cold streaks, slow starts, and their stats will usually improve by the end of the year. Plus, what is worse than releasing one of your players that is picked up by another player and blows up!? Groaner, that.
- No streamer rule: On a similar point, determine your starters, and go with them week to week if they are healthy. You can overthink the expert's projections in a particular week, and bench one of your marquee players when you should have started them. This is painful, especially if you would have won that week without messing with something that wasn't broken. Yes, you can and should adjust your roster as different starters on your team may emerge, just be careful about rolling the dice each week because of perceived difficult/easy NFL matchups. There are exceptions to everything, just a general rule here (benching a starter playing against a great defense may pay off e.g.).
- Don't wait too long to pick up a new player that looks to be getting a lot of touches, yards, and touchdowns. Sometimes you have to pull the trigger after only one good Sunday. This is hit or miss, as your sample of Sunday performances is usually low, but when you do hit, it can be the difference of your team's overall performance.
- Your waiver wire position is important. The initial order (1-12, e.g.) may be picked by your Draft Host and how it ranked your draft expertise. The waiver wire order can also be reset each week depending on points standings (last in points gets #1 pick on the wire, e.g.). Usually, the last team that picked up a player off waivers (during the waiver period (Sun-Tues typically) becomes the last in line in the waiver, and the each team below them will move up a notch. You can save your waiver wire position and still pick up players by waiting until the waiver wire trades are made (Wednesday at 12:00am, e.g.), then picking up players Wed-Sat. This way you can maintain your high waiver position for a future genius pickup should a star emerge. Obviously, if you really need a player, then use your low wire position to get them.
- Said again, one strategy, if your team is solid, is that you might be able to avoid trading on the wire for awhile, pick up players outside of the waiver period, and wait it out (weeks?) so that your waiver position moves up to the top. Then, you will stay at the top until you make a pick, then return to the bottom again. So, even if you have the #1 waiver wire position, if you don't make a trade, you stay there until you do, and the #2 position will essentially be the first picker. If you do have the #1, or high waiver pick, than you can pick up great mid-season surprises when they pop up without worrying about another player sniping you.
Playing Prime Time Players: My general rule here is that if you have a roster decision when one of your players is in one of the bigger games of the week (Monday Night, Thursday Night Football, e.g.) and all other factors are the same, then play them! There are some jinxes here, but it makes for a horrible game if your player blows up and you had benched them. This strategy can also bite you in the butt if your player bombs, but I usually take this risk.
Garbage Time: Not a rule, but garbage time is when the NFL game is all but decided, and "your guy" is still on the field and scoring points! These undeserved points make life good and worth living. Enjoy them.
Westerman's Week Top 5 Do's and Don'ts of Fantasy Football Drafting:
Do's:
- Do your homework before the draft. Especially for rookie RB and WR performances in the preseason games. You can get sneaky picks here for the later rounds.
- Do be flexible and adjust to the draft and generally take the best player available.
- Do take an elite running back if drafting early otherwise do pick a number one from another position.
- Do monitor your team during the season and continue to improve it through the waiver wire.
- Do have fun!
Don'ts:
- Don't chase in the draft. Following the leader is just that.
- Don't overreach for a player that you can get in a later round.
- Don't homer/fanboy unless it is actually a solid pick, or K/ST.
- Don't overthink and bench your starters due to an expert's weekly prediction.
- Don't take take fantasy football too seriously, and don't give up!
That's it. Good luck!