Fantasy Football Draft Strategy

So you're a loser, huh?

I don't mean to offend you, but if you're reading this, you must have lost last year or you wouldn't need a new strategy. Truth is though, a little outside help never hurts anyone in fantasy football. Actually, even some winners don't really have a good draft strategy. How many of you all played in a league two years back, and the guy with Tom Brady tore through the league, while thinking they were the best all time fantasy player, when in actuality, their team wasn't so great?

Yes, my buddy was one of those guys. He had no running backs, no receivers, but with Brady atop the lineup, everything went smooth for him. Well let me tell you something, Tom Brady doesn't come around that often. The year he had will probably not be duplicated in dozens of years. He's back? Oh no!

Well, with that, let me revise my strategy list real quick.....

OK, I'm back. The following draft strategies should benefit anyone and everyone. Enjoy!


Fantasy Football Draft Strategy # 1 - Draft Tom Brady!

Maybe this one is a little tough to accomplish, but you may not want to let him slide past you in the first round. The Patriots were ridiculous in 2007. If Brady puts up just 80% of what he did that year, you'd be a fool to not want him as your quarterback.

Fantasy Football Draft Strategy # 2 - Grab some running backs!
If you've been around fantasy football before, you know the drill. Running backs are the lifeblood of a fantasy team. This strategy may be slipping a little bit with all of the double (and even triple!) threat backfields, but if you can grab a stud (a RB who gets most of his team's carries), you'll be happy with the results. If you find yourself short on running backs after most of the big names have gone off the board, grab some BABUs (backups about to break out).

Fantasy Football Draft Strategy # 3 - Supply and Demand
With running backs being the exception, most positions in fantasy football are plentiful after the studs go off of the board. If you're looking at wide receivers past the top 20, look away! Average wide receivers are a dime a dozen. Unless there is a stud staring at you, there's not much difference between Jerricho Cotchery and Nate Burleson, and you should probably check the other positions. For quarterbacks and tight ends, there are only a few worth drafting in the early rounds. If you're staring at Tony Gonzalez or Antonio Gates for tight ends in the 4th - 6th rounds, you should probably grab them, other than that, you may as well wait until late and grab someone you like from the heap. Quarterbacks will be picked up periodolicaly during the first 8 rounds. If you see a run on them, don't jump on the bandwagon unless you're looking at Brady, Peyton Manning or Drew Brees. Some might argue some others, but Tony Romo is overhyped (usually drafted too high), and doesn't have Terrell Owens anymore. Kurt Warner is just too old to use a high pick on. As for any others, just wait, there are plenty avaialable. The exception to this is the 2-QB league, in which quarterbacks play a much larger role. As for kickers and defense, why bother? Every team plays defense and every team puts up points. If you think you know what you're doing, you may just want to avoid drafting either a kicker and a defense and just find a good matchup in free agency every week.

Fantasy Football Draft Strategy # 4 - Take few risks
It may be fun to grab a Jeremy Maclin or Matt Stafford, but history says not to. So very few rookies make a fantasy impact their first year that it's just smarter to let someone else take a shot. Take Jamal Lewis instead of Knowshon Moreno. Players that have only had one breakout season, or who are projected to have a breakout season are just not usually worth the risk. Now, don't go and take all veterans. You may break this rule if you have a good number of very reliable players (after all, how else will you find those breakout rookies/players like Adrian Peterson?), but don't load up on them. You aren't going to recreate fantasy football by filling your team with sleepers.

Fantasy Football Draft Strategy # 5 - Pay attention to injuries
Anyone in football is capable of getting injured, but there are some players that are just flat out injury-prone. Look out for these and make sure you don't have too many on your roster. Just about every fantasy owner will have to face issues regarding injuries, but don't let yourself be in the bottom half of the league in this category. Most fantasy leagues have 2-4 teams that are bad simply because of injuries.

Fantasy Football Draft Strategy # 6 - Don't neglect your bench
This is somewhat of a carry-over from the last tip. As said, with so many injuries, you're going to have to turn to your bench. Even if you have the perfect, healthy season, you'll still need players to fill in on backup weeks.

Fantasy Football Draft Strategy # 7 - Take the best player available
This tip may not work if your league isn't very open to trading. If the players do trade often though, stock up on those running backs even if you have your starting lineup filled. These are the most valuable trade bait seeing as the top backs are so limited. You'll be very tempted to fill your starting lineup before your bench, but while you're picking up Heath Miller in the 8th round to be your tight end, someone else is gobbling up Braylon Edwards. Take the player who will score the most fantasy points and not the player that fits into your starting lineup.

Fantasy Football Draft Strategy # 8 - Don't go out of your way to handcuff
While some say this is an important part of drafting, you can't start both of the players because they're on the same team. Usually there are better players available than your handcuff. Not only stat and number-wise, these players can also be useful on your bye weeks. Another benefit is that if your non-handcuffed backup's lead competition goes down, now you have trade bait!

Fantasy Football Draft Strategy # 9 - Fill your bench with WRs and RBs
Backup tight ends, quarterbacks, kickers, and defenses are pointless. Unless you just have this huge feeling that a certain player is going to bust out, you can fill your bye week slots for these positions from free-agency nicely. Another reason for this is that you're going to find the most fantasy points in the late rounds from running backs and wide receivers. If you have a plethora of either of these positions, you now have trade-bait and a stronger bench than most others.

Fantasy Football Draft Strategy # 10- Don't overlook preperation
Just about every rookie - and even some veterans - dont prepare enough. Sure, you know all the players from the top 6 rounds, and a fantasy football magazine or cheatsheet may be all you need early, but by the time owners start drafting bench players, you'll be scratching your head, drawing from a hat, and probably making a few veterans chuckle by taking a player who would have never even been drafted. If you're new to fantasy football, scan through a mock draft and pay attention to the last five rounds. You'll surely find a ton of players you've either never heard of or know nothing about. Don't be foolish, these players are still important to your team.

Hope these tips help. Feel free to add to the list in the comments section.