Drafting Like a Pro: A Beginner's Guide to Fantasy Football Draft Strategies

Draft Strategies
Jun 03, 2024
Jun 03, 2024

Understanding the Basics of Fantasy Football

Fantasy football is a game where you act as the general manager of a football team, building a roster of real NFL players and earning points based on their statistical performances on the field. To get started, you’ll need to join a league, which can be found through a variety of websites and mobile apps.

Leagues typically consist of 8-12 teams, and each team will have a draft to select their initial roster. Drafts can be held in a variety of formats, including serpentine (or ‘snake’) drafts, auction drafts, and dynasty or keeper leagues, each with their own pros and cons.

Once you’ve joined a league and prepared for your draft, you’ll need to understand some basic strategies and concepts. These include concepts such as 'reach’ and ‘value’, as well as understanding bye weeks, positional scarcity, and tiers within positions.

Researching and Preparing for Your Draft

To draft like a pro, you’ll need to put in the work ahead of time. This means researching and understanding the player landscape, including sleepers (players who are expected to outperform their draft position), busts (players who are expected to underperform), and breakout candidates (players who are expected to take a significant step forward in their performance).

In addition to researching players, you should also pay attention to recent news and injury reports, as these can have a major impact on a player’s value. It’s also important to understand the rules and settings of your specific league, as these can vary widely and impact your draft strategy.

Another key aspect of draft preparation is understanding the tiers within positions. Instead of simply focusing on the top-ranked players at each position, it’s important to identify groups of players who are closely ranked and can be considered interchangeable. This allows you to prioritize other positions and build a more balanced roster.

Implementing a Draft Strategy

When it comes time to draft, there are a variety of strategies you can employ. Some popular strategies include the ‘zero RB’ approach, where you prioritize running backs later in the draft, and the ‘best player available’ strategy, where you simply select the highest-ranked player on your board regardless of position. The right strategy for you will depend on a variety of factors, including the size and settings of your league.

Regardless of the strategy you choose, it’s important to be flexible and adapt to the flow of the draft. This may mean adjusting your rankings based on how the draft is unfolding, or shifting your focus to different positions as the draft progresses.

Another key aspect of implementing a draft strategy is understanding when to reach for a player and when to wait. This requires a balance of trusting your gut and sticking to your strategy, while also being willing to adjust as needed based on the actions of other drafters.

Making the Most of Your Roster

Once the draft is over and your roster is set, the work is far from done. It’s important to stay engaged with your team throughout the season, making roster moves as needed and staying up-to-date on news and injury reports.

One key aspect of making the most of your roster is understanding the waiver wire and free agency. These are the pools of unowned players that you can add to your roster, either through a waiver claim or by simply adding them to your roster if they’re unowned.

Another important aspect of maximizing your roster is understanding the concept of matchups. This means paying attention to the opponents your players are facing each week, and making roster moves as needed to take advantage of favorable matchups and avoid unfavorable ones.