A successful season starts with the DRAFT
As the charity league draft season is winding down and the preseason games have begun, a lot of team managers are starting their preparations for their home drafts.
I outlined in late July how to attack the hero-RB and zero-RB draft strategies, but I want to help with some tips that have made my fantasy football career successful (success to me is being in the hunt of the playoffs every season – there is too much variance to win championships in competitive leagues).
Most home leagues continue to be redrafts, while the salary cap and redraft with keepers are part of the variety of home leagues I play.
But most leagues are still old school with the snake redraft.
These tips are more concentrated on redraft, but an experienced manager can also use these in their other competitive leagues.
1. The First-Round Pick
My goal when drafting my first-round pick, whether it is from the No. 1 or the No. 12 spot, is I want a player who has the potential to be the No. 1 scorer at their position.
This is one of the reasons why I don’t mind taking a QB as a late first-round pick even in a one-QB league.
Your goal is to score the most points each week vs. your opponent and if it means to take the unconventional route to draft your team so be it.
2. Draft Your Players
I’ve seen it too many times (and it’s happened to me a few time as well) that a team manager will use his/her draft cheat sheet and just go down the list.
The cheat sheet is a guide that can help you with tough decisions, but you should always draft the player you want on your team.
Ultimately, it is your team and you should be happy with YOUR picks – if they pan out or not.
3. Draft Rookie RBs
In the past five years, except in 2019, at least one rookie has finished as a top 12 fantasy RB.
Pittsburgh’s Najee Harris continued the trend last season with his high volume season, while 2017 saw four rookies crack the top 12 of RB fantasy scorers – Alvin Kamara, Kareem Hunt, Christian McCaffrey and Leonard Fournette.
But some may think with the NFL Draft’s recent run of first-round wide receivers would have an impact. However, that is not true as Justin Jefferson (2020) and JaMarr Chase (2021) have been the only rookie WRs in the past five years to crack the top 12 of WR fantasy scorers.
4. Good Offenses
In the middle to late rounds, your goal should look for secondary pieces of offenses that are expected to be top scoring teams.
Players like Arizona’s Darrel Williams, Minnesota’s K.J. Osborn or Buffalo’s Isaiah McKenzie could play big roles in the success of your fantasy teams because of injury or expanded roles.
Keep an eye out for those type of players during the draft because it can save you time during the season combing the waiver wire for the next one-week gem.
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