The success of your fantasy football team hinges on your draft picks. Use the following draft strategies to minimize risk, maximize gain, and make the tough decisions when it comes to fantasy football draft day:
Skill + Opportunity = Success. Always remember this fantasy formula when drafting players.
Draft RBs early and often. Your exact strategy will vary based on your draft position, but taking two RBs in the first three rounds is the best approach.
Look to acquire an elite WR in the first three rounds. Depending on your league, you should be able to grab a reliable top-five WR to anchor your receiving core for the entire season.
Don’t take a kicker or defense too early. You can find plenty of depth at these positions at the end of the draft.
Take quarterbacks in the middle rounds. Good, productive quarterbacks aren’t hard to find in the middle rounds. The top-ten QBs will be drafted before the tenth round, though.
Understand and take advantage of position runs. Typically, there will be a waterfall effect once a player from a specific position is selected (for example — once the first team goes after a tight end, there will eventually be a mass-scramble from the rest of the league to acquire high-talent tight ends).
Don’t draft studs with the same NFL bye week. Most fantasy teams can’t avoid having some players on the same bye week, but having your best players on the same bye can cost you a win.
Stick to your draft plan. Trust your cheat sheets (player rankings). You worked hard to prepare them, and you don’t want to let the other coaches sway you into making a mistake.
At the same time, be opportunistic. Often, the draft will not go the way you expect leaving you with difficult decisions. If you see that a player that you have ranked very high falls to you, grab him!
Grab potential breakouts and sleepers late. You can pick up an average injury replacement during the season. In the later rounds, drafting players who may become studs could win you the league.
Consider drafting “handcuffs” for your best players. A handcuff is a player that is in a back-up role but has huge upside. The idea of handcuffing in fantasy football is important, because if one of your best players gets injured during the season, you want to be able to replace him with his backup.
After your fantasy football draft is complete, analyze your team for strengths and weaknesses. Begin creating post-draft strategies to help address any areas of concern on your team.