For your sake, hopefully your fantasy football draft hasn’t already taken place. Leagues that draft players early in the season risk injuries and suspensions, which has been seen again in the NFL.
Here are three draft strategies for your upcoming draft.
If you like a player, draft him
All these average draft position slots and rankings can make for a confusing set up to any fantasy football draft. So if
there’s a certain player that you like, but his ranking isn’t quite where your draft position is, there is no reason to wait.
The thinking behind that is the player likely won’t be around when it is your turn again. The rankings do provide a quality guide of where players are being taken in other drafts, giving fantasy football owners an idea of where that player may be chosen.
So if it’s the third round, and your team is in need of a wide receiver, and you’re picking third in the third round (27th overall in a 12-team league), and you are high on Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, then you should take him. While Hopkins has an ADP of 36, he likely won’t be available in the fourth round when your turn comes up again.
That may be considered a bit of a reach to some, but in reality, if you have Hopkins rated higher than players like Brandin Cooks and Emmanuel Sanders, then Hopkins is the best available wide receiver at that pick.
With that being said, don’t reach
There’s a time and place for each player to be taken. However, the ADP does give a good sense on when players are being drafted.
So if you’re high on Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford and your pick comes around in the fourth round and you haven’t picked a quarterback, there’s no need to draft Bradford in that slot. Bradford has an ADP of 122, so he would still be available in the 12th round, making him a better pick for later in fantasy football drafts.
Knowing when certain players should be picked is vitally important for constructing the best fantasy football team. Pay attention to ADP to make sure not to go too crazy over a certain player. There are sleepers available all over this draft, but they’re considered sleepers for a reason.
You’ve done the research, so don’t get too anxious on drafting players too high. Be patient and let the draft come to you.
Wait on quarterback
The NFL rule changes making it easier for offenses to move up and down the field have had a dramatic increase on fantasy football quarterbacks.
The depth in the position should not be ignored. Andrew Luck and Aaron Rodgers are the best in the field. After that, though, there are negligible differences in a handful of options, and those quarterbacks aren’t being drafted until the third round or later.
While you’re waiting on a quarterback, don’t get too anxious on wide receiver either. Running backs are more important because of the absence of bell-cow running backs. There are so few running backs who can make a real impact that if you don’t have one, it’s difficult to find one on the waiver wire.
While wide receivers can play an important role, too, there are ways to find wide receivers on the waiver wire. Odell Beckham Jr. didn’t register a catch until week five last year and finished with 91.
