There are a lot of things to take into consideration when drafting for a season long fantasy football league. From top to bottom, each pick has value to creating your team and it’s important to not fall into certain “traps” that could slip you up along the way. How you draft will depict the strength of your team and whether or not you’ll be in contention for a league championship. And we’re not looking at what it constitutes a “B” grade from your way-to-friendly league site that would be better off handing out participation trophies.
As the season nears closer, many fantasy league drafts have already been completed with even more to be done within the next few weeks. Back in June, GoingFor2’s own lead writer, Geoff Lambert, gave an early insight on some fantasy football do’s and don’ts for drafting in your league to take into consideration. With week 1 in our sights, we give you another rundown of do’s and don’ts to remember for your upcoming draft.
Do: Take Bye Weeks into account
A common mistake made by players, particularly first time players, is drafting players with the same bye weeks. Sometimes it can seem unavoidable as a lot of the top rated players share similar bye weeks. If that’s the case, try to avoid players at the same position. This can create a problem trying to find a replacement for when that bye week arrives.
The last thing you want to do is cut one of your top players just to have a one-week replacement in his place or make a bad trade. You also don’t want to leave yourself looking vulnerable at the position and positioning yourself up for a potential loss. One loss may not seem like a big deal at first but it’s too often the difference between playoffs or bust.
Drafting bench players with the same bye weeks as your starters can defeat the purpose in some ways. I admit though, that sometimes the player you really want is right there for the taking that cannot be passed up simply because of a bye week. Just be sure you have yourself prepared for adjustments that coming week.
Don’t: Draft a Kicker Early
Spoiler Alert: It’s going to happen. Those people you’ve seen taking Stephen Gostkowski or Steven Hauschka in the 7th and 8th round of your mock drafts are going to appear during your draft. Even some of the so-called fantasy gurus do it, then write an article explaining why they did so and how it will benefit them, only to follow it with their “See, what had happened was…” piece as to why they couldn’t even make the playoffs. Don’t be that player.
Geoff makes it a point in his article to avoid drafting kickers and defenses until the final two rounds of your draft. Two or three years ago, I would’ve agreed completely with Geoff but I’ve grown a little lenient about it in regards to a team defense. I would still not take a defense in the 7th or 8th round just to be clear. Guys like Gostkowski and Hauschka might be considered some of the better kickers in the league, but they are nowhere near the value of what a mid-round pick should be. You are better off filling out your starting skill players here or with your bench.
Kickers don’t typically bring the consistency and surely don’t have the breakout capacity that a skill player could give you. The truth is, you can find a kicker just as valuable in the final rounds and are better off streaming from week-to-week. The matchup and style of offense are the best things to consider when drafting a kicker. DO NOT FALL INTO THE KICKER TRAP!!!
Do: Draft top-heavy on WRs
It should come as no surprise should the top three picks of your draft be Antonio Brown, Odell Beckham Jr., and Julio Jones. Wide receivers are finally becoming more valued than running backs in fantasy football. Past injuries and disappointments with top running backs have scaled the position’s value. Some fantasy players are even drafting using a zero RB strategy in order to stack up on wide receivers.
While I won’t go as far as to say you should avoid some of the top running backs on the board, one can simply not wait to draft receivers this year and expect success. Even in leagues using a FLEX position will want to draft top-heavy on wide receivers. There’s no shame taking guys like Todd Gurley or David Johnson with your first pick but I suggest using at least 3 of your first 5 picks on a WR.
Don’t: Draft a QB Early
Unless it’s Cam Newton or Aaron Rodgers, guys that are dual threats, there’s no reason to draft a quarterback early. Russell Wilson and Andrew Luck are rated closely behind those guys, and although they are exceptional players, can be avoided under their current average draft position (ADP). Wilson and Luck currently have ADP’s of the 42nd and 43rd player taken overall, respectively, according to Fantasy Pros. It may be more beneficial to draft a quality WR or RB left on the board, at this point, despite the skill sets of both Wilson and Luck.
The value of QBs is pretty consistent after Luck, and can therefore, lead you to address other needs before deciding on a starting quarterback. Tom Brady will miss the first four weeks of the season and should be available in the mid-rounds. Finding a fill-in for four weeks shouldn’t be hard to do. Don’t wait any further than the 10th round to select your starter.
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Do: Stay up-to-date with NFL News
I’ve seen a lot of people who participate in their draft that don’t keep up with what’s going throughout the season. It’s a shame too because some of them draft very well with the look of making a serious run. The problem is, by not keeping tabs on what’s going on as the season continues, a player fails to make the necessary adjustments needed to stay competitive.
Injuries, suspensions, and drama are all things that need to be monitored as the season goes on. Even if it involves a player that you may not own, a breaking story could have a major impact on your league. Tracking available free agents and using the waiver wire wisely are additional ways to stay up-to-date with NFL news.
Don’t: Draft more than 2 QBs
Back to the QB scenario. Many fantasy players like to overvalue the QB position more than it’s really worth. They like to draft multiple QBs in order to show a false sense of depth or attempt to use as a trade bait. In reality, it’s just a big mess. Quarterbacks don’t really carry a lot of trade value unless it’s Newton or Rodgers. At the end of the day, you can only start one unless you are in a 2 QB league. If so, then this ‘don’t’ does not apply to you.
If you play in a one QB league like most of us do, chances are you can find an acceptable starting QB at any point of the draft. Geoff makes mention that you really shouldn’t need more than one on your team since it’s really only one week you wouldn’t start them. He’s right in many ways as it’s fairly simple to stream a QB that week in a positive matchup. I prefer the insurance of having the additional player available but holding anything more than two is extreme.
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