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Fantasy Football: Top Three Draft Strategies

By Anthony Sciarratta
Published on: 11:38 PST, Jul 16, 2016

There are multiple ways to approach a fantasy football draft. Fantasy football strategies have been argued by players since the game’s creation. While there are hundreds of different theories to try to win a tournament, only a few are proven to be effective. Fantasy football games are won by making bold decisions on the draft board. Playing the waiver wire can help, but it can’t fix an all-around poorly drafted team. Here are three draft strategies that may help win your fantasy football league.

Draft Back-To-Back Wide Receivers In The First Two Rounds

Drafting back-to-back wide receivers in the first two rounds of the draft is probably the best fantasy football strategy around. The NFL is going through an era where teams are focusing on attacking through the air. Passing offenses’ have evolved so much that it’s becoming increasingly uncommon to center an offense around a running back. The running back position has become disposable, and coaches are electing to not waste their time on a top free agent. The result is a team that is dependent on passing the ball.

Drafting Odell Beckham and Dez Bryant back-to-back would be a very solid way to start a draft. Another good combination would be Antonio Brown and DeAndre Hopkins. Of course, this all depends on the number of teams in the league. Luckily, the “double-up” theory could apply in any sense. Another sensible combination, if there are upwards of 10 teams, would be to draft Brown and Allen Robinson. The idea is to pair two top wide receivers to solidify a position that scores the most points on a fantasy football team.

Draft A Quarterback Late

This strategy is a practice that most fantasy football players probably use. The quarterback position, like running back, has been devalued in all fantasy football formats. It doesn’t make much sense to waste any of the first top five picks in a draft on a quarterback. There are plenty of other quarterbacks who could easily fill the place of a top choice, like Aaron Rodgers or Cam Newton, in a lineup.

Quarterbacks that may be available in the later rounds are Eli Manning, Tom Brady (likely to fall because of his suspension), and Blake Bortles. Each of these quarterbacks is completely capable of being a starter on any fantasy roster. Manning, Brady, and Bortles all have ranked among the top 10 of the fantasy football scoring leaders. To build the rest of your team while snatching one of these guys is one of the best ways to get an optimal fantasy lineup. The key is to work on building the other positions while trying to get a quality quarterback for a bargain.

Don’t Draft A Tight End Until The Final Rounds

As far as fantasy football goes, there are a handful of decent tight ends. A few names to keep in mind are Rob Gronkowski, Travis Kelce, Jordan Reed, and Greg Olsen. After those few get drafted, every other tight end has a similar production level from a fantasy perspective. If the rest of your lineup is stacked with talented players, taking a loss at tight end won’t kill a team.

The best option is to take a chance on a tight end that is considered a sleeper. Last year’s sleeper candidate was Tyler Eifert. Eifert was not considered a top option and probably did not get drafted in a wide variety of football leagues in 2015. If a fantasy football player drafted Eifert with their last choice, they managed to stumble upon top-tier fantasy option. The key is to not overdraft for undervalued positions. Fantasy football players should keep Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Ladarius Green, and Martellus Bennett as potential options for this strategy.

[Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images]

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