Websites have been viewed and magazines purchased. Hopefully your league commissioner has made you aware of your drafting position; allowing for mock drafts to be completed. Fantasy football is back, and as your draft(s) approach whether pre or post Labor Day, the preparation starts now. Compiling your top 200-300 players, sorting the names by positions, highlighting possible sleepers, and marking who will be busts is just the start. What it takes to not participate in your league, but being in a position to win the championship, is the “next” level of thinking and planning. I’m going to share some tips that I use and strongly recommend when participating in either an online or live fantasy football draft. I have constructed a top ten list of points of emphasis I strongly encourage you to put to use. I also read comments that you post; therefore any questions you may have whether new to fantasy football or a veteran player, I’m here to answer.
1. Do not waste a draft pick. Whether it’s the timer running down for an on-line draft or all eyes in the room staring at you during your live draft, it can difficult to keep your cool and stick to your strategy especially in the later rounds. My suggestion-Have an outline with you at the draft with all of the rounds/and 3-5 players you are targeting. Whether a player falls to you, or is selected earlier then you anticipated. When the names of the position players are third and fourth on the team’s depth chart; have a visual that is clear and concise, and you will stay calm because you have put the time in to select from the “options” on your round by round chart.
2. Only draft one of the following position. (K, DEF/ST, TE). My only exception pertaining to the 2013 season would be Gronkowski. He is top 2 at his position when healthy, but is not looking likely to start the season with the Patriots; so a second tight-end is needed.
3. Don’t be a “homer” and don’t refuse to draft a player because he plays for a team you have nothing but complete disgust for. Don’t overdraft because you own the jersey of an Eagles player; and don’t refuse to draft talent like Dez Bryant and Victor Cruz because they play on NFC East squad that make you sick to your stomach. This is “fantasy football.” There is a “winner’s sum” to be won and bragging rights for an entire year. I will say this however. When you are watching an Eagles vs. Giants or Eagles vs. Cowboys game, don’t be that Eagles fan who gets caught cheering for the opposing player because he is on your fantasy team.
4. Pay attention to what the other league members are doing. If you are in a 10 team league and 9 quarterbacks have been selected, don’t panic and make the next selection a quarterback. Add depth to your running back and receiver core, the chances that another owner is going to select their back-up QB before filling out the rest of their starting roster positions is highly unlikely.
5. Wait until week 5 before you start looking to make that first trade. Some players and teams in the NFL get out of the gate much quicker than others. Some of the most elite players in FF may be adjusting to a new offensive coordinator or returning from off-season surgery. It’s all about making the playoffs. Typically the regular season is 13 weeks, with the playoffs taking place weeks 14-16. Even if you are 1-3 to start the season, don’t panic and propose a trade where you are sending three “good” players for one “great player.”
6. Do not watch the NFL Red-Zone over your Philadelphia Eagles game because you want to check to see how your fantasy team is doing. You want to look at your phone during commercials, half-time that’s fine. When you see a change in score for another game on the bottom of the screen during an Eagles game, don’t run to see if it was your starting quarterback or skilled player that registered the touchdown. You are an Eagles fan “first” and fantasy player “second.” Once you confuse the two, it’s hard to reverse the ill effect.
7. The team you draft will not be the team you finish the year with. Every owner truly feels they have the best team post-draft. Injuries, trades, waiver wire pick-ups all change how your team looks throughout the season.
8. Names are merely a pattern of letters. There are “sexy” names that as an owner you want on your weekly roster. What matters in fantasy football is weekly/yearly production. If you can look past the “sexy” factor and wait three rounds to draft a player who will accumulate 90% of the statistics of the “sexy” name, you have allowed yourself to stock up on other key positions, opening the door for future trades and depth when your starters go down with injury.
9. Draft your defense in the second to last round. Draft your kicker in the last round.
10. Treat yourself to a player. Whether you select them 2-3 rounds earlier then what ADP experts are telling you, go with your gut. It’s these types of pay-offs that separate the good and great fantasy football players.
Disagree with waiting until the second to last round to draft a defense. If you can snag 49ers or Seattle’s D at a reasonable spot then don’t hesitate
Seattle D will go #1. The problem I have seen in many mock drafts is where they are being selected. I’ve seen 7th-9th round, and this is even after Harvin’s injury. San Fran holds their opponents to lpw point total, they collect sacks, but their big play for TD’s and return game is actually middle of the pack.
So i am in a PPR League and i have the 4th overall pick suggestions who would you go with? Also keep in Mind it is a snake format this is my 4th yr playing and even though i know how its played i would like other peoples insight an how they may want to go and i will more then accept your Mock Drafts.
Thanks
I am not familiar with “Snake Format”
but with the 4th PIck — You definitely need a Player who is a consistent Producer of POints on a Weely Basis
A big time play making WR who not only gets a lot of Receptions but also TD’s (Calvin Johnson, Brandon Marshall, Julio Jones, V Cruz or even a Dez Bryant)
A consistent Top QB (P Manning, T Brady, D Brees, A Rodgers always put up consistent #’s)
A Top Flight RB (A Peterson, A Foster and then everyone else is too risky)
Doug Martin if available at pick #4 would be my guy. He had the second most yards from scrimmage last year from the running back position behind only Peterson. The Muscle Hampster is a great pick. Drafting Calvin at #4 is too high at #4. This is a very deep QB draft, grab an elite RB at the four spot. Other names to consider- Jamal Charles (Andy Reid has never used his RB’s correctly, but in a PPR, Reid does love to throw). Ray Rice-1500 yards total yards, 60-70 catches and 9-11, don’t think Pierce will take too much of his workload. Lynch won’t catch the ball mutch, he pounds the rock, but 1600 total yards and goal-line work is a solid #4 pick.
Pip I have the 3 pick and I’m praying Doug Martin is there he was insane last year and without the best guard in the nfl Carl nicks. I expect huge thins from him. I rank the top 3 ap, Doug then foster while most have their top 3 as ap, foster then doug if any of those 3 fall to you take them. At 4 I would watch shady McCoy closely the next 2 preseason games as he could be insane this year.. Others to consider at 4 would be ray rice and Charles.
On the way back take jimmy graham period if he is there. If he isn’t I’d be looking at Dez , or Aj green and if they’re gone a rb2
My Sleeprer Picks for Fantasy Football
QB – TB Bucs J Freeman and Chiefs Alex Smith
RB – Falcons Steve Jackon (maybe not a lot of Yards, but lots of TD’s)
Scat Back – Jonathon Franklin (Packers) and Dexter McCluster (Chiefs)
TE – Seahawks (Z Miller) Panthers (G Olson) Dolphins (D Keller)
49ers (Vance McDonald) & Colts (D Allen)
WR’s – Browns (G Little) Packers (R Cobb) Vikings (G Jennings) Patriots (A Dobson) Bears (A Jeffrey) Titans (K Wright) Texans (D Hopkins)
Kickers – Blair Walsh (Vikings), David Akers (Lions), Matt Bryant (Falcons)
& Alex Henerey (Eagles)
Defense’s – Cleveland Browns, SL Rams, Redskins, & Dolphins
Special Teams – KC Chiefs, Vikings & Bronco’s
Think that Cobb is not a sleeper this year. Probably the #1 in GB. And Akers might not even win that job from Kickalicious.
Cobb’s value should be in that 30-35 ADP area, in the late 20’s in a PPR league. He will get a few carries out of the back-field as well, and as of now is still listed as the kick/punt returner for this team. With Nelson out to start the season, we could see Welker(when he was with the Patriots) like numbers.
This league Has Flex but thanks again for the ideas. Snake is Going from 1-12 and then the second round going from 12-1 so the 12 double dip and the 1s double dip
Thanks Paulman
I disagree with Pman on this one. I would take one of the top RBs at 4 even if PPR:
Top 5 are AP, Foster, Rice, Martin, Charles
When it gets back around to you again at 21, you can get someone like Dez Bryant or Roddy White if you wanna go with WR. Or you can probably get a top qb there too. And then another WR or RB at 28.
Depending on keepers of course.
I overlooed RB Martin of the Bucs who will have a big Year and lot of Touches,receptions, etc,etc..
I think Ray Rice will see more carries go to 2nd Year RB Bernard Pierce so I think his workload decreases as will his Stat’s for the Ravens
Jamaal Charles I would be a little hesitant to use that high of a pick on since Coach AR will be his Head Coach and there will be games that AR forgets to use his best weapon as he did wth McCOy the last couple of Seasons..
Reggie Bush should be a solid pick as a Scat Back with Rushing and Receiving Yards and even some Special Teams work for the Lions who have no real RB threats on their Roster..
Patriots RB LeGarret Blound won’t see a lot of rushes, but probably a real Red-Zone threat and get his share of TD’s
A nice Combo RB is Bears Forte who gets a lot of Carries and also a lot of Receptions too ..
One thing I don’t do is draft anyone in the NFC East, unless they play for the Eagles. I get pissed off when watching an Eagles game and someone in the room cheers when Cruz/Bryant gets a TD against the Eagles because they are on his fantasy team.
Luckily I play in a salary cap league, so I can avoid getting stuck with NFCeast players.
Exactly i dont play my fantasy llayers against my team so that cancels out nfc east players due to the fact that we play them twice.
thanks bugsyhawk and prcrow
how would yall judge my team? i dont love it but cant complain either.
QB: Stafford
RB: Spiller
RB:Forte
WR: AJ Green
WR: Fitz
FLEX: Chris Ivory
TE: Antonio Gates
D: Ravens
K: Justin Tucker
Bench:
Jordy Nelson
Greg Jennings
Shane Vereen
Mike Williams
Alshon Jeffery
Bryce Brown
EJ Manuel
Also I have another draft tomorrow and would appreicate feedback about players you love/hate. My sleepers are: Chris Ivory, Vincent Brown, A Dobson, Alshon Jeffery, Alex Smith, EJ Mauel, Daryl Richardson, C Palmer, Bowe, chris givens. once again, feedback is appreicated
Pretty Good Team Phantastic Phour
QB,RB & WR Positions are all Strong
I don’t like TE Gates who is at the end of the road with too many injuries that have slowed him down.. There are a ton of good TE’s out there
Defenseively, theRavens will be missing their heart & sould in Ray Lewis and big Turnover Creator in Ed Reed and see them dropping to the middle of the pack statiscally..
Chris Ivory could be a nice pick and should get a heavy workload over the offensively challenged NY Jets
A second Tier QB who could put up some big #’s this year is Carson Palmer who will have WR’s Fitz,Floyd, A Roberts and emerging TE
Rob Housler and dependable TE Jeff King.. If RB Mendenhall and or RB Ryan Willams can establlish a legitimate Rushing attack, their Offense may end up surprising some Teams..
I got antonio gates pretty late and i dont particulary value TE’s that highly. I also read some reports saying that gates is in the best shape of his life so I thought why not risk it. I got the ravens D 2nd to last round because I usually pick up defenses based on match ups which I find successful. I decided this year to go after running backs early and often because last year I got killed because I had no good RBs. Thanks for the feedback
So on one post you right this is “fantasy football” and dont hesitate to grab a player from a team you hate…..then in a later post you write you are an “eagles fan first”. Completely hypocritical if you ask me.
@ Phantastic_Phour i like your picks pretty solid overall. C. Palmer i feel is a sleeper as well as givens Manuel and Dobson the rest not to crazy i also would look in the mid rounds at R. Bush he will probably best be a Flex type of player again depending on the league your playing in. Jimmy Graham, D. Brees E. Manning ( Backup purposes) Vincent brown may do wonders as 2 of the Chargers players are hurt. But chargers may rely on the Run.
Also depends if your next league is Snake style example being 1-12-12-1 etc. D i say sleepers are Rams possibly Dolphins also Cardinals. Seahawks.Cleveland Browns. Bengals
Another Sleeper Pick at RB is Redksins Alfred Morris
I have the sense that RGIII will be out a little longer than Shanahan and RGIII Camp’s are stating publicly and we all know how Shanhan will ride a horse until it’s broken as he has done in the past with RB’s back in his Bronco days..
I think Morris may carry the load the first 3-4 weeks of the Season and even when RGIII returns, this may be more of a ball-control opffense that runs the ball, utilizes TE’s Fred Davis & L Paulsen more than slinging the ball down the field to Garcon and running a lot of Read-OPtions..
With QB Cousins, they will be more of a running team,screens,safe slants, & bubble routes with the emphasis on RB Morris to carry the load …
Watching the Eagles tape from last week, QB Cousins may not pass 15 Times versus this Eagles Defense if he were to play Week #1 in place of RGIII… I can see RB Morris with 30 Carries versus the Eagle with Ray Helu having anoth 12-15 if the Eagles don’t sure up their front 7 over the next couple of weeks..
My advice is stack up on RB’s with the first 2 rounds. A few notable duos are
Doug Martin
Matt Forte
Adrian Peterson
Steven Jackson
Ray Rice
Steven Ridley
Marshawn Lynch
Demarrco Murray
Whereas if you go in the direction of a QB and RB through the first 2 rounds
Arron Rogers
Matt Forte
Drew Brees
Chris Johnson
Tom Brady
Frank Gore
Now to better make you understand my point is Colin Keapernick is a guy that can be found in the 4th round in most fantasy drafts. Lets take 2 from the groups I mentioned above.
Adrian Peterson
Steven Jackson
and
Drew Bress
Chris Johnson
By selecting Adrian Peterson and Steven Jackson with you 1st 2 picks you can add in a 3rd rounder such as Dez Bryant now your team is looking like
Colin Kaepernick
Adrian Peterson
Steven Jackson
Dez Bryant.
Which is as elite as it gets and by far the most value. Think RB’s with your first 2 picks and it goes a long way.
I’m old-school with the rb,rb approach as you have described in your comment section EaglesSuck. I think even waiting until the fifth round and grabbing a guy like Matt Ryan, Wilson or RG3 or even the sixth round and grabbing a Stafford allows you to have solid depth at the rb and wr position.
Look no disrespect to anybody on here, everybody run their teams differently. But the hell with that if Dez Bryant is there at a decent pick, I am taking him.
As would I. If you own Calvin Johnson do you not start him versus the Eagles? The same with Rodgers, B. Marshall, Peyton, AP and the other top 20 talent in FF we face at-least once this season. Look, fantasy football has changed us as football fans, whether we want to admit it or not. This goes for fans that are Eagles fans and those who root for other squads. We are in multiple leagues, phones and ipads allow for quick and portable updates instead of signing on the computer and checking your teams status. I’ve been at Eagles games where fans were actually watching Redzone on their phone during the game. It’s fantasy football, your drafting players who statistically will make you better than your weekly opponent. Stay true to your home-town team when it comes to the real game; fantasy football feeds the beast in all of us that is hungry for football 24/7.
Jeff do you have any openings in your league? or would you consider opening up a league for your viewers to join?
There was some early conversation prior to the pre-season to get fantasy football up and running for the viewers; I will follow-up on the status and get back to you on that. It’s something I feel that you as the viewers deserve for continuing to make this site one that brings the best and most loyal fans. If we are unable to get a league running for you and other viewers this year, I would sugest joining one of the free or “prize pool” leagues that Yahoo has. I prefer the Yahoo format over ESPN, it’s more user friendly.
I would be interested in that.
I remember picking Alfred Morris up in my league before he was announced as the week 1 starter. I looked at my phone with out noticing he started and saw this guy (Alfred Morris) on my bench scoring in double digits! im like wtf yo?
I find it very satisfying to find those diamond in the rough guys. Which brings me to my next point is diamonds in the rough…
Remember this name Kembrell Thompkins. I really see him replacing Arron Hernandez’s production even though he plays a different position. I think the rookie catches over 65 balls for over 800 yards and 8 TD’s posting very good WR2 numbers.
Patriots could very well be one of the hardest teams to project a possible “sleeper” for. Dobson due to his earlier draft selection and deep ball skil-set became the projected replacement for all of the offesnive weapons New Englad no longer has. Shane Vereen has been used both out of the backfield and as a receiver. We saw with the first pre-season game a nice chemistry between Thompkins and Brady. The projections are a bit hard in my opinion, mainly because of the poor output of “rookie” receivers over the last decade in the New Englad system.
Patirots are a master of spreading the ball out
For 1 week, they will run the ball and use Vereen & Blount,
next week they will pitch Amendola as the main target,
then the next week it will be Dobson, then Thompkins..
Belecheck & Daniels probably do the best job in the NFL year after year coming up with completely different games plans featuring many of their skills player and mix it up week to week that opposing Defense’s have a hell of a time keeping up on who will be the featured Player (s), Expect Gronk back by Week #6 as he will start the Season on the PUP list.. The Strength of the Pats Offense is their OL which typically gets overlooked year after year..
They probably will end up with 5-6 players with 40-50 Receptions each with 3-4 TD’s each, but no big time Stat’s for any one Player so I would be careful on selecting some of their Players this Season
I had the 10 th pick in a 10 team league, I drafted rogers, then Brees. Everyone was pissed, but I couldn’t believe the offers that I got for either one of those guys
LOL to me thats a bit of a troll move but very funny none the less.
Kyle, I really like the move. My suggestion would be to not make a trade until week 3 of regular season. You will gain more value for your return of either stud qb by waiting.
Last year I was in a league where you could start 2 QB’s it made no sense what so ever. I finished in 3rd place.
Rob Gronkowski – 790 yards 11 TD’s
Arron Hernandez – 483 yards 5 TD’s.
Wes Welker – 1,354 yards 6 TD’s
Its unrealistic to think that Danny Amendola (who is replacing Wes Welker) will rally 2,627 yards and 22 TD’s (all the above mentioned totals) Someone is going to benefit from those totals mentioned above. Kembrell Tompkins the undrafted rookie has been one of the best standouts in the Patriots training camp. The first preseason game Brady targeted Tompkins the most out of any WR. Those are stats that just hits me smack dead in the face that makes want this guy. If he falls under the radar of your draft pick him up.