Smart Drafting in Fantasy Football

With cheat sheets in hand we're ready to draft. The object of our draft is to acquire as many players in the red group as possible. But be careful, drafting 4 QB's because they're in the red group won't help you. Past experience has taught me that RB's are the hottest commodity in fantasy football. Having two good RB's and a quality third back is a must. Don't be afraid to draft RB's in the first two rounds. Past experience has also taught me there's not a lot of difference from a QB in the yellow group to a QB in the green group. Come the third round if there are no QB's available in the red group don't waste your time picking a QB. There has to a WR in your red group that's available. In the next few rounds the most important thing to do is draft the best available player on the table. Don't be afraid to wait until the 6th or 7th round to draft your starting QB. I drafted my starting QB in the 9th round two years ago still won the championship. As you approach the middle rounds 6 - 12 it's time to sure up your starters. Make sure you have enough QB's, RB's and WR's to fill the starting lineup. Remember to draft the best available player at these three positions as you fill your starting lineup. When you're stuck on who to draft next take a look at who's drafting between this pick and your next. If you've kept track of the players other owners are drafting your decision may already be made for you. If there's teams between your picks and they need a QB and WR and you're looking at a WR and a RB it's time to draft that WR. They may grab that RB on you but more times than not, they won't. As you finish off the draft remember to grab a kicker and defense, but don't be the first. They're a dime a dozen and in week 3 you can always grab a better one off the free agent market.

There are only a few other things to keep in mind. Rookies rarely produce. Occasionally you'll find that one rookie who does but more times than not you'll be disappointed. If you have a gut feeling about some rookie and he's available in the last few rounds take the risk. Just don't draft him in the 4th round. Keep an eye on the rookies as the season progresses. You can always grab them off the free agent market if they start producing. Something else to take into consideration is how many years a player has been in the NFL. For some reason WR's tend to break out in their third year.

Now that the draft is over it's time to start kicking some butt. Make sure you stop by Fantasy Football Toolbox daily or at least weekly to get the latest and greatest player updates. If you're unsure who to start, which free agent to pick, and/or if a pending trade is good for you stop by our forums. Other than winning our leagues there's nothing more we enjoy than helping others.