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The answer to these questions turns out to be a fairly nebulous cloud of indefinites. Each fantasy league is different so each fantasy draft will be different as well. Your overall strategy should take into account the fantasy football league scoring system, the league’s required starting lineup, and most importantly the ebb and flow of the draft as players come off the board. You have fantasy magazines telling you that the RB – RB strategy is critical, still others will tell you to take the best player available. The truth is that the absolute best strategy is to let your position in the draft dictate which players you will take.

I actually go into each draft with an open mind. I review the scoring system. If a quarterback touchdown is worth only four points instead of six, I devalue the quarterback position a bit and concentrate more on quality wide receivers. If points per catch are awarded, some running backs become more valuable than others and again wide receivers have increased value. Depending on whether or not the league takes away points for interceptions, a quarterback like Jon Kitna (18TD’s,20INT’s) or Eli Manning (23TD’s, 20INT’s) might take a hit on perceived value based on last year's numbers.

The other criteria of note to consider when drafting your team is the league’s required starting lineup. Some league formats allow for a RB/WR swing position. If this allows you to actually start three running backs in your lineup, fantasy owners might consider drafting a number of running backs to fill those positions. Some leagues have a rigid starting lineup with no swing positions such as a 2 running back / 3 wide receiver starting roster. In this case, an early emphasis on the wide receiver position can yield positive results as you draft stud wide receivers while others are fighting for scraps in the running back run. In leagues that don’t require a tight end, unless you select one of the premiere guys, I wouldn’t even worry about it. Be sure to look at what’s required to fill your starting roster and exploit those positions that other fantasy owners might not look to aggressively fill.

Finally, the single most important thing to be cognizant of during your draft is to track and accurately predict the ebb and flow of the draft. Many fantasy owners follow the position runs. When running backs are coming off the board, they follow suit and grab running backs. Some decide that since everyone is grabbing running backs that the play is to grab a quarterback or wide receiver to maximize that perceived value. Now stocking up at other positions is a good idea, but if you haven’t addressed the position that’s being gobbled up, you’ll find yourself starting third string NFL players. Understanding the draft is about knowing when to jump into the initial run and follow suit and knowing when it’s time to get out because what remains can be grabbed in later rounds. Many fantasy owners fall into the trap of staying with the position runs too long. They end up overpaying in perceived value, because they are afraid nothing will be left at that position and neglect taking advantage of stocking up at other positions when premiere talent is available. The best strategy to employ is to look at what’s available across the board when you are selecting and run through an exercise in tradeoffs – let your postion in the round dictate which player is the best perceived value. If you can accurately predict what others will do, you might be able to wait on that second running back and gobble up players at other positions. If you select solid players at the quarterback and wide receiver spots, you can pick a pool of running backs to address the #2 back spot. Similarly, if you can take one of the elite tights ends, when others are taking #2 or #3 receivers, you can get better value at the tight end position and still get a receiver of similar quality on a later round.

Kickers and Defenses are a completely different breed altogether. In previous years, there's been a stud defensive unit or two that dominates with solid defensive production and special teams touchdowns, such as the Chicago Bears or Baltimore Ravens.   This year is a different story altogether.  There are really no elite units that distance themselves from the others.  Take my advice and wait until the end of the draft to address the kicker and defense positions. I always pencil in KICKER and DEFENSE for the last two rounds of every draft I'm in.  Take your sleepers at running back and wide receiver while other are randomly grabbing useless defenses.  There’s always a kicker or defense that emerges during the season on the waiver wire that will outperform the guys you’ve selected on draft day. Again this depends on the flow of the draft. If for some strange reason, owners are drafting two and three kickers and defenses, you might have to grab one earlier, but for the most part, do not worry about these positions!

Predict what others will do. During each draft I’m in, I setup an empty matrix crossing the number of teams with the number of rounds in the draft. At the top of the matrix I fill in the draft order listing each of the fantasy owners that is picking players. My matrix has a square for each pick of the draft and as players are taken off the board round by round, I write the position of the player taken in the matrix. By monitoring what positions each fantasy owner has taken I can figure out what position I should concentrate on and what positions I can address later in the draft.

As I said, although there’s a lot of luck involved in selecting a fantasy team through the fantasy football draft, you should approach each draft with a plan based on the factors outlined above. Your goal for the first several rounds should be to draft one of the top four quarterbacks, two of the top ten running backs, and two of the top fifteen wide receivers. This is a very lofty goal and in most cases unobtainable, but a nucleus that involves as many of these players as possible is a fantastic core from which to build a fantasy football champion. Make sure you fill out your roster by taking solid producers at each pick. Sleepers are great, but wait until the later rounds to draft a flyer. Stay away from rookie running backs, they rarely produce freakish numbers in their first year in the league.  Adrian Peterson was an anomaly, Marshawn Lynch was good value in the forth or fifth round (but not a guarantee), and guys like Earnest Graham (yr 4) and Ryan Grant (yr 2) although unheard of, played multiple seasons in the league before breakout performances last year.  Let someone else take an early flyer on these rookies and take solid veteran producers instead.  Beware the running back by committee, sometimes they work out, but select the wrong one, and you're in for a season if hurt.  Pay close attention to the wide receivers entering their third year in the league. Third year wide outs are widely known to have breakout seasons. Above all have fun and good luck.
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