Drafting Tips for Fantasy Football Pros
By Guest Contributor
There are precious few things more invigorating in the world of sports than the fantasy football draft. Fantasy football combines what we grew up loving in games like ‘Pokemon’ and ‘Street Fighter’ and it smashes itself head on into the world of professional football. What could be more entertaining? Fantasy football has turned into a billion dollar industry that is growing in popularity faster than the actual sport itself. No matter how fun it can be to watch two great NFL teams go head to head, nothing can beat winning a fantasy football championship. In order to win you will have to dominate that exciting fantasy football draft — and that’s what we are here to help you with.
Drafting Like a Pro
Finding success in fantasy football is all about where you look for talent. The fantasy draft is the place where your league’s dreams will be made to come true or the start of a season’s long failure begins. Drafting in fantasy football is tough, exciting, and it requires a bit of strategic planning. Whether you are drafting in your daily fantasy football league, on a website like DRAFT that focuses on snake drafts, or using an auction draft to set your team — the goals are the same.
Prioritizing Value
The best way to win a fantasy football league is to amass more valuable players than your opponent. Two players can be taken in the same round while offering vastly different values. Let’s look at two wide receivers that you can find in the 3rd or 4th round: Martavis Bryant and Michael Crabtree. Crabtree is as solid a WR3 as you are going to find in the NFL. He’ll get 4 or 5 catches a game and find the endzone on occasion. He is a high floor player with a low ceiling which means that he is a ‘safe value’. Martavis Bryant is returning from suspension and playing for the first time in over a year. It’s a no brainer who to pick, right? Wrong. Bryant offers WR1 upside in a potent Pittsburgh offense where he has always been a favorite target of Ben Roethlisberger. Bryant is the bigger value though Crabtree is the safer selection.
Winning the 1st Round
Winning your fantasy football league is all about winning the first round of your fantasy football draft. Your first round pick is going to set the pace for the rest of your season. If you get a guy like LeVeon Bell to anchor your team with 15 – 25 points every week then you are in a great spot. If you gamble on a guy like Ezekiel Elliot who MIGHT have his suspension overturned, you could end up losing your year before it begins. Gambles are great in fantasy football but keep them away from your first round pick. We’d pick guys like Melvin Gordon or Jay Ajayi over Ezekiel Elliot at this point in time.
Looking for Sleepers
It can be increasingly hard to find fantasy football sleepers as the pre-season gets underway. People are so in tune with the game that every bit of news is seized upon and analyzed to death. Still, dig deep and look for players that are going under the radar in your league. This can be the key to winning your fantasy football championship.