3 Keys to Drafting a Successful Fantasy Team

You could pay attention every week and be a football guru. You could know everything there is to know about the game, team and players. You could study week by week to make the best decisions on who to pick up and when to send in your waiver request(s). But if you do not have the skills to draft the right team, you could be doomed to start the season. Below are three tips to consider when drafting your team. 

1) Don’t Reach on a Quarterback and Tight End 

It’s so easy to get excited when you see a Patrick Mahomes or a Lamar Jackson available  in the second round. It’s also exciting to see a star tight end available in the third round, like Travis Kelce or George Kittle. It’s fine if you reach on one of the positions to have a strong spot on your team, but if you reach on both the quarterback and tight end position, you could be in for a long and frustrating season. For example, let’s say in round two, you get excited because you see Patrick Mahomes available and you draft him. Then, let’s say you see Travis Kelce available in the third round and you draft him as well. Now, you have looked past very valuable running backs and wide receivers that could have benefited your team a little more. Depending on what position you neglected to bolster, you are now looking to draft a wide receiver or running back in the fourth round, when really you could have two receivers and one running back, or vice versa, already. The smartest thing to do is to not reach on a quarterback or tight end at all. That way, when you are entering the fifth round, you already have two reliable wide receivers and two reliable running backs that will start every week and more than likely lead your team in points. It is easy to find the perfect quarterback for your team, or tight end, later in the draft. According to the average draft slot from the FFC, Deshaun Watson averages out at the 69th spot in fantasy drafts. In a 12-man league, this would mean that most people draft him in the sixth round. Last season, Watson finished fifth in the league among quarterbacks in fantasy drafts. Also according to the FFC, tight end Zach Ertz is projected to go 52nd overall, which would mean he would be selected in the fifth round. If everything went right, you could have two stud receivers and two amazing running backs and still have good value opportunities in the fifth and sixth rounds to fill your tight end and quarterback positions. 

2) Draft Someone with Potential in the Later Rounds

Filling the positions in your starting lineups, excluding kicker and defense, are the most important things to do right away. It’s also important to select a few players that will serve as good depth players that are needed during bye weeks and could serve as great injury replacements. Once rounds 11 or 12 come around, it should be time to find someone that could possibly have a lot of potential going into this season. These players should be risk free. You should have no problem dropping them after week one, but you could also see them succeeding expectations. Players that come to mind include Jamison Crowder, Boston Scott or a rookie that isn’t a starter quite yet. Every season, there are multiple surprise players that come out and produce a ton of fantasy points but had not been relevant the year(s) before. Last season, we saw this with DeVante Parker of the Miami Dolphins. Before last season, Parker played four years and his career highs were 57 receptions, 744 yards and 4 touchdowns. Then, he came out of nowhere and caught 72 passes for 1,202 yards — fourth best among wide receivers — and 9 touchdowns — tied for third at his position. Going into the 2019 season, Parker didn’t even make the preseason top 60 wide receivers list. He ended up finishing sixth among fantasy wide receivers. There are always players that have potential, like Parker, who end up being undervalued and finishing the year as surprises. Try to find someone who could end up like Parker, and if that player doesn’t work out, it won’t hurt you because you drafted him in the later rounds of your draft. 

3) Draft Your Defenses and Kickers Last

There is no reason to draft a defense or kicker before the last two rounds of the draft. It makes no sense to pass up an opportunity to add depth to your skill positions before you select defenses and kickers, which are the most inconsistent, yet very replaceable, positions in fantasy football. Yes, there is always a defense that dominates in fantasy, but it never seems like they dominated as much the year before. For example, three years ago, the Jacksonville Jaguars led the league in fantasy points. Then, they ended up finishing 15th in 2018 and 17th last season. Two seasons ago, the Chicago Bears’ defense led the league in fantasy points with 191 standard fantasy points. They retaliated by finishing 20th last season with only 96 points. For those that drafted the Bears defenses before the last two rounds, you messed up BADLY. Last season, the Patriots finished first among fantasy defenses. I can almost guarantee they won’t finish first again because of the recent trends. They also have some key defensive contributors not playing this season. Either way, if they are just as dominant this season, risking the chance to add depth or potential skills players would be foolish. The same thing goes for the kicker position, which is even more of an inconsistent position. Two seasons ago, Ka’imi Fairbairn of the Houston Texans finished first among fantasy kickers. He ended up finishing 19th last season. The smartest thing to do is to wait to select your kicker in the last round of the draft because it is your least important position on your team. 

If you keep these three key draft tips in the back of your mind while selecting your team, you will have more of an opportunity to succeed the rest of the season. Yes, there is a lot of luck when it comes to fantasy football, but there is also a great amount of skill that goes into it. It is easier for someone of skill to be lucky than it is for someone of hope to be luckier.