I signed up a couple days ago to contribute to this thread, and finally my account is up and running...I think a lot of people are making a strategic mistake if they value a player like Calvin Johnson or Aarod as the number one player over all, if they actually take them number 1 over all. The reason I say that is, most of the drafts I've participated in (or seen) the elite running backs get drafted in the top of the first. If Aarod or calvin are the players you want, there is more value in trading down in the first round, picking up a draft pick in a later round. if you take Aarod first over all, I think you are giving up significant value.I also think people play the best case scenerio with " oh, I can just draft running backs in later rounds, it will be no big deal. " and will give arian foster in the 6th round as the example. But they never give the examples of all the mediocre backs that are taken in those rounds. People also use this argument for why you don't need to draft a QB early in the real NFL, because of guys like Brady and Romo. They never mention the legions of 6th round picks, of undrafted Qbs, who amount to nothing. According to ADP, the 1st round running backs in ppr flex leagues were last year were Chris Johnson 1.01, AP 1.02, ray rice 1.03, MJD 1.05, Frank Gore 1.06, Michael turner 1.09 and SJax 1.11. Last season ( and granted, one season isn't the only measure of a drat pick's worth) did any of them justify their draft ranking? Not on my PPR league. Ray Rice was the closest, drafted 3rd of out running backs, and finishing fifth in scoring. However...Chris Johnson was 7th, AP was 6th rice 5th, mjd 13th, turner 14th, sjax 10th. So, by taking a running back in the first round, the WORST thing you'd end up with is a high RB2. There were no busts in the first round. That is what is meant by predictably. If you wait to take running backs, you are gambling that you are going to hit with your rbs. But many are treating that gamble as if it's a sure thing you're going to draft Charles in the 3rd, Foster in the forth.. What if you drafted pierre thomas and Joseph Addai? Then where are you? Lets say last season you are of the belief that you can wait on stud Running backs, and you decide to draft elite WRs, QB and TE. You take Aarod with the 1.06. You take Fitz with the 2.07. You take Steve Smith Giants with the 3.06. You take jermichael finley with the 4.07. So now what? You take Knowshon Moreno, Justin Forsett and brandon jacobs? Sure, maybe you land DMC and Fred Jackson in a later round. Or maybe you end up with Laurnece Maroney and Donald Brown. Then where is your team?I think the quality and predictability of QB's is rather deep. There are many consistent qb's that can be expected to produce as QB1's (barring injury) year after year. There is little need to reach into the top of the first to get one, when one can be gotten much later.As a general drafting philosophy, I will take a stud RB or WR in the first, depending on who falls to me. I will do the same in the second, though if Arod specifically has fallen to a ridiculous degree, and I drafted a RB in the first, I would take him instead. I will always take a Running back in the first two rounds. I would prefer to take 2 running backs in the first 3 rounds. I would prefer to do this because I think the quality of running backs in the 4th and 5th is not as deep as the quality of the wrs. I will only take, at most, in the first 5 rounds, 1 qb or te. if I take a qb, I will wait many rounds for a TE, and take two young ones with upside. IF I take a TE in the first 5 rounds, I won't wait as long to take a QB, but I will try to get one young QB I like, and one older more reliable one.