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Draft strategy (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter hotboyz
- Start date
Straight best player available for the first 6-8 rounds since you only need 1 RB and 1 WR. Can still wait on QB.
I try not to have a firm draft strategy (ie a certain position in a certain round), but I could see myself attacking this with a plan of going RB/WR or WR/RB (depending on draft slot and exactly who is available) in the first 2 rounds, then likely slamming WRs in rounds 3-6, then targeting the PPR upside RBBC guys after that. As for QB, I can't see myself even considering one until at least round 7 or 8, but again that needs to be a flexible approach.
Reasoning for above is that as you only need 1 RB, if you can get at least 1 "every week" starter early, you don't need to feel like you have to take an RB in the mid-rounds when most are trap picks costing you value.
I say I'd slam WR in rounds 3-6, but really it is going BPA, but given PPR scoring and the likelihood that RBs will be depleted in the first 2 rounds, the value is likely at the WR spot, where you can still get high upside, decent floor guys for a few rounds that will be much better in your stating lineup than any of the RBs generally available. Add in the fact you can start up to 4 WRs and it makes even more sense from a value perspective.
I'm still waiting on QB - going to 6 pt pass TDs doesn't have much of an affect on QB value, so it still makes sense to wait the position out.
But you have to be flexible - if there is a ton of value sitting there, take it, even if that means RB/RB/RB to start (doubtful IMO), or WR/WR/WR. I could definitely see scenarios where you absolutely load up on WR early, then take 3-5 RBs in rounds 4-12 and just play matchups and hope you hit gold with one - basically a Zero RB approach, which does lend itself well to this kind of lineup.
I try not to have a firm draft strategy (ie a certain position in a certain round), but I could see myself attacking this with a plan of going RB/WR or WR/RB (depending on draft slot and exactly who is available) in the first 2 rounds, then likely slamming WRs in rounds 3-6, then targeting the PPR upside RBBC guys after that. As for QB, I can't see myself even considering one until at least round 7 or 8, but again that needs to be a flexible approach.
Reasoning for above is that as you only need 1 RB, if you can get at least 1 "every week" starter early, you don't need to feel like you have to take an RB in the mid-rounds when most are trap picks costing you value.
I say I'd slam WR in rounds 3-6, but really it is going BPA, but given PPR scoring and the likelihood that RBs will be depleted in the first 2 rounds, the value is likely at the WR spot, where you can still get high upside, decent floor guys for a few rounds that will be much better in your stating lineup than any of the RBs generally available. Add in the fact you can start up to 4 WRs and it makes even more sense from a value perspective.
I'm still waiting on QB - going to 6 pt pass TDs doesn't have much of an affect on QB value, so it still makes sense to wait the position out.
But you have to be flexible - if there is a ton of value sitting there, take it, even if that means RB/RB/RB to start (doubtful IMO), or WR/WR/WR. I could definitely see scenarios where you absolutely load up on WR early, then take 3-5 RBs in rounds 4-12 and just play matchups and hope you hit gold with one - basically a Zero RB approach, which does lend itself well to this kind of lineup.
6 pt for all TD's doesn't really change the overall importance of QB's relative to other positions because the QB are all scoring for the same tier structure. The only thing it does do is lower the value of running QB's a bit because their rushing TD's don't give them any advantage over a guy that throws for more TD's. Now it's about total TD's. So I move the rushing guys down a bit but not significantly.
Don't fix yourself into a specific strategy. Go BPA available and don't force positions picks. This is especially true in that you only have to play 1 RB (and can play 4 with the three flexes. Do a combined draft board for RB/WR and just take the guy that you have ranked higher regardless of position. You only have to play 1 of each so it doesn't matter at all how many of each you get.
With 14 teams QB's can get scarce towards the back end. Be aware of QB runs and figure out the tiers of guys you are comfortable with and don't get stuck on the wrong end of the run. You don't have to force QB early but I usually pay more attention to has them and who doesn't for the run awareness. You don't have to do that as much in 10 or 12 team leagues.
With 14 teams QB's can get scarce towards the back end. Be aware of QB runs and figure out the tiers of guys you are comfortable with and don't get stuck on the wrong end of the run. You don't have to force QB early but I usually pay more attention to has them and who doesn't for the run awareness. You don't have to do that as much in 10 or 12 team leagues.
fightingillini
Footballguy
Great advice by Gally and acarey50, Best player available in the first 6 rounds, even though I prefer a RB in round 1 or 2 so I can get 1 solid starter. Get one solid RB and then work from there. In PPR, a very viable strategy is to start 1 RB and 4WRs.
You want to wait on QB, but not too long. Figure out how many QBs would you be comfortable as your starter. Say it's 12. Start looking for your QB after about 6 are gone. If you're drafting on the ends, you may need to take your QB earlier than expected, to avoid the QB run, since if you're on the end, you have to wait 27 picks before it's your turn again. In 14 teamers, prepare to take your QB 1 or 2 rounds earlier than in a 10/12 team league. And be sure that you get a backup, if you have enough roster space. With 14 teams and only 32 starting QBs, it is not likely that any decent QBs will be on the waiver wire. So rostering 2QBs is essential.
So in summary, try to get one top 15 RB in round 1 or 2, BPA until you have to take your QB.
You want to wait on QB, but not too long. Figure out how many QBs would you be comfortable as your starter. Say it's 12. Start looking for your QB after about 6 are gone. If you're drafting on the ends, you may need to take your QB earlier than expected, to avoid the QB run, since if you're on the end, you have to wait 27 picks before it's your turn again. In 14 teamers, prepare to take your QB 1 or 2 rounds earlier than in a 10/12 team league. And be sure that you get a backup, if you have enough roster space. With 14 teams and only 32 starting QBs, it is not likely that any decent QBs will be on the waiver wire. So rostering 2QBs is essential.
So in summary, try to get one top 15 RB in round 1 or 2, BPA until you have to take your QB.
If it presents itself based on your combined draft board that is fine. Do not force it. That is why in a draft like this (lots of flexibility for starting lineup) you need to spend most of your time putting together your combined draft board so you can find value and make sure you don't force positions.
Do not go in with a set position by round. You never know who may slip to you and if you are set on a certain position in a certain round you will hurt your team by missing out on people dropping.
Assuming you have a little bit of time, some basic Excel skills, and the data, one way to approach this is to just do some basic valuations by position based on previous positional performance (I prefer at use least 3 years of data, but no more than 5, to help smooth anomalies but still highlight any recent positional trends). This particular method gives a simple valuation essentially using the worst starter method applied to a 3-5 year average of actual performance.
For this, you just need the points scored by each player for each year. Sort each year separately. Replace the names so that the top scoring QB for each year is identified as QB1, #2 QB each year is called QB2, etc. Do this for each position. Once you've done that, average the yearly scores for each "player" - ie the average for QB1, the average for QB2. As this is a 14 team league, take the score for QB14 and subtract that from the score for all QBs - do the same for TEs, K and D. RB and WR is a little trickier in this setup (in a more traditional 2 RB, 2 or 3 WR and 1 flex set up, you'd use RB28 and WR 28/42 for your baseline). Given the amount of flexibility in your lineup, I would just lump all of the RB and WR together into a combined position and use RB/WR 70 as your baseline.
This at least now gives you a way to compare values across the positions. For example, if the value of the top 2-3 QBs is roughly 60 points, but the top RB/WRs are only valued in the 30-40 range, then your idea of targeting a QB early makes more sense. But if you see that the top QB values are in the 30-40 range and the RB/WRs are up in the 60-70 range, then this shows that you clearly should focus on those RB/WR positions.
You just need to slot your player ranks into the valuations to give you a rough idea of who to target when.
If you have done projections for the season (or have access to projections you trust), you could also use those (with your scoring system applied) in lieu of the averaging method I described.
As mentioned, this is a fairly simple method to evaluate positional values. It doesn't fully take into consideration the range of decline within a position (but you can check that by looking at the values at spots when you are likely to pick to determine where drop offs may occur), but it will help you with generating a combined board that makes use of your actual system with your lineup requirements applied. I like to use it as one of my tools to have in my arsenal when prepping for a draft, especially one that is outside of the more standard setups (which your added flexibility would qualify as in my opinion)
I don't think positions matter as much as getting a productive player. That is why locking into taking a particular position can lead to you missing out on a better player. You have a ton of flexibility with your starting requirements. This allows you to not really worry about positions and really focus on BPA. I have seen too many owners go into a draft thinking I have to go RB, RB, WR, TE, WR, QB and then miss out on great value because they forced a RB when the top WR dropped for some reason.
I spend time on a combined draft board ranking across all positions and use that for most of the draft. If there are a couple players that are in the same tier and I have them equivalent I might use the position to break the tie depending on what I have so far in the draft. Using the evaluation that acarey50 outlines above is a great way to finalize your combined draft board. It may open your eyes to your league scoring nuances that now show that certain positions need to be elevated in your draft board based on scoring tendencies. This is all good to factor in but the bottom line is do not force positions in the draft.
jwsbowler
Footballguy
I am in total agreement with Gally, as that is how I do my drafts, I do not force a pick based on position. Look for the best valued player available, regardless of position. You have a ton of flexibility with your starting requirements.
As to QBs, I would like to be on the front end of the run. If I see a bunch of players that are very similar in value and I anticipate a QB run starting, I would do it. This is the only time I would potentially deviate from BPA, especially if there is about 10 players of similar value that I do not care which one I get, and I would try to start the run.
As to QBs, I would like to be on the front end of the run. If I see a bunch of players that are very similar in value and I anticipate a QB run starting, I would do it. This is the only time I would potentially deviate from BPA, especially if there is about 10 players of similar value that I do not care which one I get, and I would try to start the run.
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