Drafting strategy: Which positions do you fill first? (1 Viewer)

[massraider]

I'm in an interesting league, where we hold seperate drafts for offense and defense. There are keepers, but that really isn't relevant.

Anyway, when you are drafting your IDP's, do you look to fill certain positions first? LB as opposed to DB, or pass-rushing DL first? It always seems like you can get a safety during the season to fill in, and maybe even start. If your big points come from LB, do you go after them first, or get those rare sack artists first?

I'm aware that scoring plays into it, so I guess the question I'm really asking is, which positions have the least amount of depth to you, and which have the most?

 

[Jene Bramel]

I'm in an interesting league, where we hold seperate drafts for offense and defense. There are keepers, but that really isn't relevant.Anyway, when you are drafting your IDP's, do you look to fill certain positions first? LB as opposed to DB, or pass-rushing DL first? It always seems like you can get a safety during the season to fill in, and maybe even start. If your big points come from LB, do you go after them first, or get those rare sack artists first?I'm aware that scoring plays into it, so I guess the question I'm really asking is, which positions have the least amount of depth to you, and which have the most?

I know it's vanilla, but it's completely scoring and position dependent. The last two seasons have seen a huge influx in talent at LB and DB. I think the depth is better this season at every position than it's been in years -- there are guys outside the lowest available starter on the rankings that are good bets to make a run at a top 20 finish.This season?I think the DBs have the least depth on top -- there are too many good positions unsettled. The backers and linemen are pretty flat, with a number of guys that are flying under the radar that'll produce well for you at value.

 

[5Rings]

Assuming "normal" scoring rules.......

I first go for The Freaks/Studs. I group guys in buckets and will draft only out of my top tier while guys are still in those buckets, regardless of position. Really depends on the player, but in general, in the top bucket, I will go LB/DL/DB due to my leagues scoring rules that seem to do reward positions in that order.

Next I look at positions of scarcity--it is my belief after many years of IDP that DL is much hard to find a waiver wire breakout player than LB or DL. Sure, every fw years a VandenBosch shows up, but thats not the norm. DL seems to have less movement in the top 20 as well (no research, JMO). So I'll go DL, LB depth/youth, then DB. If I have to start 2, I want to make sure to get my 2 stud starters as early as I can.

DB to me has the fewest "studs" because of the massive turnouver each year. Scoring rules like PR/KR also influence this with guys like McGahee, Darrent Williams, Justin Miller, etc. I think you are far more likely to "hit" on a top 20 DB late in your draft or off the waiver wire than any other position.

To answer the question:

Stud Bucket LB/DL/DB (depends on flow of draft, most of the time other guys go LB crazy and you have to jump in or miss out)

DL

MLB

DB

 

[Beaumont]

My drafts are usually mixed O & D, and I usually wait for IDPs till pretty late and then just try to handpick players I think are value ...

I rarely have IDPs ranked in the top 15 of their position ...

So I guess it varies for me ... just depends on who is left for me ...

 

[massraider]

Assuming "normal" scoring rules.......I first go for The Freaks/Studs. I group guys in buckets and will draft only out of my top tier while guys are still in those buckets, regardless of position. Really depends on the player, but in general, in the top bucket, I will go LB/DL/DB due to my leagues scoring rules that seem to do reward positions in that order.Next I look at positions of scarcity--it is my belief after many years of IDP that DL is much hard to find a waiver wire breakout player than LB or DL. Sure, every fw years a VandenBosch shows up, but thats not the norm. DL seems to have less movement in the top 20 as well (no research, JMO). So I'll go DL, LB depth/youth, then DB. If I have to start 2, I want to make sure to get my 2 stud starters as early as I can.DB to me has the fewest "studs" because of the massive turnouver each year. Scoring rules like PR/KR also influence this with guys like McGahee, Darrent Williams, Justin Miller, etc. I think you are far more likely to "hit" on a top 20 DB late in your draft or off the waiver wire than any other position.To answer the question:Stud Bucket LB/DL/DB (depends on flow of draft, most of the time other guys go LB crazy and you have to jump in or miss out)DLMLBDB

Great post, thanks for the response.Giving you guys some background, not to turn this into a AC post:You can run a 3-4 or a 4-3. Two corners and two safeties mandatory.Tackles 1, sacks 3, INT's 5.With those INT numbers, I'm wondering if I should be targetting a guy like Rhonde Barber very early. There's so few sure things at CB every year in IDP, that grabbing the surest thing seems like an advantage.

 

[redman]

As you go farther back in the defense and away from the line of scrimmage (D-line, to LB, to DB), real life football skill has less and less to do with ff value as a general matter, and it can even lead to diminished FF value in some cases, e.g. a great shut-down CB.

The more I play the more I believe that I could cobble together an above-average CB corps from FA's every week rather than picking and holding good players at that position. Good, DE's and DT's and pass-rushing LB's tend to be more difficult to find.

 

[coolnerd]

Your league separate DT from DE and in those leagues, it seems that good DEs dry up some where around 16-20 players in general, so I like to get those early. Outside of that, I may go after one or two name LBs, but for the most part I find players in situations that I like on the cheap, either late in a draft league or on the cheap if an auction league.

My guess in your league I would go best IDP. The last positions I would fill are CB and DT.

 

[redman]

Good info here.

 

[Qtip Callahan]

Just a real solid post here. Pretty much right on with my thoughts. You gotta get stud performers but when you start getting in grayer areas, try to fill up your DL before you grab your DB & LB. Especially DB which I've found to be more of a crapshoot after the top few guys..

Assuming "normal" scoring rules.......I first go for The Freaks/Studs. I group guys in buckets and will draft only out of my top tier while guys are still in those buckets, regardless of position. Really depends on the player, but in general, in the top bucket, I will go LB/DL/DB due to my leagues scoring rules that seem to do reward positions in that order.Next I look at positions of scarcity--it is my belief after many years of IDP that DL is much hard to find a waiver wire breakout player than LB or DL. Sure, every fw years a VandenBosch shows up, but thats not the norm. DL seems to have less movement in the top 20 as well (no research, JMO). So I'll go DL, LB depth/youth, then DB. If I have to start 2, I want to make sure to get my 2 stud starters as early as I can.DB to me has the fewest "studs" because of the massive turnouver each year. Scoring rules like PR/KR also influence this with guys like McGahee, Darrent Williams, Justin Miller, etc. I think you are far more likely to "hit" on a top 20 DB late in your draft or off the waiver wire than any other position.To answer the question:Stud Bucket LB/DL/DB (depends on flow of draft, most of the time other guys go LB crazy and you have to jump in or miss out)DLMLBDB

 

[cracKer]

I usually look to grap a top 5 or so DB and DL before going for linebackers. It's said that you can always find DL and DB on waivers during the season, but there's definite value owning the top dogs.

 

[Tick]

I try to fill in LBs first in general, but there are just a few guys at the top of the heap at DB and DL that I'd jump on:

Peppers, Julius CAR DE

Umenyiora, Osi NYG DE

Freeney, Dwight IND DE

Schobel, Aaron BUF DE

Taylor, Jason MIA DE

Abraham, John NYJ DE

Wilson, Adrian ARI S

Reed, Edward BAL S

Wilson, Gibril NYG S

Williams, Roy DAL S

Polamalu, Troy PIT S

Tillman, Charles CHI CB

If you miss those guys, I suggest waiting at those positions until someone jumps out as great value.