Embarressing strategy question (1 Viewer)

[Tubalcane]

I need some advice on draft strategy. I’ve been playing Fantasy Football for quite some time. I usually play in about 6-10 leagues a year. One or two are real serious, and the rest are just for fun. I’ve won championships in 10, 12, 14, and 16 league teams. I am embarrassed to admit this but I cannot win an 8 team league. I’ve played in several, but I cannot close the deal. Now I don’t usually play in 8 team leagues, but I am in one right now. We started this league of 8 teams three years ago. It was basically an excuse for old high school buddies to get together every year for a live draft, a pizza, and catch up with each other while watching some meaningless preseason game. I’ve done well each year. I’ve even been in the playoffs all three years. I just can’t win that championship. I can’t understand my inability to win this size of a league. Does anybody have any suggestion for an 8 team league?

 

[Mystery Achiever]

there have been similar discussions here before. not sure how to search for them. eight teams = less importance on the draft, more importance on the waiver wire and match ups. there is some debate on this, but i believe lucj is a bigger factor in an eight team league than a larger league because there is more simiarity in the quality of starting rosters. and picking match ups is often a crap shoot. smaller leagues definitely require more time on roster management

..jmo and good luck!

 

[Gandalf]

I need some advice on draft strategy. I’ve been playing Fantasy Football for quite some time. I usually play in about 6-10 leagues a year. One or two are real serious, and the rest are just for fun. I’ve won championships in 10, 12, 14, and 16 league teams. I am embarrassed to admit this but I cannot win an 8 team league. I’ve played in several, but I cannot close the deal. Now I don’t usually play in 8 team leagues, but I am in one right now. We started this league of 8 teams three years ago. It was basically an excuse for old high school buddies to get together every year for a live draft, a pizza, and catch up with each other while watching some meaningless preseason game. I’ve done well each year. I’ve even been in the playoffs all three years. I just can’t win that championship. I can’t understand my inability to win this size of a league. Does anybody have any suggestion for an 8 team league?

I think the reason that 8 team leagues are harder is because there's less of a difference in talent between teams. The greater parity makes it more challenging. Especially come playoff time where anything can happen. My advice would be to analyze your habits to make sure you're not doing anything differently in that league compared to your other leagues. Are you sticking to a value based approach when drafting? Avoided unlucky injuries during the season? Do you fall victim to slightly worse trading practices because your playing with high school friends and it's more casual? I'm betting that very soon you will win this league. You're close already and shown that you can with other leagues. It will happen. Stay the course.

 

[Tubalcane]

I think the reason that 8 team leagues are harder is because there's less of a difference in talent between teams. The greater parity makes it more challenging. Especially come playoff time where anything can happen. My advice would be to analyze your habits to make sure you're not doing anything differently in that league compared to your other leagues. Are you sticking to a value based approach when drafting? Avoided unlucky injuries during the season? Do you fall victim to slightly worse trading practices because your playing with high school friends and it's more casual? I'm betting that very soon you will win this league. You're close already and shown that you can with other leagues. It will happen. Stay the course.

I strictly draft by VBD and rarely stray from that format. We are so ultra competitive (old high school buddy competitive) that we rarely trade. The injury thing has been a factor, but I'm a waiver wire hawk and can account for it. Last year I drafted McNabb, Moss, and Priest and still recovered to have the best regular season record. One of my buddies said that I should focus on filling out my starting lineup instead of drafting for value or stocking up on RB's. Being that it's only 8 teams, what's your thoughts on that.

 

[videoguy505]

Plan ahead for the playoffs at draft time. The teams are so close thru parity it's a crapshoot on draft day, and a Wavier Wire junkie can always put together a lineup with a decent chance to win any individual week. Over the course of the regular season you can't really do much on draft day to assure a playoff spot, either you guys will get hurt or they wont. But assume you'll make the postseason no matter who you draft out of a tier, and plan for it.

Put another way, Chad, TO, Steve Smith, Torry Holt might be your WR1 tier. When it's time to pick a WR1, just look at their playoff matchups. It's not going to matter much which of these 4 you get over the regular season, they'll all end up close on points, or one will get hurt. The only time one has any real value more than the others to you is the playoffs.

 

[Jayrod]

I strictly draft by VBD and rarely stray from that format. We are so ultra competitive (old high school buddy competitive) that we rarely trade. The injury thing has been a factor, but I'm a waiver wire hawk and can account for it. Last year I drafted McNabb, Moss, and Priest and still recovered to have the best regular season record. One of my buddies said that I should focus on filling out my starting lineup instead of drafting for value or stocking up on RB's. Being that it's only 8 teams, what's your thoughts on that.

I agree with your buddy. The point to it is that drafting a slew of backs won't help when your other postitions are in trouble because no one really needs that much help and won't be willing to trade one of their better players just to get your #2 or #3 back. The talent is usually available in an eight man league so teams rarely need to trade for an impact player. You have to make sure that you are good at every position to ensure a deep playoff run. (Also watch the waiver wire a ton during the year like you have been doing) It seems like you are already doing pretty good, just maybe instead of taking that 3rd or 4th back, go ahead and fill out a different position with a quality player that is still available.

 

[pigskinliquors]

In smaller leagues, you need strength at all positions, as each position will have plenty of "decent" players. This throws typical "value" drafting out the window. You should tier each position, and target one of the first two tiers for your starter at ALL positions (often in value drafting you settle for a third/fourth tier starter at TE, WR and/or QB). For ALL starters, you should be targeting a top 12 player. A great draft with an 8 teamer would have you with (tough to do, but it can happen):

QB1: top 5

RB1: top 5 (not usually possible if you have the 6th - 8th pick)

RB2: top 12 (not usually possible if you have one of the first 2 draft picks)

WR1: top 5

WR2: top 12

Flex: top 25 (of RB's/WR's combined)

TE: top 5

DEF: top 8

K: top 8

QB2: top 12

RB3: top 20

RB4: top 25

WR4: top 20

WR5: top 25

This type of drafting usually requires going RB/RB/WR/QB/WR/TE/RB/WR... or something similar. Typical value drafting will have your bench full of great players, that you can't start!

Another thing to do is to look at the drafting history of the league (especially if it has been the same 8 guys for awhile). Then plot the number of players for each position that have been taken each round. Often you can have a great idea where the WR, QB and TE runs will take place, and can adjust your drafting accordingly. I have a similar league, and over the past 4 years our averages by round look something like this:

RD1: 7 RBs, 1 WR, 0 QB

RD2: 6 RBs, 1 WR, 2 QB

RD3: 4 RBs, 3 WR, 1 QB

RD4: 1 RB, 4 WR, 2 QB, 1 TE

RD5: 1 RB, 5 WR, 2 QB

RD6: 2 RB, 3 WR, 2 QB, 1 TE

RD7: 2 RB, 3 WR, 0 QB, 2 TE

RD8: 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 QB, 3 TE

TOTAL after 8 rounds: 25 RB's; 22 WR's 10 QB's; 7 TE's Gone.

As you can see there is still a ton of talent left, but the really strong players at all positions have been taken. You can work on a solid bench from here forward, but should make sure that after 8 rounds, you have 3 RB's, 3 WR's, 1 QB, and 1 TE; and want to maximize when you get them (i.e., for our league, you had better take WR 2 Round 5 or earlier, as there is typically a run on WR's during this round.

Hope this helps!

~Liquor