Good Draftmaster strategy article? (1 Viewer)

[Unlucky]

Are there any good articles on Draftmaster strategies? Leagues where you draft and that's it - no moves, no trades, no starting lineups set, etc.

Some things that I'd like to see some research on:

How important is going deeper at a position (3 starting QBs vs. 2, for example)

How to handle bye weeks: bunching OK if at different positions, try to spread around, don't worry about it?

Go for homerun hitters at WR? The types of guys that have large variation from game to game, since you won't have to worry about when to start them?

Handcuffing RBs vs. getting RBs from a wider variety of teams? It's nice to handcuff so you lock up that team's running game, but then one of your spots is definitely a backup player instead of someone that could be more valuable.

If you can point me to a good article, I'd love to read it. If I missed some good threads in here, I'd love to read those, too.

 

[Jeff Pasquino]

Are there any good articles on Draftmaster strategies? Leagues where you draft and that's it - no moves, no trades, no starting lineups set, etc.

Some things that I'd like to see some research on:

How important is going deeper at a position (3 starting QBs vs. 2, for example)

How to handle bye weeks: bunching OK if at different positions, try to spread around, don't worry about it?

Go for homerun hitters at WR? The types of guys that have large variation from game to game, since you won't have to worry about when to start them?

Handcuffing RBs vs. getting RBs from a wider variety of teams? It's nice to handcuff so you lock up that team's running game, but then one of your spots is definitely a backup player instead of someone that could be more valuable.

If you can point me to a good article, I'd love to read it. If I missed some good threads in here, I'd love to read those, too.

Hi Unlucky,Try looking for "Survivor" articles.

Here's one I did:

http://footballguys.com/10pasquino_survivor.php

 

[Unlucky]

Jeff - Thanks - that definitely hits some points about WRs.

I'm still looking for something that addresses non-survivor style leagues, but rather total points leagues that are draft only. The main differences are that typically the benches are a little deeper, and you ARE trying to score the most points - not just survive from week to week.

 

[Unlucky]

Anything?

 

[ZWK]

I've done draftmaster leagues for a few years (wcoff, best ball, roster size around 25) and have crunched some numbers to figure out strategy. I can summarize a few of my conclusions; I don't have time to go through the research I did on every one of them, but if you have questions I could go into more detail on one or two of them.

My main recommendation is don't waste a single roster spot. No backups, no pure handcuffs or fliers. Every player should have a chance to contribute each week. In ordinary leagues players aren't worth anything unless you'll choose them to start for you, which means it's worth focusing on guys with upside (who could emerge as starters) and handcuffs (who could take over if the starter gets injured). But in draftmaster leagues, everyone is a potential starter each week so it's a success if you use a late pick on someone who ends up as RB40, WR60, or QB20. They'll have a few weeks where they'll put up solid starter numbers, and a few more weeks where they could at least be a decent low-end starter. If you want to gamble on upside guys, they should generally be players who also have a pretty safe hold on a decent role (e.g., a third down RB who might win the starting job, a team's third receiver who could have a breakout year).

Not wasting a roster spot also means planning ahead. The last several rounds you should be taking receivers, kickers, and defenses, since there are still players at those positions who are pretty safe bets to contribute while there isn't much of anything left at the other positions. That means that you need to take care of your other positions before then (e.g., get all your quarterbacks before the safe starters are all gone). Maybe you could take a late RB or TE if you have someone specific in mind, but don't get caught wasting a spot on a long shot RB just because you feel like you still need a RB and there's nothing left but fliers.

It's worth getting good depth everywhere - three of everything (except maybe kicker & defense), 5-6 RBs, 7-9 WRs (assuming roster size is in the mid 20s). You shouldn't focus too much on any one position, since then you'll leave points at that position on your bench while you're weaker elsewhere.

Inconsistent wide receivers are slightly more valuable than WRs who are consistent from week to week, but not by much - it's worth maybe 5 points over the season. Coordinating bye weeks at different positions also isn't very important.

 

[Unlucky]

Thanks ZWK - good info there. I've done a few draftmasters over the past couple of years, and I tend to finish just above middle of the pack. Trying to put some math and logic behind the draft process to improve.

 

[braven112]

I run a few draftmaster leagues where the owners write there draft strategy after they are finished.

http://mfladdons.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=3

Some good info here...