Strategy that won you the Championship last season? (1 Viewer)

[Klimtology]

Here's mine!

K

Thread 'Draft Strategy No Matter Where I'm picking draft tonight'

Aug 30, 2024

Draft is Randomized One Hour Prior to Draft Time.

I'm thinking:

RB/WR/TE/RB/WR/QB

anyone have any QB sleepers?

• Klimtology
• Replies: 54
• Forum: The Shark Pool (NFL Talk)

 

[zed2283]

The only strategy that works for me is dumb luck.

And so no, I didn't win the championship last season.

 

[Klimtology]

​

Drafted 9th

Took

Taylor

Puka

Travis Kelce

Mixon

Prescott

James Conner

Also picked up Baker early in Sept!

 

[Ilov80s]

I am down to 4 leagues now. Scott Fish, 20+ year redraft, 2 player keeper and a dynasty. I won the keeper league and my strategy was pretty simple. I was able to keep Kyren and Achane for 6th and 7th round picks based on I had added them from waivers the season prior. So I said I am going to build my team as if those are my set it and forget it RBs and I went aggressive after pass catchers: Amon-Ra, Olave, Waddle, JSN, Kincaid, Odunze but what ultimately won me the league was out playing everyone on the wire. Obviously thats where I got Kyren and Achane from. But I also added Sam Darnold, Jonnu Smith, Brian Thomas and Jalen McMillan as the season went on and we peaked late season.

 

[-OZ-]

In the SF dynasty league I won, my strategy was to trade Saquon and Kelce for Breece hall, sam Darnold for a 27 1st, and use QB streamers including Winston and Flacco. Although I did trade for Achane and drafted BTjr.

 

[Klimtology]

I am down to 4 leagues now. Scott Fish, 20+ year redraft, 2 player keeper and a dynasty. I won the keeper league and my strategy was pretty simple. I was able to keep Kyren and Achane for 6th and 7th round picks based on I had added them from waivers the season prior. So I said I am going to build my team as if those are my set it and forget it RBs and I went aggressive after pass catchers: Amon-Ra, Olave, Waddle, JSN, Kincaid, Odunze but what ultimately won me the league was out playing everyone on the wire. Obviously thats where I got Kyren and Achane from. But I also added Sam Darnold, Jonnu Smith, Brian Thomas and Jalen McMillan as the season went on and we peaked late season.

Wire was big for me but also drafting 3 RB's early.

 

[Gally]

The only strategy that works for me is dumb luck.

I use this strategy every year. It has worked well over the years but it hasn't really worked for me in my longtime league. Last time I won was in 2013 (for the 6th time).

 

[pinkstapler]

1. Drafting "my guys", even if it means a round early. Value is good, actually owning the players you've been drooling over for months is better.

2. Create your own rankings and PUT THEM IN TIERS. Then stick to this plan. If a diamond falls in my hands, I'll obviously close them. But for the most part, follow the gameplan I spent months laying out.

3. The only scenario where I will go against 1 and 2 is after a positional run. I want to start runs, not end them. If there's still a guy on board in my tier, I'll take him. Otherwise, if a run clears out my tier, adjust to a different position and try to make it up later via waivers/trade.

4. If you still play with K/Def, I'm sorry for you haha. But also, if the league doesn't force you to draft a full roster, don't. Don't be a jerk and try to surprise the league with this, just ask before it starts "Do we need to draft a kicker/def or can I pick them up later off waivers?" If you don't need to, don't. Instead spend those picks on actual position players. Unless your draft is the day before kickoff, this gives you another week or two (or more) of tracking players. A lot can happen in that time to make a late round guys value sky rocket.

5. Do mocks, or even better cheap buy in best ball drafts. Get a feel for what ranges players tend to go in so you don't get too surprised. Also, switch your draft position up in these so you get a feel for how things turn out whether you draft early, mid, or late. Roster comp can turn out drastically different based on draft spot.

6. Off the heels of 5, and probably the most controversial: Don't be afraid to trade to a lower draft spot. I get it "1.01 will always be the most valuable pick and the best spot to pick from." Don't know what to say in reply other than, not in my experience. Three times now in the past three years I've traded back from an early pick to a mid or later pick (getting nothing in return either because it's honestly a hassle and then people start crying about trades before the year even starts) and have wound up with rosters I like MUCH, MUCH better. The fact two of these times I won the ship isn't enough evidence to prove anything. But by doing dozens of mocks and best balls I just knew I'd like the overall makeup of my team better drafting from a later position. It made me happier after the draft and over the course of the season just because I was able to pick up more of "my guys".

As an aside, I already got told in my one league they didn't want me doing it again. 0 explanation why, even though I presented I'm actually losing value. Pretty sure it's because I won, which is kind of bogus if you ask me. I suggested we draft our draft order from now on, so the randomizer will generate the order we get to pick out draft spot in rather than the draft spot itself. In a perfect world, I will convince people auction drafts are the superior format and none of this will matter anyway. But the wheels of change in fantasy unfortunately move very slow lol.

 

[Gally]

As an aside, I already got told in my one league they didn't want me doing it again. 0 explanation why, even though I presented I'm actually losing value. Pretty sure it's because I won, which is kind of bogus if you ask me. I suggested we draft our draft order from now on, so the randomizer will generate the order we get to pick out draft spot in rather than the draft spot itself. In a perfect world, I will convince people auction drafts are the superior format and none of this will matter anyway. But the wheels of change in fantasy unfortunately move very slow lol.

This is bogus. So they are saying you can't trade "cards"? I mean the draft order is a random selection. Who cares if you trade draft spots? Dumb.

We ended up going to the draft spot selection method like you describe here. The order of choosing your draft spot is chosen at random. Then the guy with pick 1 can choose any draft slot they want. Typically it goes chalk for about half the order and then starts mixing up. I hate drafting in the middle (my teams are always disjointed that way) so I will always choose an end location if available. Some years I want to be at the top and other years the bottom.

I also don't agree that the higher the pick the better the value because drafts don't go "perfect". By that I mean the highest scoring player isn't taken first, etc. So drafting higher doesn't really give you more actual value since nobody knows how players will score.

 

[pinkstapler]

As an aside, I already got told in my one league they didn't want me doing it again. 0 explanation why, even though I presented I'm actually losing value. Pretty sure it's because I won, which is kind of bogus if you ask me. I suggested we draft our draft order from now on, so the randomizer will generate the order we get to pick out draft spot in rather than the draft spot itself. In a perfect world, I will convince people auction drafts are the superior format and none of this will matter anyway. But the wheels of change in fantasy unfortunately move very slow lol.

This is bogus. So they are saying you can't trade "cards"? I mean the draft order is a random selection. Who cares if you trade draft spots? Dumb.

We ended up going to the draft spot selection method like you describe here. The order of choosing your draft spot is chosen at random. Then the guy with pick 1 can choose any draft slot they want. Typically it goes chalk for about half the order and then starts mixing up. I hate drafting in the middle (my teams are always disjointed that way) so I will always choose an end location if available. Some years I want to be at the top and other years the bottom.

I also don't agree that the higher the pick the better the value because drafts don't go "perfect". By that I mean the highest scoring player isn't taken first, etc. So drafting higher doesn't really give you more actual value since nobody knows how players will score.

100% agree with ya. And for sure, some years I definitely want to draft in the first two or three spots. Just haven't had one of those recently. And tbh, I feel like I tend to be more successful drafting later anyhow. I know a snake more or less evens out the early pick advantages, but sometimes it almost feels like it overcompensates. A lot of years I like the looks of 12 and 13 much better than 1 and 24.

 

[Klimtology]

12 and 13 much better than 1 and 25.

Agree Completely!

 

[Gally]

1. Drafting "my guys", even if it means a round early. Value is good, actually owning the players you've been drooling over for months is better.

2. Create your own rankings and PUT THEM IN TIERS. Then stick to this plan. If a diamond falls in my hands, I'll obviously close them. But for the most part, follow the gameplan I spent months laying out.

I don't understand anybody that doesn't do this. The whole point of FF is to create your own team. That means doing your research and getting the guys you want. Othewise just put it on autodraft and forget about it.

These things are the best part of the draft season. Getting info, figuring out where you think there are inconsistencies and where you like players more than others and then getting them. Nothing like winning the title when you did the work. It's the best part.

 

[pinkstapler]

1. Drafting "my guys", even if it means a round early. Value is good, actually owning the players you've been drooling over for months is better.

2. Create your own rankings and PUT THEM IN TIERS. Then stick to this plan. If a diamond falls in my hands, I'll obviously close them. But for the most part, follow the gameplan I spent months laying out.

I don't understand anybody that doesn't do this. The whole point of FF is to create your own team. That means doing your research and getting the guys you want. Othewise just put it on autodraft and forget about it.

These things are the best part of the draft season. Getting info, figuring out where you think there are inconsistencies and where you like players more than others and then getting them. Nothing like winning the title when you did the work. It's the best part.

I see more and more people with a draft rankings list (sometimes their own, sometimes a print out of their fav analysts or w.e) but still very few who tier them. I think tiering is almost as important than the actual ranks tbh.

And I do think people generally try to do number 1, but some try to get too cute and squeeze out maximum value and wind up missing on a guy they really wanted by like half a round. Also a lot of people who start out doing number 1, but once they hit a tiny bump in the road, they get flustered and wind up making compounding mistakes. Overcompensating and reaching on "my guys" way too early, panicking at a positional run and taking someone too early, even just getting lost shuffling their paperwork and nearly running out of time to make a pick and then just choosing poorly because of it. Circling back, that's where tiers and having a plan comes into play. Might have to make a small adjustment or two mid-draft, but too many people seem to throw the baby out with the bathwater after a bump in the road.

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

New to my process last year:
Using ADP for your host site/format, make tiered lists for each round’s players, specifically your targets.

Be flexible with your build & focus on value. Don’t pass on a player from a tier with a significant drop-off (say, WR) for a player at a deep position where the drop-off isn’t as bad (QB is the best example).

Also diversify across multiple leagues. It’s great to have for a specific player, but if you draft that player in every league & they’re a bust or get hurt, you suffer across all your leagues.

This is all in the context of redraft. In dynasty it’s “build the best team & pray for good health”.

 

[darksideofoz]

In my guillotine league, my strategy, after the season started, was to replace Mahomes as fast as possible. Did that week 5 and that move is what kept me from getting cut a few weeks later, then I won the league.

 

[Chaka]

Listen to the Draft Dominator.

 

[Gally]

Listen to the Draft Dominator.

Does it talk now?

 

[IHEARTFF]

drafted Brock Bowers and picked up Rico Dowdle

 

[Chaka]

Listen to the Draft Dominator.

Does it talk now?

#rimshot

 

[wgoldsph]

My strategy in redraft for the past five plus years has been to draft at least 3 players who will miss the majority of the season in my top five picks.

Oh wait winning? Yeah I don't do that.

 

[Gally]

My strategy in redraft for the past five plus years has been to draft at least 3 players who will miss the majority of the season in my top five picks.

Oh wait winning? Yeah I don't do that.

Sounds like you need to adopt a Costanza type mantra moving forward.

 

[Ted Lange as your Bartender]

Having Tee Higgins randomly go off during championship week.

 

[Drunken Cowboy]

Let the draft fall to you.

 

[jm192]

New to my process last year:
Using ADP for your host site/format, make tiered lists for each round’s players, specifically your targets.

Be flexible with your build & focus on value. Don’t pass on a player from a tier with a significant drop-off (say, WR) for a player at a deep position where the drop-off isn’t as bad (QB is the best example).

Also diversify across multiple leagues. It’s great to have for a specific player, but if you draft that player in every league & they’re a bust or get hurt, you suffer across all your leagues.

This is all in the context of redraft. In dynasty it’s “build the best team & pray for good health”.

This has absolutely killed me (by not doing it) in the past.

 

[rzrback77]

Draft multiple players at or below ADP that you are high on, wait on QB and after you have solid starters across all positions (except PK & DST) load up on potential break out players, particularly at RB and WR.

 

[BLOCKED_PUNT]

step 1: join footballguys
step 2: let them do all the legwork
step 3: read some posts
step 4: draft Gibbs if you can



(I lost my championship game )

 

[JohnnyU]

Good drafting year(s) before, patience, and being active on the waiver wire, with the occasional timely trade.

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

This has absolutely killed me (by not doing it) in the past.

KWIII destroyed three of my teams last year.

 

[efactor]

Daniels throwing 5 TD passes in week 16. I KNEW it would happen

 

[habsfan]

I won mostly due to hitting on players like Chase, JSN, Kamara and Goff plus way better luck than I deserved platooning the rest of my roster (for example, Keenan Allen was in my line-up the game he went off). I also had manageable injuries - mostly short term things I could cover with timely drop-ins like Charbs getting spot starts, streaming Aaron Jones / ETN / Bigsby etc.

It was a weird year and probably really frustrating for my opponents. I came from behind to win the championship in Week 17 on Deebo's final punt return yardage which (I think) was close to the final play of the game.