Fantasy Football Draft Strategy: Cutting Out the Middle Men from Best Player Available

I’ve been a complete subscriber to the “best player available” school of thought when it comes to fantasy football draft strategies, but in 2009, I’d argue in favor of a more enlightened form of drafting a starting roster. Regardless of who you take in the first two rounds of your draft, most fantasy draft strategies boil down to one of two plans: “best player available” or “drafting a starting roster.”

Before we get ahead of ourselves, let me explain the difference.

Best Player Available Strategy

By drafting the most valuable player, regardless of position, this fantasy football draft strategy aims to load a roster full of the most productive fantasy studs possible.

In order to prepare for your draft, you must tier your rankings and cheat sheets in advance. The tiers allow you to see the most productive fantasy studs across all positions and draft accordingly. For example, rather than continuing to draft running backs in the fourth round, you might notice that all the running backs are gone from your top two tiers while three wide receivers in your second tier are still available. These receivers would be more valuable to have at that point in the draft. The schmucks who don’t have their rankings tiered will just keep following their running back rankings down the board while there is a run on running backs and lose value with every pick they make.

Tiering your rankings is fairly simple. Here are the basic steps:

  • First, create your rankings. I often combine many sources into one consensus ranking, much like Fantasy Football Nerd does for you, and then adjust based on my own gut feelings and predictions.
  • Start dividing your rankings into levels, or tiers, by separating starting-quality players from backups. Separate your RB1s from your RB2s and your QB1s from your QB2s.
  • Keep dividing your rankings by position down to the point level, or projected scoring for the 2009 season — players who you expect to produce ungodly point totals each week in the first tier, those who produce five points less in the second tier, 10 points less in the third and so on. The more tiers you can create, the better you’ll be in you draft.
  • When you’re done, layout your draft notes and align the tiers in such a way that you can see your draft tiers across every position in just a glance. The first tier would be one row, and the tiers go down the page from there. When your cheat sheet is compiled, you’re ready to draft.

In theory, this best player available draft strategy ensures that your team is well-rounded, but it doesn’t guarantee you strength at any one position. If the draft follows a certain path, you could end up with strong wide receivers and running backs but an incredibly weak quarterback situation. When there’s a run on running backs early, you could end up with a slew of wide receivers from which you can only start two each week.

As long as you keep balance in mind near the middle and late rounds of the fantasy football draft, you can usually field a solid team with this draft method, but in recent years, I’ve often found myself wishing I had more superstars on my roster. Consistent point totals can only get you so far when you get to the playoffs, and this draft strategy often discourages you from starting the runs on the top tight ends or quarterbacks.

Starting Roster Strategy

Often practiced by fantasy football newbies who don’t know any better, the starting roster method fills every starting position for your Week 1 lineup before drafting any backups. The reasoning is simple: pick the best player to start at every position so that your starting roster is as strong as possible. This method receives plenty of criticism if players go as far as to select a kicker or team defense with their middle-round picks rather than waiting until the final rounds of the draft.

Players employing this strategy are usually the first to draft a quarterback, a defense, a tight end and a kicker. Most of the time, that proves to be a fatal move in their draft because they lose out on depth at running back and wide receiver.

The major flaw in this system is that not all positions are created equal. A starting tight end isn’t worth grabbing over a strong backup wide receiver or running back when there are 10 more tight ends of equal value still available.

The Sleepers Complication

But what if you could take a little from column A and a little from column B?

As a bit of a fantasy veteran at this point in my career, I usually identify several late grabs who could pay off in a big way for me on my fantasy roster. Depending on the experience of my draftmates, and their own sleeper picks, it’s usually possible for me to get a few, if not all, of my guys. While they may not all hit for me, I believe enough in my track record to continue to rely on my sleepers late in drafts, so what’s the harm in betting hard on my fantasy knowledge?

With this all-in thinking applied, I constructed a new draft strategy this season.

The “Cut Out the Middle Men” Draft Strategy

If you know what you are doing, you can adapt the starting roster strategy to your advantage with a little influence from the best player available draft strategy.

  • To begin your draft, pick the best players available — running back, wide receiver or quarterback — in the first two rounds. Select the guys that will produce the most fantasy points early and fill your starting positions with who you believe are the strongest options overall.
  • In the third round, start thinking about your starting lineup. For example, if you already have two stud running backs for your two starting slots at that position, draft a top-tier tight end or quarterback to guarantee that you’ll have elite production across your roster. By breaking away from the best player available strategy and starting the run on these other positions, you reach for your top choices but maximize the chances that you’ll end up with the strongest starters.
  • Once you have all your starting roster spots filled, excluding a kicker and a team defense, begin to draft backups for each position once again basing your picks on the best player available mindset, but lean on your sleepers rather than middle-of-the-road picks. Consistent veterans may be the “best players” on the board, but a sleeper who could quickly become a startable fantasy stud is worth more on your bench since your starting roster is already so strong.
  • In the final two rounds, draft your team defense and kicker. If you have a defense you absolutely love, you could still include them in drafting your starting roster, but I find that most defenses drafted early don’t perform well enough to deserve the pick.

The third point on drafting backups and sleepers could probably use a little more explanation.

Say you have your starting lineup finalized and are now looking at backups. Rather than draft a fantasy backup like Ricky Williams or Fred Taylor, you would look to grab Shonn Greene or Jonathan Stewart. Instead of having a mediocre backup wide receiver like Torry Holt, pass for a few rounds until Chris Henry looks like a reasonable selection.

By the time many backups are being drafted, the players you’re taking won’t be much better than what you can find on the waiver wire throughout the season. While you’re sacrificing depth in loading up on sleepers, you could end up with a stronger roster if many of them pan out for you.

Assuming these guys, sleepers and mediocre starters, are all going to be drafted, you’re loading up your roster with players who have the potential to be top-10 players at their position for the few weeks they may see time on the field rather than reliable players you may never start. If the sleepers pay off, you get to trade them for positions of need or sub them into your lineup. If they don’t, you can easily drop them and await a waiver wire gem midseason.

What’s your draft strategy?

I believe that this “cut out the middle men” fantasy football draft strategy will allow me to compile a more boom or bust roster that should free up some roster positions early in the season and, hopefully, allow me to get more of my top picks on my roster.

My gripe with the best player available method is that you often sit back and never start the runs on any given position during your draft. While that allows you to build great depth on your roster, it doesn’t mean you’ll put together the most points each week since the bench only helps you out in a tie.

I’ll be experimenting with this draft strategy in a few of my final drafts this season.

Would the “cut out the middle men” work for you? What’s your draft strategy this season? As always, the comments are yours.

By Jacob

Jacob founded Fantasy Football Fools in 2007 as a outlet for all the fantasy football conversations he couldn't have in-person. Since then...well, it's only gotten worse.

21 comments

  1. Glad you liked it, and good luck with your draft. As long as you don't take a kicker until the last round, you'll probably do just fine.

  2. Glad you liked it, and good luck with your draft. As long as you don't take a kicker until the last round, you'll probably do just fine.

  3. Hey Jacob,
    First time player here and looks like i'm late in the game with knowledge. If you have a minute hopefully you could give me some advice. These are my players
    Q – Brees, Delhomme
    RB – Brandon Jacobs,Thomas Jones,Fred Taylor, Chestor Taylor.
    WR – Bernard Berrian, Roddy White,Jerricho Cotchery,Lance Moore,Steve Breaston,
    TE – Chris Cooley, Kevin Boss
    S – Brandon Meriweather
    LB – D.J. Williams
    CB – Charles Tillman

    This is my first time out of the gate and hoped you might have some advice as to my starting line-up. Your time is greatly appreciated. I wish I had gotten involved years before. What fun!
    Eric

  4. For a first-timer, that's a good draft, but I think you're lacking in the depth department. Assuming you're starting 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE, 1 LB, and 1 CB, you'll be able to start Brees every week except his bye, where Delhomme is an iffy start against the Redskins. Jacobs and Thomas Jones are solid guys, but if Jacobs is injured or Jones has a bad matchup, I don't think you can depend on Fred Taylor or Chester Taylor to start for you in more than spot duty.

    While your wide receiver corps doesn't stand out, White, Berrian and Cotchery should be okay this season, and Moore is a nice sleeper to keep around. I like your tight ends in Cooley and Boss. They are both dependable guys.

    Your IDPs look good to me. I think you've got some heavily-involved players, but you could probably get some more expert insight from some of the other more IDP-experienced out there like Gary at http://www.kilroyzkrystalball.com/.

    Overall, I think you did a good job, but now is the time to look at some of the free agents who were not drafted and put together some trade offers. For example, you could unload Taylor to the A.P. owner for a steady low-end wide receiver and pair Fred Taylor with Breaston or Lance Moore or Kevin Boss for another starting running back who would be more trustworthy in case Jacobs or Jones misses time.

    Hope that helps. With a few moves, you've got a contender this season. For some more analysis, you could also try dropping your team into the Footballguys.com Rate My Team form: http://bit.ly/prYLj

  5. Hi. I just read this for the first time, trying to think ahead for next year's draft. It's kind of funny how much you liked your first two picks (Forte and Slaton) given what a disaster they've been. Good thing for you this was, in fact, just a mock draft. Better luck next year.

    -jb

  6. You mean in the Hair Model Mock Draft (http://bit.ly/4aWCn7)?

    It is scary to think how disappointing that team would have been if it was a real draft. I've actually been lucky in several leagues to not get the guys I wanted (Forte especially), but that's just the way things go in fantasy fooball. It's hard to see these busts coming.

    The one advantage I would have had with that team is the depth at quarterback. I would have had to trade one (Schaub, Warner, or Big Ben) to fortify my RB corps. But Thomas Jones and Joseph Addai wouldn't have been terrible options behind Forte and Slaton.

  7. Hi. I just read this for the first time, trying to think ahead for next year's draft. It's kind of funny how much you liked your first two picks (Forte and Slaton) given what a disaster they've been. Good thing for you this was, in fact, just a mock draft. Better luck next year.

    -jb

  8. You mean in the Hair Model Mock Draft (http://bit.ly/4aWCn7)?

    It is scary to think how disappointing that team would have been if it was a real draft. I've actually been lucky in several leagues to not get the guys I wanted (Forte especially), but that's just the way things go in fantasy fooball. It's hard to see these busts coming.

    The one advantage I would have had with that team is the depth at quarterback. I would have had to trade one (Schaub, Warner, or Big Ben) to fortify my RB corps. But Thomas Jones and Joseph Addai wouldn't have been terrible options behind Forte and Slaton.

  9. I do the basic draft the full starting lineup except K/DEF unless there's a really standoout DEF/ST then I may grab them. Either way I draft the QB,RB,WR,TE (FLEX) within the first 7-9 rounds then pick up the best backups possible, even if that means all RBs (I could always trade) then draft the K last. Haven't own every year but have 3/10 and 5/10 in the finals, I think all in playoffs, but not 100% sure. But you're right I like the cut the middle man, but it's too complicated for me, I like to keep it pretty simple

  10. Well, I can certainly respect that. If you like what works for you, keep at it. If you do give another strategy a shot, don't feel like you have to follow every detail. You can pick and choose parts to make your own plan of attack.

    The “Cut Out the Middle Men” strategy is one I developed in order to prevent “safe” picks from landing on my roster and to give me more room to grab my more risky (but highly lucrative) sleeper picks. It trims the fat, and my teams are stronger for it.

    It sounds like you have a similar strategy when it comes to filling out your starting roster, but you go back to best player available to fill out your backup spots. I've certainly seem some awesome teams come out of that strategy (my own included), but if you get an itch for something new, don't be afraid to tweak it.

  11. Well, since you wrote this a year ago….how did these teams fair during last season using this method?

  12. Fair question. Out of 5 leagues, I made the playoffs in 3, played in 3
    championship games, won 2 league championships and lost the other by just
    three points after Adrian Peterson's last garbage touchdown from the 1 in
    Week 16. I also took home one total overall points trophy—Chris Johnson and
    Aaron Rodgers made that a piece of cake. I used this same draft strategy in
    all my leagues but one, one of the two in which I missed the playoffs.

    I'm refining this strategy a bit for this season, but I had no complaints
    with the results.

  13. Can you post those refinements here? I am try this strategy out this year and would love all the help I can get!

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