Gridiron Experts

Draft Position Strategy

Where you draft can be as important as who you draft in fantasy football. With a “snake” draft order (1 to 12 then 12 to 1) patience for drafting a player is the biggest gamble yet also the biggest payoff there is.

With many fantasy football leagues made up of friends and co-workers, some think there is a small advantage in knowing your opponents, but unless your opponents are completely clueless there is no way to sneak a player past anyone these days. That makes things even harder when you’re hoping a sleeper running back will be there for you the following round.

Positioning is key for strategies in the waiting game, and while certain draft positions are better for predicting than others, having pick 1 or 12 gives you a chance to draft from a completely different point of view.

Double Pick – 1 and 12:
The first pick overall in a fantasy football draft is great, but the pressure for that running back to produce is massive, as the next time you get to make a selection isn’t until 24th & 25th overall. The same goes for the person with pick 12; your first 2 players need to be important pieces of your starting line-up or you will struggle. Your position has zero opportunity to wait on anyone, if a player that you like is there, you need to take them.

We recommend that the person at 12 take two running backs, regardless of who was taken before them. The long wait before making another selection is almost suicide if you believe a quality running back will be waiting for you at 37th & 38th overall.

The same cannot be said for the person with the first pick overall. You got your elite running back at 1, now you should take the best two players available at 24th and 25th overall – but do not take two more RB’s. These two selections are very important picks as you will not pick again until the end of the 4th round (48th and 49th overall). The first 5 picks drafted by any team usually make up your core lineup, and with such a long wait in between picking, your options are sometimes limited.

Slingshot – 2, 3 and 11, 12:
You have the luxury of being right before and right after the fantasy owners that picks twice. You need to always keep track of who the person at 1 or 12 has at all times. Let’s say you know they are light at receiver and could use one or even both their picks on that position; being patient on a running back and stealing away one of there hopefuls gives you a chance to have your cake and eat it too.

On the edge – 4, 9:
Picking in this position is excellent for getting an idea of what will be available for your next pick. While there are 6 picks before you select again, there are only three fantasy owners. We suggest making a small table of selections purely based on the positions selected by these three owners next to you. For example, every time a pick is made record the position (either QB, RB, WR, etc.). Use the table to predict their selection based on overall needs. If you are ever torn between two players and feel that you could have one of them taken on the way down or up (3,2,1 – 1,2,3) use your table and better judgment on team needs to predict which of the two torn players is more likely to be passed up. I know it seems like a lot of work, but you’d be surprised at how predictable people can be when you have a break down of which position they’re light on.

In the Middle – 5, 6, 7, 8:
The middle of the draft is in our opinion one of the better places to draft from. You never have to wait too long before making a selection and can always get good value in every round. There is no real strategy being where you are, although you should pay attention to trends. At one time or another most drafts will lean towards one position. Either you’ll see a run of receivers taken in a row, or quarterbacks. You need to stick to your game plan and not become a follower, never feel like you’re missing out on a good thing. Think of it this way, If everybody starts grabbing a quarterback higher than they should, you’ll not only get to snatch up players that have been over looked but now you’ll be able to wait even longer before having to pick your QB as everyone has their’s and won’t likely draft another one until much later in the draft.

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