8) If you get a big name at QB (Brady, Manning, Brees) get his handcuff too. No other owner will want Jim Sorgi so you can wait and take him with your last pick. This will also mean you have 4 QBs instead of 3. However, the insurance policy is worth it. Or if you are not to happy with your draft picks then you can elect to forgo the insurance of the HC and instead bulk up on the RB or WR position with the last pick.
9) If you get in a bind and have to skip a player from the rule of having three at QB, TE, K and DEF then skip the defense since they will never have an injury to take them out of the lineup.
10) Use discriminators when deciding between players in the same tier. Use bye weeks first then decide if they are a conservative or aggressive pick. A player who is suspended or injury prone is not a good thing for a DM team. Go with players who are hot/cold if paired up with a consistent player as well.
A later bye is another discriminator I use. My philosophy is that I want to get as many points as possible from them before an injury occurs. If he plays for only 5 weeks and one of those was his bye then I only had him for 4 weeks effectively. Now take the same player and the same injury but his bye week is in week 8. I had him for 5 weeks. I also think it is easier to recharge with a later bye week. If you have only played 3 games and then you get a break it does less good then if you have played 8 games and then get a week off.
11) Avoid Kickers and QBs who have job security issues. No reason to pick a QB who may be good IF he starts. If he does not start, you have just shot yourself in the foot. Better to have an average starter than a good clipboard holder.
12) You will have 32 defenses to choose from, kickers, however, are less sure as some are fighting to keep their job. Plan on only 26-28 kickers as really being draftable. So favor kickers over Defenses.
13) Draft a RBs handcuff since this is best ball. The best player automatically gets the start in this format. Grab RBs that are in a RBBC situation to monopolize the scores.
If you can get Ahmad Bradshaw and Vick Ballard then you have cornered the IND RBs no matter who scores.
14) RBs are more consistent with their points (other then the top WRs) so I target RBs early and draft more WRs late and hope that quantity trumps quality.
15) Research the league to determine how many of each position are drafted and when. Know when you need to take your 3rd QB, TE, K and Defense. For example, in the FFPC Action 77’s only about 28 Kickers and Defenses were drafted. So you could afford to wait a little before getting your last one. I would take my 3rd kicker before the 3rd defense simply because there are only about 26-28 reliable kickers and you do not want to take one that may be suspended or hurt or fighting for his job.
16) Do not wait too long to get handcuffs for stud RBs. Remember every other owner will be drafting quite a lot of RBs so chances are good they will take the one you need just as easily.
17) In the FFPC with a 26 player roster I like this team:
- 3 QB/6 RB/8 WR/ 3 TE/ 3 K/3 DEF.
Maybe even 7 RBs and 7 WRs if the RB7 is a needed handcuff. Expect Defenses to go in the 15th round and Kickers to go in rounds 19 and 20. And without a doubt the expanded roster (26 players) means I like the 3 QB, TE, K and Defense play. If I dropped one of those it would be Defense since they cannot be lost to injury.
Do you want 2013 FF rankings? Check out my Fantasy Football Player Rankings 2013 at Amazon.com.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D5DH79G/ref=zg_bs_156394011_19
Fantasy Football Guidebook (2nd Edition): Your Comprehensive Guide to Playing Fantasy Football ($19.95) http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428650
Fantasy Football Tips: 201 Ways to Win through Player Rankings, Cheat Sheets and Better Drafting ($10.95) www.amazon.com/dp/0982428669
Fantasy Football Basics: The Ultimate "How to" Guide for Beginners available ($10.95) at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428634
Fantasy Baseball for Beginners: The Ultimate "How-to" Guide ($10.95) www.amazon.com/dp/0982428693
Fantasy Soccer: The Ultimate "How-to" Guide for Fantasy Soccer Players ($14.95) http://www.amazon.com/dp/1936635070
Fantasy Hockey: The Ultimate "How-to" Guide for Fantasy Hockey Players ($14.95) www.amazon.com/dp/1936635100
Fantasy Basketball Handbook: The Ultimate "How-to" Guide for Beginners and Experienced Players ($12.95) www.amazon.com/dp/
3 comments:
Thrilled to have discovered your blog, Sam! Got a draftmasters strategy question for you. I'm playing in a DM league that limits its rosters to 22 (you start 1 QB, 3 WR, 2 RB, 1 TE, 1 K, 1 DEF). I know you advocate carrying a 3rd QB, TE, K, and DEF. But if I carry 3 QBs and 12 total RBs and WRs, then I will have to choose between a 3rd TE, a 3rd K, and a 3rd DEF for my final player. What would you do?
You bring up an excellent point when DM leagues have limited roster sizes.
No matter what you do Do Not Draft a third DEF. DEF/ST do not get hurt so they should be last on the draft extra list unless scoring really favors defenses-if defenses score lots of fantasy points-say from limiting yardage bonuses etc. Instead of a def draft either a TE or K. If you are weak at TE then by all means back that position up since you will need some support. Only draft a third K in roster limited DM leagues if you find yourself with two kickers on the same bye weeks or who have job issues-i.e may not have a job. But really you should avoid both those situations to begin with in the draft. So in your specific case with a 22 mam roster-go 3 QB/12 RB+WR/3 TE/ 2 K and 2 Def
Thanks, Sam! There is in fact a tiered bonus for limiting yardage. By my calculations, it will bump the average DEF scoring from 8 points per week to a little over 11. A pretty sizable jump, in my opinion. Makes me wonder if I should draft a 3rd TE then forgo one of my 12 WR/RBs to add a 3rd DEF. Either that or snag a TE early (i.e. Jimmy Graham) then draft only 2 TEs. Trouble is, rostering only 2 TEs or 2 QBs is a serious roll of the injury dice.
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