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There is no shortage of amazing draft prep material here at FakeTeams.com, so I’ll just jump right into 4 drafting rules to live by.
# 1. No, you should not start your draft with XX, XX.
What position you’re drafting from, who’s available when it’s your turn to pick, and who you personally like and want to draft all matter a whole lot more than going WR-WR, or RB-WR, or RB-RB. Zero-RB can work, drafting the scarcest position with your most valuable picks (i.e. drafting running backs early and often), even picking up Rob Gronkowski or Aaron Rodgers early can work.
#2. Yes, you should draft that guy you love.
Fantasy football, contrary to popular belief, should be fun. It’s fun to watch your favorite players score. It’s a helluva lot more fun to yell ‘GRONK SMASH!’ in a crowded Pluckers on Sunday afternoon when Gronk trucks that poor safety who dared get in his way on that 50-yard TD catch when Gronk is on your squad!
Now, show a little restraint here. There is no need to draft Philip Rivers in the first round because you commend the man’s love of the bolo tie and his penchant for procreation. But drafting someone you like to watch play a round early, in the grand scheme of things, is not going to ruin your team.
#3. No, you should not make fun of your friend for drafting XXXXX XXXXXXXX 6 spots before ADP said he should.
The most accurate prognosticators are only ‘right’ a little north of 50% of the time. ADP can be a great guide to help your build your cheat-sheet, or give you a good idea if you can pass on that guy late in the 4th and hope to get him early in the 5th. But, even ‘the best fantasy minds’ are still being asked to predict the future outcome of a sport with tiny, tiny sample sizes. So listen to the analysts you like, be aware of where folks are going at about what ADP, but do not be a slave to ADP.
Or, if you are going to shackle yourself to the almighty ADP, just auto-draft. If you end up winning, it will hurt a lot worse to the guy in the league who thinks they’re the smartest crab in the pot.
#4. Do or do not wait on Quarterback and Tight End. There is no try.
Unless your league scoring is way outside the norm, you only need to draft 1 QB or TE. The gap between the #5 and #14 QB on any given week is more Pabst VS High Life than Old Crow VS Macallan.
The only real gap in scoring with these onesies positions is at the tippy-top with guys like Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski and… and well no one else at tight end. So, if you want to pay top dollar for one of the top dogs, go for it. If you miss out on the absolute crème-de-la-crème, you can wait forever before spending any of that precious draft capital on a QB or TE.