Video: Fantasy football draft strategy with 1st overall pick

(Note: I cut it off after the 11th round pick, so it won’t be a full team. All subsequent videos will be a full team, most likely.)

We are rapidly approaching Week 1 of the NFL regular season. As real football nears, fantasy football leagues are starting to take form, with many drafts already being completed. Odds are that most leagues will draft after all of the preseason games are finished, but scheduling conflicts could force leagues to draft earlier.

Whether you’re drafting sooner or later, I’m here to help in any way possible. Recently, I’ve taken on the task, or hobby, of going through some draft strategy from different draft slots.

Full Team

QB: Andy Dalton (10)
RB: David Johnson (1)
RB: Mark Ingram (4)
WR: Amari Cooper (2)
WR: Larry Fitzgerald (5)
WR: Stefon Diggs (7)
TE: Rob Gronkowski (3)
Bench
RB: Bilal Powell (6)
RB: Tevin Coleman (8)
WR: Jeremy Maclin (9)
TE: Eric Ebron (11)

The Strategy

As I mention briefly in the video, I didn’t go in with a set strategy. The only real “strategy” with this pick was drafting David Johnson with zero hesitation. I did employ a late-round quarterback strategy, but I didn’t necessarily go in with that mindset; I just really liked the value of the RBs and WRs that were available at my mid-round picks.

I went with a rather balanced approach and didn’t opt for the comfort of top WRs in the first four rounds, but I came away with two reception monsters in Fitzgerald and Diggs in later rounds. Plus, Gronk falling to that third pick forced me into passing on another receiver.

Gronk in the third and Diggs in the seventh stand out as home run picks in my eyes. Gronk could outscore the next-closest TE by 60-80 points if he’s fully healthy for the whole season. Diggs is routinely going in the fourth and fifth rounds in MFL leagues, but Yahoo! has him ranked in the 90s, which allows you to abuse the default rankings and get a potential WR1 late in a draft on this website.

Powell and Coleman are two backup RBs with extremely high upside. They can win you your league if Matt Forte or Devonta Freeman miss some time. And even if they don’t, Powell and Coleman will still have standalone value throughout the season as change-of-pace backs that will touch the ball 10-12 times a game.

Perhaps the only regret I came away from this draft with was not drafting Dak Prescott instead of Maclin. Kenny Britt was available in the 10th, and I would’ve preferred a Prescott-Britt ninth and 10th round instead of Maclin-Dalton. I might be splitting hairs, though.

This team is probably more tailored to a PPR league, which is all I play, so take that into account.