Fantasy Football Draft Strategies: Drafting in the Middle of the First Round

If you're drafting in the middle of your fantasy football draft, it's sort of like being in a mensroom stall between singer George Michael and former Idaho Senator Larry Craig. You know, like the old adage about being "between a rock and a hard place."

The top running backs, in 2010 being Adrian Peterson and Chris Johnson and maybe Maurice Jones-Drew are gone, having been drafted by your competitors in your fantasy football league.

What to do? Do you reach for a QB or WR? I recommend that you make your first round selection with later rounds in mind. Leave Aaron Rodgers on the board, unless you're maybe at # 6-7, as tempting as it might be to take the highest scoring player in fantasy football from 2009.

Take Frank Gore of San Francisco if he's still available, no hanging chad or recount needed, just an inconvenient truth. Sorry, I couldn't resist.

It seems that Gore's backup from 2009, Glen Coffee, has retired from football to go into the ministry leaving only rookie Anthony Dixon behind Gore. Now don't misunderstand, Dixon will be a good player down the line, but with the 49ers QB situation don't look for Dixon to take away that many carries from the proven Gore.

With head coach Mike Singletary strongly committed to running the ball, look for Gore to get 20 or more touches every game. As a bonus, Gore catches the ball out of the backfield also.

Keep in mind that if you're drafting in the middle of the first round that your next pick will be the middle of the 2nd round with plenty of good QBs and WRs still available. You can go for your #2 running back unless a Randy Moss or Reggie Wayne is still on the board.

Every pick should be made with the "big picture" in mind. Don't draft a guy you like in the 2nd round for example, if that player figures to be around in the 3rd round or even later.

Quarterbacks like Matt Schaub of Houston should still be around in the 4th round or so. If a homer reaches for a guy like that, make them pay by taking the best player available.

Backup players should never be drafted until the late rounds, after all the starting positions except maybe kicker have been filled.

If Gore should be gone when you pick, Michael Turner, Steven Jackson and others will still be available.

Keep in mind Chicago's Matt Forte who battled injuries and saw his 2008 numbers drop way down in 2009, appears to be healthy in 2010. Forte ran for 109 yards on 5 carries against Oakland in a recent preseason game with an 89 yard TD run.

Even without the long run, Forte still averaged 5 yards a carry on the other four totes. Forte could be quite a bargain in the middle rounds of your fantasy football draft with many fantasy owners having soured on Forte for his subpar 2009 season.

Next: drafting early in the first round. If you're drafting in slots 1-5 in your fantasy football draft, it's truly a "no-brainer." Just take the top available running back. The trick is what strategy to use in the later rounds since if you are choosing first in a 10 team league, your next pick won't be until #20.

That's a long time between picks and in the leagues that I've been in, the owner with the first pick in the draft seldom has won the league. Many struggle to even make the playoffs in their fantasy football league due to mistakes with picks in rounds 2-15 and a lack of strategy.

I can help...