Fantasy Football Drafting Strategies

As the fantasy baseball season begins to wind down, more and more players are turning their attention to building a winning fantasy football team. But to do that, one must know how to build it. Today we take a look at the popular strategies for the first 3 round of fantasy football drafting, and point out the consequences of each choice.

RB, RB, RB

Pros: In a league such as mine, with 2 RB slots, and then a RB/WR flex position, this isn't such a bad strategy. Generally, good QB's such as Marc Bulger, Tony Romo, Jon Kitna, and Phillip Rivers have been known to be around in the 5th, 6th, and 7th rounds. As RBs are the workhorse of any fantasy football team, with all those yards gained and especially the TDs, it's hard to argue with this.

Cons: Using this will leave you depleted at the WR slot, and chances are Antonio Gates will be gone by then...maybe. Which means you'll be forced into a second-tier TE as well.

RB, QB, RB

Pros: This is the most likely situation for me. In the first round, getting a RB is absolutely crucial, unless Peyton Manning's still available and you're late in the round. I'm thinking Tom Brady, with his upgrading receiving corps, will have a breakout year, even for him, so my thoughts are possibly to nail him second round. Getting a "marquee" QB can lead to big numbers overall and if they're on a playoff contender down the line, they'll go for bigger numbers in the fantasy playoffs.

Cons: This'll take away from RB production, as most of the big names will most assuredly be gone by now at that position. The high-production WRs will definitely be gone by then, too, so searching for consistent, then sleeper, picks will be key.

QB, RB, RB

Pros: You're guaranteed a big-name quarterback, which means a top-5 QB for the season. I'd only suggest this if you're the 8th pick or later and Peyton's still out there.

Cons: You lose in the RB scramble, and rushing TDs will be much harder to come by. You'll probably be taking 2nd and 3rd-tier RBs in rounds 2/3, but you'll almost have too by this point.

RB, WR, RB

Pros: You get the big-shot RB you need, and you'll land either Chad Johnson, Marvin Harrison, or Torry Holt. Their might even be a fair number of 2nd-tier RBs left for you to choose from in the 3rd round.

Cons: You won't get Drew Brees, Peyton, Brady, or Carson Palmer. They had better be gone by this point, or your league is weak. So you'll be settling for a second-tier at best (most likely).

RB, QB, WR

Pros: You get your RB, a good QB, and most likely a top second-tier WR, unless you get lucky.

Cons: Your second RB will be a mid to lower second level, meaning you'll be playing for a sleeper RB earlier. It also means you're almost forced for a RB in the 4th round, which will set you back at either handcuffing RBs, getting a good backup QB, or a good TE.

RB, QB/WR, Antonio Gates

Pros: You get the RB and a top QB/WR...but you had better not draft a TE in the 3rd round unless he's Gates. Or you ought to be hit upside the head...hard.

Cons: Your second RB won't be a big-shot, and neither will your second WR.

Some things to not do:

-Draft a WR/TE first round...you've got to go RB or QB. They produce the most points...period.

-Draft a DEF before the 5th round....some DEF are consistently great, so I can't blame you drafting Chicago that in round 5. But doing so before your 5th pick will steal too many points from another position.

-Draft a kicker until all other positions are filled and backed up....nobody can predict who's gonna have a great year. Almost nobody saw Robbie Gould having the year he did last year; just guess if you can waste the pick, or pick up a rookie/super sleeper and pick a K off the waiver wire after stepping back and choosing who you don't need.