With the month of August upon us, so is fantasy football draft season. Let the Pug steer you right with some tips to follow on draft day.
After months of ‘damn i miss football’ the time to focus on drafting a team you can brag about is upon us. With many outlets telling you how to draft your team and the exact strategy you should take, the Pug has some tips for draft day that will help you start the season off on a positive foot.
Pay Close Attention To Your Leagues Scoring System
The number one mistake that can be made going into a draft is not understanding the scoring system your league puts into place. Standard scoring leagues have quarterbacks netting four points per passing touchdown, while some commissioners go with six points for a touchdown.
Not only does that two point difference make the position of quarterback more valuable, it also makes a pure passer more valuable than a mobile quarterback. With standard scoring, a mobile quarterback adds a new dimension, and can and should be drafted before a quarterback with inferior passing numbers. When the points per passing touchdown are increased, the advantage of the mobile quarterback dwindles, make a pure passer more valuable.
Same concept can be adapted at the running back and wide receiver positions. If the league uses a PPR (point per reception) format, a David Johnson becomes a way better option to top the running back draft board than Ezekiel Elliot. However without that point, Zeke runs behind a better offensive line and will become more valuable.
As for wide receivers, Antonio Brown will be a top option at wide receiver in a PPR format. To flip that, taking away the PPR makes the wide receiver a less valuable commodity. It also puts a Julio Jones and Antonio Brown on a more level playing field. A plan should never be put in place for a draft until you completely understand the scoring system that your league implements.
Base Your Strategy On Position and Availability
After getting down the ins and outs of you leagues’ scoring system, it is time to strategize. Coming up with a plan before the draft starts isn’t the worst move, but you need to be equipped with ‘what if’ scenarios, especially in the beginning of the draft. Of course changing your strategy while the draft is ongoing circles back to knowing the scoring system.
Anyone can easily go with the draft two running backs technique going into the draft, but if your draft mates have the same plan and you don’t pick early, looking at a wide receiver isn’t the worst move. PPR and bonus points for longer touchdowns should be considered here.
Be sure to also take into considerations what teams tend to do on offense. Knowing that the Buffalo Bills run the ball more than any other team according to percentages makes LeSean McCoy more valuable. Also, there are only a handful of backs in the league that receive a bulk of their respective teams carries. Be sure to know who those backs are before selecting a back in a time share. Many may be surprised to know McCoy received less than half of the Bills carries last season.
Another aspect that can make McCoy more valuable is knowing the Bills lost Mike Gillislee, their RB2 from a year ago. Being equipped with knowledge like that can help make the difference between a hurried, bad decision and one that will make other owners angry and cause them to scramble.
There are also negative aspects to consider. Sticking with McCoy, knowing that he has a history of injuries is extremely valuable. There is a big difference between a player taking a big hit and breaking their arm and a player who has had multiple knee injuries. Someone who has been injured often like a McCoy or a Rob Gronkowski needs to be carefully analyzed to see if the reward outweighs the risk. Take a look at who the other available choices are, even if these players skill level is superior, and weigh all the factors in to see if the reward will outweigh the risk.
Don’t Be Content. Draft Day Doesn’t Define Your Entire Season
If you have been a part of a draft day before, you know most of the time owners come out of the scrum bragging about their draft and how great their team is. Sure, a good draft does go a long way towards directing you towards the fantasy football promise land, but don’t think your draft was so good that you can’t improve.
Being a waiver wire warrior is essential to carry your team to the playoffs and beyond. Every week, judgement should be used on a player having a good week or finally getting their fair shot. Players emerge from nowhere near a draft board to being fantasy football heroes every year. Look at Melvin Gordon and Ty Montgomery last season and Devonta Freeman the year before. There are always players looking to make name for themselves and finding those players before your draft mates is what separates the champions from the rest.
Be sure to stick with The Scrum Sports as The Pug brings you everything you need to know throughout the season to bring home fantasy football gold!
