Hello and welcome to our fantasy football draft tips! We have three pieces of advice for you, so let’s jump right into the mix!
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Three Fantasy Football Draft Tips
With Week 1 of the NFL regular season just ten days away, fantasy football drafts are in full swing. With that being said, below are my top 3 draft tips:
Wait on a Quarterback
Just like every other year, the quarterback position is the deepest position in all of football. In fact, one can make the argument that it is even deeper this year with all of the talented new rookie quarterbacks coming in.
Even though it may be tempting to take a guy like Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Aaron Rodgers, etc. there are plenty of quarterbacks that can provide greater value later in the draft. Instead of taking them, prioritizing the running back and wide receiver positions are much more important.
The disparity between the best running backs and wide receivers in the league is much more significant which is why taking the top guys at those positions provides greater value.
If you do decide to take a quarterback early, it could backfire no matter how well they perform due to the lack of depth you will have at the other important positions.
Draft Rookies Higher than you Normally would
The rookie draft class this season is primed to be extremely talented and that is including non QBs.
Guys like Kyle Pitts (Falcons tight end), Najee Harris (Steelers running back), Devonta Smith (Eagles wide receiver) are all poised to have big roles in their offense.
With young high draft picks playing as much as they ever have before, modern NFL coaches feature their young guys right away. It is plausible to believe that Kyle Pitts and Najee Harris for example could both finish top 5 at their prospective positions.
You look at Atlanta who is a pass-happy offense that just lost Matt Ryan’s favorite target Julio Jones this offseason. With Calvin Ridley being the only other passing option on offense, Pitts could be huge for them especially in the red zone.
As far as Harris goes, the Steelers used a first-round pick on running back which is not common in today’s NFL. Considering how much Pittsburgh struggled to run the ball last year, it is clear that they drafted Harris in order to solve that issue.
Mike Tomlin has been a coach who has always prioritized running the ball. With Harris being the clear-cut #1 back with little to no competition behind him, look for him to get plenty of carries.
Furthermore, look for Harris to be a factor in the passing game as well for Big Ben who has had a history of looking for check downs.
Draft Handcuff for Running Backs Higher than You Normally Would
Last year especially during a COVID season, a lot of running backs missed time more than usual. Top running backs such as Christian McCaffrey and Saquon Barkley missed most of the season.
Considering McCaffrey and Barkley were both top 5 picks, it was almost impossible to win your league last year if you were not able to get their backups on your roster.
Guys like Mike Davis and Wayne Gallman became great players all year in their absence and allowed owners who drafted McCaffrey and Barkley afloat.
Some owners would rather pass up drafting their handcuff and risk getting their backups on a waiver wire pickup. The problem is that if you do not have the #1 waiver priority, it is almost impossible to get him unless you trade for that player.
Using a draft pick to secure your top-backs insurance policy is well worth it especially with COVID still being a factor.
