I recently got an email reminder to renew two of my fantasy football leagues.
This spawned two thoughts: it’s way too early for a fantasy football draft, and my goodness, the NFL is actually almost back.
That morphed my annoyance into excitement.
However, once I actually clicked the link and renewed both leagues, I was subjected to the horror that awaited me.
The inactivity from fellow league managers was shocking. It brought back memories of draft day last summer, where one of my leagues had only half of the team owners show up.
This sparks the thought of that week-eight battle with Joe Schmoe. He beats your stacked fantasy team by 40, and you don’t hear the end of it for a week.
He auto-drafted his squad and didn’t set his lineup all year. But he beat you, and he brags about it until your ears and eyes bleed.
You’re on the ground lifeless, your entire existence sputtering away as his barrage of insults demands the last bit of your soul to evaporate.
Okay, that’s all a bit much, but you get the idea here: don’t be that guy/girl.
More importantly, instead of just showing up at the draft and handing in a weekly lineup where your players aren’t all injured or on bye, actually try to win your league.
There’s quite a bit you can do to aid that plight, too.
Here’s a slew of tips specifically meant to help you nail your 2018 fantasy football drafts, and in turn, win your league.
The first step to dominating your 2018 fantasy football draft is actually showing up for it.
Like I said in that long-winded intro, the last person you want to be is the league manager who auto-drafts an amazing team and then gloats about winning a title.
Instead of setting yourself up for insult and being a total drag on the league, make sure playing fantasy football is something you actually want to be doing.
Then decide if you want to win.
If you can answer “yes” to both, you’re on your way to being a win-hungry monster that lives and breathes the fantasy life.
But if you don’t show up at your draft, that’s not possible. Get there, be ready, and crush that draft.
That way, at the end of the year, whether you barely make the playoffs or win it all, you’ll be able to say it was you who pieced together your team.
More specifically, though, actually drafting your team covers a lot of bases.
So much can happen during a live draft (whether it’s online or in person), and it can deal with position runs, player rankings, and so much more.
Being active from the jump shows the rest of your league that you mean business, but it also makes sure you have total control of what happens with your fantasy roster.
Once you’re at your draft, you need to get into draft mode.
This doesn’t just pertain to 2018. It stretches to every league draft you’ll ever take part in.
Beer, food, and friends can be distracting if you all get together for a live, in-person draft party.
Try to keep the discussion and other distractions to a minimum if you’re faced with these types of issues and obviously avoid drinking too much alcohol or straying from your draft zone.
This is one reason I prefer live online drafts, as you can have everything set up around you, and there usually won’t be anyone or anything in person to pull you out of your mindset.
It’s only more difficult to accomplish when your buddies are asking you questions, are telling you stories, or you’re drinking and eating.
Focus is the key here, as even stepping away from what’s going on for a second can have you miss key players or forget what player/position you need to be looking for.
On top of that, you can lose your place as far as which values you could be seeking out or which sleepers are still available.
You certainly want to enjoy your fantasy football draft and have a good time. Just make sure the number-one focus is coming away with a great team.
Remember, you can hang out and be chummy with your fantasy league mates anytime. Draft day has but one priority: dominating everyone else.
You’re at the draft and as focused as you can be, but you didn’t do quite as much research as you probably should have, and now you’re looking at the 2017 stats.
This is a bad idea.
Assessing player value and potential based solely on what they did in the previous season isn’t just misleading but incredibly dangerous.
By that logic, Aaron Rodgers (who missed nine games due to injury) would be a terrible pick. Andrew Luck (who missed the entire year) would also be completely off your fantasy sleeper radar.
Even guys who had big years might not be great picks. It’s never easy to dominate in consecutive seasons, while players can change teams, age, get hurt, or even see their roles diminish.
Probably the biggest problem with blindly trusting stats from the previous year is the assumption that the environment that produced those numbers hasn’t changed.
For 2018, some fantastic examples lie at the quarterback position.
Alex Smith – Washington Redskins Kirk Cousins – Minnesota Vikings Eli Manning – New York GiantsThese aren’t the only situations where a quarterback’s numbers could be a lot different than what some people would assume.
However, they’re great examples, as Smith was traded away from the Chiefs, Cousins left the Redskins in free agency, and Manning gets a healthy receiving corps back.
Smith blew up in 2017 (4th-best fantasy passer), but he’s no longer operating out of a loaded Chiefs offense. The fact that marked his first trip inside the top 10 shouldn’t be ignored, either.
Cousins is in a similar situation. He was a fantasy darling while in D.C. (7th or better in each of the last three years), but he finds himself in a brand-new situation in Minnesota.
It’s true that Cousins actually inherits a better overall roster, but it’s still a unit that allowed Case Keenum to finish as the 14th-best fantasy quarterback a year ago.
Manning is the reverse effect. He lost Odell Beckham Jr. early in the year and then watched Brandon Marshall and Sterling Shepard deal with injuries.
New York also dealt with a poor running game, injuries on defense, and a rookie tight end logging most of their snaps.
That all played into Manning’s lethargic 23rd-place finish amongst fantasy passers. He might just be that bad, but it’s fair to say judging him solely on 2017 isn’t necessarily fair.
The point here is that things can change greatly in the NFL from year to year, and you need to consider all aspects when assessing player value.
Whether you’re high on a player or down on them, don’t let any one season dictate how you grade them.
This plays into your general preparation. If you’re stuck leaning on 2017 data, it’s because you’re not prepared enough.
Whatever a fantasy football cheat sheet ends up being to you, it needs to be layered and thorough.
Basically, you’re trying to gauge all 32 NFL teams and figure out two things: which stars are worth drafting early and which secondary options could bust out.
For the most part, everyone knows who the studs are. They’re the guys going in the first 1-3 rounds, and it’s rare that anyone snags a true sleeper in that area.
Kareem Hunt actually could have been that guy last year, but even when it does happen, there’s a good amount of risk attached to that kind of a pick.
That’s part of the process, though, and you need to cover all of your bases.
To do that, consider the following when piecing together your personalized 2018 cheat sheet.
Player Rankings Player Profiles Team Breakdowns Expert Analysis Odds and Picks Injury News Camp Reports Trade RumorsFormulate some type of fantasy football rankings that can operate as your final call to help you decide between certain players.
This should be both done on your own and then done with the help from fantasy websites and experts.
Perhaps your final set of rankings is mixed and ends up being more of a “consensus.”
Whatever the case, having every single player in front of you and properly assessing their value is key so you don’t lose track of drafted players, while also accurately assigning value as the draft carries on.
Incorporating expert analysis, how Vegas sees all 32 teams, and anything you can pull from injuries, training camp, and the rumor mill can also blend into your cheat sheet.
One thing to consider is having your cheat sheet color-coded or littered with symbols.
Perhaps put an asterisk (*) next to players with injury concerns, place a star next to your favorite sleepers, and circle or underline the elite options you covet.
Having everything directly in front of you and condensed is highly beneficial, as it keeps you from rummaging through numerous sheets, fantasy football magazines, or checking for information on your phone.
Ultimately, whatever your cheat sheet is should just personify preparation and readiness. But you shouldn’t stop there.
No cheat sheet can really give you what ADP (average draft position) can.
This shows you how other people are drafting on a regular basis, which players are rising or sliding in drafts, and which positions are being valued or devalued.
It’s impossible to know what the rest of your league is doing for their research and preparation, but tracking ADP movement and trends does two things.
Keeps you in the know Allows you to assume where everyone else’s head is atThe worst-case scenario here is that you and your league mates are on a leveled playing field and it all comes down to where you pick and what decisions you make.
Best case? You have a colossal advantage over the rest of your league.
The biggest perks affiliated with average draft position data are locating value that is sliding in drafts and also knowing when/where to pick certain players.
If people are souring on a certain player, you can adapt to that by waiting another round to take them.
This assumes less risk and increases the value of the pick, assuming this devalued player ends up being a quality producer for your team.
Judging by how ADP plays out, you should also be able to gauge which players will be available at certain points of your draft, as well as when there will be “runs” on positions.
The latter can be crucial, as it can often trump your perception of a player so that you don’t miss out on a specific position before it suddenly thins out.
The best way to truly gauge and master the ADP data you’re dealing with each year is to mock your actual draft.
There are so many fantasy tools available these days that you can mock your exact league size and type, while also picking an entire roster from the exact pick you will in your actual league.
Practice won’t exactly make for a perfect team, simply because there are so many variables that go into any given mock, as well as a live draft.
For one, mocks don’t count for anything, and if you mock with real people, they can often throw a wrench in the mock by making ridiculous picks they wouldn’t otherwise normally make.
That’s why it’s best to use the mock draft tools that allow you to draft against a computer and consensus rankings with updated average draft position data also being used.
Whether you use the perfect mock draft software or not, preparing for your draft by mocking in some capacity is encouraged.
This allows you to get a feel for what players will be available to you in certain spots and how the rest of your league might try to draft as well.
All of this can play into you trying to unveil the next great fantasy sleeper.
It’s often easier said than done, but just taking some shots on high-upside players late in your draft gives you a shot at unlocking fantasy gold.
As I said, the top players are pretty well known, so if you want to uncover fantasy sleepers in the middle and late rounds, ADP and rankings won’t always be enough.
That’s where the extra research and your own intuitive thinking come into play and can potentially set you apart from the rest of your league.
Last year, Kareem Hunt, Alvin Kamara, and Deshaun Watson were some of the best sleepers you could have hoped for, so your mission going into 2018 has to be unlocking at least 1-2 guys that fit that billing.
To help you, I’ll pinpoint one of my favorite fantasy sleepers for every single position going into 2018 drafts.
For some reason, drafting Rivers always feels wrong. Maybe it’s because he’s an aging player, his team never makes the playoffs, or he just isn’t a great athlete.
None of that really matters in fantasy, where Rivers finished as the 8th-best passer in 2017 and has managed to crack the top 10 in four of the last five years.
Father Time has yet to catch up with Rivers, who churns out 4,000+ yard seasons like few can and is a constant threat for 28-30 passing scores.
With a solid supporting cast in Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, and Melvin Gordon around him, Rivers looks like a steal in round 10 of most standard fantasy drafts.
It’s one thing to locate value at quarterback that you can trust, as that’s an incredibly deep position (more on that later), but finding a sleeper running back can often be an elusive accomplishment.
Freeman could be this year’s Kareem Hunt or Alvin Kamara, though.
He doesn’t face stiff competition out of the gates, as Denver let C.J. Anderson go this offseason and really just has Devontae Booker as their top rusher right now.
Considering Booker has thus far proven to be a draft bust (3.65 yards per carry through two seasons), it’s not a reach at all to imagine the talented Freeman leapfrogging him.
A bruiser with underrated quickness and speed, Freeman really just needs a role to return elite value based on his current ADP (round 5).
Parker has seemingly been a legit fantasy sleeper for three years now, but if he’s ever going to realize his potential, this is the year.
Held back by injuries and (specifically last year) shoddy quarterback play, there is plenty of optimism surrounding Miami’s top wide receiver.
Parker still has to prove himself, but the guy is built like a stud and has that perfect combination of size, athleticism, and ball skills that star NFL receivers come with.
The trading of former #1 receiver Jarvis Landry (112 catches in Miami last year) also opens the door to a far bigger role.
All things considered, landing Parker in round nine of your fantasy football draft could easily be one of the biggest steals of the year.
Health has always been a problem for Reed, who has a history with concussions and is still working his way back from toe issues.
At full strength, however, Reed is one of the most athletic and dynamic tight ends the NFL has to offer.
Reed flashed his elite fantasy upside in small doses in 2017, while he’s twice cracked the top 10 at his position.
Even better? Reed gets quarterback Alex Smith in a trade with the Chiefs.
Smith is notorious for helping to produce amazing fantasy results for tight ends, as studs like Vernon Davis and Travis Kelce both posted monster lines under his watch.
You’re assuming some risk by drafting the oft-injured star, but if Reed can stay on the field, his round 8 ADP will pay serious dividends.
Nobody loves drafting a team defense, but in just about every league, you need one.
They’re about as good as any, as this unit helped the Eagles to their first Super Bowl last year and finished inside the top 5 in fantasy points in 2017.
The old adage of “draft your defense in the last two rounds” isn’t a lock for me. It used to be, but Philly offers too much value to deny in round 10.
The thing with the Eagles is that they were extremely talented a year ago, and they (GULP) got better.
They ranked second in defensive scores, 4th in interceptions, 5th in fumble recoveries, and 5th in total points allowed.
Philly was aggressive, advantageous, and relentless. The crazy part is that they didn’t even light the world afire with their pass rush, yet they totally should improve in that area in 2018.
They’re an amazing value in round 10 this year and will surely be one of the top team defenses I target.
Kicker is the one position that I stand by old adages with, and the most popular one is “wait until the last round.”
I’m sticking with that one, as kickers are a dime a dozen, they get hurt easily, they are vulnerable to brutal dry spells, they can get cut due to their droughts, and they often have zero control over their opportunities.
Because of this, the main goal with a kicker is to pick one that does have some type of say in his fantasy value right from the beginning.
Drafting a kicker with a soft schedule, that kicks indoors, and/or is a useful tool on a proven offense are all things to consider.
Butker doesn’t check off all of the boxes, but the Chiefs have a good offensive system, and he’s going to see his offense stall past the 40 a bit more than it used to.
Kansas City will still score touchdowns and get Butker his extra points, but the shift under center to Patrick Mahomes may give him a few more field goal attempts.
Butker finished 7th among fantasy kickers last year, and I think he has a good chance to get inside the top 5 this year.
Needless to say, he fits right in with my fantasy draft strategy due to his current round 15 ADP.
Remember, these are just a handful of sleepers to consider, and this is just my opinion.
Do the work so that you can consider multiple sleepers at each position throughout the draft, and it will give you a solid edge against your competition.
This is the case most years, but now more than ever, I think it’s crucial fantasy owners wait on taking their top quarterback.
Carson Wentz, Aaron Rodgers, and even Deshaun Watson all showed us why last year, as it’s one of the more dangerous positions to invest an early pick in.
That’s probably the case for everyone in a high-contact sport like football, but the other huge reason is that there isn’t that big of a gap between the very best fantasy passers and the second or even third tier.
The reason for this is that you only need one starting quarterback in most fantasy football leagues. Usually you need two running backs, up to three wide receivers, and a Flex position or two may demand more of each.
Loading up on these elite skill position players is key, whereas you can either get by on a fantasy quarterback who is slightly inferior to the #1 option, or you can “stream” quarterbacks (pick one each week you prefer over others) on the fly.
Looking back to 2017, the top 22 fantasy quarterbacks all scored over 200 fantasy points. Of that group, 13 had 249+ fantasy points, and that 13th guy was Blake Bortles.
Inside the top 10, just one topped 300 fantasy points (Russell Wilson), while second and third place (Cam Newton and Tom Brady) were decided by just four fantasy points.
Even more interestingly, guys like Carson Wentz and Alex Smith both came out of nowhere to crack the top 5. Wentz was taken in round 12 on average ahead of the 2017 season, while Smith was usually found in round 14.
Two guys that were almost going undrafted ascended the ranks and beat out a litany of fantasy passers that trumped them in drafts.
The big takeaway is that unless you always nail that #1 fantasy quarterback, the difference between the other options inside the top 15 is rather negligible.
This can absolutely be different with each particular season, but for the most part, you either need to nail your quarterback pick early, or it may be best to wait.
Depth at the position is the final nail in the coffin for me, and it’s been this way for years now. Again, looking back at just 2017, there were just so many viable fantasy producers at the position.
In fact, when you add in that Aaron Rodgers and Andrew Luck missed a ton of time with injuries and guys like Matt Ryan, Andy Dalton, and others endured down years, it’s an even more bloated position.
Suffice it to say, if you wait on your fantasy passer and use your research to draft a value arm, I doubt it’ll cost you your season. In fact, it might be partially why you get a chance to win a championship.
If you take nothing else away from this post, at least remember to put in the work to be ready for your draft.
You don’t need to agree with my assessment on quarterback depth or roll with my fantasy sleepers. You can drink beer at your draft and chat with your pals if you want, too.
Pour through the rankings, see what the top experts are saying, piece together your cheat sheet, and mock your draft so you have some kind of an idea as to what to expect.
Beyond that, expect the unexpected.
I remember one year I felt my research was spot-on for a league, and our commissioner completely changed the draft flow on draft night.
Suddenly, I was no longer picking 11th out of 12 teams, and it for some reason changed from a snake draft to serpentine and then back (?!?).
No explanation was ever given, yet this completely bungled my draft strategy, and I simply wasn’t ready for it.
I missed out on a player I thought I’d have a shot on based on mock drafts, ADP, and all of my research, and it led to a less-than-ideal roster.
I was ready, but then I totally wasn’t.
You tend to think you know what’s going to happen in fantasy football, and then you get a curveball.
It can be the commish messing something up, it can be teams randomly dropping out of your league, a player can get hurt right in the middle of your draft, an auto drafter can mess up the ADP, and so much more.
Being prepared for the draft you think you’re going to have is all you can do, though. Not doing that is just asking for a bad draft, and ultimately, an unsuccessful fantasy year.
Whatever you do, I hope my tips help you in some way. Good luck in your fantasy football drafts this season!
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