But do you really need Travis Kelce or Mark Andrews to win your league? Sure, having the weekly advantage that they offer is a nice perk, but it’s often far more advantageous to have a lot of depth at running back and wide receiver. The temptation to draft an elite tight end is very real in the first two rounds of this year’s drafts. Get a top-8 tight end, but not a top-3 tight end. Of course, you likely won’t hit on every pick in this range, but you’re going to miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. If you want to take down your league, grip it and rip it in the middle rounds. Safe picks in the middle rounds typically lead to rosters that safely finish in fourth place. The key here is that we want to risk it for the biscuit. In this phase of your drafts, go after players with the highest possible ceilings at wide receiver and running back. Safe may work well in the early rounds, but safe doesn’t create championship-caliber rosters in the middle and late rounds. Prioritize high-ceiling wide receivers and running backs in the middle and late rounds. So be sure to make the position a priority in this range of your drafts. If you wait any longer at running back, you aren’t going to like the results. Even at that point, we’re already in handcuff territory with the likes of Alexander Mattison and Darrell Henderson going in that range. Current ADP data says that at least 45 running backs will be off the board by the end of the ninth round. Running backs dry up very quickly in fantasy football drafts. To successfully punt your second running back spot, you’ll need to address the position in the middle rounds. Draft three running backs between Rounds 6 and 10. Better yet, with this approach, you aren’t heavily investing your valuable early-round picks in the most fragile fantasy asset.Ĥ. While you may not walk out of your draft “loaded” at running back, the stable of wideouts you’ll be able to put together in the early rounds will be formidable. From here, you can punt your second running back spot and not address the position again until the middle rounds. By taking a top-10 back, you put yourself on solid footing at the position. But this goal very much syncs up with our goal of minimizing risk. However, you may get a shot at a top-10 option in the second round given this year’s trends.

Keep in mind that based on current ADP, that means you’ll likely have to use your first-round pick on the position. With the running back position seemingly as thin as it’s ever been, it’s a good idea to anchor your roster with one top-10 option. Draft one (and only one) top-10 fantasy football running back in the first two rounds. That’s the nature of the game, but we can at least prioritize players who come with the least volatility in our first three picks. Players are going to get hurt in football. To be fair, it’s impossible to completely eliminate risk. That’s not to say that you can’t have success if you miss on these picks, but you’re really making things difficult for yourself. The first three-to-five rounds of your draft will form the core of your roster. In the early rounds of drafts, it’s also very important to minimize your risk. It’s a mistake that the savvy opponents in your league will exploit. But in the early rounds, don’t lock into positions. Once you get into the middle rounds, you’ll have to adjust based on your roster construction. Remember, this approach is only for the early rounds. Take the value and make them pay for their mistake. Are you going to pass up this value and stick to your plan? Heck no. You came in saying you’re drafting a running back here, but your opponents have left a wide receiver on the board who just shouldn’t be there. Typically, this means letting value slide down the board. Our opponents are going to make mistakes in fantasy football drafts. This mindset is completely dedicated to what we’re doing with our picks, but it’s overlooking what our opponents are doing.

I love that we’re creating a draft plan, but we’re focusing on the wrong details here. Then I’m going wideout in Round 2 and back to running back in the third.” Don’t get me wrong. “In the first round I’m going to take a running back. One of the biggest mistakes I see drafters make is locking themselves into positions early in drafts. Don’t lock into positions before your draft begins.

Fantasy football draft check off sheet