MonsterDraft Fantasy Football Tools

Draft Strategies

Value Based Drafting

Tier Draft Strategy

Average Draft Position (ADP)

Stud Running Back Theory

MonsterDraft’s online fantasy football tool is an important element of your successful draft. Visit our other pages to read more about value based drafting strategy and why our service will help you with your draft. This page will give you additional strategies and helpful tips to maximize your fantasy football draft.

Projected Values - Draft Strategy Tips - #1

Projected values in fantasy football are based on a 17-game regular season. A 20 point difference between players represents just a little more than 1 point per game. That isn’t a very significant difference. Many qualitative factors enter into deciding between fantasy football players with values within 20 points of each other. Don’t blindly draft the player with the higher value. Consider factors such as age (older players may be declining), rising stars with upside potential, and total points projected to be scored by that fantasy football player.

Supply and Demand - Draft Strategy Tips - #2

Remember that your competition will generally draft to fill their fantasy football starting roster spots before drafting back up players. If your competition have all drafted quarterbacks and you have not, you may have several more rounds before you need to draft a quarterback. It is important to monitor the selections of your competition so that you can predict their likely picks during the next round of the draft because that will impact your selection during the current round.

Your League’s Draft Tendencies - Draft Strategy Tips - #3

If you have played fantasy football with the same group of people for several years, you have a good feel for the draft tendencies of your competition. Factoring in their tendencies can give you an additional edge by delaying certain draft picks for a round or two even though the value might be there. Beware however that significant delays can result in lost value by losing key players.

Reliability - Draft Strategy Tips - #4

Projections for running backs and quarterbacks have traditionally been more accurate than those for wide receivers. In fantasy football, drafting running backs and quarterbacks over wide receivers with values within 20 points of each other is generally the safe play.

Following the Herd - Draft Strategy Tips - #5

Don’t panic and let yourself get caught up in the “following the
herd" mentality. This ties in with Supply and Demand. If several players ahead of you draft a certain position, resist the temptation to follow the trend (unless the values are there). This is especially important with kickers and defenses. Often kickers and defenses can be selected toward the end of your fantasy football draft or even added as free agents without hurting your team dramatically.

Consistency - Draft Strategy Tips - #6

Two players who score the same number of fantasy football points in a season could result in significantly different wins / losses in terms of fantasy play. This is because some players tend to have huge games and then disappear for several games at a time. In building your team, it is important to understand these tendencies and draft the players who are consistent scorers.

Year-end Fade - Draft Strategy Tips - #7

Certain players seem to fade at the end of the year. This kills fantasy football team owners who have had great regular seasons and then die an untimely death in the playoffs when key players fade. Be cautious of running backs who wear down as the season wears on.

Playing for a Winner - Draft Strategy Tips - #8

Two schools of thought here: 1) Players on better NFL teams tend to perform better because the team is more balanced with complimentary players. Also, these teams are usually in the playoff hunt and have more to play for as the season wears on. 2) Dominant NFL teams have the luxury of resting key players at the end of the NFL season (your fantasy football playoffs). This can spoil your chances at a championship run. Bottom line – this is nearly impossible to predict at the beginning of the season – get your best values in the draft and make adjustments during the season.

Injuries - Draft Strategy Tips - #9

This is obvious – players who have a history of injuries are more likely to continue that pattern. Be wary of drafting players who are coming off of major surgery. They might still be a value, but be careful.

Flex Positions- Draft Strategy Tips - #10

A flex position is one that allows you to start a player of your choice from one of two positions. For example, your fantasy football league might allow for a running back / wide receiver flex position or a wide receiver / tight end flex position. MonsterDraft recommends inputting the number of fixed positions for your league parameters and excluding the flex positions when calculating your values. When drafting to fill the flex positions, compare total projected fantasy points for players in the running for your draft pick (don’t rely on value only).