The season starts next week, so it is crunch time. That means you are probably drafting this weekend. Hopefully, you've done loads of research and are completely ready. If not -- and even if you are -- here are some last-minute tips from our staff for you before you start your draft.
Clayton Gray
Use the Draft Dominator. At the very least, it makes it super easy to track your draft and the other teams around you. At the very most (if that's not a real phrase, it should be), it's the most-powerful drafting tool available and will allow you to have the best team possible.
Justin Bonnema
When using the Draft Dominator to run mocks (which can be completed in minutes), try mocking from multiple draft spots. This will give you a different perspective and align you with different players, which will improve your research. That way, if a player unexpectedly falls to you (based on rankings or ADP), you will have an informed opinion about him.
Chad Parsons
Remember this is YOUR team. Sifting down the player pool to your target players and centering your draft decisions on said players is an outstanding way to love the end result. Take a player a round or two early or stockpile a little more at a given position (within reason), everything looks better when your roster fits your vision.
Clayton Gray
Don't draft players who aren't currently on an NFL team. In most deeper drafts, guys like Jay Ajayi are being taken. While there's always a chance he'll sign somewhere and contribute, it's far more likely that he's not on a team right now simply because he's not good enough anymore.
Mark Wimer
This is a gem from Fantasy Football legend Bob Harris that I heard from him over a decade ago:
"Don't try to draft last year's studs. Find THIS year's studs to draft."
Matt Waldman
As a general and helpful rule or tiebreaker among potential choices, give the edge to players on teams with strong offensive line play. Teams with good offensive lines supply skill players a higher percentage of easier plays that lead to impactful production. The Cowboys, Saints, Steelers, and Eagles are among the best. The Chiefs, Colts, Bears, and Seahawks should be solid. Denver, Arizona, Buffalo, and Miami could be among the worst. Matt Bitonti's offensive line rankings will be helpful to drill down in greater detail.
Clayton Gray
Information is important. Despite living in the internet age, it's still possible to have more knowledge than the average fantasy player. The easiest way to gain that knowledge is to read the latest Training Camp Report. In those 40 or so pages, you'll gain an edge that you can exploit later in your draft.
Simon Shepherd
Where you take a risk on players late, lean towards risk that either pays off or fails early. Muddy depth charts that will clear up by Week 3 are great places to look. It's cheap to go back to the waiver wire for another upside play; it's expensive to waste a bench spot all year on a handcuff whose starter never gets hurt.
Jeff Pasquino
Check and re-check your rules, especially if they aren't the usual standard setups. Different scoring and roster setups can dramatically change what positions are worth more, and that radically changes a draft list from a standard cheat sheet that can be pulled from any site. If your league emphasizes two quarterbacks in a lineup or has two or three flex spots, it all matters. Run your own custom cheat sheet with your league's rules to get the Top 50-60 players that will elevate your team.
Matt Waldman
Building a championship roster is like building a table. You can support a table with one leg or use two to four legs. It all depends on the resources available at your disposal. In fantasy football, those potentials legs for your championship table are the draft, free agency, lineup management, and trades. If you don't draft well, your team isn't sunk. A high percentage of fantasy players give up and lose interest after four or five weeks of uninspiring performance. Don't be that fantasy player. While trades can help, the lowest-hanging fruits to fix a team are free agency and lineup management.
Ryan Hester
Don't be beholden to ADP lists. Once Round 5 starts, get your guys. If that means selecting a high upside player with a Round 10 ADP in Round 8, pull the trigger. Statistically speaking, it's a greater than 50/50 chance anyone picked Round 7 or later will bust. So pick players with huge upside and stay flexible on the waiver wire early in the year.
David Dodds
Always laugh at the owner that takes the first kicker. Not only does it just feel good to mock someone taking a kicker early, but it should ensure nearly all the good kickers are still on the board with two rounds to go.
Sigmund Bloom
You can wait forever at quarterback, but be willing to pay for a better option in leagues with 6-point passing touchdowns and touchdown-distance/total-yardage bonuses.
Clayton Gray
Late in your draft, shoot for upside. It's likely that Randall Cobb will outscore KeeSean Johnson this season. But, if Johnson hits, he'll be a difference-maker. You can't say that about Cobb.
Keith Overton
Just like in the NFL, it's a good idea to establish the run. Maybe a roster position has been neglected in the draft pool for too long, or maybe you're near the bottom of a quality tier with a significant drop-off. Or both. Take advantage of that pent-up demand. If you need that position, try to start a run or keep it going. If you're stuck at the end of a run, double-back and select a different position that is now showing value. Then return to that other position in a few rounds and grab a couple of serviceable players with upside to fill the gap.
Devin Knotts
Take a stand on the Los Angeles Chargers running back situation. If you believe Melvin Gordon will come back early in the season, he's a steal and can win you your league. If you believe he is going to be out for most of the season and limited when he returns, take either Ekeler in PPR or Justin Jackson in non-PPR. Both are values if Gordon misses significant time.
Will Grant
Bookmark the Footballguys News Feed on your computer or phone and follow @FBGNews on twitter. Check these sources a few times during your draft. I was in a live draft when Andrew Luck retired and Lamar Miller was lost for the season during the draft. Your picks are only as good as your information.
Jason Wood
Draft for upside. The goal is to win your league, not to avoid losing. Does it really matter if you finish third or fourth? Everyone you draft should have league-winning upside in their best-case outcomes.
Dan Hindery
Pick your spots but make sure to draft a couple of rookie running backs. Year after year, we see that a high percentage of the true difference-making players who vastly outperform their ADP are rookie runners. Expect that to be the case again this year. Josh Jacobs could quickly emerge as a top-10 back. Miles Sanders and David Montgomery have fairly clear paths to the top of their respective depth charts. Darrell Henderson, Darwin Thompson, Justice Hill, and Damien Harris are one injury away from stepping in as starters on extremely running back-friendly offenses. Take your shots here because hitting on just one breakout rookie back can make you the favorite to win your league.
Sigmund Bloom
In the second half of the draft, take good players in good offenses without obvious paths to value.
David Dodds
The last rounds of the draft need to be for players that can be difference makers. Guys like Cole Beasley can always be found on the waiver wire. A rookie like J.J. Arcega-Whiteside could be a star in the league if things fall correctly. When in doubt, choose youth / unknown situations over veterans that have already played their best football.