If you haven’t already done a bunch of prep for your fantasy draft, have you ever been called a procrastinator? All joking aside, it’s okay. Life is busy. You’re here reading this post because you know we’ll get you through those few hours of need. We know your time is valuable so we’ll keep this short. We asked a group of industry experts to give the lowdown on what one piece of advice you should know if you still have to draft. Below are their responses. Good luck!
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Q. What one piece of advice would you give fantasy owners who still need to draft?
“DRAFT TYLER BOYD! Boyd is 24 years old coming off of a breakout year in which he eclipsed 1,000 yards in only 14 games in his third season in the league, while also ending the year as the 24th receiver in True Target Value, according to BRotoFantasy.com. He now enters his fourth season primed for a huge role in Zac Taylor’s offense and is going off the board as the WR22 with an ADP of 54, right in the middle of the fifth round, according to FantasyPros. WR22 is his floor and it’s criminal not to take him in the fifth round if he’s available there. Robert Woods was my favorite mid-round pick last season and it paid huge dividends. Tyler Boyd is 2019’s Robert Woods.”
– Michael Petropoulos (BRoto Fantasy)
“My advice is pretty simple — do not completely write off A.J. Green…but be patient and flexible. Currently, Green’s ADP sits right around the middle of the fourth round, which may be too high depending on your roster construction. If he continues to slide into Rounds 5-6, that’s when Green should enter serious draft consideration. Yes, it appears likely he will miss a few games. But when the elite wide receiver returns from his ankle injury, you instantly have a potential WR1 who averaged 14 points per game last season and finally has an offensive-minded coach.”
– Justin George (Take Your League)
“Don’t overemphasize the preseason! Kyler Murray’s opportunity hasn’t changed, but he’s fallen two full rounds in ADP. While I thought the eighth was high, and still think the 10th is as well, if you wanted him before you should still feel the exact same! Tony Pollard is up a full four rounds and has climbed into the ninth. While I think he is certainly better than first perceived, I also think Ezekiel Elliott is back in time for Week 1, which will limit his touches. These are just a few minor examples, but hopefully you get the idea. The veterans are, for the most part, going to be who we thought they were. Trust your original gut and don’t fall for all of the hype.”
– Andy Singleton (Expand The Boxscore)
“Stick to your board to maximize the value of your roster. Live drafts often seem to change the way people think about the overall construction of their squad because opposing teams might have a more “balanced” roster, but if the top quarterbacks or tight ends fly off the board, you shouldn’t reach for lesser options a round (or multiple rounds) early. For example, it would be unwise to draft David Njoku if he’s not the top overall value on the board just because the first- or second-tier tight end targets were already selected and you’re getting impatient. Instead, you should wait on the position (Greg Olsen and Dallas Goedert are my two favorite late-round options) while picking up mid-round value at running back or wide receiver. Curtis Samuel, Jordan Howard, and Larry Fitzgerald are three excellent targets going right around Njoku’s ADP.”
– Dylan Chappine (White Wolf Sports)
“There’s a lot of changes being made to depth charts so be sure to pay attention to who the proper handcuffs are for your main running backs. Someone you thought was the clear handcuff could have been bumped down the depth chart and possibly even waived. A perfect example is the situation in Kansas City where it appeared Carlos Hyde would be the next man up if something happened to Damien Williams, but now it’s clear Darwin Thompson has won that role. Another example is Houston’s backfield where Duke Johnson was seen as more of a compliment to Lamar Miller, but with Miller tearing his ACL, it appears Johnson is now THE guy for the Texans and, thus, will start getting drafted a bit earlier.”
– Bill Enright (FFChamps)
“The biggest advantage that we have in online drafts/auctions right now is leveraging the site-specific ADP and auction values. At this point in the process, even the most casual drafter has done a bit of homework and has identified a few players that they’d like to leave the draft with and I’m strongly on ‘Team Get Your Guys.’ You don’t have to reach multiple rounds, but if you know what the group think is based on the predetermined price, you can use that to your advantage. I’ve been doing this for months in best ball drafts, focusing on the likes of Kyler Murray, Jameis Winston, Damien Williams, Duke Johnson, Julian Edelman, Dede Westbrook, Michael Gallup, and O.J. Howard.”
– Ryan Noonan (The Quant Edge)
“Ignore bye weeks and ADP! Take the guys you want when you want to take them. If you wait, you won’t get them. You have to use some spidey sense in a draft, so if you don’t think ‘Player A’ will be available when you pick next and you really want them, take them! It’s the same with bye weeks. So what if you draft two quaterbacks that have the same Week 12 bye? For example, let’s say you wait to draft a signal-caller and wind up with Philip Rivers. Then, for a backup quarterback, it comes down to drafting Kirk Cousins or Eli Manning. Well, you’d draft Cousins as he should have the better season of the two. Therefore, taking Manning because Cousins has the same bye week as Rivers would make no sense. This gives you 11 weeks to work it out. Draft the best players!”
– Ken Zalis (Pressbox)
“I’m a big proponent of avoiding risk in the early rounds of drafts and then ‘winning’ the draft with smart picks in the mid-to-late rounds. This year, that means not drafting Ezekiel Elliott. People are talking optimistically about Elliott coming back soon, and perhaps he will, but we heard the same things last year about Le’Veon Bell. Players in contract disputes don’t always make rational decisions, but as fantasy managers, we can. Why take on the risk of Zeke’s holdout with your first pick when you can grab someone like James Conner, who scored more fantasy points per game than Elliott last year and will be available to help you from day one?”
– Andrew Seifter (FantasyPros)
“If you miss out on one of the top running backs (Saquon Barkley, Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Kamara, Ezekiel Elliott, David Johnson), you should be going Zero RB, or something close to it. Any draft where I select in the bottom half, I’m taking two of Tyreek Hill, Davante Adams, DeAndre Hopkins, Odell Beckham Jr., Julio Jones, Michael Thomas, JuJu Smith-Schuster, or Mike Evans. I’m also fine including Travis Kelce in that list. The value in this year’s third- and fourth-round backs (Aaron Jones, Devonta Freeman, Leonard Fournette, Marlon Mack, Josh Jacobs, David Montgomery, and Chris Carson), plus the upside in late-round guys (Miles Sanders, Duke Johnson, Derrius Guice, Austin Ekeler, and Kalen Ballage) make me comfortable waiting at the position and stocking up on elite receivers.”
– Jacob Gibbs (SportsLine)
“If your league settings allow it, draft a lottery ticket-type player, like Jay Ajayi, instead of of a kicker. Having the roster flexibility to drop your kicker each week will allow you to pursue the top waiver pick, and about only 50% of the top-10 kickers drafted finish there anyway. Streaming kickers is a better option at that roster position and you may end up with the starting running back for the Houston Texans. Just make sure you remember to fill your kicker position before rosters lock in Week 1.”
– Zach Brunner (FlurrySports)
“Unless you’re in a two-quarterback/superflex league, WAIT on quarterbacks. I’ve been getting guys like Jared Goff and Lamar Jackson in the double-digit rounds. It allows me to stack my flex/bench with the likes of Curtis Samuel and now Duke Johnson. Assuming you go running back/wide receiver heavy in the first few rounds, try not to let the O.J. Howard/Evan Engram/Hunter Henry tight end tier pass you by as long as the value is reasonable.”
– Bart Wheeler (Hail to Fantasy Football)
“I really think going early on one of the big three tight ends is a good move. If you can get Travis Kelce, George Kittle, or Zach Ertz, you really have a big advantage over the rest of the league and the numbers prove it. In live draft leagues on our site last year, 46 percent of those who owned one of the big three tight ends won their league.”
– Jeff Paur (RTSports)
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Thank you to all the experts for giving their last-minute draft tips. Be sure to give them a follow on Twitter for more great advice. Also, please check out our latest podcast episode below.
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