Fantasy football is fun, but it feels like a chore when the losses pile up. Injuries, game scripts, and coaching schemes are just a few obstacles that force fantasy managers to adapt weekly. Fortunately, there are ways to maximize your roster construction during fantasy drafts to avoid taking a player too early, loading up on a position, and mitigating other easy mistakes during the heat of the moment.

Matt MacKay shares a few tips to help you create your own fantasy football cheat sheet to dominate your drafts and win your leagues.

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How to Create a Cheat Sheet

Utilize Tiers
Tier-based rankings allow fantasy managers to get a better frame of reference when drafting a specific position. For example, only three running backs are ranked in Tier 1 heading into 2022 drafts. If you pick fourth and all three of these running backs are off the draft board, opting to pivot to the top-tier wide receiver group for your first selection is an intelligent choice. You’re maximizing the talent and opportunity of your first-round pick instead of settling for a player in the lower tier whose production is either consistently low or volatile.

Avoid Setting a Strategy
Setting a strategy, such as going zero running back, often winds up disastrous when live drafting on the clock. You can mock and prepare as much as possible, but some fantasy managers will reach on a player, forcing you to abandon your strategy. Back-up plans can be created, but fantasy drafts’ variance and unpredictability usually result in pre-draft strategies being thrown out of the window.

Identify ‘Sleepers’ and ‘Busts’
Using the latest FantasyPros rankings, categorizing players you deem “sleepers” and “busts” can be instrumental. Yes, some players will inevitably exceed or disappoint your expectations but trust your judgment. Players can be labeled accordingly based on their average draft position (ADP), team depth chart, and past production. These labels are relative to these specific factors, but other situations can arise, forcing a player to the fringes of a draft. For example, busts typically climb up the ADP and receive hype during the offseason. At the same time, sleepers are players who aren’t making a lot of noise or headlines but possess the skillset and opportunity to return value as a late-round draft pick.

Separate Rookies and Back-Ups
Rookies tend to take time to develop, while a few buck this trend and breakout during their first season in the league. Identifying which rookies to target and fade becomes easier when you see them grouped. Back-up players are arguably even more critical. Injuries are frequent and a massive piece of conquering fantasy football. Securing a quality back-up player, whether they’ve proved their abilities in past years, have huge opportunity behind a high-volume starter, or earn a more even snap share percentage, back-up players need to be separated into their high-value and low-value groups to avoid mixing them in with lower-tier starters.

Early, Middle, and Late-Round Value Picks
The final step in creating a helpful fantasy football cheat sheet is to identify players who possess “value” in the early, middle, and late rounds of fantasy drafts. Value can be defined as a player with a high floor or ceiling relative to their upcoming fantasy production. Early is considered rounds 1-5, middle rounds 6-10, and late begins in the 11th round and beyond. Value is a positive connotation, indicative of a player who will exceed their expected output. Other times it’s a talented player sliding down draft boards due to training camp rumors or crowded depth charts.

Don’t Ignore D/ST and K
Ignoring D/ST and kickers during a fantasy draft can often make the difference between earning a playoff seed or dropping into the consolation bracket. Apply the same concept of targeting or avoiding these positions so that you don’t wind up with a third-tier defense or kicker. These points still count, and consistent production from both positions can win tight matchups during the fantasy season.

Create a Theme
Be confident but not foolish when creating a theme for your fantasy football cheat sheet. Whether it’s the mantra of drafting players on “good” teams, loading up on a particular position, or getting “your guys,” creating a theme to follow can help keep you focused when struggling with a draft decision on the clock. Creating a theme should not be confused with setting a strategy because it’s less restrictive and can be applied to a broader swath of players. There is no need to adhere to your dogma if and when a draft goes sideways. Creating a theme is an open-ended guide that will lead you over potential pitfalls without acquiring players from lower tiers.

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Matthew MacKay is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Matthew, check out his archive and follow him @Matt_MacKay_.