Fantasy Football Drafting Guide for 2017

Fantasy football is the most popular sporting event in America and around the world. More people log on to play each other in their fantasy leagues than actually watch the games on Sunday. What does this mean? Well, if you aren't actively working to stay ahead of your opponents then you are falling behind. With the 2017 fantasy football drafting season beginning it is time to do a little bit of research, prepare for the draft, and then knock it out of the park. Whether you are drafting for your season long league or a night of DFS sports on the new platform, DRAFT, the preparation is the same. Let's dig in.

How do fantasy football professionals approach their drafts? The draft is one of the most important strategic events of the fantasy football season. You can win or lose your entire year based on how well or poorly your draft goes. That is a lot of pressure, particularly for newcomers to the game. Fortunately for us the rules are the same for everyone and a little bit of preparation can go a long way toward getting you ready to go head to head with your opponents.

Make Your Draft Sheets

One of the key elements to having a successful fantasy draft involves charting the players you want and where you want to take them. We don't mean that you should list all of the best players in the first round. Instead, you should look at the Average Draft Position (ADP) charts that are available on the internet. Use those as a reference point to begin your own personal research. Take those lists and work your own research into them to compile a new chart. The ADP of LeSean McCoy may be 1.05 for example, but my own personal draft sheet has him at 1.10. That means I would take him at #10 but I wouldn't take him at #5.

Avoid Over Drafting Key Positions

The quarterback is the highest scoring player in fantasy football. Aaron Rodgers will rack up more points than David Johnson or Leveon Bell. This doesn't mean you should take Rodgers #1 overall because the position is much deeper. Don't over-draft positions that you can actually sit back and wait on. Typically you are going to want to wait on quarterback and tight end while stocking up on the best available running backs and wide receivers. The reason is simple, most leagues have you play at least two running backs and at least two receivers. The position becomes thinner as a result of the league wide need.

Research for Sleepers

Sleepers are the most fun part of fantasy football in our opinion. Correctly identifying a great player before anybody knows about him can be a great feeling. For example, I loved what I saw out of Odell Beckham Jr in college and made sure to grab him as a rookie. OBJ led my team to a fantasy football championship as he caught 91 balls for 1,305 yards and 12 scores. Nobody was on the radar for OBJ and he made me look like a genius the entire season.

Fantasy football is all about having fun watching the game and beating on your buddies. Try to prepare for the draft but understand that the game is 25% luck no matter what you do.