Alright guys, give me the run-down.

[ataraxia]

I'm a pretty avid fantasy baseball player but as a fantasy football player, I'm very, very underinformed. I want to win in the upcoming fantasy football league to be held between friends. I am aware of the traditional RB-RB-WR-QB draft guideline, but otherwise I'm quite clueless.

So guys, point me out some things to get me started and which will prepare me for the upcoming draft next month.

[dream_017]

I'm a pretty avid fantasy baseball player but as a fantasy football player, I'm very, very underinformed. I want to win in the upcoming fantasy football league to be held between friends. I am aware of the traditional RB-RB-WR-QB draft guideline, but otherwise I'm quite clueless.

So guys, point me out some things to get me started and which will prepare me for the upcoming draft next month.

Very broad topic in general. My advice would be to look around especially here in the beginner forum. There are some good threads already started and also linked to some very good advice. Then once you have some more specific questions post them and we will be more than happy to help. As for the traditional RB-RB-WR-QB draft guideline, sure that is a good starting point, but you need to be flexible in a draft and not go in with a set, I am drarfting this position in this round mentality. A lot of factors come into play, players available, draft position, scoring, line-up, roster....

[stomperrob]

Read this thread for some great advice:
viewtopic.php?t=329323

...and basically just read as much as ya can at the Cafe, and don't be afraid to ask questions. Welcome aboard!

[joejlitz]

Pay attention to how your league scores. PPR leagues demand you draft receiving RBs a top flight WR over a 2nd tier RB. Be careful of the bye weeks. Make sure during the draft that you pay attention to the bye weeks of your back-ups. Good Luck!

[flotsamnjetsam]

I'm a pretty avid fantasy baseball player but as a fantasy football player, I'm very, very underinformed. I want to win in the upcoming fantasy football league to be held between friends. I am aware of the traditional RB-RB-WR-QB draft guideline, but otherwise I'm quite clueless.

So guys, point me out some things to get me started and which will prepare me for the upcoming draft next month.

Welcome to the FFC!


I never have a preset draft strategy like RB/RB/WR/QB. Every draft is different so you really need to be able to change your strategy to try and get the best value possible with every pick. There are a few things that I do though. I always draft a RB in the 1st. RB's are the toughest to find which is why they almost always go early and often. I never draft a QB early. QB's are easy to get later and/or off the WW...unlike RB's. Every time I draft a QB early (in the 1st 5 rounds or so), I feel as though I'm drafting from behind as far as RB's & WR's go. So I'll stock up on RB's & WR's through the 1st 5 rounds or so and then I'll pick a QB & TE when I think the value is good. My other "strategy" is regarding K's & D's. If I'm forced to draft them...I wait until the last 2 rounds. Same reason why I won't draft a QB early. K's & D's are VERY easy to get off the WW and don't warrant an earlier pick IMO.

Your scoring system and/or starting requirements could change everything. If QB's get 6 points instead of the more common 4, I might take a top QB a little earlier than I normally would. If there's 1 PPR (point per reception), the RB's that catch a lot of passes, WR's, & TE's are worth more, so they will go earlier than normal. Most people consider "normal league settings" something like this:

12 Teams
Start: 1QB, 2RB, 2WR, 1TE, 1K, 1D/ST, 6 bench.

Passing TD's 4, INT's -2, Yards 1/25
Rushing & Receiving TD's 6, Fumbles -2, Yards 1/10...NO PPR

Right now I'm drafting in the Cafeholics Anonymous League, which is a 10 team redraft league that starts 2QB, 2RB, 4WR, 2TE, 1K, 1D/ST, 8 bench (QB's 4/-2...and 1PPR). 12 QB's have been drafted in the 1st 45 picks (Pick 4.05) because we have to start 2. You can get a pretty decent backup RB in the 5th round here (16 picked through 45 picks). All of this really goes against most "normal" drafting strategies.

None of that would be going on in a normal 12 team league. Closest I could find to "normal" to compare is the 2008 Mock Draft 3 Redux. It's normal except there's an additional RB/WR flex position, and it's 1 PPR. In the 1st 45 picks there were only 3 QB's picked. 20 of the 1st 23 picks were RB's.



Great advice given above. My favorite websites that I use, other than the Cafe of course, are footballguys.com, fantasyfootballxtreme.com, fftoday.com (let's you put in your scoring system so you can look at past years' stats going back to 2000...with your leagues scoring system! ).

I hope that helps a little. Good luck!