What position are you drafting first 3-4 rounds?

[kickureface]

standard is rb rb rb/wr idk i beleive

what about now? for some it may depend on what order in draft you land, but lets say for top, mid, and bottom orders.

[dream_017]

standard is rb rb rb/wr idk i beleive

what about now? for some it may depend on what order in draft you land, but lets say for top, mid, and bottom orders.

For me, you can not go into a draft with a set order on picking certain positions. You need to evaluate how the draft is progressing. Generally, I like to have 2-3 RBs within the first 4-5 rounds, but it is not to say that based on where I draft and who has been drafted aheaded of me that I won't take a 3 WRs or some other combination. Each draft is unique and has to be treated as such. It also depends on strating requirements as well as total roster spots.

[Dan Lambskin]

standard is rb rb rb/wr idk i beleive

what about now? for some it may depend on what order in draft you land, but lets say for top, mid, and bottom orders.

For me, you can not go into a draft with a set order on picking certain positions. You need to evaluate how the draft is progressing. Generally, I like to have 2-3 RBs within the first 4-5 rounds, but it is not to say that based on where I draft and who has been drafted aheaded of me that I won't take a 3 WRs or some other combination. Each draft is unique and has to be treated as such. It also depends on strating requirements as well as total roster spots.

this...instead of trying to target positions, target players you like and try to plan out when they'll be available. if RBX is available in the 2nd but you think RB Y will make just as good a RB2 but you can get him in the 5th, grab WR Z in the 2nd instead

[Tiptoe_Stevens]

It's impossible to really know. This year, I wanted to draft two running backs early because I usually lean on stud WRs. I had the tenth pick in a ten-team league. I had to go Fitz/Andre. I couldn't justify passing up those two for Slaton, Gore, or a shaky Westbrook. In retrospect, I wouldn't have minded going with Gore or Westbrook since he's injured all the time anyway. It is .5 per reception, but I can always move around players if need be. Maybe it was a mistake, maybe not but it's just an example of how pre-draft strategies really don't work out during the actual draft.

[Bloody Sox]

It really seems like over the last 2 years that WR value has really jumped up and that RB value has dropped - this is due in large part to most teams keeping their RBs fresh with more and more 2-3 man rotations. Looking at the 2008 scoring in all of my leagues, WR and QB dominate the Top 25 in scoring.

I think I'd still lean towards a RB in Round 1, but certainly wouldn't hesitate to go with a WR instead. It will be extremely unlikely that I'll draft RB-RB in the first two rounds this year. More than likely I'll be going RB-WR or WR-RB, then after that I'll just go best QB-RB-WR available the next two rounds.

[Kensat30]

My ideal first four rounds goes something like this:

LT
Brady
Colston
Pierre Thomas

This year I absolutely MUST have 1 WR through 3 rounds. Outside of that, there is no set strategy. I'm just as willing to RB/RB as I am to go QB/WR. All depends on the league settings, the draft, and the competition.

[dmacblue]

I draft 3rd in a 12 team PPR and I hoping for ;

1.3 = Best RB
2.10 = Best WR (as i see a strong 12, the a drop off)
3.3 = Best WR (pretty sure the last of the 12 WR's i like will just about make it)

The only spanner in the works is if, as others quite correctly point out, a player drops unexpectedly, purely for example a MB3 type. It is all about value and not steadfast draft plans.

To come out with Forte, White and Boldin would have me pretty darn happy waiting on a Ward/Addai type in the late 4th.

Now this is my PLAN, but I've always been a RB guy, so if I'm on the lock at 3.3 and Kevin Smith or Reggie Bush are there, then I have no idea what'll happen! I just dont like the WR depth this year.

[dgan]

I agree focusing on the best value player is clearly the way to go. But just so you don't feel like everyone is shooting you down, let me suggest how you might determine which position is most likely to present that value.

You have to know your league's draft history. That's the only time you can start evaluating your draft plan based on position. While you can adjust during the draft, wouldn't it be helpful to know what will happen in the third round before you make your second round pick? That's where position values can be EXTREMELY beneficial.

This is something I started doing about 5 years ago and I can't even tell you how much better I've become at drafting. I started keeping track of how many players at each position (on average) go in each round. This will vary greatly by league, so there is no use in giving you my specific data...plus someone from my league may be watching!

So. Let's say you're picking early in Rd 2. You've got Tom Brady still on the board, and these idiots still haven't drafted Calvin Johnson. The best RB available is #10 on your board. How do you choose? It really doesn't have much to do with how productive these players are...it has to do with how productive the players are that you'll be looking at in Rd 3.

This is where knowledge of your league's patterns really helps. If you know your league is really RB heavy in Rd 2, then selecting your #10 RB might be better than your top QB or WR. But now...let's think two rounds ahead. Because you only get to select one of those positions in Rd 3...the other will have to wait until Rd 4. So maybe if you do take a RB, 10 WRs will be off the board before your round 4 pick. If you take a WR in Rd 3, what QB can you get in Rd 4? If you don't like him, will you go WR again? Are you okay with a 5th Rd QB?

So by evaluating the round by round availability of the players on your draft board, it will help you determine even before the draft has started where you think value can be had. And if this year bucks the trend, you'll recognize it immediately and be able to take advantage of it.

One example...in my league, we have the option of starting a QB in the flex. Because a 2nd QB tends to score a lot more points than a 3rd RB, QB value really skyrockets in my league. But guess what? Nobody else really seems to have caught on to that. So why should I spend a 1st round pick on a QB (even though I have them absolutely valued there) if I don't have to?

Understanding your league can really help shape your preparation of which positions to target in which rounds. You can decide ahead of time if it is better to start the run, or wait until it has begun.