Important Fantasy Football Draft Reminders
The success of your fantasy football team hinges on your draft picks. Use the following draft strategies to minimize risk, maximize gain, and make the tough decisions when it comes to fantasy football draft day:
Skill + Opportunity = Success. Always remember this fantasy formula when drafting players.
Draft RBs early and often. Your exact strategy will vary based on your draft position, but taking two RBs in the first three rounds is the best approach.
Look to acquire an elite WR in the first three rounds. Depending on your league, you should be able to grab a reliable top-five WR to anchor your receiving core for the entire season.
Don’t take a kicker or defense too early. You can find plenty of depth at these positions at the end of the draft.
Take quarterbacks in the middle rounds. Good, productive quarterbacks aren’t hard to find in the middle rounds. The top-ten QBs will be drafted before the tenth round, though.
Don’t draft studs with the same NFL bye week. Most fantasy teams can’t avoid having some players on the same bye week, but having your best players on the same bye can cost you a win.
Stick to your draft plan. Trust your cheat sheets (player rankings). You worked hard to prepare them, and you don’t want to let the other coaches sway you into making a mistake.
Grab potential breakouts and sleepers late. You can pick up an average injury replacement during the season. In the later rounds, drafting players who may become studs could win you the league.
Football Glossary
ACC
The Atlantic Coast Conference of college football teams.
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AFC
An acronym for the American Football Conference.
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AFL
An acronym for the American Football League.
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BCS
An acronym for the Bowl Championship Series.
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Big Ten
A college athletic conference whose eleven-member institutions are located mainly in the Midwestern United States.
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bye week
A week during which an NFL team doesn’t play; every NFL team has one week of the season off.
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center
The player who snaps the ball to the quarterback. A center handles the ball on every play.
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DEF
An acronym for Team Defense.
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fullback
A player who’s responsible for blocking for the running back and also for pass-blocking to protect the quarterback. Fullbacks, who are generally bigger than running backs, are short-yardage runners.
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kicker; placekicker
The member of the special team who is responsible for field goal and extra point attempts.
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NCAA
An acronym for the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
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NFC
An acronym for the National Football Conference.
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NFL
An acronym for the National Football League.
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Pac-10
The Pacific-10 Conference is a college athletic conference that operates in the western United States.
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Punt
A kick to the opponent without the use of a tee.
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quarterback
The leader of the team. The quarterback calls the plays in the huddle, yells the signals at the line of scrimmage, and then receives the ball from the center. Then he hands off the ball to a running back, throws it to a receiver, or runs with it.
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running back; tailback; halfback; wingback
A player who runs with the football.
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SEC
The Southeastern Conference of college football teams.
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snake draft
A draft in which each fantasy coach has one pick in each round. Each team makes its first-round pick based on a predetermined order.
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ST
An acronym for Special Teams.
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stud
A top-rated fantasy football starter.
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tight end
A player who serves as a receiver and also as a blocker. The tight end lines up beside the offensive tackle to the right or the left of the quarterback.
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waivers
A situation where a player is dropped from a team roster; the player goes on waivers for a limited time before becoming a free agent. All coaches then have a set amount of time (usually two days) to decide whether to add him to their teams.
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wide receiver
A player who uses his speed to elude defenders and catch the football. Teams use as many as two to four wide receivers on every play.
