Hey footclan! I have a draft in a week, and it’s an 8 team keeper with two flex spots. It’s also a one keeper league, and this will be the startup.
Since there are only 8 teams, even with two flex spots, the teams will be relatively stacked! How do I set myself apart from other teams? Any tips on how to draft?
I’ve debated going RB heavy since that’s a position that’s relatively scarce, and then loading up on solid WRs later in the draft? Thoughts?
Think about getting a TE early like Gronk. Everyone is going to be stacked at RB and WR. TE looks bad this year after the big 3
Just did an 8 man league.
Go RB with your 1st 5 picks and then you will have still elite WR to choose from with your 6th… Then i usually go 3 wr in a row and then go from there and address TE if by of the elites are there or maybe QB…
I like to take luck as a second QB in this format… But usually not until the last 3-4 rounds.
Then make sure after you get your starting lineup go for some good upside guys… Everyone’s rosters will be stacked… You need to find the diamond in the rough to just tip the scales enough. I’m not talking James Washington or Christian Kirk sleeper… Don’t go that deep.
But guys like Corey Davis, will fuller, Josh Gordon, kerryon Johnson.
Plp that are still being drafted normally but these guys are kinda high risk or semi sleepers and could be the next big thing.
Do not go 5 RB with your 1st 5 picks. This would be ill advised. You don’t need that much depth at a single position. Waivers will be ripe with talent. You want to secure the top guys at position with huge positional advantages whenever possible. QBs and TEs value go up for me in 8 man leagues.
In an 8 man league, everyone will be very stacked at RB/WR so you need to gain positional advantages where you can.
The most obvious one is TE. In an 8 man league, I am targeting Gronk 100% of the time. Know your league but I would be willing to take Gronk in the 2nd round here.
You can also take QB earlier than most draft. If rogers falls to the 4th/5th, take him. You basically want a jacked up starting roster with some pieces for depth but you’re not as worried about having that many great pieces on your bench cause the league is so shallow.
I agree that going RB heavy 5 rounds might be much, but I understand the idea. I’m drafting at spot 5. If you get 4 studs… Say Zeke, Freeman, CMC and Mixon… you’re in great shape. But it puts the pressure to hit on some late round WRs. I tried that last year (in this same league), and I struggled to find WRs to plug week to week.
From what I’ve gathered though, grabbing the best at the position is crucial. I like the idea of grabbing Rodgers, but my guess is he goes in the 4th. In an 8 team league, that seems early though.
This is the exact approach you should be taking when drafting in a shallow league. Rodgers in the 4th is not the worst either. In those examples you said, I’d rather have Rodgers at 4 than Mixon and I’d rather have Gronk at 2 than Freeman. Also depends a lot on your QB scoring. If it’s the standard 4/1 scoring, then Rodgers isn’t as important. But if it’s like a 6/3 or 6/4 scoring, than Rodgers becomes incredibly valuable.
Joining the echo chamber, yes you should go best available at positions. I could even see employing a zero RB strategy and going Brown, Gronk, Green (if other teams are stacking RBs he could fall there), Rodgers if that’s what’s there. You’ll be one of the weakest teams at RB, but you should still be able to pick up some workhorses like Collins or Ajayi; not the studs that win you leagues but they will get the work to cover your position while you have the best players at 3 other positions driving your scores up.
Just to reiterate, I typically don’t care for zero rb, and probably couldn’t make myself do it in a 10-12 team league, but in an 8 team league you can get such monsters at other positions and still cover RB at rounds 5-7, especially where you are drafting from (too late to get a tier 1 RB but in a spot that AB typically is available), that it merits a consideration.
It’s tough with a startup, but after a few years with a league, you begin to figure out how certain people draft and that helps a lot. I’m 8th pick this year in an 8 team league I’ve been with for going on 6 years, and I know almost for a fact that OBJ won’t make it to me because pick 7 is a huge fan of his, small things like that, sometimes fans of teams will lean heavier towards players from their home teams. Knowing your league and finding diamonds in the rough late (Kamara/Thielen/Schuster last year) will play a huge role. Good luck and have fun!
I think it starts out with what your first pick is. If you’re top 4, easily go RB then WR, then best available. But if you’re bottom 4, I’d go AB or Julio first, then RB. The best way to set yourself apart in a shallow league like that in my opinion is to use the late rounds for 1-2 sleepers, like the types who will blow up as soon as the opportunity comes (think last year with Kamara and Watson), and watch those waivers like a hawk. So many fantasy players will see a guy have a great week, then drop someone who ends up having a better year to pick up the one hit wonder. Don’t be that guy, but definitely take advantage of him.
Guess I didn’t go 5 RB in a row… But did do 4 in a row.
My team I drafted was
QB:Brady and luck
RB: Gurley, Melvin, dalvin, Howard, henry, kerryon
WR: Adams, Evans, diggs, D Thomas, Corey Davis
TE: Burton
We start 1QB,2RB, 2WR, 1TE, 2flex
So I’m not an expert by any means and only play in one 8 person league… But was pretty happy at my team by going 4 RB and letting others load up on WR,QB and TEs. While I got some good RBs… But there is more than one way to draft this is just my one experience.
So good luck sir
This roster pretty decent. Although I don’t think this roster is very representative of an 8 man team in a competitive league. Not sure how you got Adams and Evans after the 5th round. Going Gurley/Melvin/Dalvin/Howard should not allow you to get Adams/Evans/Diggs to be honest.
That’s what I was thinking as well. Lol the top 4 RBs might be possible, but I’d imagine the WRs to be something along the lines of Fitz and Juju as the starting WRs. That would not be bad considering you have 4 stud RBs.
It wouldn’t be bad but in no world should his WR1 be Adam and WR 2 be evans with a 4 RB start. I’m guessing that league just has a bunch of people who have no clue what they’re doing.
If you replace that with like Fitz and juju, which is more realistic, that team becomes medicore pretty fast. Would definitely still contend in playoffs but would have a hard time beating out high ceiling teams with positional advantages and top flight WRs. The TE/QB positions are incredibly weak and would probably lose you weeks on their own.