Why Fantasy Football Rankings?
Some swear by rankings to dictate their draft strategy. Here’s why they’re not an end all be all for helping form your fantasy team. Along with an example.
(Advice/example is pertaining to a draft in a12 man league)
The oversaturation of fantasy rankings in today’s landscape poses multiple questions. Especially for those who are relatively new to fantasy football. Do I need rankings? Should I have a cheat sheet by my side? Here’s why you don’t. The position you are picking out of largely decides what is available to you. If you’re stuck with pick 9 this year you essentially are in the gutter when it comes to getting league winning premium players. This means you have to drill the middle round picks and take large swings. Maybe it’s players on offenses who are projected to perform far worse than their potential output. Maybe it’s rookies whose roles aren’t carved out yet, but have an easy path to being a focal point in their offense. Or it could be players who are starting the season out due to injury or suspension who come with premium discounts along with upside once they return. Jordan Addison, Rashee Rice, and even Joe Mixon. Many are fading Mixon, but if Stroud can bounce back Mixon will be a fortified fantasy running back. He did it in Cincy even when he wasn’t efficient. Touchdowns, receptions, and remarkable usage. There’s no one answer to how you construct your team. I was pinned with the first pick. A blessing and a curse.
If you would’ve told me prior to my first draft that I had no quarterbacks I wanted and no top end running backs, I would’ve told you my team was a bottom feeder. Now that I look at this team I liked the way it was constructed for the long haul. Instead of getting a QB to carry my fantasy squad I opted for a different strategy. A platoon. Week one starting Trevor Lawrence against the Panthers with Drake Maye and Fields behind him. What’s the common theme between these players? They all play bad teams for a multitude of weeks. Depending on the matchup the carousel rotates to choose who is the starter. Fields and Maye also have the rushing upside that can win a week even when they aren’t the most effective as passers.
Then there’s the running back position that I also sacrificed. Breece Hall ended up as my RB1 just because of the situation at hand. K9 and TreVeyon Henderson were both snatched before me so I had to pivot to the next top guy. Fields has struggled as a passer, the Jets offensive line should be a far better run blocking unit, and Hall is coming off his worst campaign by a landslide in 2024. He’s also fighting for a contract. Then there’s Tony Pollard at RB2 who easily could put up far more touchdowns than he did last year due to the fact this offense will put up more points than they did in 2024. Behind these two are a bunch of backups for insurance. Scooped up Jacory Croskey-Merritt who everyone is talking about at a premium price (pick 120) the day before Brian RObinson was officially a 49er. He could take over the lead role in Washington’s offense that will continue to be explosive given the team’s offseason. The last bit of insurance was Joe Mixon and Nick Chubb. A stronghold on the Texans running back room considering Houston is coming off an incredibly disappointing season on offense. Chubb easily could be cut in week 2, but it’s worth the experiment if he can score in Mixon’s absence.
The last piece of the puzzle were my receivers and tight end. I only had two tight ends worth their ADP being Bowers and Laporta. In this draft I snatched Laporta who should have a significant bounce back season considering Ben Johnson faded away from using him and that he was injured. The receiver position on my team is stacked since I was able to scoop up Terry Mclaurin, JSN, and Jamarr Chase with a multitude of flex depth pieces. Jordan Addison and Mooney who both can put up crazy flex numbers in favorable matchups. Although my running back and quarterback room is far from what I imagined it to be, I can live with the new strategy I’m deploying. Streaming QBs could really pay off or sting me badly.
That’s what drafting entails. Conflict and compromise. Unprojected reaches by your league mates that throw off your strategy. Most experienced drafters ignore rankings. At the end of the day you can still win when losing positions. There just has to be an approach behind the “lost positions.” There’s always a sacrifice in a 12 man league. That’s what makes it interesting. That’s why trades exist. They are a key component of fantasy football. Pouncing on impatience from a leaguemate to take the crown. That’s what fantasy football is. A little how well you know ball along with some luck. Rankings can easily cause panic. All the guys on your draft list falling off the board before you pick can easily get under the skin. Figure out who your guys are within tiers because there’s no way you’ll get your top tier players at each position.
Team for Reference:
Streaming QB’s (all from week divisions)
Trevor Lawrence (Waivers from Joe Mixon IR), Drake Maye (pick 144), Justin Fields (pick 97)
RB1: Breece Hall (pick 48)
RB2: Tony Pollard (pick 73)
Backup running backs:
Jacory Croskey-Merritt (Pick 120)
Nick Chubb (pick 145), Joe Mixon (IR) spot (pick 72)
WR1: Jamarr Chase (Pick 1)
WR2: Terry Mclaurin (Pick 24)
Backup Receivers:
Jordan Addison (pick 96)
Darnell Mooney (pick 121)
Flex: Jaxon Smith-Njigba (pick 25)
TE: Sam Laporta (pick 49)
