Home League Draft Strategy And Analysis
The evolution of fantasy football within the past 10 years has been incredible. With Devy leagues, dynasty, best ball and DFS storming the scene, the “traditional” redraft league has kind of been forgotten about. But like most of you, I got my start in a standard scoring 10-man league.
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Knowing your home league Before You Draft
While some managers prefer to play in public fantasy leagues for cash, others prefer to play in private leagues where they know most of the other players. After all, nothing compares to playing in a league with bragging rights against your closest friends, co-workers and family members. There is something special about going up against your brother in week 9 with a 20-push-up side bet on the line. I decided this year for fun I wanted to go through my picks round by round and my thought process as I’m making them. One of my main home league is an eight-man (yes eight) PPR draft. This year we added a few flex spots and bench positions along with 2 IR spots. Starting rosters have 1 QB, 2RB, 2WR, 1TE, 3 Flex, 1 Def and 1 K.
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Draft Day
This is our first year in full PPR format so it was interesting to see if any league members would change their strategy as the draft went along. I drafted out of the eight slot this year which wasn’t ideal knowing who would be available at the turn but I’m not one to lack confidence no matter what position I’m drafting in. We went 18 rounds using the Sleeper App and Zoom, which was nice for anyone who wants to keep up the trash talk while drafting online. Here is how it went.
Early Rounds
1.08- Clyde Edwards Helaire, RB
The usual suspects were taken ahead of me and I actually thought CEH would be taken the pick before. Given his ceiling and knowing my league I knew I had to take an RB early despite being a player I would normally take five to six picks later.
2.01- Austin Ekeler, RB
After taking an RB in the first round, I considered taking Julio or Tyreek here for balance, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity for another high tier PPR RB. Ekeler will be the man in Los Angeles so I was comfortable taking him as my 2nd RB behind CEH. My concern was the turn coming back on round three and who would still be available as viable pass catching options.
3.08- Lamar Jackson, QB
This was strictly a defensive pick. I took Lamar sooner than I would have liked to keep him out of the hands of someone else in my league. Our league is notorious for taking QB’s early, so I had to make a leap. I didn’t necessarily like the options at RB and I’m pretty confident in my ability to pick up mid round WR’s. I was looking to get Chris Godwin here, but he was taken the pick before me. I’m a firm believer in knowing your league tendencies and this was a classic case of playing defense.
Mid Rounds
4.01- Kenny Golladay, WR
I didn’t necessarily love this pick, but I wanted to take a WR. I like Golladay’s potential, I just think he can be inconsistent at times. Adam Thielen, Keenan Allen and Amari Cooper were also available at this pick. I am a Thielen truther this year, but I wanted to mix it up as I don’t have much stock in Golladay this year.
5.08- Calvin Ridley, WR
At this point my league started to branch. More sporadic, more chaos. I still had my game plan together which was to stock pile value and not worry about each position. Calvin Ridley is great value here and will have a breakout season in Atlanta.
6.01- Jonathan Taylor, RB
I thought about taking AJ Brown or Robert Woods here for more WR insurance. However, once I looked at the RB talent drop off, I figured I would get in one more high ceiling PPR back. I’m interested to see how Taylor fits into the Indianapolis Colts offense this year. If he gets a consistent share, he could pay off as a 6th round pick.
7.08- Tyler Lockett, WR
I was actually surprised to see Lockett still available here. DK Metcalf was taken nine picks earlier which was shocking. A few years back when half our league was Seahawks fans, Lockett wouldn’t have made it past the 3rd round. Lockett has been overlooked because he doesn’t have the flash of Metcalf but when it comes to production, expect Russell Wilson to target Lockett more this season.
Mid to late rounds
8.01- Terry McLaurin, WR
Knowing that we were having three flex spots this year I kept taking the best player available. As I mentioned earlier, I wanted to go RB heavy early, knowing all of this WR talent would still be available in the later rounds. Terry McLaurin is the best playmaker on the Washington football team that will trail a lot this season. I’m hoping that will lead to a lot of garbage time points and points through the air as the 2nd year receiver looks to top a great rookie season.
9.08- Tyler Boyd, WR
At this point I don’t even think I was looking at any other position to be honest. I was like a kid in a candy store. Tyler Boyd could have yet another 1,000-yard season even with the return of AJ Green. Michael Gallup was taken the pick before me which hurt.
Late Rounds
10.01- Kareem Hunt, RB
After going wide receiver crazy I decided to take another RB. Taking Hunt here was based solely on the fact that he will have some pass caching value in the Kevin Stefanski offense. The Browns will run the ball a lot and Chubb won’t get the whole share of the pie. Hunt has a lot of upside and didn’t cost a lot to acquire.
11.08- Evan Engram, TE
Well into the double-digit rounds of the draft I finally took a tight end. Not my favorite position this year so I wanted to hold out as long as possible. Darren Waller was taken the pick before me and he was also on my radar. For some reason, my league has never been tight end crazy. I think the lack of depth scared some from taking an unknown guy early in the draft. Getting Engram here was a surprise. If he can stay healthy, I feel he can be a big contributor to the Giants offense.
12.01- Kyler Murray, QB
We are on a league zoom call as the draft is going on and I kept wondering why no one was taking Kyler Murray. His ADP is in the top 6 at worst for QB’s and I was able to get him as the 9th QB off the board. He was taken behind guys like Tom Brady, Baker Mayfield and Aaron Rodgers. Home leagues get wild in the later rounds! Depending on how they both play I may trade Kyler or Lamar Jackson later in the season for more top tier talent. TBD.
Late late rounds
13.08- Zack Moss, RB
This was one of my favorite picks of the draft. Whether Moss is the starter or splits shares with Devin Singletary I was happy to get him here. As the year goes on, I can see him working himself into a starting role in Buffalo. Antonio Gibson was also taken in the 13th round as well and I had my eyes on him as another ceiling guy. Side note- I had just finished my 2nd alcoholic beverage at this point and was ready to make some risk/reward picks.
14.01- Hunter Henry, TE
I have Henry and Engram right around the same ranking (TE7, TE8.) I thought it would be good to pair them together and interchange them in my line up throughout the season. A lot of Chargers players ADP has dropped because of the Phillip Rivers departure. Tyrod Taylor will still get the playmakers the ball despite being labeled a run first QB.
The fun rounds
15.08- Diontae Johnson, WR
The Steelers are still the Steelers and they will throw the ball a lot. Diontae Johnson has looked impressive in camp so far and should be the clear cut WR#2 for the Steelers. Getting the 2nd best WR on any team in the 15th round should count as a victory.
16.01- Marvin Jones Jr., WR
My last skill position pick of the draft and there were still so many players left on the board being that it is an 8-team league. I took Jones even though I don’t like him because he looked like the best player available. After I made the pick, I realized I also took Kenny Golladay earlier in the draft.
Picks 17 and 18- Defense and Kicker
Not much to say here. It is a home league, so the first defense was taken in like the 11th round and the first kicker was taken a few rounds later. I just take whoever is available. I modified the scoring for kickers and defenses a few years back as I don’t want them to have an impact on the game. It is what it is, and I advocate to get rid of them every year.
Breakdown
Overall, I thought it was a really good draft. I drafted for balance and value in the early rounds and stayed with my strategy. I’m sure trade offers are already being sent out. Like I mentioned earlier I have two of the top six QB’s but for some reason no one was a fan of Kyler at his ADP. If Lamar Jackson has a good September, I may look to move him at a high price and ride with Murray the rest of the year.
Final Thoughts
Home league drafts are my favorite. Especially if you get to see those people and interact with them in your daily lives. It’s never about the money, it’s always about bragging rights. The league I’m currently in has been around 8-10 years. Most of them I would consider to be slightly above average fantasy players. The funny part is seeing Packers fans consistently take Packers two rounds ahead of their ADP. Steelers fans taking the Steelers tight end (even if they don’t know him) and taking the Steelers defense year after year. While this article hardly has any hard data, it was written to show that strategies can change. You have to make last minute decisions and sometimes just go with the flow and be flexible.
One last thing, don’t be the guy in your league that talks about his league to other leagues. No one cares.
