2021 Fantasy Draft Cheat Sheet
Yards Per Fantasy has a lot of tools to help you work out who to draft, but if you’re still new to the game or just need someone to tell you what to do on draft day, here is your cheat sheet!
Go grab the Yards Per Fantasy Pre-Season Rankings to use alongside this guide
→ADP Analysis
Single QB league
- Christian McCaffrey should be the first pick regardless of scoring, then Dalvin Cook
- If you’re drafting in the first half of Round 1, take a Running Back
- If you’re drafting in the second half of Round 1, take the best player available (Running Back, Wide Receiver or Tight End) – use the Yards Per Fantasy Pre-Season Rankings to help.
If it’s a non-PPR league, make this a Running Back too - Earliest you should draft Tight Ends:
- Kelce = second-half of Round 1
- Waller = second-half of Round 2
- Kittle = first-half of Round 3
- Andrews, Hockenson, Pitts = Round 5
- Goedert, Thomas, Higbee, Fant = Round 8
- Trautman = Round 10
- Everyone else = Round 11+
- Earliest you should draft Quarterbacks:
- Mahomes = Round 4
- Allen, Murray, Jackson = Round 5
- Wilson, Prescott = Round 6
- Rodgers, Hurts, Herbert, Brady = Round 7/8
- Stafford, Tannehill = Round 9
- If you draft a Quarterback or Tight End in the first 5 rounds, don’t draft the other one until at least round 15, if at all
- Don’t worry about filling your starting roster before your flex and bench spots
- If you draft one of the first 6 Tight Ends, no need to draft another
- If you don’t draft one of the first 6 Tight Ends, draft 2
- If you draft one of the first 14 Quarterbacks, no need to draft another
- If you don’t draft one of the first 14 Quarterbacks, draft 2
- PPR leagues = aim to have Wide Receivers in flex spots and more Wide Receivers on your bench
- Non-PPR leagues = aim to have Running Backs in flex spots and more Running Backs on your bench
- Don’t worry about ‘handcuffing’ your starters by drafting their backups
- When you have passed pick 60 look for ‘upside’ players (who have a chance to be a significant contributor to their team) over ‘safe’ players (who contribute consistently low production)
- Kickers = Your last pick
- Defense = Your last pick (unless you have Kickers, then make it your second-to-last pick)
- If you have the very last pick of the draft, you can take Kicker/Defense one round earlier
Superflex or 2 QB League
- Christian McCaffrey and Patrick Mahomes should both be taken in the first 3 picks
- Make sure you have at least 1 Quarterback by the end of Round 2
- Earliest you should draft Tight Ends:
- Kelce = Mid-Round 2
- Waller = Round 3
- Kittle = Round 4
- Andrews, Hockenson, Pitts = Round 6
- Goedert, Thomas, Higbee, Fant = Round 8
- Trautman = Round 12
- Everyone else = Round 12+
- Make sure you have 2 Quarterbacks by the end of Round 5
- You should leave your draft with 3 Quarterbacks in total
- If you draft one of the first 6 Tight Ends, no need to draft another
- If you don’t draft one of the first 6 Tight Ends, draft 2
- PPR leagues = aim to have Wide Receivers in flex spots and more Wide Receivers on your bench
- Non-PPR leagues = aim to have Running Backs in flex spots and more Running Backs on your bench
- Don’t worry about ‘handcuffing’ your starters by drafting their backups
- When you have passed pick 75 look for ‘upside’ players (who have a chance to be a significant contributor to their team) over ‘safe’ players (who contribute consistently low production)
- Kickers = Your last pick
- Defense = Your last pick (unless you have Kickers, then make it your second-to-last pick)
- If you have the very last pick of the draft, you can take Kicker/Defense one round earlier
If you have any specific questions ahead of your draft or you need advice on your league settings, come and join the conversation on the Yards Per Fantasy Discord or use our Ask The Expert feature any time
