The fantasy football season is upon us and that means it is time to prep for your fantasy draft. There are plenty of strategies out there when it comes to preparing for your draft but the one thing everybody always knows to look at is the ADP rankings of players. What is equally as important however is not just knowing the ADP of players but also knowing where those players fit into their positional tiers. Understanding positional tiers will help you not only find some value but also prevent you from potentially reaching too early for a player or waiting too long for a position and find yourself stuck with underwhelming players.

Knowing the Tiers

Placing players into tiers is really up to the person making the rankings. You try and group players together based off your projections and how likely you think they are to finish the season within range of one another. The easy way to set this up is based off of ADP but using your own player evaluations will help create a clearer picture for you come draft day. You may be higher on one player than another and therefore move those players up and down your tiers and this may allow you to find some additional value while drafting.

Utilizing Tiers and ADP While Drafting

Having all the data is useless if you do not have a strategy on how to apply the information properly. A lot of times we find ourselves reaching for players because we are not recognizing the draft trends, or we get caught reaching for a player because we feel like we are going to miss out on certain players or positions. Having a proper ranking and tier guide with you can help minimize those mistakes. Being able to visualize how quickly players are going from certain tiers can allow you to possible alter your draft strategy or take advantage of a lesser prepared player. For example, most drafts are always going to be running back heavy, especially in 2020 given the time share situation many find themselves in. While it is definitely a good strategy to find yourself a back within the first few rounds, the fact that there will be a rush for running backs will often times leave tier one wide receivers’ available to draft. You may find that come round two or three that your running back list is now into tier three while the wide receiver list is still in tier one or tier two and you can snag those quality players while your opponent’s draft lesser talent. The key here is knowing how to value players and being willing to switch a draft strategy based off the draft board.

Knowing When to Reach

We have all been here, it’s your pick and there is a player you really want but if you don’t pick him know you will have to wait a full round and if you are at the beginning or end of a draft what will seem like forever for you shot to take this player again. The question here is how early is too early? I personally live and draft with the motto of “Who you want, when you want” but having your ADP rankings and players broken down into tiers will give you a better idea of whether or not it really makes sense to take that sleeper you like now because you aren’t 100% sure he will be there later while passing up on players in higher tiers with more proven production. Position scarcity often comes into play here and never more than this season in my opinion with the running back position. If you find yourself debating between players at different positions being able to look at your tier rankings will give you a clearer picture of how which selection you should make.

Practice Makes Perfect

I end every strategy article with this philosophy and that is to practice. There are so many sites out there today with mock drafts and many experts that hold mock drafts as well. The best way to be prepared for your draft is to practice your draft strategy. Get an idea of how players fit into tiers, how the public perceives certain players and it also allows you to try out different strategies of your own. Mock drafting is the most important tool a fantasy player can utilize to prepare for the draft because nothing on paper can prepare you for the guy you wanted being taken two picks before and then your back-up play getting taken next. Have a play, mock it out and be prepared