It was 23 years ago that Glenn Colton and I published the SMART System rules for fantasy football in the very first Rotoworld fantasy football magazine.  Rotoworld was the powerhouse of the fantasy sports content world.  

We published this system as a complement to the system we used to win back-to-back USA Today LABR baseball titles.  The system below was published as rules for us to play as fantasy sports partners so that we would not argue constantly.  It is also a system that allows people who have busy lives to remove the noise and focus on planning and executing at drafts instead of who the third WR on a particular team.

SMART is an acronym that refers to general principles to help you draft and WIN.  Remember, winning is more fun than losing!

 

System: Evaluating Offensive Schemes and Player Roles

This pertains to the offensive system that is used by the player’s NFL team. Each fantasy football player needs to ask some questions surrounding players.  What are the head coaches and offensive coordinators like? What is the offensive line like?  How does the talent on the team complement the player within that system? You need to factor this information into your drafting. 

For instance, in 2026, new Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel will boost the fantasy points for the offensive players.  He creates situations that all for a short passing attack and slot or TE quick passes will help Justin Herbert, Ladd McConkey, Oronde Gadsden and maybe even David Njoku who is an athletic pass catcher.  Omarion Hampton will get a deeper work load as the chains move more often and defenses try to protect the short passing game.

Management: Draft Strategy and Roster Building Rules

Manage your draft preparation and your team all season.

Here are some basic rules when drafting:

DO NOT DRAFT A QUARTERBACK EARLYYou will get good quarterback value later in the draft. Do not pass on quality running backs or wide receivers in favor of an early quarterback. 

In normal drafts, you need to watch the flow of when the quarterbacks are coming off the board, but generally that is 7th or 8th round and not 1st or 2nd.  We look for our quarterbacks in the 9th and 10th rounds where there is usually real value, especially in 2026.

SuperFlex drafts are very different, but having drafted three of them already, my strategy is to get a stud RB with pick number 1 and take a quarterback with your second and third round picks unless a huge running back talent falls.  In the first four rounds you must draft your two quarterbacks and two running backs to play SMART.

RUNNING BACKS RULE – Draft an elite running back in the first round. Do not reach for Trey McBride or any of the stud wide receivers.  The difference between Jonathan Taylor and Breece Hall is a lot different than Chris Olave and DeVonta Smith who is going in late third round in many of my drafts.  

Draft a full-time starting running back in the second round as well. 

In leagues with a Flex position that allow you to start three running backs per week, we always get three running backs in the first four rounds. Here are the finer points on this: 

(1) Finding productive wide receivers later in the draft is easier than finding an elite running back; 

(2) With the backfield sharing that exists today, there are so many less stable running backs you can count on week in and week out.  

(3) Simple math.  There are only thirteen bell cow running backs so if you get three, that means the rest of the teams in a 12-team league can have less than one a piece.  Play defense.  

(4) Simple math.  There are 2+ good wide receivers on almost every team meaning that there are 75-80 potential starters.  You will have plenty to pick from and will have at least one good one in your first four rounds.  There are ONE-EIGHTH as many running backs to count on at draft time.

TRACK COMPETITOR’S NEEDS – Make sure you keep up with all the teams' needs. For example, if you need both a quarterback and a tight end and notice that all the teams who pick before you pick again have their QB1, then wait on quarterback and take the tight end. Start the runs and do not end them.  

FOLLOW THE DRAFT WHILE NOT ON THE CLOCK – Watch the board for position runs and other opportunities. Most importantly, there is NO excuse for making a bad pick because your guy was picked one spot before you. Have a plan A, plan B and plan C for every pick.

 

In-Season Roster Management: Bye Weeks and Playoff Strategy

PAY ATTENTION TO BYE WEEKS – Grab your BYE week replacements a couple of weeks in advance to avoid overpaying in FAAB. Also, players on BYE in each week do not get picked up but can provide value for you. Your competitors will be shocked that player is no longer on the board in FAAB the next week.

PLAYOFF WEEKS – Look ahead and roster players with great matchups in your critical playoff weeks. This will pay off.

Age & Value: Finding Sleeper Candidates and Breakout Players

The older the player, the more likely they are to get hurt or suffer a steep decline in performance. For running backs, it is about talent, youth, and opportunity. For wide receivers, it often takes some time to learn a system and to get used to the NFL. So, we believe that second- & third-year wide receivers provide better value – especially when fantasy players think that player underperformed the year before.  For example, a couple of strong second-year wide receivers who will be undervalued will be Luther Burden, Emeka Egbuka, Tetairoa McMillan and Jayden Higgins.  You can get the first three players in rounds 4 and Higgins is a sleeper after Round 11.  

Reserves & Handcuffs: Protecting Your Roster Depth

Drafting a backup running back is protection for early draft round picks and a critical component of the SMART system.  It has been called hand cuffing, but we prefer not to use that term.  

In a typical fantasy football league, there are 12 fantasy teams with 16 NFL players on every roster. There are 32 NFL teams. Thus, you are guaranteed to have two starting quarterbacks, two starting running backs and two starting wide receivers. Assume you draft a quarterback, four running backs, four wide receivers, a tight end, one kicker and one defense to make up 12 of your 16 roster spots. That leaves you with four spaces. Think about using at least one of those four spots to back up your most vulnerable running back (provided he is in a good system and has a capable backup).  

For example, Kyren Williams should be backed up with Blake Corum since there is always a chance of injury with an offense that executes so many offensive plays and Corum had a 6.2 YPC in the last two months of last year.  

Talent Over Depth Chart: Targeting High-Upside Players

Football is more predictable than baseball. The players with talent often score most of the fantasy points. You should use a couple of roster spots on the best talented players irrespective of their current slot on the depth chart.  The Blake Corum is a good example here too.  He is going in the 7th round in most drafts.  You have three RBs and three WRs, you can take the best talent at RB available.

HAVE A SYSTEM

We do not preach that you must use the SMART system.  We preach that you must use A SYSTEM.  Have a plan.  There is so much information out there and so many people who are good at fantasy football.  If you are busy and cannot keep up with "that guy" in your league, then you must have an edge.  The SMART system can be that edge.  Try it on and if you do not like it, make your own, but please, have a plan. 

Key Takeaways and Draft Night Learnings

The SMART System is intentionally a conservative system, so we shy away from players that have been hurt and players how have had trouble off the field.  Here are some important learnings so far this year:

Running back by committee (RBBC) makes SMART system’s rule on running backs even more important.  When we look at the top ranked running backs there are 13 bell cow backs: Jahmyr Gibbs, Bijan Robinson, Christian McCaffrey, Jonathan Taylor, James Cook, Ashton Jeanty, De'Von Achane, Saquon Barkley, Kenneth Walker, Chase Brown, Omarion Hampton, Javonte Williams and David Montgomery.  Get as many of those 13 as possible.

  • The top 3 quarterbacks are going in the 3rd round with the next tier going in the 7th or 8th round.  Taking your quarterbacks in the 10th and 11th rounds gives you two good ones for best balls.  Take one in the 9th for regular leagues.
  • Depending on the scoring, Defenses and Kickers are your last picks with you working the waiver wire each week to cycle through those who will score the most.  Except for Brandon Aubrey who scores a ton.  I have been taking him in the 12th round.

Enjoy the games, have fun and draft SMART!