Drafting with a plan (give me your thoughts)

J

Jvirtue55

New Member
I’m a big believer in having a plan of what position to pick at every draft pick. I usually chart it out for the entire draft. Before I go into what my order is and your thoughts about them. My league has been around since the 80s when the leagues were done with newspapers. So you really need to work to get performance. QBs need 250 total yards to get 3 points and get 3 more for every 50 over, RB and WR need a 100 total yards for 3 points and get 3 more for every 50 over that. Tight ends are funny because our league for some reason loves them they start at 50 and get 3 points for every 25. A couple of us were tired of all the zeros in our scores so we now get points for receptions 1 pt for every 3 Recs. Our Touchdowns are same for all players 5 points for TDs 39 and shorter and 10 points for TDs 40 and longer. So I know the Scoring is a little odd.
So here is how I usually Draft I don’t think you should draft the best player always you need to draft what your team needs if you got RBS in 1 and 2 then I won’t take them in 3 or 4
1st RB
2nd RB
3rd WR
4th WR
5th RB/WR/TE
6th TE/RB/WR
7th WR/RB
8th Def I know this is high but with so many players getting Zeros Ds are really important
9th QB
10th QB
11th RB/WR
12th WR/RB
13th Kicker
14th Kicker
15th TE
16th Defense
17th Coach
18th Coach
So what do you guys think about my plan where is it flawed and I will explain each part if you want to know what I’m thinking
 
ExperiencedRookie

ExperiencedRookie

Well-Known Member
Im not going to venture to tell you how you should draft in your league, especially since the scoring is so jacked. I couldn't possibly argue any points with you.

As far as going in with a plan, I think that's a BAD idea.

Every draft is alive, it's a has a life force all it's own.

Every owner who makes a selection is like another breathe that the draft takes. It changes, like a boy turning into a man.

You must have players that you like a lot, and understand the value that every player has. As you breathe insync with the draft, you'll understand where you are best served to make a selection.

If you can find high value with 75% of your picks while serving the needs of your team, you place yourself in position for victory.

Don't make a battle plan for your draft. Make love to your draft.
 
Orgazmo

Orgazmo

Well-Known Member
Well I don't sleep with my draft like ER, but I'll agree it's a fluid situation and sticking to a rigid plan might hurt more than it helps.

Determine your scoring and lineup requirements and simply select the best available player at your spot - at least for the first five or six rounds and then use the rest of your draft to fill out your positions. And like you, I was dead set on a defense like Minny or San Diego last year right about where you have them pegged. That worked out pretty lousy for me, so I personally won't be taking that approach this year.

It sounds like you've been playing as long as I have so I'm sure you'll have a competitive team whatever route you choose.
 
C

Cooley Cadets

Banned
I have used mocks and rankings in the past to sort of road map where I thought I would be able to go in the draft and plot out the positions like you listed but I never felt obligated to follow it but would instead use it as a guide so I don't pay to much/little attention to any position.

If a player dropped into my lap that I thought would have been gone but was not at the position slotted I would make adjustments on the fly as long as doing so did not make my roster unusually heavy at a given position.
 
ExperiencedRookie

ExperiencedRookie

Well-Known Member
Cooley Cadets said:
If a player dropped into my lap that I thought would have been gone but was not at the position slotted I would make adjustments on the fly as long as doing so did not make my roster unusually heavy at a given position.
Click to expand...

Now there's a man who is making love. He heard his draft give a soft moan when he touched it a certain way and he ran with it!!:hitit2:
 
J

Jvirtue55

New Member
See when ever I have gone into a draft without a plan I have my worst records, What do you guys think of trying to get 2 2nd tier Qbs back to back?
 
Phicinfan

Phicinfan

Expert on nothing, opinionated on everything
Administrator
Jvirtue55 said:
I’m a big believer in having a plan of what position to pick at every draft pick. I usually chart it out for the entire draft. Before I go into what my order is and your thoughts about them. My league has been around since the 80s when the leagues were done with newspapers. So you really need to work to get performance. QBs need 250 total yards to get 3 points and get 3 more for every 50 over, RB and WR need a 100 total yards for 3 points and get 3 more for every 50 over that. Tight ends are funny because our league for some reason loves them they start at 50 and get 3 points for every 25. A couple of us were tired of all the zeros in our scores so we now get points for receptions 1 pt for every 3 Recs. Our Touchdowns are same for all players 5 points for TDs 39 and shorter and 10 points for TDs 40 and longer. So I know the Scoring is a little odd.
So here is how I usually Draft I don’t think you should draft the best player always you need to draft what your team needs if you got RBS in 1 and 2 then I won’t take them in 3 or 4
1st RB
2nd RB
3rd WR
4th WR
5th RB/WR/TE
6th TE/RB/WR
7th WR/RB
8th Def I know this is high but with so many players getting Zeros Ds are really important
9th QB
10th QB
11th RB/WR
12th WR/RB
13th Kicker
14th Kicker
15th TE
16th Defense
17th Coach
18th Coach
So what do you guys think about my plan where is it flawed and I will explain each part if you want to know what I’m thinking
Click to expand...
No offense, but you are EXACTLY the type of player I love to draft against. Rather than watch and react to the flow of the draft...you force your plan, which may and usually does force you to take a player too soon, or a bad fit.

Yes, I have a list of certain players i want. I also have a certain value attached to those players. I would love to start with LT2, Westbrook and Fitzgerald as my first three picks. But you know what...that isn't going to happen.

I like to work the draft, and force things. If the first 6-7 picks are Rbs...then I am thrilled, cause I am getting two top WRs. If Rbs and Wrs are picked...I get the Rb or Wr or both I value at that spot. I have found there are many like you who feel you HAVE to have a certain position by a certain time. That is fine.

Give me Fitz, Wayne, DeWill, Witten and either another Rb or top Qb...and that team will win just as many if not more than the two or three Rbs you forced early.

Again, not dogging you per sey. Just saying that you have to be flexible to go with what the draft gives you. Don't panic of Rbs drop like flies the first two rounds.....you are fine. Most NFL teams have two backs, and they all pretty much contribute. Assuming there are at least 40 or so viable Rbs that will be solid...you got time. Take your top Wrs...or Wr and TE if you are in PPR and do just as well.
 
C

Cooley Cadets

Banned
Jvirtue55 said:
See when ever I have gone into a draft without a plan I have my worst records, What do you guys think of trying to get 2 2nd tier Qbs back to back?
Click to expand...

Depends on how far in (what positions are covered) and who is available. Where you have them listed you have the RB/WR depth and TE to let you do it without it becoming a blatant concern but again I would not tie myself to it if better value is available elsewhere.
 
Orgazmo

Orgazmo

Well-Known Member
Jvirtue55 said:
What do you guys think of trying to get 2 2nd tier Qbs back to back?
Click to expand...

I've done that with mixed results.

I'm partial to the undervalued QB around round 5 or 6. Carson Palmer and Big Ben are liable to be there for me. Maybe McNabb yet again, but people are conscious to the Eagles offensive draft.
 
ExperiencedRookie

ExperiencedRookie

Well-Known Member
Jvirtue55 said:
See when ever I have gone into a draft without a plan I have my worst records, What do you guys think of trying to get 2 2nd tier Qbs back to back?
Click to expand...

This year is really grabs my interest. I've seen some damn good QBs available at the end of the 6th rd - beginning of the 7th.

If I have 2 RBs, 2 WRs, and 1 TE in the 1st 5 picks I would LOVE to go QB-QB. Especially if I can get a combo of McNabb, Schaub, or Matt Ryan.
 
Fire

Fire

in the hole
Coachnorm and Da Bomb have written some great articles on this very subject. I will try to look them up and post a link here.

In the meantime, I suggest that you participate in many mock drafts before your real one. This gives you a very good idea of where players are likely to be taken. If you can find out your draft position well ahead of time then you can concentrate your mocks from that spot. This helps greatly if you are targeting a certain player that you believe will outperform their ADP (average draft position).
 
Fire

Fire

in the hole
Last edited by a moderator:
J

Jvirtue55

New Member
Phicinfan said:
No offense, but you are EXACTLY the type of player I love to draft against. Rather than watch and react to the flow of the draft...you force your plan, which may and usually does force you to take a player too soon, or a bad fit.
Click to expand...

I have broken suite before if guys like my top tier WR are there and nothing but tier 3 Rbs are sitting around
 
WesDawg

WesDawg

'Burghapologist
I'm really sure the days of RB-RB are pretty much over. All the commitees nowadays basically ensure we'll probably never see another 2400 total yard guy.

Last year was a prime example. If you were picking late in the first and went traditional, you're looking at something like Marion Barber and Brandon Jacobs, for instance. Now you're waiting almost 2 full rounds to start on your other positions. In that time, all the tier 1 WR's would have probably been off the board. Unless you nailed one of the stud rookie RB's or Turner/Deangelo Williams in the middle rounds, you're fighting an uphil battle with a mediocre team.

On my main team last year, I had the 3rd overall pick in a 12-teamer. I took Tom Brady at 1.3, Fitz at 2.22, and Colston at 3.27 with my first 3 picks. By the time it was all said and done, I wound up with a nice rotational RB corps of Reggie Bush, Willie Parker, and Jamal Lewis.
Now obviously hindsight is 20/20, and I still salvaged a 4th place finish after getting smacked around with injuries, but considering I didn't get any fortunate sleepers aside from Eddie Royal, I could argue that it was my best managing ever in my fantasy football career.
Had everything broke right and my team stayed intact, I felt like I would've won the league with my draft.
To make a long story less long, last year, the only strategy I had was that if I had a chance at Brady when my first pick came around, I was getting him. After that, I got the highest value I could with each pick, regardless of position. Thorough preparation told me that I could get a good stable of RB's in the 4th-7th rounds, but WR's simply wouldn't be around then.
Basically, if you get 1500 yards and 13 TD's on your team, does it really matter if it's a RB or WR who accrues those stats?

On a final note, please take 5 minutes to review your league's scoring system before you draft. If your league counts all TD's the same, you better get a stud QB early (hence my Brady pick), and of course, if you get extra points for receptions, you need a top-tier receiver before you get a 2nd RB, at least in my opinion. The elite TE's are also highly valuable in PPR leagues.
 
bobbeaux

bobbeaux

Member
Cooley Cadets said:
I have used mocks and rankings in the past to sort of road map where I thought I would be able to go in the draft and plot out the positions like you listed but I never felt obligated to follow it but would instead use it as a guide so I don't pay to much/little attention to any position.

If a player dropped into my lap that I thought would have been gone but was not at the position slotted I would make adjustments on the fly as long as doing so did not make my roster unusually heavy at a given position.
Click to expand...

this is kinda the approach i take especially in leagues that allow you to preset your draft rankings, like yahoo . . . but, as has been mentioned, you need to be flexible throughout the draft because each pick really does change the outcome of the rest of the draft . . . another thing that dramatically changes the positions that i draft and when is what pick in each round i end up with . . . for example, having the 1st pick or the 12th pick and the turn makes a huge difference in what's available and what strategy you take . . . all in all though, i think a plan is a very good idea as long as you allow yourself to be flexible . . . ;)

as far as 2 - 2nd tier qb's back to back, i do that quite often or at least within a couple picks . . . again, you have to be flexible and watch your team needs, but i find my team is usually stronger if i can get at least 2 rb's & 2 wr's before i draft a qb . . . and then, after waiting for the 2nd tier of qb's, it's not a bad idea to draft a backup sooner rather than later that you could possibly platoon with during the season based on matchups and/or which qb is meeting or surpassing expectations . . . ;)
 
Deacon

Deacon

Bacon=greatest of all!
I too believe in having a flexible plan. I prefer to pick a RB in my first 2 rds but if I draft early (say picks 1.01 - 1.04) then there may be a chance that all the top RBs are gone.

If I am sitting there and my best RB choice is say Ryan Grant, and I still have a chance to get a top WR like Wayne, Steve Smith, Jennings, etc then I will pick that WR and try for Grant in the next rd.

My strategy is wired but not hard wired. The only thing I refuse to do is pick a TE before the 10th rd and a kicker before the last rd. I really don't see the advantage of taking a defense before 10th either.
 
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