The final fantasy drafts are tonight -- though I suppose leagues in China, Australia, etc. can safely draft Thursday night while most of us are sleeping, dreaming of seven Jalen Hurts rushing touchdowns or (for a few of you) a 9-170-3 receiving line for TE Jake Ferguson.
As with every year, I'm enjoying being a fly on the wall at your drafts and seeing how it all worked out in the end. I've noticed that after the first few rounds, things get a little dicey for some of you. Do you take a third WR in the fifth or lock in a seemingly much-needed RB? If Joe Burrow falls into our lap in the fourth, do we abandon a "zero-QB" strategy and take a potentially elite one early?
My best advice is to set up a bunch of "if . . . then" scenarios to make things a little easier when you're on the clock. Doesn't mean you have to follow these scenarios. But they're fallback options if you're stuck.
For example, at a recent mock draft I discussed on the podcast, I took Lamar Jackson at pick #23. Probably won't do that in my real draft. But it's also a reminder that I need at least an outline of a strategy if confronted with a similar situation when the picks actually count. So "if . . . then" means if I take an elite QB in round 2, then I'm definitely fading TE until really late, because otherwise I won't get some of the RBs/WRs I most want.
"If . . . then" might also relate to specific players. I want Breece Hall ahead of his overall-37 ADP. If he somehow goes really early, then Jaxon Smith-Njigba (overall-33) will be my prime target. And if JSN's gone, then . . . I don't know yet. Marvin Harrison Jr. is much further down in ADP, though I value him about the same. Do I reach for him in the third or take a near-elite QB or starting RB and then hope MHJ's in the fourth.
My goal is to answer a bunch of these questions before tonight. I want "if . . . then" scenarios loosely mapped out for the first 7-9 rounds. After that, I can shift to my normal high-ceiling-handcuff-RB strategy, mixed in with opportunistic picks elsewhere.
If you've gotten stuck in a draft this summer, shout it out. What were you stuck on, and what did you end up deciding?
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