1st time fantasy football participant!

[Jonas_steven]

I am going to be drafting for a non-distinguished fantasy football league. It is for fun but I like to win. I am obviously a newb when it comes to fantasy football. Any pointers for a first timer?!?!

 

[MarkOU]

Don't blow your load on the QB pick. Draft QB 3rd round or later. Go after RBs and/or WRs first.

 

[tlance]

Like Mark said, RBs and WRs are where fantasy football is won and lost.

You might want to invest in a QB or TE during the first 4 rounds, (not necessary) but your bench should be loaded with RBs and WRs. Don't worry about back-ups for TE, K, D, or even QB. You can pick up bye week replacements off the free agent list when the time comes. It is always much harder to find quality WRs and RBs mid-season.

 

[Microwahevo]

Yep, the RB pool dries up quickly after the first few rounds. Get yours while u can or you'll be scrambling all year trying to make trades that will leave your roster feeling raped.

 

[Sam Sportboy]

Like Mark said, RBs and WRs are where fantasy football is won and lost.

You might want to invest in a QB or TE during the first 4 rounds, (not necessary) but your bench should be loaded with RBs and WRs. Don't worry about back-ups for TE, K, D, or even QB. You can pick up bye week replacements off the free agent list when the time comes. It is always much harder to find quality WRs and RBs mid-season.

Don't waste valuable bench spots on back TE,K or D. Personally I very rarely grab a back up QB.........with that said if you do get some type of crazy value and decide you absolutely have to grab another QB, make sure you look at the bye weeks! Seems like a no brainer but I have seen it done more than once.

 

[averagejoe]

Here are some draft tips from someone I know. Here's a few key ones to echo what's already been said:

1. Running backs are still key. The NFL is a “passing” league. Yet many Fantasy leagues will require two RB starters. Since fewer and fewer NFL teams rely on a sole running back to run the ball, this increases the Fantasy value of these backs. There is a steep drop off in Fantasy production once you get past the Top 20 RB. Plus other positions such as WR and QB are deeper for 2013 which may allow you to wait.
2. Defenses are overrated. Generally there is only about a 40-point difference between the top defense and 12th-ranked defense. Top defenses fluctuate from year to year. And even though the 2012 Bears D/ST scored more than 200 Fantasy points which is rare, it should be noted that even they were not the first defense drafted last August.
3. Don’t stockpile players from bad teams. Since many poor teams find themselves behind in games, they tend to throw more. This may make some WR’s seem more attractive. But these WR may not score as many TD.
4. Research more than the top 10 or 20 players in each position. The depth of your team may be what puts you over the top if you know how the not-so-elite players will be used. Even in smaller 10-team leagues, there may be 40 RB and 50 WR drafted. The more you educate yourself on these players, the better your team.
5. Don’t draft too many sleeper picks early. Some tend to compromise the pre-draft hype surrounding a player as if he's already accomplished a certain pinnacle in the NFL. You don't want a large chunk of your roster filled with unproven players.

You might make some mistakes and you'll come to realize them as the season goes on. Learn from them.

Hope this helps. And above all - have fun.

 

[SmokingMonkey]

this year - Id advise to go 3 RBs and 2 WRs within your first 6 picks, with a QB or TE being your round 5 or 6 pick. Not always good to pigeon hole which positions to go after, so I wont say you 'HAVE' to go RB 1st or anything, but if you make 2 out of your first 4 picks RBs, and 1 more RB out of your next 2 picks, that should give you a good starting foundation.

Remember - even the best experts in the world get picks wrong and have high hopes for players that never come to fruition. So if you really want a certain player or really like a certain guy, get him. Sometimes it works out great, other times not so much.

 

[wilwhite]

On an even more basic level, fantasy football is usually played in 10- or 12-team leagues, while the real NFL is 32. The fact that a guy looks pretty valuable in real football (say DWill in Carolina right now) doesn't necessarily mean much in fantasy football.

To win, you have to have an advantage in at least a few positions on your team, with few glaring weaknesses. For your first RB, for example, an advantage would be having one of the top 6 RBs in the league, fantasy-wise (look at last year's fantasy stats to get an idea). A glaring weakness would be if you don't have a top-12 RB on your roster at all. Same with WR1.

Check ADP (average draft position) to see where guys are typically going in a league like yours, so you don't grab players way too early or wait too late.

The draft is only the beginning. Pay attention, use add/drops, try to trade. (Note about trading: the person receiving the best player almost always "wins" the trade.)

And one of the most important: read your league rules.

 

[fordman84]

For your first league, avoid if you can leagues that actually draft defensive players. They are hard to find typically, but would be overwhelming for a first timer.

 

[Sam Sportboy]

And one of the most important: read your league rules.

Yes, read the rules!

 

[Xponentialchaos]

Do a few mock drafts to get an idea of what you're doing. They are constantly available on ESPN and other websites.

 

[Jonas_steven]

Thank you for the feedback, gentlemen!

 

[Kold]

ahhh, GEAUX TIGERS! Back to fantasy.....MOCK DRAFT, MOCK DRAFT, MOCK DRAFT. You absolutely NEED to spend your time doing these to get a strategy going. I like to do my mocks from the last spot so that I'm prepared for the worst. You do enough of these and you WILL have a general idea on what you'd like to do for the real draft. Now, when you find out your draft spot, you do a few mocks at that spot to set your final strategy. Now as for tips, the safe route to go is RB,RB because they go FAST. You can find a Kaepernick or Stafford somewhere around the 4th round and still have a REALLY good fantasy option at QB. Jimmy Graham may be the only GRADE A TE with Gronk down, but DON'T reach for him. I see people saying they'd take him in the 2nd and that is FLAT OUT RIDICULOUS(and I'm a Saints fan). Pay attention to your bye weeks. WATCH the preseason and find you a nice site(I recommend rotoworld) where they breakdown most of the performances. You find SLEEPERS by doing this(it's how I found Kenbrell Thompkins). Don't draft or pass on players with your heart. I'm a Saints fan and I hate the Falcons and the rest of the NFC south for that matter....but I'm not reaching for a Saint just because, and I'm not passing on guys like Julio Jones, Vincent Jackson, etc. just because I don't won't to root for them. You take the best player available and deal with the consequences of the situation later. GOOD LUCK!

 

[Kold]

oh and PLEASE don't be that guy that picks a kicker before the last round. Prime example, Gregg Zuerlein of the Rams is an absolute animal and he isn't even in the top 10-12 or so kickers on most draft boards.

 

[TREFF]

First off..mocks are a joke unless you do about 100+ of them. A huge sample size is needed to weed out all the ones where someone is in there just to screw around.

But more importantly..and it shocks me that no one has mentioned this yet..
Try and have a good time with this. Don't over think every single roster move and starting lineup decision. Go with your gut on virtually everything, and hope for the best. When deciding between two players that are for purposes equal, take the one you'd enjoy cheering for.
There's something to be said for "winning is more fun", but if winning is all there is, you'll really hate this hobby win you lose (and you will, we all do).
Take this year to get your feet wet, try and enjoy it as much as possible, and just go with the flow..picking up as much as you can along the way.

It's fun damnit!!