An Expert's Cheat Sheet to Dominating Yahoo! Fantasy Drafts
August is the meat and potatoes of fantasy football draft season and each site has its own special qualities. There are a couple things that remain true for all fantasy leagues:
- Know your league
- Know your scoring format
- Site ADP should not prevent you from getting ‘your guy’
- Use 4for4 for everything draft-related
No two drafts are the same and even your home leagues that have been running for a decade have plot twists. Growing up a Chicago Bears fan, I assumed Bears players would never make it to my team based on my strategy and preferences. It has paid off more often than not and is one of those things you have to account for in your upcoming draft(s).
More Cheat Sheets: ESPN | NFL.com | CBS
Drafting successfully is not just pouring over stats and articles.
Let’s focus on Yahoo! Their platform asks that you start one QB, two RBs, two WRs, one TE, one K, and one D/ST. Yahoo! is a half-point PPR format. If you have never done half or full-point PPR, it applies to all positions equally. Players with more receptions get more points, so adjust accordingly.
The following are tips for your Yahoo! Draft. Not all site ADPs are created equally so here is a rundown of ways to help you crush your draft. One final important note: the following does not guarantee that you win your league. It does help you adjust to values and trends seen on the Yahoo! platform as of August 12, 2021.
What this article includes:
- Running Backs: Top Options Are Tantalizing But Do Not Miss Values After Round 1
- There is No Early Quarterback Value, Only Zuul
- Wide Receiver: It is Okay to Skip the Top Tier Because Elite Talent is Slipping in Drafts
- Draft a Top Tier Tight End or Put a Pin in the Position
- A 16-round draft cheat sheet that includes information from 4for4’s ADP Bargains tool and players I am planting my flag on.
Running Backs: Top Options Are Tantalizing But Do Not Miss Values After Round 1
Running backs do not matter, or do they? That is for you to decide but the way drafts are playing out on Yahoo!, there are values as early as Austin Ekeler. The RB6 and 9th overall player using 4for4’s rankings, Ekeler is being drafted in the second round. Remember this is a half-point PPR format and Ekeler’s talents extend to pass catching.
The other gray area that is providing value is offenses with unknown touch distributions. One of the bigger unknowns is the Detroit Lions backfield. New offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn could deploy a two-running back system like he did as head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers. He could also ride one back. D’Andre Swift may be the better talent, but Jamaal Williams was brought in by the new Lions regime.
There are numerous situations like Detroit’s and deciphering who the “RB2” is a way to get upside at a much better ADP.
There is No Early Quarterback Value, Only Zuul
Streaming is an ideal option in one-QB leagues and Yahoo! ADP further accentuates that. Drafting a QB with rushing upside is the only reason to “reach” at the position. Only two rushing quarterbacks – Jalen Hurts and Ryan Tannehill – does not require reaching one round ahead of Yahoo! ADP.
Waiting at the position and getting rushing prowess is plausible in the double-digit rounds. Trevor Lawrence, Taysom Hill, and Tua Tagovailoa are among the rushing-upside signal callers available in double-digit rounds. And if John Paulsen likes you as an option in fantasy football, I am very interested.
Wide Receiver: It is Okay to Skip the Top Tier Because Elite Talent is Slipping in Drafts
The majority of the position offers some value in part to running back-heavy starts to drafts and taking elite tight ends. It is like the NFL Draft when noted elite talent slip because teams draft for need and not pure talent (see: Lamb, CeeDee to Dallas or Why the Atlanta Falcons Messed Up Multiple Drafts and Closed Their Championship Window). Apply this to your draft strategy. Having a top draft pick lends itself to taking a top running back, but while others reach at the position, top receiving talent falls to the back end of the second and beginning of the third round.
Four of the top 10 values in Yahoo! drafts are wide receivers. There are numerous offenses with vacated targets that are going to be filled by rookies and free agents. Some teams, like Jacksonville, revamped their offense completely and the unknown has led to values such as Marvin Jones. One way to land upside at WR is to draft the cheapest option in an offense because of their expected role and their lower ADP.
Draft a Top Tier Tight End or Put a Pin in the Position
Travis Kelce and Darren Waller were the top best tight ends in 2020 and have justifiably high ADPs. There is no need to reach at the position just to land a notable name. Mark Andrews and T.J. Hockensen have appeal but Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, and D.J. Moore are around the same point in the draft.
Waiting at the position can lead to volatility but as Justin Edwards wrote this offseason, waiting at tight end produces similar results as drafting one in Rounds 4-6 where Andrews and Hockensen are going.
Bottom Line
While the above is not set in stone, it is a guide based on numerous draft results. The information is updated daily at 4for4.com. Use what you like and adjust as your draft happens. Make sure to use 4fo4’s Draft Hero tool as well. It uses your league’s scoring settings and 4for4’s rankings to show how your draft is playing out and where values are popping up. For more on the tool, check out Jennifer Eakin’s Draft Hero walkthrough.
Below is a 16-round draft cheat sheet that includes information from 4for4’s ADP Bargains tool and players I am planting my flag on. The players are listed where I would take them with some going ahead/behind ADP depending on recent news or where I am okay taking them.
