Wednesday Words of Wisdom- 3

In our third installment of Wednesday Words of Wisdom we will discuss the importance of position "tiers" and how they can effect our draft. 

This week we are going to cover what we feel changed drafts for us. Combined in our three leagues, we have won several championships and almost always finish top 3 in our league. If we had to choose one of the most important and underrated draft winning strategies it would be position tier evaluation. It is so important and something nobody knows a lot about. If you read our articles, please let this one be one of the most important pieces of fantasy advice you takeaway from them or any site you read. 

So, what are positional tiers? Tiers are groupings of players that are extremely similar. Tiers separate by cutting the group of players off where there is a drop off in production. For example, this season Le'veon Bell, Todd Gurley, David Johnson and Ezekiel Elliot are locked in as the top 4 RB's. They are all have a chance to get over 300 touches and could all finish as the number 1 RB. Then, next ranked are guys like Alvin Kamara and Saquon Barkley, Kareem Hunt, Melvin Gordon, Leonard Fournette, and Dalvin Cook. While these guys are amazing as well, there is somewhat of a drop-off between Elliot and Kamara in terms of overall yards, touches, projections, and opportunities. So, from Elliot to Kamara we create a "Tier Break." So, now you have one group of players who are very similar, separated by another group of players that are very similar but are separate based on a drop-off of projections and other factors. After that second tier, you have guys like Joe Mixon, Devonta Freeman, Jordan Howard, Christian McCaffrey and Lesean Mccoy. Obviously these players are a dropoff from the 2nd tier. So here is the 3rd tier. The reason we don't post tiers is because if you truly want to dominate your draft you must construct your own tiers. You may think Kamara is a first tier player, you may think Antonio Brown is in his own tiers all alone. So, go through position rankings and begin locating and separating dropoffs in talent or production and projections. You can create as many tiers as you feel necessary but don't go too overboard. It is definitely necessary to separate these players and create these tiers. 

Now, how does this help us win drafts? Let's say we are on a turn in a draft around pick 10 and have AJ Green, Davante Adams, Michael Thomas and Keenan Allen in the same tier but we have Kareem Hunt and Christian McCaffrey on the board at RB (just a made up example). So, Hunt is the last player in his tier which is better than McCaffrey's tier and four receivers who are all in the same tier. Remember tiers are groups of players who are expected to perform about the SAME. So why would we draft a WR here and miss out on a 2nd tier RB? Because if we take AJ Green here the guy after us is surely going to scoop up Hunt. Don't suffer at RB because you took a receiver you wanted. You can win your draft on this strategy alone. So, you get Hunt who is in a higher tier then McCaffrey, miss out on Green, but you got Keenan Allen instead. No big deal at all. Because Green and Allen are in the same tiers, they are basically expected to be the SAME player. So you just got a better RB and the same receiver production you would have gotten if you took Green anyways. So in your draft look for these tiers breaks and tier trends to win you your draft. Whatever the position, take the guy from the higher tier and wait on the guys in the same tier. You are getting the greatest value every single round by getting that last player in the higher tier while also getting another player in the same tier as someone else you wanted so they are the same players anyways. 

Here is one more example for you. Towards the end of round 2 and start of round 3 you have TY Hilton, Mike Evans, Lesean Mccoy, Devonta Freeman, Joe Mixon, and probably Jerrick Mckinnon on your draft board. All of these running backs are pretty much going to finish with the same or similar numbers. The next tier of WR's involves guys like Doug Baldwin, Adam Thielen, Amari Cooper and Larry Fitzgerald. TY Hilton and Mike Evans are legitimate WR 1's in fantasy (Evans is still a legit fantasy option at WR) while Thielen, Baldwin and Fitzgerald are pretty good WR 2 options. Why miss out on TY Hilton who has lead the NFL in receiving yards for a RB you can get the same stats from a few picks later? Take Evans or Hilton here, get a stud WR in a higher tier, then go get whoever's left of that RB tier because they are going to produce about the same stats anyways! In both scenarios you just got ridiculously good value! You got a stud player and another player who is just as good as any other player at his position getting drafted near him. 

Winning Fantasy Football drafts is all about FINDING VALUE. Go look at any professional fantasy website and they will say the exact same thing. If you find the most value you win your draft! We can't predict exactly what is going to happen in the NFL but we can come close based on millions of stats and data. So getting the most value wins you your draft. This "strategy" is a complete game changer and I guarantee if you start perfecting the Positional Tier Break Draft Strategy you will start to see immediate Fantasy Football success. This is a strategy we just only recently began using and we finish top 3 in our leagues almost every season. Make your tiers and try mock drafting using this method and you will 100% see improvements in your drafted teams. I can't stress enough in words how huge this strategy is. Finding value throughout the entire draft like this is how you win your drafts. This is one of the most important fantasy tools and tips you can learn so please try it out. 

Please share your results with us in the comment section if it works for you and if you enjoy this strategy please share this page with your friends and families. We strongly feel this strategy will transform you from a good fantasy drafter to a great one.