Click our Site Map link at the top of the page to navigate the features of the site.

Drafting Strategies for Auto-Draft Leagues

CrunchTime - August 28, 2005

Most people prefer to have a live draft so that they may carefully craft their team round by round, adjusting to unexpected developments and opportunities. However, many leagues, often those on-line involving people not living near enough to one another (or who don’t know each other), use an automated draft. Automated drafts are run by computer on behalf of the team’s owners. A program runs through each round selecting picks based on a profile setup ahead of time by the owners. The typical auto draft allows owners to rank players against those of the same position and designate what position to draft each round. Using this combination of data the computer will pick the best available player and the selected position in each round.

Auto drafts are unpredictable, and unfortunately require a little luck. As a result a strategy is difficult to nail down but can provide you the advantage you need to walk away with your league’s fantasy title.

In order to determine how to attack your draft you need to lock down some of the variables that are most likely to affect your draft.

Assess your Competition
What is the level of experience of your competition? Experienced fantasy players draft differently then inexperienced players do. Experienced players draft methodically, grab backs early, and are more predictable than their less experienced counterparts. If your competition is solid you can construct your draft strategically and grab value picks throughout. Against lesser competition a more methodical approach is required to counter the fact that your opponents may run on any position at any time.

How Deep is Your Draft?
What is the size of your league? Being in a larger league (more than ten teams, over 12 being very large) accelerates the overall speed of the draft. Each round the picks left over will be further diluted by the extra team’s picks. Jumping for picks happens sooner and your ability to wait and still get value decreases.

Where Will You Draft?
When are you going to draft each round?
You are likely to draft using one of the following systems:
• Straight Draft – picks fall in the same order, first to last, each round.
• Serpentine Draft – picks fall first to last in each odd round and last to first in each even round.
• Random Pre-draft – randomly assigned picks are determined prior to draft start. Picks may be straight, serpentine, or completely random.
• Draft time assignment – at the start of the draft picks are determined.
If you know your draft spot ahead of time you can leverage the portions of the draft charts (see below) that are affected by draft position. If you do not, you will have less ability to tweak your approach.

Rank your players
Regardless of where you fall in the above categories there is one absolute must in automatic drafts. Your rankings for each position need to be accurate. If you end up with your #12 WR it would be a shame if you’d rather have had your #13.

Most on-line auto drafts give an initial ranking to all players; however, they never seem to be quite right. Most people are unwilling to wade through the long list of players to get proper rankings. Take the time to rank the number of players that are likely to be taken. For instance if you are in a ten team league you can rank the top 30 quarterbacks and feel confident you’re covered.

For positions in which you will only have one backup it is important to make sure that your backup has a different bye week than your starter. This is something easily achieved in a live draft but a little trickier in an auto draft. One way to achieve this is to determine what the bye week is for your top several at the position, then demote players with the same bye to the bottom of your rankings.

Drafting Charts

Included below are charts that diagram a couple draft strategies. Each diagram depicts a 20 round draft with 10 picks per round.

The picks go from 1 to 10 left to right. If you are drafting in a serpentine draft make sure to adjust how you read the chart. (For example, if you have the 2nd pick you will have the 2nd pick in the odd rounds and the 9th pick in the even rounds.)

If using the quality competition chart, be sure that you do not simply look at the chart as some of the rounds are meant to compliment prior round picks. (For example, picking 3rd in the 1st round would result in round 2 pick 8 and round 3 pick 3. Pick 8 in the second round indicates WR while the pick 3 also indicates a WR. However, these rounds are intended to be complimentary, i.e. if you pick WR in round 2 pick RB in round 3 and vice versa.)

The first chart shows a strategy for picking against experienced competition. Its strategy has increased nuance because experienced players are more predictable. The second chart shows a basic, safe strategy. This chart should be used against lesser competition as well as competition of unknown talent. While it may seem surprising that these two categories are grouped together, it is because both decrease the predictability of your opponents. As a result strategies are more likely to backfire. For example, against better competition you can try and jump for a tight end in hopes of getting a player like Gonzalez. However, if someone wastes a pick in rounds 1 – 4 on TE because they don’t know any better then you will be wasting a pick on a mediocre tight end that is worth a 7 round pick at best.

Plan Your Draft - (Quality Competition, 10 team league)

1. ALWAYS take a RB. 2. Jump for the top WRs in the late-mid round, otherwise get another RB. 3. Compliment your #2 pick. 4. Get your 3rd RB now. 5. Jump for Gonzalez/Gates early-mid round, otherwise get another WR. 6. With this pick you will get a solid QB without wasting a top pick. 7. Compliment your #5 pick to solidify your roster (1 QB, 3 RB, 2 WR, 1TE). 8. Most underestimate the importance of RBs, take advantage of this here. 9. Now is a good time to jump for defenses and kickers. 10. WRs provide quality throughout the draft. Grab your 3rd here. 11. Compliment your #9 pick to avoid to far or a drop of quality. 12. This continues to take advantage of the mid-draft value of WRs. 13. Grab your backup QB here. 14. The WR position is a great source of potential sleepers 15. A 5th RB is necessary given their importance. This provides depth as well as potential surprise value. 16. Picking another WR should round out your legion of potential contributors. 17. Now is time to start grabbing the rest of your backups. 18. Taking your 3rd QB here is more a factor of talent dilution at other positions and the likelihood that you can get a potential impact player here. It also reduces the chance that your QBs will all have the same bye week. 19. By going on the early side for your defense you will probably only need this pick for the bye. 20. The potential quality TEs in the 15 to 20 range allow this pick to be put off until the end without much detriment.
Plan Your Draft - (Inexperienced Competition, 10 team league)
1. ALWAYS take a RB. 2. With your competition jumping for big names more solid more quality RBs are available. 3. With the same thinking applied RBs are still quite available. 4. It seems severe, but with the nearly half the picks of beginners going to top QBs, WRs, and TEs your 4th RB will be a starter for most of your opponents. 5. The big names in WRs will be gone, but the next three rounds will give you a solid starting set. 6. WR 7. WR 8. Again, this strategy sacrifices the top name player for killer RBs. Now is a good time to get a solid QB without wasting a top pick. 9. Beginners are likely to jump at most positions but for some reason not at defense. This pick could score you NE, BAL, PIT or BUF which would be a steal. 10. Similar to defenses, kickers are often forgotten. Either way you need a decent starter. 11. The wait on your TEs is not going to cost you. This rounds out your starters. 12. Mid-round WR value should give you a solid 4th WR. 13. Grab your backup QB here. 14. The WR position is a great source of potential sleepers 15. A 5th RB is necessary given their importance. This provides depth as well as potential surprise value. 16. Picking another WR should round out your legion of potential contributors. 17. Now is time to start grabbing the rest of your backups. 18. Taking your 3rd QB here is more a factor of talent dilution at other positions and the likelihood that you can get a potential impact player here. It also reduces the chance that your QBs will all have the same bye week. 19. By going on the early side for your defense you will probably only need this pick for the bye. 20. The potential quality TEs in the 15 to 20 range allow this pick to be put off until the end without much detriment.