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The diversity of leagues is one aspect that makes fantasy football so much fun. Some people like the larger leagues, while some like the smaller ones. The value of respective players varies widely with the differences in scoring and starting lineup. It is not a wise move to use standard draft strategies in the non-standard leagues. The odds are that your league, with its scoring, roster, and lineup rules is fairly unique and not like “the norm.” We have found that there variety of leagues is the norm and there is no fantasy “Standard.” This is the main reason why this series has been helpful to most fantasy owners. The issue is that few leagues match up exactly to one of the six articles in the series. A unique strategy is essential in order to make the most of your league draft. This article will show you how to set up the Draft Dominator to get the best cheat sheet for your leagues, as well as help you run mock drafts. We will help you form a new strategy for your league. The strategy for your league will look different than most leagues.
First off, download the Draft Dominator from the Footballguys.com homepage. Then, go to File > Get latest projections (see picture below).
Next, go to File > Setup. See the picture below. This is where you input all of your league variables including number of teams, rounds of your draft, starting lineup, configuration of roster, draft pick order, and league scoring. There is more to examine in the “Setup” but we will address it later in the article.
Once you set up your league, you will see several boxes appear. These are customizable from the “View” button, right next to “File.” These are the different aspects you can see in the tool. They include the following (this is not an exhaustive list but represents most of the options to have on your main screen in the tool):
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Draft Status – Where you place players on teams in mock draft or in live draft
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Player Pool – Player sorted by VBD (value relative to other positions), and by position via tabs
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Team Status – A handy view that tells you the positional breakdown per team in draft
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Best Value Pick – This looks at the relative values among the positions
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Strength of Schedule – Gives a great look as to which positions have desirable matchups weekly
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Depth Charts – Accurate, current depth charts for every NFL team. Useful for knowing backups
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Game By Game Projections – Interesting view to how your team stacks up against the competition
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Team Strengths – Which teams are strong at which positions? This gives a great view of the league
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Weekly Points Player Pool – A view of the expected weekly production for each player. Useful when addressing byes
When you take a look at the different views within the boxes, you should have a great feel for how to establish your draft strategy. Ask yourself the following questions:
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What positions does the tool value most when I look at the first 25 players listed? This gives a great hint on how you should draft.
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Where are the large dropoffs in expected points per game at a position? This will show you the tiers within a given position. We always suggest drafting studs who give you a sizable edge in fantasy points per game.
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Lastly, which positions are devalued in VBD? This comes into play when looking at roster distribution. Which positions should you roster for your fantasy bench? This is where the questions is answered. If your league does not value quarterbacks, there is no reason to roster more than one like you would in a 2QB or larger league.
Now, turn your attention to the bar across the top (see FAR RIGHT on the below for picture). This is one of the most advantageous aspects of the tool. The ability to have every team's keepers in the system, and to generate a cheat sheet gives you a great head start over the competition. But, let's back up for a moment. This is also very useful in determining your keepers. For example, if you are deciding between two players, you have two great aids in deciding which to keep. First of all, which player has the higher VBD? This will show which player has the higher value in your league. Next plug one player and run the numbers and think about your draft strategy. Then, swap out the keepers and look at the numbers. We would suggest running mock drafts with each potential set of keepers to see which you like best.
On the topic of mock drafts, they are very useful in helping you get a feel for how your league draft may transpire. Below is how you set up the mock drafts.
First, go to File > Setup like before. You will see a box that says “Draft Other Teams by ADP.” Select this box (see on the RIGHT below).
Next, go to File > My Team Mock Draft (see below for picture). This will allow you to run as many mock drafts as you need. If you uncheck the box to run mock by ADP, the mock drafts get much more difficult since the other teams will be drafting players using the same VBD values you will use.
The last thing we would like to cover is the ability to have a handy cheat sheet in case you will not have a computer at your draft. First, get the latest projections like above. The projections are updated regularly so check for updates whenever running values or mocks. Once you have the values the way you like, and you want to have a printable spreadsheet, the rest is easy. First, go to File > Export > Player Pool. This will allow you to download a .csv spreadsheet in which you can do several things. Many times, I like to put the different positions on different tabs. Also, highlighting players I want to target is easy once in a spreadsheet. So is adding notes.
From here, it is easy to develop a draft strategy specific for your draft. Look for players who represent value (VBD) in relation to their respective Average Draft Position (ADP). This will allow you to know which round you will need to pick a certain player you like.
Please feel free to email me (Tefertiller@Footballguys.com) with any questions or comments. Also, I am on Twitter (www.Twitter.com/JeffTefertiller), LinkedIN, and Google+ so feel free to connect where most convenient