2005-06 Fantasy Football Draft Guide

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How to Construct a fantasy football roster on draft day.

Fantasy Football drafts are soon to be in full swing as the calendar draws closer to NFL Opening Day. Depth charts are studied. A list of sleepers and busts is compiled. Owners spend hours absorbing every piece of knowledge possible with one goal in mind: Build the most feared roster...ever.
With that in mind, we offer our top eight rules for constructing the most productive and well-rounded roster.

1. Draft: At least two running backs in Rounds 1-3. The number of true featured backs in the NFL has seen an enormous decrease, so it's imperative to secure your backfield while good options are still available. Should you decide to pass on the position, there's a chance your team will be out of contention by midseason. In a 12-team league, it's possible that as many as 18-22 backs will be taken in the first two rounds. In that scenario, owners could be forced to decide between a second-tier back like Tiki Barber or a stud at a different skill position in the second or third rounds. That's where Rule No. 2 comes into effect.

2. Avoid: quarterbacks in Rounds 1-3...unless it's Payton Manning, or Daunte Culpepper. Draft position will have a huge role in roster construction. A middle-round spot in serpentine drafts will allow more choices and a better shot at a productive backfield, but owners who draw the Nos. 2 and 23 or 3 and 22 overall selections will face a dilemma. An absence of dependable backs will leave owners to decide between a top quarterback like Culpepper, and a borderline No. 2 like Tiki, again. In that instance, it makes sense to pass on the back and select the versatile field general, who could be on the verge of a monstrous season. Peyton Manning and Culpepper are also solid, but Manning has more value overall. A second back with similar value -- Michael Bennett and Thomas Jones come to mind -- can be acquired in Round 3.

3. Follow: the flow of the draft. It's never a bad idea to keep up with the Joneses in the case of running backs. The imminent push on the position will run its course in the first three rounds, with a few scattered quarterbacks and wide receivers also in the mix. But once the studs and serviceable backs are gone, owners will begin to look at new skill positions. In most cases, that position is wide receiver. A glut of productive options will be available in Rounds 4-6, so owners will be quick to pounce on the high level of talent. A minimum of two upper-level receivers can be secured at this stage, so don't miss the boat or risk a serous lack of depth.

4. Didn't: get Culpepper? Wait on a quarterback. Owners will be amazed at the number of productive quarterbacks still on the board in Rounds 5-8. Signal-callers like Brett Favre, Steve McNair, Trent Green and Marc Bulger -- who combined to post a ton of touchdowns last season -- will be incredible bargains. This depth allows owners to focus on running backs and wide receivers in the early stages without compromising overall team production.

5. Insure: your top running backs. Injuries and off-field issues can be disastrous to a Fantasy team, so it's vital to insure your most valuable backs with their immediate backups. This will make it easier to deal with the unexpected and unfortunate issues that seem to arise each season.
Some of the most obvious choices are coupling Marshall Faulk with Steven Jackson, Shaun Alexander and Maurice Morris, and Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson.

6. Wide: receivers will be plentiful in Rounds 8-12. Believe it or not, Jimmy Smith, Mushin Muhammed and Darrel Jackson were all taken in the late rounds of most drafts last season. The trio went on to find the end zone a combined 26 times and led countless owners to a Fantasy title. While it's still advised to secure at least two proven starters in Rounds 4-6, it is in these late stanzas where some of the best bargains in the draft will emerge.

7. Gamble: on reserve running backs with potential. The pool of available backs will be close to barren in the middle to late rounds, so take a chance based on potential. For example, Kevin Barlow could be a steal in San Fran should the offense sputter; Kevin Jones has an outside chance at carries in Detroit; and Derrick Blaylock has added value with Curtis My Man Martin not getting any younger in New York. It might be a crapshoot, but you never know when the next Domanick Davis will emerge as a valuable asset.

8. Draft: kickers and defense-special teams for the late rounds. Owners should focus on important skill positions throughout the draft and consider a kicker or defense-special team in the late rounds. While important to the overall value of a roster, these two positions will have enough depth to put aside until the foundation of your team is complete.

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Have a Great Week. Check out the Fantasy Football page for this weeks NFL fantasy player rankings, studs & duds, who's Hot and who's NOT, as well as the NFL fantasy football waiver wire. Try out our NFL Sportsbooks in the Review, and good luck with your fantasy football drafts this year. Dave B. Email Me.

Wager On Football's Fantasy Football expert Dave B. stops by every week to give you the lowdown on Fantasy Football. Fantasy insight is invaluable when it comes to gaining knowledge about the one thing that consumes so many of us die hard football fans for six months every year. So Listen Up!! Then apply what you learn to your starting lineups, and an NFL Wager. You'll be surprised how much skill your new Fantasy Football brain will contain. Heck you could even make a smarter bet in our NFL sportsbooks.  

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