Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet for Quick Draft Preparation

Scott Engel is in his 13th year as the official Fantasy Football writer and analyst for Seahawks.com. He is an inaugural member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association’s Hall of Fame. Scott is a four-time FSWA award winner and a 13-time nominee. You can find more of his fantasy football analysis and fantasy football rankings at RotoBaller.com.

Seahawks Insiders Podcast: 2024 Fantasy Football Primer – John Boyle and Scott Engel give a lightning-fast preview of the fantasy football season. Listen now before you draft!

Some fantasy football players prepare obsessively for their drafts. They approach the pre-draft process as if they were operating as a fantasy version of John Schneider and Mike Macdonald rolled into one. Draft preparation for the intense fantasy leaguer is intense, involving the requisite extensive research and practice in the form of mock drafts.

Not everyone who plays fantasy football has the time to dedicate to extensive pre-draft planning. At this point in the preseason, it’s crunch time for many fantasy players, who will be drafting in the final days before the first NFL game of 2024. With the season quickly approaching, fantasy analysts like myself often hear from people looking for a quick overview of players to target ahead of their drafts.

For those who need a quick guide to executing a solid plan with not much time left before the draft, we have a winning chart here. I’ll highlight my top picks in each round, based on Average Draft Position reports in Point Per Reception (PPR) formats from FantasyPros.com. Experienced players can also use the list of top picks to help them make tough decisions as the draft progresses.

Our 2024 Fantasy Football Sleepers breakdown is another key piece fantasy players often look for as the draft draws closer.

PROFESSIONAL TIPS: Well-prepared drafters don’t strictly adhere to the practice of targeting certain positions in a set order. But if you don’t have much time to prepare for a draft or are entering a league for the first time, follow this loosely recommended approach.

Draft one starting running back and one wide receiver in the first two rounds, and repeat the pattern in the third and fourth rounds. You should come out of the first two rounds with two RBs and two WRs, and then take a third WR in the fifth round if three starters are needed.

Don’t wait until after the sixth round to draft a starting TE, because that position is thinner than any other. If a flex player is needed, go for the best WR or RB in the seventh round. Good starting QBs are still available in the eighth round. I’ve mapped out 16 rounds of picks here, and in that size of league you should load up on the best backup RBs and WRs in rounds nine through 12, then take a backup QB and TE. Defenders and kickers should be strictly saved for the last two picks.