2024 Fantasy Football Draft Prep: Tier-Based Drafting (2024)

August 13, 2024

This article is part of a weekly series polling our fantasticteam of writers for the Fantasy Footballers.

Each week leading up to Week 1’s kickoff, we will be discussingFantasy Draft Preptackling the biggest questions involvingstrategy,the ADP landscape, and how to practically begin to piece together your drafts. While it is possible to over-engineer and overthink fantasy football (trust us, we’ve all been there), having a clear vision and plan for your league draft starts right now. Spending time and mapping out a plan while working backward from your league’s draft is a framework to start with.

Editor’s Note: Our company is a huge proponent of tier-based drafting when comparing draft rankings during your draft. We recommend using the Ultimate Draft Kit :)

1. What separates tier-based drafting from drafting from a top-200 list?

Tier-based drafting is all about value, and ensuring you are making the best possible selections for your roster at that specific point in the draft. Grouping together players at each position, who have similar potential for fantasy, allows you to see how many guys at that “level” are still available when you are on the clock – this enables you to make better informed draft picks when trying to decide between players…particularly if they play different roles in the offense. Using a top-200 list will show you a consensus of the “best” players available, but if those players are all wide receivers and you’ve already drafted three of those, that may not be the ideal move for your roster. Using tiers will help to identify positional scarcity and value, allowing you to balance your team with as many superstars as possible on the way to a #FootClanTitle. -Paul Marnie (@PaulMarnie)

Tier-based drafting offers greater flexibility compared to a top-200 list, enabling you to target not only the best player available but also the best position in any given round to achieve optimal roster balance. While simply selecting the best player available is generally a sound strategy most of the time, there are instances when choosing a player from a position nearing the end of a tier is more advantageous, even if they rank slightly lower in your overall rankings. For example, if you have a wide receiver ranked higher than players at other positions, but the last running back from a key tier is still available, it may be more strategic to select the running back, despite their lower ranking on the top-200 list. I firmly believe that drafting for roster balance is the most crucial strategy to prioritize during fantasy drafts, and tier-based drafting is the best approach to achieving this.– Joe Beldner (@JoeBeldner)

When in the middle of your fantasy football draft, tier-based rankings give you the flexibility needed to pivot. Did Bob from accounting snipe your WR that you had queued up? No worries, because you had a bucket of five WRs you valued the same, and all is not lost. By using tiers, you have the capability to bunch together similarly skilled players. In addition, it gives you the flexibility to emphasize a quality that is specifically important to you as a drafter. For instance, perhaps you have been burned too much by injuries, and that impacts your tiers. Conversely, QB rushing ability could be critical to you and the QB you draft, so that can help define that bucket. It also helps you plan ahead better positionally. If you know the end of a tier is coming with one position, you will be ready to jump over to another. – Julia Papworth (@juliapapworth)

Remember how awesome Super Mario 64 was? For the first time ever, we experienced Mario’s world with a level of depth we’d never seen before! Instead of being limited to moving on a line that was dictated by the game, we were given the freedom to really feel like we were experiencing the world we were playing in. That’s the difference between using a top-200 list and tier-based drafting! A top-200 list is a linear type of thinking where you’re only allowed to move up and down the list of players. Using a tier-based system allows for more depth in your decision-making when building a fantasy roster! Position groups aren’t all equal so there’s value to be mined from getting the last RB in tier-2 if there’s plenty of tier-3 WRs still on the board. Playing Mario on the SNES was a ton of fun and gave us a great love for something awesome, but Mario 64 changed how the game was going to be played forever! -Kurt Mullen (@KurtKnowsBest)

There’s no smarter way to draft than using tier-based rankings. It’s the easiest way to let your draft flow and know what to pick in each round without losing value. Imagine this: you’re on the clock in Round 3 and you already have one WR and one RB. What should you pick next? You take a look at your tier-based rankings and see that there are enough RBs available from the current tier. But there are only two WRs from the current tier. Everything becomes clear: take a WR before the tier runs out and wait to take an RB from the same tier when the snake comes back. It’s almost magic! – Javier Manzenera (@elmantis)

2. Which middle round RBs (Rounds 3-7) do you find yourself drafting the most?

There are a handful of running backs in the middle rounds offering great value, but the one I find myself scooping up most in mocks is a guy who doesn’t need a star to give him superpowers – Super Kamario himself, the New Orleans Saints’ Alvin Kamara. Despite only playing 12 full games, Kamara still finished as the overall RB14 – with his 15.0 FPPG ranked 5th at the position on the year. The Saints’ 7th-year back was Mr. Consistency, finishing as an RB2 or better in 11 of 12 weeks, with six top-12 finishes in that spell. Kamara’s 73 catches between weeks 4-16 led all running backs, with a 17-game pace that would have seen him eclipse the 100 reception mark. Derek Carr is still the QB in New Orleans and very little else has changed on the offensive side of the ball for the Saints. Sure, there are concerns about the decline in his rushing production, but the only question marks surrounding Kamara for me are the ones on the bricks he’ll be smashing on his way to being an RB1 for fantasy this season…let’s-a-go! -Paul Marnie (@PaulMarnie)

While the first two rounds of drafts see many elite names selected, Rounds 3-7 are filled with valuable running backs. A standout for me this season is Isiah Pacheco, who is currently being drafted late in the third round and has the potential to finish in the top 10 at his position. Other targets of mine in this range include Joe Mixon, Kenneth Walker, Alvin Kamara, James Conner, and Rhamondre Stevenson. Additionally, Raheem Mostert might be the best value pick, offering a low-risk, high-reward option due to his late draft position in the 7th round. Although regression in his touchdown total from last season is anticipated, his ADP is accounting for this risk more than warranted.– Joe Beldner (@JoeBeldner)

How do you not want James Conner on your team? Sure, the man will miss a game or two, but he is the cornerstone of the Arizona offense, which will undoubtedly be better this year with the addition of Marvin Harrison Jr. and the return of Kyler Murray. Reports have not been great regarding rookie Trey Benson, giving Connor even more opportunity to prove drafters wrong again. Another middle-round RB I find myself drafting is an older gentleman. Raheem Mostert, the RB2 from last season, is being incredibly disrespected going off the board in the middle of the seventh round, and I realize there will be TD regression, but I still see him as quite a value on a Miami Dolphins team that will score alot of points. – Julia Papworth (@juliapapworth)

3. Who is one of your favorite WR ADP values of 2024?

With Puka Nacua and Josh Downs set to miss time after picking up knocks in training camp, and Rondale Moore already ruled out for the season, the Summer Scaries have well and truly set in regarding injuries at the wide receiver position – and none more so than Packers’ wideout Christian Watson. Having missed eleven games with ACL issues in his first two seasons, seeing Watson go down after taking a hit to the knee at practise last week was terrifying…but that’s all part of the ride when you draft Green Bay’s #9, and this year it’s built into his draft cost, with an ADP of 9.05. Watson has finished as a WR1 in fantasy on over 26% of his starts since entering the league – that’s more than Garrett Wilson, Drake London and Chris Olave…all of whom are being drafted as WR1s in 2024. Even with a historically bad catch percentage last season, Watson was on pace to end the year as the WR34, well ahead of his current WR46 draft capital. The highs are high, and the lows so very low – but for a wideout with week-winning potential, a ninth round pick is practically free. -Paul Marnie (@PaulMarnie)

In seeking a late-round wide receiver value, I focused solely on players available after the 10th round. Among the options, I chose Josh Palmer, who is currently being selected late in the 12th round. With Keenan Allen and Mike Williams no longer with the Chargers, there is a glaring need for a WR1 to emerge in Los Angeles. While Ladd McConkey could eventually fill that role, he is just a rookie, and is currently missing practices due to injury. Palmer, on the other hand, has consistently delivered when given the opportunity, with five games of 99+ receiving yards over the last two seasons. This matches the performance of notable players like Garrett Wilson, Michael Pittman, DK Metcalf, DeAndre Hopkins, and Terry McLaurin. I expect Justin Herbert to lean heavily on Palmer’s veteran leadership in the young receiver room this season. At his current ADP, Palmer is a savvy late-round pick with the potential for a breakout season, similar to what Nico Collins experienced last year. – Joe Beldner (@JoeBeldner)

I want a part of the Green Bay passing offense and Dontayvion Wicks at the end of the 13th round is a great way to do it. We don’t yet know how the passing attack will play out, especially after the Packers’ first pre-season game against Cleveland. Green Bay’s starters only played three snaps, and it was a different group of WRs on each play. In a press conference, HC Matt LaFleur said, “I want to vomit every time I hear ‘number 1 receiver.’ It drives me crazy. That’s something you guys talk about. I think we’ve got alot of them.” There is no guarantee that any Green Bay WR will become the one, but I am willing to take a bet that one might. And I shall do that with the one at the least cost. – Julia Papworth (@juliapapworth)

Alvin KamaraChris OlaveChristian WatsonDeAndre HopkinsDerek CarrDK MetcalfDontayvion WicksDrake LondonGarrett WilsonIsiah PachecoJames ConnerJoe MixonJosh DownsJustin HerbertKeenan AllenKenneth Walker IIIKyler MurrayLadd McConkeyMarvin Harrison Jr.Miami DolphinsMichael Pittman Jr.Mike WilliamsNew Orleans SaintsNico CollinsPuka NacuaRaheem MostertRhamondre StevensonRondale MooreTerry McLaurinTrey Benson StrategyTier-Based Draftingtiers