Philosophically Speaking: A Fantasy Football Story at WR 

The greatest thing about Fantasy Football is the variety of games available. For many years, back in the day, all you had was your primary Redraft league. Satisfying, but it could get stale if that’s all you ever played. Then, some inventive minds decided that a Keeper League was a great idea since you could keep some of your favorite players for multiple seasons. Next came Dynasty Leagues, which let you pretend to be a genuine GM, albeit in Fake Football, and build a dynasty through trades or in the draft. The idea of Best Ball leagues emerged somewhere in a different Fantasy Football universe. These draft-and-forget-it leagues were attractive to people who love to draft too many teams but don’t have time to handle the week-to-week decisions of more than 20 leagues. 

In recent years, leagues have been added with individual defensive players, and there is a type of league for everyone! It would be tedious to have vanilla ice cream; likewise, playing only one fantasy football format would be boring. Philosophically speaking, there isn’t a “harder” or “easier” format, and indeed, there is no “better” format. Let’s look at some areas where the formats require a different strategy. 

Editor’s Note: Unsure of what terms used by DMIC mean? Check the glossary at the end. 

Basic Strategy Declaration 

If anyone tells you there is only one preferred way to win in Fantasy Football, that person giving you advice hasn’t been playing long enough to watch strategy decisions evolve or is feeding you a line of bull. A few years ago, in a league against Fantasy Football analysts, I was in the 12th position in a 12-team redraft league. The banter before the draft was about who would be the first to take a QB and TE among people who constantly preach “Late QB” and “Streaming TE” strategies to their readers and podcast listeners. I said, “Any strategy can be a winning one,” and was mocked for that opinion in the chat. Since all the “Safe RBs” and “Value WRs” were gone by the 12th pick, I decided to open the draft with a QB and a TE to make a point. Grabbing Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce at the one/two turn was against the grain in a so-called “Expert League.” I would only lose one game during the regular season and lose to the same guy in the playoffs when Alvin Kamara went off with his 5-TD game. The story's moral is that ANY strategy can win if executed in Fantasy Football in ANY format. The advice included in this article is just a general suggestion of methods that have worked well for me in many leagues in the past. Let’s look at WR for this season. 

WR Strategy Differences Over Time

Just as there has been a considerable philosophical change in how Fantasy Football team managers treat the RB position, the same is happening in reverse at WR. Everyone figured you could wait at the position since there were many more starting WRs in real football than RBs. But in recent years, there has been a massive change in that thinking. Professor John Bush, a member of the Science of Fantasy Football, has shown that change in his ADP data research. While the number of elite WRs versus elite RBs has not changed much over time, the number of WRs taken in the first round of Fantasy Football drafts has changed dramatically. 

Over the past two seasons, 11 RBs have exceeded an MVP Index of 100 versus 11 at WR. The MVP Index is a measure of consistency and upside potential in Fantasy Football, with a rating of 100 or more, defining the elite players at each position. 

Start 3 WR Leagues

In leagues that start 3WR, you must treat that situation the same way you treat TEs in a premium league. The elite WRs become more valuable, but the middle-ground WRs don’t change much in weekly value. The more significant adjustment that needs to be made is the number of WRs on your roster. In a typical start 2WR league with seven bench places, I often roster only 4 WRs if their bye weeks don’t conflict. In a typical start 3WR league, I will include that number of rostered WRs by 1-2. The other roster decision that comes into play in start 3WR redraft leagues is that I don’t rule out having 2 WRs from the same excellent passing team versus in start 2 WR leagues. 

Redraft Rules of Thumb 

I tend to roster elite WRs more in Redraft leagues than in Best Ball leagues because the best WRs are much more consistent, and that’s what I want in Redraft leagues, whereas in Best Ball, I only care about upside potential. My draft position will still determine whether I invest in a WR in the first round. The key is to roster as many elite players as possible without regard to position. I tend to wait until the elite WRs are gone since I usually have some value plays later in the draft. I will usually pass on the below-median veterans later in the draft in all formats to favor young players in better situations or rookies with a clear path to target opportunity. 

Last year, Michael Pittman and Nico Collins made that list, along with Puka Nacua. Older WRs with “Back Class” are also targeted. This season, guys like Deandre Hopkins and Keenan Allen make that list. “Back Class” is a term coined by Professor John Bush here at the Science of Fantasy Football and refers to a veteran player with a history of outstanding performance. 

Dynasty Draft Rules of Thumb 

A solid core of WRs is a big part of my usual Fantasy Football strategy for Dynasty formats, especially if the format starts with three 3WRs and has three or more flex starters. Like in Redraft, I avoid having too many roster spots occupied by WRs that are way below the median in their weekly value. Older WRs can be a massive part of this strategy, especially in freshly drafted leagues where the veterans are ignored. If you have your ages layered at the WR position, you can always replenish the pool of WR players on your roster to maintain a solid roster. 

While I roster more WRs on a typical Dynasty roster than Redraft, I still concentrate on having valuable pieces and avoiding the wrong players. I also spend fewer late-round rookie draft picks on WRs than on other positions, picking my late-round investments based on the opportunity to take over a relevant position on the roster. Last year, I drafted lots of Puka Nacua late in rookie drafts. This season, I will take the occasional share of guys like Jacob Cowing with SFO, Malik Washington with MIA, or Devontez Walker with BAL in the 4th or 5th rounds. Jerome Burton with CIN, JaLynn Polk with NE, and Roman Wilson with PIT have been some of my favorite 3rd round rookie pick guys based on opportunity. Another of my favorite strategies is to ask for underperforming young WRs in trades as a “Plus One” addition in trades I am offered. In recent years, there have been guys like Nico Collins; this year, there have been Quinton Johnson and Joshua Palmer. 

Best Ball Leagues 

In Redraft leagues, I want my first 2-3 WRs to be guys that will lead their team in targets, leading to weekly values well above the median. In Best Ball, I want to acquire as many WRs who can finish either first or second on their team as possible in targets at the WR position. This approach includes players who would be only an injury away from being in their team’s top two later in the draft. Consistency matters less in Best Ball than in Redraft at this position more than others. In a typical 20-player Best Ball roster, my goal is to leave with 7-9 WRs for most of my teams since I am less likely to have 2 of the top WRs than in other formats of Fantasy Football where I am comfortable with fewer WRs on my roster. 

Conclusion

No fixed strategy system works every time! ANY strategy can be turned into a winning one if you hit on your value picks later in the draft and avoid injuries. An adaptive strategy like my “Better Than Zero” game plan is always better than “Zero RB” or “Elite QB or TE.” If you draft multiple leagues, your rosters should look very different naturally, depending on your starting slot and the strategies your fellow team managers employ. Even if you are drafted against the same 11-team managers, your rosters should look different regarding the number of QB, RB, WR, and TE. If you hold yourself to a carved-in-stone roster makeup, you are not being adaptive enough. If you have a solid game plan, you will be more successful but have better results in those leagues where you anticipate the moves. 

Stay tuned for my rules of thumb at other positions and my updated article about my “Better Than Zero” strategy, which will be coming soon, along with my safe studs and value plays articles. Good luck this season! 

Glossary of Terms

One of the biggest challenges is the need for definitive definitions for some article terms. Below is an explanation of each term I used that might have multiple meanings in the Fantasy Football World. 

Plus One: The lower-rated player or late draft pick you ask to be added to a deal in Fantasy Football. 

Back Class: A term borrowed from horse race handicapping. Applied to fantasy football, this refers to a veteran player with a history of high performance. 

TE Premium: A league rule that gives bonus points for receptions to TE more than other positions. 

Sniped: Having the player you wanted in the next round take a few picks before your turn. This result can ruin your hopes of handcuffing a player in a split backfield situation. 

Play Em Both Strategy: Playing the top two RBs on the same team in your weekly lineup the same week in Fantasy Football. 

Handcuff: Having the logical backup to your starter in Fantasy Football. 

Bell Cow RB: An RB that gets a high percentage of the touches at the RB position for his team. This might have been considered 30 or more touches many years ago, but now that expected touches have dropped significantly. 

RBBC: Running Back by Committee is a term for when a coach uses a variety of RBs on his team in equal proportions. 

Elite QB or TE: A QB or TE selected early in a Fantasy Football draft will be in the top 80% in weekly value scoring. 

Weekly Value: Judging players’ ability on a weekly statistical tool rather than year-end totals or points per game calculations established throughout an entire season. 

Late QB Strategy: Select a QB well past the median time of the draft when your opponents selected their QB. 

Streaming TE or QB: Using multiple starters weekly based on the expected defensive matchup instead of using the same starter for most weeks in the season. 

Expert League: A league made up of other fantasy football analysts or players who are highly proficient in that format. 

Tournament Style: A significant entry league with multiple divisions and a playoff system at the end of the year to crown a grand champion. Scott Fish Bowl is an example of such a league. 

Fantasy Football Diary: A notebook or computer file containing notes about your draft, waiver moves, and results, which can help you improve your ability in fantasy football from one season to the next. 

Fixed Strategy: A game plan used by a team manager that always follows a set script for when to draft players at different positions. Zero RB is one example of a popular fixed strategy that is frequently used. 

Zero RB Strategy: A fixed strategy system that dictates fading the RB position in favor of other positions, usually setting a minimum round number to select your first RB for the season. 

Adaptive Strategy: A game plan used by a team manager in a draft that constantly adjusts as each selection is being made during the draft, the goal of which is to select as many elite players at different positions as possible.