Is Andre Johnson More Valuable Than Larry Fitzgerald?

As recent as five years ago, putting together a fantasy football draft strategy consisted of taking running backs in the first two rounds, then the best player available from there on out.

Teams in the NFL are starting to move in a new direction in an effort to protect their on-field investments. Many teams are shifting from a one-running back system to a running back tandem, or what we like to call a running-back-by-committee (RBBC). Others are throwing the ball more than ever.

Because of this, it is important to put together a draft strategy if you want to win your fantasy football league.

In the first of a four-part series, we’ll look at draft basics. Knowing your league’s rules and scoring system is the first place you need to start.

A common mistake a lot of people make is entering their fantasy draft without knowing their league’s scoring rules. At least a week before the draft you should look at how your league awards points, as that can drastically alter how you draft.  

For this example we’re going to look at the rules in ESPN, Yahoo! and NFL.com standard leagues.

The majority of the scoring is identical between the three sites. Each awards a point for every 25 passing yards, a point for every 10 rushing or receiving yards and takes away two points for every fumble lost or interception thrown.

The difference is touchdowns.

ESPN and Yahoo! award six points for each rushing and receiving, but only four points for passing. NFL.com, by comparison, awards six points for all three. That means that New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees’ 34 touchdowns were worth 136 points in ESPN and Yahoo! leagues, but were good for 204 points in NFL.com leagues.

That’s a difference of 68 points, which is an average of 5.7 points per week in a 12-week season.

Let’s switch gears here and discuss a growing trend in fantasy football leagues. Points per reception, also known as PPR, is gaining more and more relevance every year.

Leagues that use PPR typically award one point for every reception, though we have heard of some private leagues out there that give two points for every catch. For arguments sake we’ll stick with one PPR for now.

Under standard scoring, Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald led all wide outs with 210 points. In a PPR league, you factor in his 96 receptions, and he would’ve registered 306 points.

Let’s compare that to the Andre Johnson of the Houston Texans. Johnson racked up 197 points under standard scoring, but in PPR leagues he was worth 312 because he caught 115 passes.

Let’s go a little further and compare Brandon Marshall of the Denver Broncos and Anquan Boldin of Arizona. Marshall finished with 147 points, while Boldin came in at 163. In PPR scoring, Marshall would’ve received 251 points, while Boldin would check in at 252.

The point we are trying to get across here is that in PPR leagues, your focus for receivers should not just look at touchdown potential, but also reception potential.  

The main thing to notice when compiling a fantasy football draft strategy is to make note of the scoring; granted there are other basics as well.

Most standard leagues go with 12 teams, but there are lot out there that have either 10 or 14 teams as well. The difference is that the quality of players you will be able to draft will drop exponentially by the number of teams added above 10.

It’s common for people not used to drafting in deeper leagues to not select a player simply because they feel the player is not worth a pick at a particular slot. They cite that they were able to get the same guy in the fifth round last year, so there’s no point in taking him in the fourth.

In a 12-team league it's important to note that, that’s an additional four picks every two rounds. This means you have to do more research, instead of just focusing on the top guys at each position.  

It’s also key to know who you’re drafting with.

If you sign up for a public league, and have never met any of the owners, there isn’t much you can do about it except gauge their interest in certain players and positions in the chat room that most draft applets provide. If you are drafting with friends, acquaintances or co-workers, then you can find out who their targeting and what their draft strategy is.

Knowing which way another owner is going to go with his picks allows flexibility in the draft.

Perhaps you’re unsure who to draft in the second round, but you know your friend who’s selecting right after you is a big Indianapolis Colts fan and wants to take Peyton Manning. You can select Manning and use that as leverage for a trade in your favor, or just keep the player to yourself if you already had him on your radar.

The last thing to know when entering a draft is the positions.

A typical league will start one quarterback, two running backs, three receivers, a tight end, a kicker and a team defense. However, some leagues only use two receivers, while others add a RB/WR/TE flex spot.

You need to know what positions you need to fill, and how many players at each position you need to make it through the season.

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