Fantasy Football Draft Strategy 2017: Blueprint to Forming a Winning Squad

The football season has already started, as college and high school teams around the country have begun play.

On the pro side, Sunday marks the beginning of the last full week without regular-season or playoff football until the two-week break between the championship games and Super Bowl.

On the fantasy side, drafts are well underway, as millions of players get ready for the season in the hopes that this is finally their year.

Here's a look at three pieces of advice to forming a winning squad for the 2017 campaign.

Draft Based on Your League's Settings and Positions

Every league is different. Some have a flex position; others don't. Most leagues have one quarterback on the roster, but a few have two. Some leagues give points for receptions, while others give zero.

When you draft, make sure to check your league's settings and positions and draft based on them.

For example, if you're in a points-per-reception league, take players who rack up catches consistently every game, like Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs.

He didn't find the end zone often last year, but Diggs was a frequent target of quarterback Sam Bradford. Diggs ended up with 84 catches in just his second year in the league and could be primed for more in Year 3.

But Diggs isn't as valuable in leagues where there isn't a reception bonus simply because he hasn't been able to find the end zone as frequently as other pass-catchers.

Some leagues have added a second flex position in place of a kicker, which is becoming increasingly popular. If that's the case in your league, then stock up on wide receivers and running backs early and often, as they both became much more valuable given the need to fill another starting lineup slot.

Targets and Efficiency over Touchdowns for Wideouts

If you happen to scour Pro Football Reference, you will find a bunch of great stats that should help you with your fantasy research. On the NFL receiving page, for example, you'll notice two important ones: target total and catch rate.

They are what you think they are, to semi-paraphrase the late, great Dennis Green. Targets show the amount of times a player was targeted during the season with a pass, and the catch rate is how often a player made a reception on a target.

Keep that in mind when making your wideout picks this year.

A few points to note based on the stats: First, New Orleans Saints wideout Michael Thomas and Seattle Seahawks pass-catcher Doug Baldwin were the only two players in the league to accrue 1,000 or more receiving yards while also managing to catch at least 75 percent of the footballs thrown their way last term.

Thomas and Baldwin were also targeted a combined 246 times. Therefore, keep an eye on them in drafts, as this could be a sign of even greater seasons this year.

Running Backs and Wide Receivers Early, Everything Else Late

Most leagues have at least two running back and three wide receiver slots in the starting lineup, alongside six bench positions. It's imperative that fantasy players take them early in order to fill those gaps.

Also, it's important to focus on those two positions simply to acquire more depth as the season progresses. As bye weeks come into play, it's best to take a good option from your bench rather than scouring the waiver wire and hoping to catch lightning in a bottle.

On the flip side, look for everything else from the middle to late rounds. For example, there's no reason to pick a kicker and defense until the end, especially considering those positions don't rack up nearly as many points as others. Plenty of good options can be found at the end of drafts, so there is no need to reach for anyone in the middle rounds.

On the quarterback and tight end side, consider taking them later as well, though not as late as a kicker and defense. It looks like both positions have a lot of depth this year, meaning you could find some diamonds in the rough that will perform as well (or better) than other players being drafted ahead of them.