Fantasy Football Draft Strategy 2021: Blueprint to Forming a Winning Squad

There's more involved in crafting a successful fantasy football squad than simply knowing which positions to draft early and who the big names are.

While these basic factors will help you to avoid making season-killing mistakes—like, say, drafting a running back who is on injured reserve in Round 3—smart fantasy managers head into draft day with a comprehensive plan.

That plan involves knowing which players to draft early, which ones to avoid, where you want to prioritize specific positions and how to set yourself up for easy roster management in-season.

Here we'll run down some proven strategies to help you get the most out of your 2021 fantasy draft experience.

Create Tier Groups Using Mock Drafts and ADP as Guidelines

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The first step to forging a successful plan is knowing which players you are comfortable taking in which rounds.

Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey, Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook, New Orleans Saints back Alvin Kamara and Tennessee Titans runner Derrick Henry are obvious first-round options. If you are selecting after the first four spots, though, you have to determine who else you are willing to spend a first-round pick on.

The process can get progressively harder in Rounds 2, 3, 4 and so on until your starting lineup is complete. While there's nothing wrong with following a "gut feeling" on a player, it's always smart to get proper value.

Taking, say, Jacksonville Jaguars back James Robinson in Round 1 because you love his upside would be a mistake. Robinson may well produce first-round-caliber numbers this year, but with an average draft position (ADP) of 48 he's also likely to be available in the third round or later.

Conducting mock drafts can also help to determine where you think players will go and where you are comfortable pulling the trigger.

Is Chicago Bears wideout Allen Robinson II consistently going in Round 3? That might be your floor to target him. Did you double-up on running backs in a specific mock and feel bad about your overall lineup afterward? It might be wise to toss a few extra receivers into your second-round tier group.

Are you cramming for a draft and don't have time to conduct mocks? Here's a three-round points-per-reception (PPR) mock to help get you started.

2021 3-Round Mock

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Round 1

1. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers

2. Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota Vikings

3. Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints

4. Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans

5. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys

6. Davante Adams, WR, Green Bay Packers

7. Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers

8. Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

9. Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants

10. Tyreek Hill, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

11. Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns

12. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts

Round 2

1. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs

2. Antonio Gibson, RB, Washington Football Team

3. Stefon Diggs, WR, Buffalo Bills

4. Najee Harris, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

5. Calvin Ridley, WR, Atlanta Falcons

6. DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Arizona Cardinals

7. DK Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks

8. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs

9. Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

10. Darren Waller, TE, Las Vegas Raiders

11. A.J. Brown, WR, Tennessee Titans

12. Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings

Round 3

1. George Kittle, TE, Kansas City Chiefs

2. Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

3. Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

4. Terry McLaurin, WR, Washington Football Team

5. Allen Robinson II, WR, Chicago Bears

6. CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys

7. Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB, Kansas City Chiefs

8. Chris Carson, RB, Seattle Seahawks

9. Robert Woods, WR, Los Angeles Rams

10. James Robinson, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

11. Kareem Hunt, RB, Cleveland Browns

12. Amari Cooper, WR, Dallas Cowboys

Grab 3 Skill Players Within First 4 Rounds, Not 3 of Same Position

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Once you know which players you are comfortable with in certain rounds, it's time to strategize your roster-building. Running backs and wide receivers generally make up the core of any championship fantasy squad, and it's best to come out of the first four rounds with three of them.

Elite running backs and receivers aren't going to last beyond the first round in most leagues.

While there's nothing wrong with using an early pick on an elite tight end like Travis Kelce, Darren Waller or George Kittle, you still want to have picked up at least two running backs and/or receivers within the first three rounds.

Of the two positions, running backs should take precedence. The gap is smaller in PPR formats, but even in PPR, running backs tend to have more consistent workloads and higher floors.

Even an elite receiver like Davante Adams can be held to one or two catches if the defensive scheme is right or his team gets a large early lead. The best backs are going to see double-digit touches every week of the season.

However, it's important not to draft three players at the same position unless the value simply isn't there. Yes, you can start three running backs at the same time if your league offers a flex slot. However, this could leave you vulnerable at wide receiver and with a starting-caliber RB on the bench.

If that sixth-round sleeper running back turns into a star, you want to be able to slide him into the flex slot. If you already have three in the lineup, that isn't feasible.

Running back and receiver are also where depth and streaming options become critical. If your roster is light on receivers in the early rounds, it's smart to grab a few extra wideouts late to ensure you have in-season options.

Few feelings are worse in fantasy than having to consistently swap players on and off the waiver wire because one of your key positions doesn't have adequate depth.

Pay Attention to Injury News and Bye Weeks

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There is one fantasy feeling worse than having to constantly do the waiver-wire shuffle. Using a high draft pick on an injured player is the epitome of fantasy disaster.

Pay attention to the latest injury buzz within hours of your draft. This can help you both avoid mistakes and find quality mid-round value.

New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley, for example, is recovering from a torn ACL and partially torn meniscus. If the latest info suggests that he's going to miss multiple games to start the season—he recently participated in live drills—you may want to avoid him in the first round.

Conversely, Cleveland Browns wideout Odell Beckham Jr. is recovering from a torn ACL but appears close to 100 percent.

"OBJ's recovery from a torn left ACL appears to have gone exactly as expected," The Athletic's Virginia Zakas wrote. "... Beckham has reached his nine-month Optimal Recovery Time and should be good to go by Week 1."

With an ADP of 69, Beckham has the potential to provide third-round value in Round 6.

Building a winning team is all about avoiding mistakes and maximizing upside. Knowing who is healthy and who isn't is a big part of that process.

It's also smart to pay attention to your players' bye weeks as you draft them. Don't get carried away and avoid a tremendous player simply because you will have multiple stars on bye the same week.

If you draft Antonio Gibson, Russell Wilson, Terry McLaurin, Mike Evans and Rob Gronkowski, you are going to end up with five starters on bye in Week 9. You can either approach that week as a planned loss or use a few late-round fliers to find alternatives for that week specifically. The choice is up to you, but it's always best to have a plan.

Don't Autodraft the Late Rounds, Don't Overvalue QB Depth

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The potential for the bye-week blues is one of the reasons why you should never autodraft the final rounds or simply walk away from the program (it's also annoying for managers who have to sit through the countdown).

You should use your final few picks—not counting those for kickers and D/ST—on bye-week fill-ins, streamers and deep sleepers with upside. There's no reason to end up with a third tight end just because that's who is atop the draft board.

If you managed to grab one of the top quarterbacks early, it's also usually not worth using a late-round pick on a backup. Aaron Rodgers isn't coming out of your lineup unless he's injured or on bye—and he hasn't missed a game in the past three seasons.

Unless you are in an extremely deep league, you can find a starter on the waiver wire who can fill in for the week. Using a mid-round pick on Derek Carr for one week provides less value than taking a promising rookie who may hold trade value late in the year.

If you drafted a quarterback coming off of injury—like Dak Prescott or Joe Burrow—then the need for a backup is much greater. Similarly, you will want two streaming options with which to play the matchups if you get stuck with a third-tier signal-caller as your starter.

If you drafted a guy like Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson or Russell Wilson, however, there's little reason to carry two quarterbacks into the regular season.

Under no circumstances should you draft three quarterbacks, two defenses or two kickers.

Draft positioning via FantasyPros.