Fantasy Football Draft Strategy: Drafting At The Wheel
Many people ask me what my favorite place to draft is in fantasy football leagues. I often tell them that it really doesn't matter where I draft, and that I can win from any position. And while this is true, there are some specific spots I do enjoy drafting from. I like drafting in the middle sometimes because this way I never get caught up in a run and if teams are taking too many players at one position, I only have to wait 12 spots to draft again. But there's something called drafting at the wheel that I really like as well. What this means is when you're drafting either at the 1st or 12th spot in a 12-team league. These are known as the wheel selections. The advantage of drafting at the wheel is that you get two picks back-to-back, and no one can steal your players. However, the burden is that you must ensure you don't waste these two critical selections and sometimes have to reach on players you want.
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Fantasy Football Draft Strategy At The Wheel (Pick 12 or Pick 1)
There is a specific strategy that goes into drafting at the wheel. It is important to make sure you're ahead of the curve as you draft. What I mean by this is that, because you're not picking again for another 23 picks, you often have to select a player earlier than at ADP value to make sure you get them. Many people don't like to do that because they hate taking players too soon, thinking that they're losing value. But that's not the case when you’re in this position. You must project ahead, assuming that the players you like won't make it back to you at your next selection.
I often joke that the Noah's Ark strategy can work when drafting at the wheel. As we all remember, the animals boarded the ark two by two. So what I like to do is draft two by two by positions when I'm picking either at one or at 12. What this means is that if I draft two running backs in Rounds 1 and 2 then in Rounds 3 and 4 I'll draft two receivers. Then I may get two running backs again in Rounds 5 and 6, and then in Rounds 7 and 8 I might draft two receivers. I will also often take two quarterbacks in Rounds 9 and 10, so that I can play matchups each week. Then I might take two tight ends in Rounds 11 and 12 to once again play weekly matchups.
For example, a team drafting with the final pick in a 12-team PPR draft might begin its draft looking something like this:
- 1.12: WR Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills
- 2.01: WR Garrett Wilson, New York Jets
- 3.12: RB Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers
- 4.01: RB Travis Etienne, Jacksonville Jaguars
Then in Rounds 9-10 take:
- QB Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings
- QB Daniel Jones, New York Giants
Then in Rounds 11-12 take:
- TE Greg Dulcich, Denver Broncos
- TE Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills
While this is not a perfect way of drafting (and I ALWAYS encourage going with the value that is available in any given draft over sticking rigidly to one strategy), it is a way of thinking that allows teams to make solid roster construction builds and feel confident that they have enough depth to compete all season long.
I encourage you to do a few mock drafts on FantasySP to test out this theory and others to see which teams you like the look of best. The more you prepare, the more you know the player pool and you give yourself the best chance to win.
