Drafting season is upon us.  Everyone involved in fantasy football on most any level is scouring the internet and newsstands looking for that little edge that takes their fantasy season from dormant to dominant.  Every little tip helps, and here is one that will help you go a long way.  Wait on the WR.

Many fantasy experts tell you to draft RBs in the first 2 rounds.  A recent article here on FantasySharks by Corey Dragge (“No Strategy is the Best Strategy”) discusses using a tiered system to determine who to draft.  Some veterans advocate the best available at your pick.  Regardless of your draft strategy, you have to go by the facts.

The most important information in your draft is your league’s scoring system.  There are no hard and fast absolutes in fantasy football drafting, except that the scoring system rules.  As Dragge stated in his article, his team was successful because they knew the scoring rules better than the rest.  That’s the key.  But another important key is to know what players are out there.

The WR.  This year seems to be a little different in that there seem to be a hundred WR’s that have value.  Sure, there are a few at the top…Harrison, Moss, Owens, etc.  But beyond that small top-tier there are many WRs at roughly the same level.  As I look at various ranking sites and magazines, I see such different rankings for WRs after the first tier that it’s difficult to tell what’s going to happen this season.  And that’s the point.  We don’t know.  If we did, the draft would determine the winner of the league.  But as Chris Berman says, “That’s why they play the games.”  And why we play.

The variety in rankings of WRs indicates that there is little difference between them.  With that said, it makes sense that if you don’t get the top-tiered player, you should wait.  Go for that third RB as insurance for the main guys.  Grab a backup QB to cover yourself there as well.  Maybe, dare I say it, grab the high TE a little earlier in the draft.  Oh the horror!

The bottom line is strategy.  If you hold off on the WR, you can pump up your other positions while not letting much (if anything) slide.  Take your strategy and put it to work…and slide into a successful year.