End Zone Buzz continues its Best and Worst of Fantasy Football series.

Best strategy in the first round - select a running back

No matter if your league has eight teams or sixteen, it's critical that you take a running back in the first round of your fantasy football draft.

Some owners like to go with the "best-available" strategy, especially if they pick late in round one. This is a mistake that can doom your franchise. Wide receivers - even great ones - are too injury prone for the risk. Kickers aren't even a consideration, and we'll discuss quarterbacks later.

Running backs are plentiful, but the ones to build a winner around will all be gone in round one, and every winning fantasy team needs one. A great running back can easily get you 14-18 points per week - a wonderful anchor for your squad. Plus, serious injuries to starting tailbacks are rare.

So, the best fantasy football draft strategy begins with taking a solid running back in the first round.

Worst strategy in the first round - select a quarterback

In 19 years of competition, I am still amazed at my experienced peers who select a quarterback in the first round of our fantasy football draft. No one who has used this strategy has ever won a Fantasy Bowl in my 14-team, basic scoring league.

The issue here is value and simple math. In a basic league, you assume that a first-round running back can get 60-78 points. The nearly two-decade history of my own league says that a 60-78-point quarterback will be available in rounds four through seven, depending a certain variables. Your chances of selecting a 10-touchdown running back after round three are very small.

So, the most logical strategy is to get the surefire 10-TD back in round one wait to select your quarterback in round three or later.

Other Blogs in the Series

Best Late-round Fantasy Draft Receiver
Best Value Fantasy Kicker
Best Receiver on a New Team
Best Running Back on a New Team
Best and Worst First-round Picks