Take a running back in round one of your fantasy football draft

Filed in archive Fantasy Football on July 11, 2007

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