Draft strategy....why going wr/wr or rb/rb can be a problem

[CornKobb 48]

I know this is no new news but seeing some posts of people considering wr/wr or rb/rb...In certain situations I feel this is ok but in most I present a problem. Going rb/wr or wr/rb is a much better choice most of the time....why?

 

I keep finding myself in trouble after taking rb/rb or wr/wr in the 3rd round because I am forced to take what i do not have.....not what is best available. We all know in drafts certain players will fall to you and you will be pleasantly surprised they are there. What sux is when for instance you took AJ/Fitz and its your third round pick and desean jackson is there and you have to go forte or johnathan stewart.

 

Or you take Shonne Greene and Ryan Matthews and your forced to take Crabtree instead of pierre thomas or lesean mccoy.

 

These are just examples of players and may not be completely realistic but just curious about yalls thoughts on this.

 

I like the flexibility of filling rb/wr or wr/rb with my 1st two picks and having two different positions to choose from instead of one.

 

thoughts?

[thekris 0]

I know this is no new news but seeing some posts of people considering wr/wr or rb/rb...In certain situations I feel this is ok but in most I present a problem. Going rb/wr or wr/rb is a much better choice most of the time....why?

 

I keep finding myself in trouble after taking rb/rb or wr/wr in the 3rd round because I am forced to take what i do not have.....not what is best available. We all know in drafts certain players will fall to you and you will be pleasantly surprised they are there. What sux is when for instance you took AJ/Fitz and its your third round pick and desean jackson is there and you have to go forte or johnathan stewart.

 

Or you take Shonne Greene and Ryan Matthews and your forced to take Crabtree instead of pierre thomas or lesean mccoy.

 

These are just examples of players and may not be completely realistic but just curious about yalls thoughts on this.

 

I like the flexibility of filling rb/wr or wr/rb with my 1st two picks and having two different positions to choose from instead of one.

 

thoughts?

 

I'm trying to decide the same thing. I'm picking 12th out of 12 this year and have been seriously considering going RB/RB hoping for maybe Mendenhall and Matthews. Just not sure what WRs will be left for me at 3.12

[jerryskids 5,427]

I know this is no new news but seeing some posts of people considering wr/wr or rb/rb...In certain situations I feel this is ok but in most I present a problem. Going rb/wr or wr/rb is a much better choice most of the time....why?

 

I keep finding myself in trouble after taking rb/rb or wr/wr in the 3rd round because I am forced to take what i do not have.....not what is best available. We all know in drafts certain players will fall to you and you will be pleasantly surprised they are there. What sux is when for instance you took AJ/Fitz and its your third round pick and desean jackson is there and you have to go forte or johnathan stewart.

 

Or you take Shonne Greene and Ryan Matthews and your forced to take Crabtree instead of pierre thomas or lesean mccoy.

 

These are just examples of players and may not be completely realistic but just curious about yalls thoughts on this.

 

I like the flexibility of filling rb/wr or wr/rb with my 1st two picks and having two different positions to choose from instead of one.

 

thoughts?

One could argue that by this logic, you are similarly limiting yourself in the 2nd round.

 

That being said, all other things being equal, I prefer to go RB/WR if it works out that way, as it gives you options in the 3rd and you can be more objective. I would say that in general I have this attitude throughout the entire draft -- if I'm not in love with somebody, I'll err on the side of filling out my roster evenly. I like getting to the mid/late rounds knowing I have a solid starting lineup and having the ability to take high-upside guys at any position.

[huskerinct 1]

If you go WR WR and DJax is there, wouldn't he be there if you went RB RB? Conversely, if you went RB RB, wouldn't Pierre Thomas or McCoy be there? I would think the chances would be better.

[cyclone24 1,836]

12th pick so im looking at the same thing and this is what ive decided.

 

If matthews and greene are there...im grabbing them both bc IMO those are the last two guys i think have a big shot at 300 carries, play in good offenses, wont have to share a ton, and are very young and talented. After that you get into guys that either share carries or are a risk bc of offense or injury.

 

Ive tried some mocks going rb/wr and i dont seem to like either guy i get at that 3rd/4th turn at WR or RB

[skinsrule05 30]

I know this is no new news but seeing some posts of people considering wr/wr or rb/rb...In certain situations I feel this is ok but in most I present a problem. Going rb/wr or wr/rb is a much better choice most of the time....why?

 

I keep finding myself in trouble after taking rb/rb or wr/wr in the 3rd round because I am forced to take what i do not have.....not what is best available. We all know in drafts certain players will fall to you and you will be pleasantly surprised they are there. What sux is when for instance you took AJ/Fitz and its your third round pick and desean jackson is there and you have to go forte or johnathan stewart.

 

Or you take Shonne Greene and Ryan Matthews and your forced to take Crabtree instead of pierre thomas or lesean mccoy.

 

These are just examples of players and may not be completely realistic but just curious about yalls thoughts on this.

 

I like the flexibility of filling rb/wr or wr/rb with my 1st two picks and having two different positions to choose from instead of one.

 

thoughts?

 

In the first couple (3-5) rounds it is my opinion that you need to go by value and not by your roster needs. I go into the draft with the first 60+ players ranked regardless of position. If you went WR/WR and you are up in the 3rd you take the best player available. Fill out your roster needs later in the draft because it is a lot harder at that point to determine value anyway.

 

Note- it would be very unlikely for the scenario above to play out but if it does it is a good thing for you. Say you went WR/WR. If everyone else took at least one WR then the value will be at RB since more WR are gone (assuming a balanced scoring system). If everyone besides you took RBs that is good. It means you got 3 value WRs in a league where people are going to need WRs.

[Mike MacGregor 20]

I agree with CornKobb's approach and have been preaching as such for a while now. Others are making valid points here. I do see it is probably more conservative than a WR/WR/WR? or RB/RB out of the gate strategy. If those work like a charm then you have higher upside I suppose. All in all, you've got to hit on the right players to be successful.

[cheesesteaks 0]

I also like the WR/RB mix in the 1st 2 rounds and it even gives you flexibility to take a QB in round 3 or 4. I think this argument can work against taking a QB in the 1st 2 rounds since now you are forced to take the position which you did not take earlier. Of course this changes if you draft in the first 4 spots.

[Fantasy Noob 10]

Love talking draft strategy so here is my 2 cents.

 

I think this has everything to do with your draft position, your scoring system and your lineup requirements. If you only start 2RB/2WR this strategy probably does not make much sense as you waste the possible advantage of it by filling one position early. You can no longer use the 3-6 rounds to snatch up players that slide at a position you have already filled.

 

Your also missing an important piece to either the RB/RB, WR/WR strategy. It is the creation of a run at a certain position forcing other drafters to make picks at a position outside of ADP (Smart drafters avoid runs but I would say 80% of people panic further aggravating the run and creating more value for you at other positions). If you simply go RB/WR you create no pressure on the other drafters and are much less likely to see those good deals show up in later rounds.

 

This strategy is optimal for the drafters at the end of the first round, you are already behind and you need to make some disciplined gambles to prevent the early drafters from getting too far of an advantage.

[PATSSOX 22]

I know this is no new news but seeing some posts of people considering wr/wr or rb/rb...In certain situations I feel this is ok but in most I present a problem. Going rb/wr or wr/rb is a much better choice most of the time....why?

 

I keep finding myself in trouble after taking rb/rb or wr/wr in the 3rd round because I am forced to take what i do not have.....not what is best available. We all know in drafts certain players will fall to you and you will be pleasantly surprised they are there. What sux is when for instance you took AJ/Fitz and its your third round pick and desean jackson is there and you have to go forte or johnathan stewart.

 

Or you take Shonne Greene and Ryan Matthews and your forced to take Crabtree instead of pierre thomas or lesean mccoy.

 

These are just examples of players and may not be completely realistic but just curious about yalls thoughts on this.

 

I like the flexibility of filling rb/wr or wr/rb with my 1st two picks and having two different positions to choose from instead of one.

 

thoughts?

 

 

Yes i agree with that 100%. I ran into that same problem last night. It was just a little PPR league so i tried WR/WR and got to the 3rd round and there were some very good WRs left but i had to take a RB and settled for Pierre Thomas in 3rd round

 

I wanted to do something differ but wish i had not.

[the bosses 0]

Love talking draft strategy so here is my 2 cents.

 

I think this has everything to do with your draft position, your scoring system and your lineup requirements. If you only start 2RB/2WR this strategy probably does not make much sense as you waste the possible advantage of it by filling one position early. You can no longer use the 3-6 rounds to snatch up players that slide at a position you have already filled.

 

Your also missing an important piece to either the RB/RB, WR/WR strategy. It is the creation of a run at a certain position forcing other drafters to make picks at a position outside of ADP (Smart drafters avoid runs but I would say 80% of people panic further aggravating the run and creating more value for you at other positions). If you simply go RB/WR you create no pressure on the other drafters and are much less likely to see those good deals show up in later rounds.

 

This strategy is optimal for the drafters at the end of the first round, you are already behind and you need to make some disciplined gambles to prevent the early drafters from getting too far of an advantage.

 

this is a good point. I could see a WR/WR strategy towards the end on Round 1 helping push a 2nd round run through the second tier WR's and leaving some good value at RB in the 3rd. Maybe even a little unique this year because of the size of the group of CJ, Austin, Fitzgerald, White, Jennings, D-Jax, Wayne, Marshall.....that is over a half of a round picks for guys who likely took a RB in the first round.

[Boston Three Party 6]

If you go WR WR and DJax is there, wouldn't he be there if you went RB RB? Conversely, if you went RB RB, wouldn't Pierre Thomas or McCoy be there? I would think the chances would be better.

 

[TimHauck 1,886]

As long as your league has a flex spot, nothing really wrong with going RB-RB-RB if you think those were the best guys available at the time.

[sozopol 1]

One could argue that by this logic, you are similarly limiting yourself in the 2nd round.

 

 

 

To me this is the obvious response. You picked RB, now it's the second round and the value is there with another RB but you force yourself to take a WR for the sake of... avoiding this same situation in the third round.

[CornKobb 48]

I never will forget the 2004 draft 12man league when i had the 5th pick. I took duece mccallister 1.5, Fred Taylor at 2.8 and guess who falls in my lap at 3.5??? Cory Dillion when he signed with the patriots. I went ahead and took him because he was best available but was hurting for wr/qb the rest of the draft.

 

4.8 - Darrell Jackson

5.5 - Matt Hasselbeck

6.8 - Larry Fitzgerald - rookie yr

7.5 - Justin MacCRYins

8.8 - Steven Jackson - rookie yr

9.5 - Andre Davis

 

ughhh. only start 2 rbs....killed me.

[sozopol 1]

I never will forget the 2004 draft 12man league when i had the 5th pick. I took duece mccallister 1.5, Fred Taylor at 2.8 and guess who falls in my lap at 3.5??? Cory Dillion when he signed with the patriots. I went ahead and took him because he was best available but was hurting for wr/qb the rest of the draft.

 

 

But what about a trade. Someone must have been hurting for RBs... Seems to me if you draft good value you either have someone to play or flex or else good trade material to fill your holes.

 

Easier said than done though. I myself am not too good at trades.

[svtballa 8]

But what about a trade. Someone must have been hurting for RBs... Seems to me if you draft good value you either have someone to play or flex or else good trade material to fill your holes.

 

Easier said than done though. I myself am not too good at trades.

 

 

 

either way i have the 2nd pick this year in a 12 teamer..and im going rb/wr

[schmitty34 2]

To me this is the obvious response. You picked RB, now it's the second round and the value is there with another RB but you force yourself to take a WR for the sake of... avoiding this same situation in the third round.

 

Ex-freakin-actly!

 

I've never understood the RB/RB or WR/WR question. IMO, your strategy should be based on value, league settings, and knowing the tendancies of your other league mates.

 

I understand some general rules, like feeling like you have to get at least one RB in the first two rounds, but going into a draft already deciding to pick certain positions without seeing how the draft is going doesn't really make much sense.

 

I've gone RB,RB,RB in a non-flex league before because of who fell to me. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't. I don't like letting roster spots get in the way of value. I wouldn't have drafted Rice last year in my keeper league if I did

[skinsrule05 30]

either way i have the 2nd pick this year in a 12 teamer..and im going rb/wr

 

See I love hearing that and hope the people at the beginning of my draft do the same. By locking yourself into the fact that you are taking a WR in the second round it hurts your team. What if Ryan Grant (or some other RB you have projected as going early 2nd) is available? Are you saying you are so locked into taking a WR that you wouldn't take him. In my opinion that is hurting your team. All drafts are different. See what is given to you and take it. Don't give away value to others just because decided before the draft that RB/WR is ideal.

[jerryskids 5,427]

Ex-freakin-actly!

 

I've never understood the RB/RB or WR/WR question. IMO, your strategy should be based on value, league settings, and knowing the tendancies of your other league mates.

 

I understand some general rules, like feeling like you have to get at least one RB in the first two rounds, but going into a draft already deciding to pick certain positions without seeing how the draft is going doesn't really make much sense.

 

I've gone RB,RB,RB in a non-flex league before because of who fell to me. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't. I don't like letting roster spots get in the way of value. I wouldn't have drafted Rice last year in my keeper league if I did

Keeper leagues are a different beast though; you are much more likely to draft on pure value vs. consideration of current roster needs.

 

That being said, the longer you draft for one position, the more pressure you will feel to fill other positions. After one RB, you might feel slightly inclined to go WR in the second. If you draft RBs in the first 4 rounds, you surely are feeling the pressure to get a WR or two. The tipping point will vary by owner and other factors as mentioned in this thread.

[LunaTick 29]

At some point.......

 

...you are only going to be able to start x players at each position. (response to drafting rb in first 4 rounds, and I have seen it)

 

...you are going to have to find starters (going wr/wr, wr/qb, rb/rb). Question: how likely is it to find a starting rb after round 4?\

 

...you need to have a line up that will score more than the other guy every week. (depth over loading is nice on paper, but does it really matter?)

 

...a run is going to happen. You can start it by ADP timing it right. Or you can take advantage of it.

 

...you need a qb,k and possibly other stuff. draft a stud earlier and let it ride late. Or deal with your below average joe.

 

...you are going to need to know how much pain you can handle. Not having quality at each position.

 

Personally I can handle lesser quality te first and then wr then k then rb then qb. I have drafted with emphasis at wr or rb, but have never performed well enough without a stud at qb.

 

Know yourself and address it accordingly.

[WhiteWonder 2,235]

if you do some mock drafts from your known draft position, it is pretty easy to say "we'll my best bet is going WR-WR to start".

 

nothing wrong with that as long as you are willing to deviate based on outlier picks that happen in your real draft.

[Laurence Maroney's Nuts 2]

I definitely do not suggest this strategy if you draft on the bookends... leaves you too susceptible to runs on positions.

 

Well, I hate the bookends (particularly 11 or 12 of a 12 teamer) in general...

[stonewall 647]

I definitely do not suggest this strategy if you draft on the bookends... leaves you too susceptible to runs on positions.

 

Well, I hate the bookends (particularly 11 or 12 of a 12 teamer) in general...

 

Me too.

 

I suppose that I can add a little insight to this thread, because I just finished drafting in my 12 team non-ppr standard scoring money redraft league from the 11 hole. I had "planned" to take either Rodgers/Greene or maybe Miles or Moss/Greene or Matthews.....but all that got shot down right away when Andre Friggin Johnson fell to me at 11 . The 3 top QB's and all the top RB's, including Steven Jackson all went before me. So, although I hadn't planned to do it, I took 2 WR's with the 1st two picks (AJ and Miles)....and then patched together Moreno, Pierre, Sidney Rice, Arian, VJ, Cutler, and Zach Miller. I think this is a team I can work with.

 

Bottom line: You just have to be prepared yet flexible and roll with the punches and draft based on value.....despite what your "plan" might have been.

[Laurence Maroney's Nuts 2]

Me too.

 

I suppose that I can add a little insight to this thread, because I just finished drafting in my 12 team non-ppr standard scoring money redraft league from the 11 hole. I had "planned" to take either Rodgers/Greene or maybe Miles or Moss/Greene or Matthews.....but all that got shot down right away when Andre Friggin Johnson fell to me at 11 . The 3 top QB's and all the top RB's, including Steven Jackson all went before me. So, although I hadn't planned to do it, I took 2 WR's with the 1st two picks (AJ and Miles)....and then patched together Moreno, Pierre, Sidney Rice, Arian, VJ, Cutler, and Zach Miller. I think this is a team I can work with.

 

Bottom line: You just have to be prepared yet flexible and roll with the punches and draft based on value.....despite what your "plan" might have been.

 

Egggs-actly.

 

And settle the fock down. You're team is solid.

 

Backfield is volatile so hopefully 2 of the 3 (or all 3) pan out, but your WR are set (may end up with sick trade bait depending on how things play out with Rice's injury and Vjax status) and Cutler and Zach Miller are freaking excellent value there.

 

On paper... well done.

[stonewall 647]

Egggs-actly.

 

And settle the fock down. You're team is solid.

 

Backfield is volatile so hopefully 2 of the 3 (or all 3) pan out, but your WR are set (may end up with sick trade bait depending on how things play out with Rice's injury and Vjax status) and Cutler and Zach Miller are freaking excellent value there.

 

On paper... well done.

 

 

Thanks bro.

 

One advantage to drafting from a late slot is that you then have waiver priority for when one of those preseason RB injuries occur.

[p00h 85]

To me this is the obvious response. You picked RB, now it's the second round and the value is there with another RB but you force yourself to take a WR for the sake of... avoiding this same situation in the third round.

 

 

valid point, but a couple of things to consider. There are a lot of options still available in the 1st/2nd to go wr/rb or rb/wr. Also allows for the flexibility to go one or the other in the 1st based on who's sitting there and value and all that. The further down the draft you go locked into a rb/rb or wr/wr, the less the options get. So you grab turner in the 1st, maybe get wayne in the 2nd, you are in a far better place in the 3rd regardless of how the draft unfolds than you are if you go turner/mendenhall. Sure djax might still be there in the 3rd to take, but if you went rb/wr or vice versa, there might be a shonn greene still there, which you might value far greater than djax. However at that stage, taking shonn greene will guarantee your wrs to be crap. At the same time, you'll have trade bait. So lots of factors to take into account, but locking yourself into rb/wr or wr/rb still affords a lot more flexibility in the next 2 rounds IMO...

 

Having said that, if I'm at 1.11 or 1.12, and I can land 2 solid rbs, I'm doing it, and will play a volume game with the wrs in hopes of 2 decent once sticking. I would NEVER do that with WR/WR though. That looks like the kiss of death. Maybe if I can land AJ3000 and Wayne or something like that, but even then I'll probably take a rb in the 2nd...

[TimHauck 1,886]

I definitely do not suggest this strategy if you draft on the bookends... leaves you too susceptible to runs on positions.

 

Well, I hate the bookends (particularly 11 or 12 of a 12 teamer) in general...

 

I don't think I necessarily mind being "susceptible to runs," since if you miss it completely you won't be forced to reach for someone. Although this kinda goes back to what Fantasy Noob said, in that you may be the one who can start the run. That said, I think a WR run is pretty much inevitable in the 2nd round this year, so I probably wouldn't go WR-WR at the end of the first just in the hopes of starting a run. Similarly, not sure how successful going RB-RB would be in starting a run because of this most likely inevitable WR run. So it just comes down to who you think are the best guys there at the time.

 

The one thing I don't "like" about picks 11 or 12 this year in the first round is the QB situation. I really don't want to take a QB in the first or 2nd because I took Brees in the first last year and was really lacking in the WR department, but I have both Brees and Rodgers ranked in that range, so not sure what I would do there.

[Gridiron Mafia 1]

Im certainly not going to pretend to be an expert on draft strat but what has always worked for me is simply following the "best player available" philosphy. The only thing that clouds this strat is when your best available becomes a QB in the 1st....at which point its a GM call to go another direction. I have always had good results drafting this way. Just my 2 cents.