Draft Strategy- WR before RB

[FantasyRetard 49]

Draft strategy question- Say you have picks 7-10. The possibility opens up to take 2 top WR's (in a 10-team league, 1/2 PPR), then focus on RB's. If you could get AB with the first round pick and say Thomas or Julio with the second round pick, does anything think that's a viable winning strategy? Thoughts?

[Frozenbeernuts 1,652]

No, I would not. There will be good rbs still available and it's easier to find a solid rb later in the draft. One WR at most. The strategy can work, and I'm sure someone will win with it when they get lucky af with their rbs. It's just a more diffult strategy to win with

[Brutal Brutus 182]

Wouldn't be my first choice, but any strategy can work. The WR-WR strategy is a bit safer than some of the RBs you are looking at, but you'll have to hit on a couple of the mid round RBs you'll be taking.

[weepaws 2,457]

First I wouldn’t bet on A Brown being available at the 7th pick.

 

And if he is and that’s your turn wr and the rb.

 

If he’s not their I’m going back to back Rbs.

[FantasyRetard 49]

Thanks for the replies. I tried a couple of mock drafts and it didn't work out well. With my main draft this Saturday, I wanted to explore this option, but it doesn't seem viable.

[rallo 132]

I think it can work out really well, but you are going to have to commit to stacking RBs early and often afterwards... targeting guys like Henry, Lynch, Barber, Carson, etc. and then hope that they pan out... I also think that this would make it harder to get a QB/TE combo that you would be happy with... that said, going against the grain can work wonders... let us know how your draft goes.

[tanatastic 2,061]

We had 2 teams do this in our 12tm ppr. Here are the two teams RB stables.

 

Team A

Miller, Kerryon, J Wilkins, Dixon, jWilliams, Powell

 

Team B

TY Mont, D Lewis, C Anderson, Clement, Crowell, CThompson

[12th Place 2]

We had 2 teams do this in our 12tm ppr. Here are the two teams RB stables.

 

Team A

Miller, Kerryon, J Wilkins, Dixon, jWilliams, Powell

 

Team B

TY Mont, D Lewis, C Anderson, Clement, Crowell, CThompson

I could live with Team A's RBs, but Team B has quite an uphill struggle.

[polecatt 401]

Any time I have ever tried the WR-WR with my first two picks it hasn't gone very well, lol

I would take AB and then a RB, if you can't get AB, then take two RBs

[Byrdman5 104]

WR/WR has never worked in any of the leagues i have been in. The drop off from elite RB to mid of the pack is just steeper than WR. You can easily find a WR1 for a team late in the draft, but its hard to find a 3 down back. I struggled last year and went AB at 3 and Doug at 22. Dion Lewis saved my ass to make the playoffs but ended up losing to Gurley =\

[polecatt 401]

WR/WR has never worked in any of the leagues i have been in. The drop off from elite RB to mid of the pack is just steeper than WR. You can easily find a WR1 for a team late in the draft, but its hard to find a 3 down back. I struggled last year and went AB at 3 and Doug at 22. Dion Lewis saved my ass to make the playoffs but ended up losing to Gurley =\

Exactly, the WR version of Dion Lewis is much more abundant and easier to get than Dion Lewis himself

[TwentyFourSeven 23]

Early in this process I thought I'd be okay going WR with the first two picks. But the more I mock, the more I see it's not a good option. The RBs are not good later. If you got stuck with a guy like Doug Baldwin (3rd round) as your WR1, it's not the worst thing if you have one or two of those top RBs. But if you end up with Kenyan Drake or someone like that as your RB1 I think it's a much steeper Hill all year long.

[FantasyRetard 49]

Again, thanks for all of you jumping in here. The mock drafts I've done following this strategy did not bear well. It was a matter of having the right pick and the right players available. I could work depending on the WR's in rounds 1-2 and then the RB's in rounds 3-5, but I keep seeing RB's going at such a fast rate, that this strategy could backfire bigtime. It's a risk that's likely not worth taking.

[montana 89]

I did it last year in a .05 PPR.

But we also had a GREAT rookie RB class.

 

I took Thomas & Hopkins with my first 2 & landed Hunt & Cook in the mid-rounds (followed by lesser RBs). I was king of the world until Cook went down & Hunt went ghost during the middle part of the season.

Made the playoffs but nothing special.

 

I don't think there's enough depth at RB or maybe too many "?" this year.

[Frozenbeernuts 1,652]

We had 2 teams do this in our 12tm ppr. Here are the two teams RB stables.

 

Team A

Miller, Kerryon, J Wilkins, Dixon, jWilliams, Powell

 

Team B

TY Mont, D Lewis, C Anderson, Clement, Crowell, CThompson

Both teams are screwed if they don't pick up or trade for some rbs

[Brutal Brutus 182]

We had 2 teams do this in our 12tm ppr. Here are the two teams RB stables.

 

Team A

Miller, Kerryon, J Wilkins, Dixon, jWilliams, Powell

 

Team B

TY Mont, D Lewis, C Anderson, Clement, Crowell, CThompson

while the backs certainly aren't great, the teams did a good job of landing ones that tend to carry a lot more value in ppr than in standard, and may even be under valued in ppr.

[defectivesupport 5]

This can work, it just really depends on your outlook for lower round players. You are looking for "guaranteed" points in the first 2-3 rounds. Here are a few example mocks Ive done with Wr-Wr. Generally, WR3 is easy to find late and lets mid rounds be spent on RB. You just have to commit to a few extra mid round RB to ensure your position is solid.

 

PPR, 1qb, 3wr, 2rb,1te,k,def

 

Draft Slot 7/12

QB: Drew Brees

WR: OBJ, D Adams, Corey Davis, Jordy Neslon, Kelvin Benjamin

Rb: Alex Collins, Kerryon Johnson, Carlos Hyde, Chris Thompson,

TE: David Njoku

K: Tucker

DEF: LAC

 

Draft Slot 9/12

QB: Drew Brees

WR: OBJ, Julio Jones , Golden Tate, Corey Davis, Kenny Golladay

Rb: Joe Mixon, Kenyan Drake, Carlos Hyde, Chris Carson, Austin Ekler

TE: David Njoku

K: Lutz

DEF: PIT

 

Draft Slot 10/12

QB: Cam Newton

WR: De Hopkins, D Adams, Golden Tate, Keelan Cole, Cordarrelle Patterson

Rb: Royce Freeman, Kenyan Drake, Carlos Hyde, Chris Thompson, Austin Ekler

TE: David Njoku

K: Tucker

DEF: DEN

[TwentyFourSeven 23]

This can work, it just really depends on your outlook for lower round players. You are looking for "guaranteed" points in the first 2-3 rounds. Here are a few example mocks Ive done with Wr-Wr. Generally, WR3 is easy to find late and lets mid rounds be spent on RB. You just have to commit to a few extra mid round RB to ensure your position is solid.

 

PPR, 1qb, 3wr, 2rb,1te,k,def

 

Draft Slot 7/12

QB: Drew Brees

WR: OBJ, D Adams, Corey Davis, Jordy Neslon, Kelvin Benjamin

Rb: Alex Collins, Kerryon Johnson, Carlos Hyde, Chris Thompson,

TE: David Njoku

K: Tucker

DEF: LAC

 

Draft Slot 9/12

QB: Drew Brees

WR: OBJ, Julio Jones , Golden Tate, Corey Davis, Kenny Golladay

Rb: Joe Mixon, Kenyan Drake, Carlos Hyde, Chris Carson, Austin Ekler

TE: David Njoku

K: Lutz

DEF: PIT

 

Draft Slot 10/12

QB: Cam Newton

WR: De Hopkins, D Adams, Golden Tate, Keelan Cole, Cordarrelle Patterson

Rb: Royce Freeman, Kenyan Drake, Carlos Hyde, Chris Thompson, Austin Ekler

TE: David Njoku

K: Tucker

DEF: DEN

I'm picking 10 and I could get on board with any of those. The problem with going WR WR is the uncertainty of what will be there for me @ 3.10.

[Ray_T 588]

honestly, first 2 rounds, you should be picking the best player available. (not counting QB's unless you are getting an elite QB)

 

and picking in the 7-10 range, it largely depends on what others pick before it is your turn.

 

This is where a couple of mocks can help you with those first 2 picks.

 

you normally expect the top 3-5 WR and the top 3-5 RB's to go in the first 7 or 8 picks. so run a couple of scenarios.

 

then I'd run one or two oddball scenario where the first 6 or 7 players taken are RB's or WR's and see how that works for you. (no need for a mock here, just do it yourself)

 

Then you know what you have in certain situations.

 

of course stick to your list when you can, but any player that can give you an advantage at that position is a player you should be picking in round 1-2 if you can.

[Skinny_Bastard 154]

WR strategy never worked in my league of 20+ years.

Every team that tried have resulted in catastrophe.

[Mullog 12]

I agree with Skinny_Bastard, the WR-WR strategy has never worked in the leagues I've been in.

 

It is just easier to find viable WRs in the later rounds than it is to find RBs who will see the field in a meaningful way. Forget rankings and stats for a minute and do the math:

 

The typical NFL team carries anywhere from 3-5 RBs on the 53 man roster. Let's say an average of 4 and of those only 2 have a shot at real playing time. 32 teams x 2 RBs = 64 potentially viable RBs at any one time.

 

The typical NFL team carries anywhere from 5-7 WRs on the 53 man roster. Let's say an average of 6 and of those only 3 have a shot at real playing time. 32 teams x 3 WRs = 96 potentially viable WRs at any one time.

 

Now there are variables and factors missing from my rocket science, for sure. But that's 32 more players you can pick from the WR pool. Just gotta do the math.

[ZeroTolerance 582]

Might face this tonight drafting from the 7 hole in a .5 PPR if someone let's AB slip to me. I really like the WRs in the mid-second round more than the RBs.

[Skinny_Bastard 154]

It's always easier to find a WR in waiver than RB.

[weepaws 2,457]

Exactly.

 

Rb rb the way to go.

[tanatastic 2,061]

It makes you feel better to go RB RB usually. In my main league I perhaps foolishly passed on Julio Jones to get Dalvin Cook after getting Gordon rnd 1. I had hoped to get 2 wr on the way back I liked. I ended up with TY and Fitz and I feel my team is near the top on paper all things considered.

[ZeroTolerance 582]

Might face this tonight drafting from the 7 hole in a .5 PPR if someone let's AB slip to me. I really like the WRs in the mid-second round more than the RBs.

 

Yeah, that was a disaster. Antonio on the board at #7, followed by a massive run on RBs. Faced a choice of Allen/Adams or...Mixon? Went for the best available and took WR, by the time the third round came through the value was all at WR and the RB choices were painful. Collins went 3.01, Freeman went 3.04, McCoy 3.05. Not happy with the result, Brown/Allen/Fitzgerald at WR, but the mess of Drake/Ajayi/Burkhead/Duke Johnson at RB.

[FantasyRetard 49]

 

Yeah, that was a disaster. Antonio on the board at #7, followed by a massive run on RBs. Faced a choice of Allen/Adams or...Mixon? Went for the best available and took WR, by the time the third round came through the value was all at WR and the RB choices were painful. Collins went 3.01, Freeman went 3.04, McCoy 3.05. Not happy with the result, Brown/Allen/Fitzgerald at WR, but the mess of Drake/Ajayi/Burkhead/Duke Johnson at RB.

 

I started this thread in a response to a draft I did a week ago. I had the 8th pick. The draft went like this: Gurley, Bell, DJ, Elliott, Kamara, Barkley, Hunt. No WR's had been taken yet, so I took AB. The rest of the first went Hopkins and Beckham. Julio and Davante went 1 and 2 in the 2nd round. I was surprised by that, but happy I got Gordon. I theorized what a WR-WR strategy might look like.

[redsrback 30]

So easy for others to say, wonder if they would pass on Brown with Barkley - unproven, Freeman-crowded backfield,Cook-coming off injury, Mixon, McCaffery, Howard, and McKinnon all good but not spectacular. 2 top 10 WRs should be guaranteed with 14 more darts in your hand. After you commit you may even have Gronk or Kelce with your 3rd pick since everyone else will finish up the top WRs after going 2 RBs. I almost feel your in a no win situation, but a lot of players get injured nowadays which u should be able to mop up with back-ups. Wrong or right I would be shaking not taking Brown.