Redraft Strategy, Pre-Draft Planning

Photo: Jeff Hanisch, USA Today Sports

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The Re-Draft Roundtables Series

The Footballguys staff looks at various strategies to help you in redraft leagues.

Participating in a redraft league is a process that starts with the draft and hopefully ends with a championship. The Footballguys staff has answered several questions about various strategies to help you achieve your championship dreams. From the beginning to the end and everything in between, we've got you covered to give you the tools and knowledge needed to dominate your redraft league.

How locked in is your pre-draft strategy? Do you plan out your first few picks? If so, how in-depth -- down to the player? If you don't plan pre-draft, how do you approach a draft?

JASON WOOD

I'll have strong inclinations about which players in a given round (based on ADP) are my preferred targets. That comes from doing projections and rankings for the site and participating in a boatload of mock drafts with other active managers. But I think since you only control 1/10th or 1/12th of the outcomes in any draft, you need to have Plans B, C, D, and E in case your Plan A goes out the window.

Nothing is more valuable than knowing the tendencies of your league mates. Again, sometimes that's not possible if it's a league where your placement is randomly assigned (e.g., The Footballguys Players Championship). However, in your long-standing local leagues, be sure to go back and look at prior drafts. You'll be surprised how quickly you see patterns emerge.

SAM WAGMAN

My draft strategy is not locked in for the most part. I may think I want to do something with my first and second-round pick and then completely change my thinking about how the players roll off the board. “No plan survives first contact with the enemy” is a common thought here. You always have to be prepared for a change in your process throughout a draft because you can’t control the other 11 teams in your draft. That said, I do have ideas on the positions I like to target and the tiers that go along with it, and pretty much stick to those tiers when drafting.

BEN CUMMINS

Knowing what draft slot I have ahead of time, I map out my player targets round by round. Then, I adjust as the draft unfolds, considering players falling later than expected and roster construction.

CRAIG LAKINS

If you have the luxury of knowing your draft position before the draft, you can create a solid strategy with a contingency plan. Many drafts, however, don't offer much notice, and you have to be ready to shift your strategy on the fly. This is where having a solid understanding of different strategies can be used to your advantage. Your first two rounds will be the biggest indicator of the direction your draft will take. Truthfully, there is merit to any strategy you roll with, but you need to be prepared to shift depending on how your league-mates pick ahead of you.

ANDY HICKS

Ideally, you want a strong idea of how your first three selections go and then sort the rest of your roster around it. You have some drafts where good players fall in your lap and others where the guy you want is taken the pick before round after round. Planning roster construction is important, but adapting on the fly is vital. If there is a run on a position earlier than expected, do you cave in and join or sit tight and grab value elsewhere? You know your draft slot and the range of players available. Mapping the first three rounds gives you a strong base to build on. It needs to be planned very carefully.