Dynasty Rookie Draft Strategy

Photo: Michael Caterina, USA Today Sports

As the NFL draft concludes and dynasty rookie drafts commence, it's essential to consider the best approach to drafting rookies. With numerous strategies at your disposal and a rookie class that's widely perceived as underwhelming, there are several opportunities to capitalize on this perception. Therefore, let's explore the optimal rookie draft strategy.

Know Your Team

The first step in drafting rookies for your dynasty team is to assess your current roster. Most dynasty teams fall into three categories: Contenders, Pretenders, and Rebuilders. Understanding your team's current state is crucial as it will significantly impact your rookie draft strategy. If you're rebuilding, you should target high-upside prospects with long-term potential rather than immediate production. On the other hand, if you're in a win-now mode, prioritize players who can contribute to your team immediately. The worst position to be in is a pretender. Being a Pretender in a fantasy league can lead to reaching for value and ultimately cause perpetual rebuilding. Finishing in the middle of the pack every season is not what you should be doing in dynasty leagues. If you are looking for a free tool to help you identify where your team is as compared to your leaguemates, check out this new dynasty resource. That resource will help you identify team weaknesses and will also help you analyze other league roosters to find trade partners.

Identify The Tiers

After analyzing your roster and knowing where your team stands, it’s imperative that you identify the current value tiers. Here are my current rookie value tiers:

• 1.01
  • RB Bijan Robinson, Atlanta
• 1.02-1.06
  • QB Bryce Young, Carolina
  • QB Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis
  • QB C.J. Stroud, Houston
  • RB Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit
  • WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle
• 1.07-1.08
  • WR Jordan Addison, Minnesota
  • WR Quentin Johnston, LA Chargers
• 1.09-2.04
  • WR Josh Downs, Indianapolis
  • RB Devon Achane, Miami
  • WR Zay Flowers, Baltimore
  • TE Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo
  • TE Michael Mayer, Las Vegas
  • RB Zach Charbonnet, Seattle
  • RB Tank Bigsby, Jacksonville
  • RB Kendre Miller, New Orleans
• 2.05-3.04
  • RB Tyjae Spears, Tennessee
  • QB Will Levis, Tennessee
  • TE Sam LaPorta, Detroit
  • WR Rashee Rice, Kansas City
  • WR Marvin Mims, Denver
  • WR Jalin Hyatt, NY Giants
  • WR Jonathan Mingo, Carolina
  • RB Zach Evans, LA Rams
  • WR Jayden Reed, Green Bay
  • QB Hendon Hooker, Detroit
  • TE Luke Musgrave, Green Bay
  • RB Roschon Johnson, Chicago