An introduction to the series:

Howdy, y’all Christopher Pinto here, Lead Fantasy Football Analyst and Writer for BellyUpSports and BellyUpFantasy, let’s talk draft strategies! The NFL Draft is over and Fantasy Football season is upon us, getting ready for drafts is an exciting time. Running through scenarios and possible outcomes, like Dr. Strange, are favorite pastimes for most. But unlike most, through the speculation and downward spiral into madness has always seemed where I ended up. Until I started constructing a plan of action and following it.

First off, different from most “Fantasy Analysts” I have never won back to back championships, in fact I didn’t win my first championship until my fifth season. Then my last six years later in 2019. I will never claim to be Fantasy Football “God,” but I will promise and claim to be consistent as I have made the playoffs in 80 percent of my leagues since 2009 and top four in all traditional scoring leagues (PPR, Half, Standard) since 2014.

Secondly, Fantasy Football is a game of numbers, attentiveness, luck, and strategy which we will cover in this series. All being equally as important and must be covered if you want to win a Championship. My hope through this series is to help the Fantasy Football Manager take a step forward in their career. Next, whether you have played for decades or just starting this year, I will help you set yourself up for success in your league. Through this series, I will help not only the average player but the experienced manager as well.

Third, there a lot of different metrics and systems out there to help fantasy managers construct a plan of attack for their drafts. I will give a brief overview of what I will cover over the next few days to help my readers and give you an exclusive look at what’s to come at the conclusion on this series.

Draft Strategies:

#BellyUpFootball101 will help Fantasy Managers navigate through the season.

💡 You cannot win your league at the draft, but you can loss it! 💡

Have a plan and stick to it! pic.twitter.com/ooV8OyhYvH

— Belly Up Football 🏈 (@BellyUpFootball) April 7, 2020

• Balanced

First off this strategy gives the manager a great foundation and bones for their team.

Example: Ezekiel Elliott (Rd. 1) / Julio Jones (Rd. 2) / George Kittle (Rd. 3) / Kenyon Drake (Rd. 4)

• Zero Running Back

First off this strategy gives the manager the ability to have the greatest potential for the highest-scoring team.

Example: Michael Thomas (Rd. 1) / Kenny Golladay (Rd. 2) / Stefon Diggs (Rd. 3) / Josh Allen (Rd. 4)

• Best Athlete

First off this strategy gives the manager a well rounded team with depth at most positions.

Example: Christian McCaffrey (Rd. 1) / Amari Cooper (Rd. 2) / Clyde Edwards-Helaire (Rd. 3) / A.J. Brown

• Elite Positions

First off this strategy gives the manager the best players at the positions where the drop off between tier 1 and tier 2 is huge.

Example: Patrick Mahomes (Rd. 1) / Travis Kelce (Rd. 2) / Zach Ertz (Rd. 3) / Russell Wilson (Rd. 4)

• Running Back Heavy

First off this strategy gives the manager a solid corps of running backs and gives them the most consistency week to week.

Example: Saquon Barkley (Rd. 1) / Austin Ekeler (Rd. 2) / Jonathan Taylor (Rd. 3) / Allen Robinson (Rd. 4)

Over the next five days, we will cover the draft strategies in the order above. First, we will go over a Balanced strategy. Second, a Zero Running Back strategy. Third, a Best Available Athlete. Fourth, an Elite Positions strategy. Lastly, my favorite the Running Back Heavy strategy.

Conclusion to the introduction:

In summary, Draft Strategies are one of the most important learning tools I have used over the course of my career as a fantasy manager. Over the next five days I will dive deep into the thought process, pros, and cons of each strategy; and go over the four pillars of fantasy football: numbers, attentiveness, luck, and strategy. Helping you make an educated decision and hopefully make you a better fantasy manager. Using a draft strategy will help any fantasy manager push to the next level as long as you stick to the plan. Lastly, remember “you cannot win your league at the draft, but you can lose it.”

Make sure to watch me tonight on Twitter at 8:30 PM EST as I host #BellyUpFantasyLive as we go into our consensus top 10 WR’s and TE’s! If you missed last weeks show on our consensus top 10 QB’s and RB’s here it is:

Belly Up Fantasy Live: Top 10 QBs and RBs https://t.co/49ngsgzNOq

— Belly Up Fantasy 🏆 (@BellyUpFantasy) May 6, 2020

Share your thoughts with me in the comment section below or by tweeting me @AggieKappaSig. See Belly Up Fantasy Sports and Belly Up Sports for other great articles. Watch for my pre-season rankings coming out this week and see if they have changed from my pre-draft Top 12 Rankings for Redraft PPR Leagues by position: QB, RB, WR, and TE. Thanks and Gig ‘Em!