I figured I'd start off the inaugural post of Fantasy Football Gladiator with a relatively simple concept I am very surprised I haven't seen elsewhere. I call this "Blocking."
This is only available to certain positions in the draft, the couple spots after the first position and couple spots before the last position, but it is very powerful and can really screw the people on the ends. If you love to hear, "I wanted that guy!" and you're not watching daytime television, then this strategy is for you.
Let's say you're #9 in a 10 team draft, and it's your 5th round pick. You want to draft a QB and RB in your next two picks, but which one should you go for?
The answer lies in what the #10 team already has drafted, and which position he (or she) is more likely to pick. If Team 10 already has a QB, then you can be pretty sure another QB isn't on their queue for the round. Go ahead and safely pick your RB in Round 5, and save the QB for Round 6.
If Team 10 does not have a QB, but has 3 RB's, go ahead and grab the QB before Team 10 has a chance to pick, then get the RB in Round 6. If Team 10 seems likely to go either QB or RB with the pick, you'll need to make a judgment call, and guess which player you think is most likely to be taken.
You can also pull this off from the #3 or #8 position. Your guess is less likely to work, but when it does, the effects are a little better. If both teams after you have a TE, and you're debating between TE and WR, go ahead and take the WR before as many as 4 come off the board before it comes back around to you.
As you can see, this is only a draft-day strategy, and unless you're in some sort of dynasty league, you can't actually plan for this. It is always good to keep track of the teams' compositions, for this very reason.
Sadly, if you're on an end, you have no defense for this. Just make sure to maximize the value of every pick. Happy Headhunting!
