5 Fantasy Football Tips for Drafting From The Corner

Fantasy Football 101

Drafting from the corner (picks 1 & 2 or 11 & 12) can be difficult as you can't plan for what's coming after the first round. Many people who play fantasy football fail to realize its science and get upset at those who do well. No worries; I am here to break things down and help you build the winning fantasy lineup.

Drafting from the corner can pose certain dilemmas, but I will give you five essential tools you will need to succeed. LET’S GO!!!

1. Find Volume

It is essential to find a player with a lot of volume when drafting, especially from the corner (Picks 1 & 2, 11 & 12). In fantasy, volume equates to points, which you want. Players like Justin Jefferson, Derrick Henry, and Patrick Mahomes are all players that will have a lot of volume and should be considered fantasy studs. Fantasy studs are players you want in your lineup and are drafted relatively quickly. The biggest thing to remember is that fantasy is a game of numbers, and while it may seem simple, you don’t want to draft players that won’t see a lot of action or get the ball much.

2. Focus on the Big Three

The big three is something that I implement in the early rounds of the draft. I focus on QB, RB, and WR as they produce the most points of any other position.

Certain TEs are the exception to the rule, but for the most part, stick to the positions known to produce fantasy points regularly. If you are drafting from the corner, try to take two players that will feed off each other. I will discuss what I mean by this in the next section.

3. Learn and Implement Stacks

Whether you are playing season-long or a DFS tournament, it is critical to understand stacks and how they can help you beat your opponents. Many people have no idea about stacking, but it is a simple concept that will help you win more. If you decide to draft Joe Burrow as your quarterback, then you need to do two things: 1: Avoid drafting his RB because he will take away from the production of your QB, and 2: Draft one of his key pass catchers. Why is this important? If Joey B. throws a touchdown pass to Chase, then you get points from both players. But if Mixon rushes for a touchdown, Burrow receives no points. If you got lucky and got Burrow, chances are someone else drafted Chase, which means you will need to draft Tee Higgins. Now this is where things get interesting; if Higgins isn’t projected to be drafted until the later rounds, don’t draft him right off the bat; focus on chalky players you know will perform and get you points. Doing your research and knowing depth charts will help you tremendously.

4. Avoid DST/ Kickers until later in the draft

Historically speaking, DSTs do not produce many points per game. Some will have a solid game where they dominate a team, but for the most part, DSTs will hover around 3-10 points per game, and kickers’ points fluctuate too much to draft higher. I usually draft my DST and kicker with my last two draft picks. Remember, you want VOLUME and won’t get that from these two positions.

5. Research and Find Value

One of the most critical parts of building a lineup that will consistently produce is to do your research and find value in the draft. When I say research, don’t look up who to draft; use reliable and proven sources that will go in-depth and tell you exactly why that person will be a solid pick.

Don’t ever take the best player available in your draft, have a list of players you want and stick to it. Be reasonable, though; you won’t get all the studs on your team, which leads me to the most challenging part of the draft process: finding value or sleepers. If I had a dime for every time asked me, “Who is your sleeper?” I wouldn’t be writing this article. I would be sitting on the beach with a martini in my hand and sand between my toes. Deciphering sleepers is easy if you know what you are looking for from a particular position.

Let’s take TEs, for example, I want my TE to garner 3-5 targets per game and average 10+ points per game, but we all know there aren’t too many TEs that can come close to that. I just created a baseline of what I want, and now I look at who comes close to that, and I have my sleeper. This is why research is so important and truly priceless in the world of fantasy sports. Why else would there be so many sites dedicated to helping people formulate winning lineups daily?