HOW TO OPTIMIZE
YOUR DRAFT PICKS

This guide will walk you through how to best utilize the Draft Companion to compare players.

If this is your first time, check out our Quick Start Guide. For other topics, check out our FAQ Section.

Fantasy On Draft Methodology

As we mentioned in the Quick Start Guide the Values section is the focal point of the Draft Companion. It combines the methodology of Value-Based Drafting (VBD) with Tiers and Average Draft Position (ADP).

Each of these drafting strategies comes with strengths and weaknesses:

  • Value-Based Drafting highlights how much better a player is positionally, enabling cross-positional comparisons. VBD doesn't take into consideration the consensus price (ADP) of players, though, which puts you at a risk of overpaying for players.
  • Tiers excel at showing positional drop-offs and grouping players with similar projected performances. Tiers can be deceiving when comparing players of different positions, however, as the player in a higher tier is not necessarily the better player.
  • Average Draft Position (ADP) is about the closest we can get to understanding a player's price. ADP can help you identify how other managers are valuing players, but how do you compare players of different positions, who have similar or identical ADP?
The Fantasy On Draft Methodology combines these popular drafting strategies, eliminating each of their shortcomings.

Understanding Player Cards

To expedite the comparison process, each Player Card displays the following information in a compact, easy-to-read format:

  • Name, Team, and Bye Week
  • Projected Points - This is the personalized, projected fantasy points for the season based on your Scoring Settings
  • Projected Points Bar - This is a positionally-colored bar that visually represents the difference in projected points between players and the best player at the same position.
  • Average Draft Position (ADP) - This is the player's "price," or public consensus on when the player should be drafted in Standard, PPR, and Half-PPR leagues.
  • Value - This is the difference in a player's Projected Points, as compared to a Value Baseline player at the same position. Use this to compare across positions. By default, value baselines are calculated based on the starting roster settings, also known as "Value Over Last Starter" (VOLS). To modify the value baselines to better match the tendencies of your league, subscribe at the Premium Tier.
  • Positional Scarcity (Scar) - This is the percentage of value remaining at the same position if the player is selected. This assumes the players of higher value at the same position have been selected as well. This dynamically updates as players are selected.
  • Tier - Indicates the end of a group of similar players, or a significant positional drop-off.

Additionally, the Average Draft Position (ADP) and Value are conditionally highlighted, to show when players are estimated to be selected. The combinations of these estimates can help you visualize the next round of picks. For instance, a Player Card with:

  • Both an ADP and a value indicates that the player should have been selected before your current pick. These Player Cards are also highlighted in green in the latest version of the Draft Companion, making it easy to quickly identify great picks.
  • Both an ADP and a value indicates that the player will most likely be selected before your next pick. These Player Cards are also highlighted in yellow in the latest version of the Draft Companion, making it easy to quickly identify good picks.
  • Only an ADP indicates that the player is overvalued based on the Scoring Settings and is not worth drafting at the current pick.
  • Both an ADP and a value indicates that the player is undervalued based on the Scoring settings and may be available at your next pick.
  • Only a value indicates that the player is extremely undervalued based on the Scoring settings and may be available at a few of your next picks.

Modify Value Baselines based on your leagues' tendencies with our Premium subscription! 

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Examples

Let’s step through some examples to see how the Fantasy On Draft Methodology works.

Example 1

In the example below, we're looking to make our second pick of the draft.

  • Roster settings - 1 QB, 3 WR, 2 RB, 1 TE, 2 FLEX, 1 K, 1 DST
  • Took Bijan Robinson in Round 1

See if you can figure out the best pick, and then scroll down past the picture to see who I would pick.

I'm taking Derrick Henry here.

  • Henry has the highest value across positions.
  • Henry has the lowest positional scarcity value across positions, meaning that there is the least value remaining at RB after I select him.
  • I can afford to take another RB, since I can start 2 (and potentially a third in the FLEX).

Let's move on to the next round for this next example.

Example 2

In the example below, we're looking to make our third pick of the draft.

  • Roster settings - 1 QB, 3 WR, 2 RB, 1 TE, 2 FLEX, 1 K, 1 DST
  • Took Bijan Robinson in Round 1
  • Took Derrick Henry in Round 2

See if you can figure out the best pick, and then scroll down past the picture to see who I would pick.

I'm taking Drake London here.

  • London doesn't have the highest value across positions, but it's the highest at WR, and it's not much lower than the highest values at RB and TE.
  • London's ADP is significantly below our current pick. He's fallen quite a bit to us in the middle of the second round.
  • At RB, the highest value is expected to be available at our next pick, so there's no point in selecting a RB this pick.
  • At TE, there is a lot of remaining value, and the #2 and #3 top values are expected to be around at the next pick.
  • We haven't taken a WR yet, and the positional scarcity at WR is much lower than at TE.

Taking Kelce here isn't wrong, but since we only start 1 TE and usually don't FLEX a TE, I prefer waiting on a higher potential value later on.

Again, personal preference plays a big role here. How do you want to construct your team? Which scenarios do you want to bet on? How much risk are you willing to take?

No matter your preference, our draft kit and the Fantasy On Draft Methodology will help you quickly navigate these tough decisions when you're on the clock.

Ready to set up your first draft kit? Check out our Quick Start Guide.

Have other questions? Check out our FAQ Section.

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