{"id":337689,"date":"2025-09-03T06:49:34","date_gmt":"2025-09-03T06:49:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/337689\/"},"modified":"2025-09-03T06:49:34","modified_gmt":"2025-09-03T06:49:34","slug":"10-last-minute-fantasy-football-draft-tips-plus-takeaways-at-each-position-to-help-you-win-your-league","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/337689\/","title":{"rendered":"10 last-minute fantasy football draft tips, plus takeaways at each position to help you win your league"},"content":{"rendered":"

The following is an excerpt from the latest edition of Yahoo’s fantasy football newsletter, Get to the Points! If you like what you see, you can subscribe for free here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

No big preamble needed today. It\u2019s the biggest fantasy football draft weekend of the year. Let\u2019s get you ready.<\/p>\n

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10 general draft and management tips1. Know the rules<\/p>\n

The first thing you need to do is thoroughly audit your league settings. I know this isn\u2019t always the most fun thing to do \u2014 often the league constitutions are dry and a little arduous to sort through. But you gotta know the rules.<\/p>\n

2. Stay organized<\/p>\n

Shortly after that, take note of the league calendar and cadences. Take all the free agent deadline settings and put them in your calendar. Everyone has a dynamic and complicated life these days. “Oh, I\u2019ll remember that” is no longer a realistic concept. Routine and organization are always your friend.<\/p>\n

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[Upgrade to Fantasy Plus and gain your edge from draft day to the playoffs<\/a>]<\/p>\n

3. Be ready to adapt<\/p>\n

Make a draft plan<\/a>, sure, but set it in pencil. You want to be ready to pounce on surprise opportunities at the draft table. I\u2019m always looking to get as much value as I can on that day, with the eye of balancing my roster later.<\/p>\n

4. Stay active during your draft<\/p>\n

Constantly be filling your queue during the draft process. You should have key players ready to go if needed, and you also want to be covered if you get bumped offline during the draft.<\/p>\n

5. Don’t look too far ahead<\/p>\n

I like to play fantasy football with a microscope, not a telescope. Let\u2019s focus on what\u2019s in front of us. Let\u2019s try to win the opening month<\/a>. The NFL is such a snow globe league, I think it\u2019s usually a mistake to look too far ahead.<\/p>\n

6. Time of year impacts strategy<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not the type to insure my running backs in August, but I\u2019ll likely shift that idea around midseason \u2014 when my winning scenarios are more defined and league backup situations are clearer as well. Roster construction takes on a much different shape in the second half of the year.<\/p>\n

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7. Trade season offers chance to improve<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t sweat the bye weeks when they arrive in October. Bye week season is trading season, a good opportunity to self-scout your roster and start making some moves that fit your immediate (or long-term needs). Fantasy trades rarely happen in early September because managers still love their teams. A poker game doesn\u2019t really start until a few players get stuck, and the same idea carries over to fantasy football.<\/p>\n

[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season<\/a>]<\/p>\n

8. Don’t draft into injuries<\/p>\n

I know they will find me soon enough. Injury optimism is rarely your friend in fantasy football. A hurt player might need a prove-it week or two before you feel confident starting him. Perhaps they’ll be on a limited snap count when they return. The picture often takes too long to develop. Joe Mixon, he\u2019s not on my board. I can\u2019t draft Chris Godwin. I can\u2019t draft Brandon Aiyuk.<\/p>\n

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9. Don’t fall in love with your bench<\/p>\n

The bottom part of your roster is your churn zone, where you should be regularly considering free-agent moves. It\u2019s usually a mistake to fall in love with the bottom of your bench. Pickup information we gain in the actual season is usually worth more than speculative and theoretical information that we consider all summer. Remember the lesson of the Monty Hall Problem<\/a> \u2014 once more information becomes available to us, it\u2019s usually a good idea to change course, since we\u2019re making an information based on additional knowledge.<\/p>\n

10. Don’t overthink your D\/ST<\/p>\n

Just play the Week 1 schedule with defenses, then stream.<\/p>\n

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Scouting report<\/p>\n

Of course many of the takes below will be wrong, as is always the case. But you don\u2019t have to be right that often to win in this game. You just have to be a little better than the guy next to you.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s your team, gamers. Trust yourself. Listen to everyone you respect, but make your own final decisions. And remember, it\u2019s supposed to be fun. It\u2019s a game about a game.<\/p>\n

QB takeaways<\/p>\n

Real-life NFL is all about the quarterback, but fantasy football has a different shape. You can do well at any price point. I am not against a vanity QB if the price is right<\/a>, but I\u2019ll generally shop in a lower tier, trying to find a value player who can significantly outkick his draft-day cost. Dak Prescott is probably my preferred target with this idea, thinking that Dallas has a spotty running game and defense and will likely let Dak cook with his two star receivers. Remember Prescott led the league in completions and touchdown passes just two years ago, and that was the Brian Schottenheimer offense.<\/p>\n

Trevor Lawrence has never played like the superstar we were promised, but Urban Meyer and Doug Pederson had a lot to do with that. Now Lawrence gets to scheme with Liam Coen, the man who turned Baker Mayfield into a pinball quarterback last year. Brian Thomas Jr. can\u2019t be covered and Travis Hunter won everything in college. Lawrence is the perfect type of affordable-upside QB to be targeting in the late rounds.<\/p>\n

I think Ben Johnson can fix Caleb Williams, but it will take time. The schedule isn\u2019t fun to start \u2014 Minnesota (creative and aggressive pass rush) and Detroit (the defense is healthy again). Williams took too many sacks last year and sacks are largely a QB stat. There\u2019s also a cluster of talent at the Chicago skill positions, which makes it tricky to figure who deserves targeting. I\u2019ll give Johnson the benefit of the doubt, but this looks like a slow-developing Polaroid.<\/p>\n

Detroit has to face regression after last season\u2019s perfect offense, but the primary targets all make sense at ADP. Jared Goff is a boring target but look at all the talent he\u2019s surrounded by. And when you have a veteran QB, he\u2019s a quasi-OC along with the actual coaches. Get at least one Lion on your roster \u2014 and there\u2019s lot to choose from.<\/p>\n

RB takeaways<\/p>\n

Saquon Barkley was wonderful last year, but I can\u2019t unsee those 482 touches. He didn\u2019t have a single touchdown from the one-yard line \u2014 that\u2019s Jalen Hurts territory \u2014 and his 29.4-yard average on touchdowns is a screaming outlier. I want to be younger at the running back position, which is why I\u2019d target Bijan Robinson or Jahmyr Gibbs over Barkley.<\/p>\n

Josh Jacobs is also someone I love pointing to in Round 2. After a super RB5 season, I\u2019m honestly not sure why he\u2019s not a first-round pick. He\u2019s tied to a stable offense, good coaching, a winning program. He\u2019s capable as a receiver and a touchdown-gobbler.<\/p>\n

TreVeyon Henderson has been too good to be true all summer, but unfortunately the ADP has risen to the sky. I\u2019d like to add a share somewhere but the other managers are throwing their weight around. If the offensive line can deliver, the Patriots can challenge for a playoff spot. Drake Maye held up nicely last year despite mediocre help. Josh McDaniels was an inspired pick as offensive coordinator \u2014 you love adding a failed head coach back for his coordinator roots \u2014 and you could find sneaky value with late-round picks DeMario Douglas and Hunter Henry.<\/p>\n

Jacory Croskey-Merritt was a summer riser, but now he feels like a trap. Sure, he might start on opening day, but Austin Ekeler \u2014 who can still play \u2014 is the hurry-up and third-down back. Chris Rodriguez Jr. is likely the goal-line back and Jayden Daniels obviously will run a bunch, too. If I have to take a back here, I\u2019ll probably play the value game with Ekeler or Rodriguez.<\/p>\n

J.K. Dobbins is the type of player coaches love, a get-what\u2019s-blocked runner and a reliable force in pass protection. RJ Harvey was drafted with high hopes, but it\u2019s going to take time. Dobbins will be an inconvenient truth for many fantasy managers in September and October.<\/p>\n

Breece Hall isn\u2019t a bad player, though he\u2019s been through the ringer in the NFL. Now he battles with Braelon Allen, who\u2019s younger and perhaps better. At minimum, Allen has the leg up on the goal-line work. It\u2019s also likely that Justin Fields will run for 1,000 or more yards. Hall is someone I can\u2019t draft right now. I\u2019ve been trying to add Allen shares, though the price keeps rising.<\/p>\n

Kaleb Johnson had a poor summer and might even be third string to start the year. I can\u2019t wait around. Jaylen Warren should start, but it\u2019s possible the Steelers will keep a modest cap on his workload.<\/p>\n

WR takeaways<\/p>\n

Drake London was a target monster and a production overlord during the three Michael Penix Jr. games. I\u2019m still not sure what to really expect from Penix, but he has to be an upgrade over what Kirk Cousins offered last year. I love that London gets 10 targets off the bus every week, and he looks like a perfect Round 2 pick.<\/p>\n

Puka Nacua is a dynamic player, but he\u2019s been hurt for much of his college and pro career and the Rams don\u2019t seem to understand how to unlock him at the goal (just three touchdowns last year, and only one catch inside the 10). Now Davante Adams is in town \u2014 put on this Earth to score touchdowns \u2014 and the Rams also extended Kyren Williams, their auto-punch at the goal line. QB Matthew Stafford is now 37 and has battled a bad back. I haven\u2019t considered Nacua once all summer.<\/p>\n

Courtland Sutton gets no respect. He\u2019s scored 18 times in two years and his production jumped in the second half when the Broncos finally took the training wheels off Bo Nix. Sean Payton is a coach who maximizes his primary talent. Sutton is easily gettable as a steal WR3.<\/p>\n

I hate soft-fading Garrett Wilson, who is a star, but Fields is limited and his propensity for taking sacks is a problem. They did play two years at OSU together, but the stats weren\u2019t obscene. Fields is still not a bad pick because he runs like mad. He needs to. If you roster him, don\u2019t watch him snap-to-snap, you will pull your hair out.<\/p>\n

Michael Pittman Jr. is likely the biggest winner with Daniel Jones getting the Indy QB job, though I am also open to rookie tight end Tyler Warren. Nobody will miss Anthony Richardson Sr.<\/p>\n

Ladd McConkey was cooking at a 160-yard pace in the second half, then went 9-197-1 in the playoff loss at Houston. I realize Keenan Allen is back, but McConkey can also win on the outside. I wish McConkey wasn\u2019t dinged up in the summer, but if he sneaks into the third round, it\u2019s a fun pick for me.<\/p>\n

DeVonta Smith is one of my favorite boring value guys. Can\u2019t be your WR1 of course but a solid WR2 and a gettable and lovely WR3. The Eagles’ run rate has to come down some after last year\u2019s perfect game-script runout.<\/p>\n

Tyreek Hill didn\u2019t have a catch over 30 yards after Week 1 and he gives me a lot of the same vibes Antonio Brown offered late in his career. Miami still has a poor offensive line and Tua Tagovailoa is a limited QB. If I have to roster anyone here, Jaylen Waddle is the guy.<\/p>\n

Zay Flowers is a little like Jameson Williams, uncoverable but his own worst enemy sometimes, and battling so many talented teammates. Sometimes you have to trust the talent, though. The TDs haven\u2019t popped yet, but no one would be surprised if and when he gets 7-9 of them. He\u2019s always open.<\/p>\n

TE takeaways<\/p>\n

Tucker Kraft\u2019s price seems to rise daily but it\u2019s still an intriguing case. The 14.1 YPC pops, and Matt LaFleur loves to use Kraft for both splash plays and touchdown-likely plays in the red area. The Green Bay offense rarely peppers anyone with big targets \u2014 no one had 80 or more last year, and no one\u2019s topped 100 targets since Davante Adams left town. But sometimes you have to bet on talent and trust a smart coach will figure things out.<\/p>\n

Evan Engram has never been a big touchdown guy, and his YPC has been super-low in recent years. Sean Payton is good, but I\u2019m not expecting a miracle. Kraft and Jake Ferguson are my tight end targets in this pocket.<\/p>\n

Travis Kelce<\/a> probably has a boring 85-840-6 season left in him, but the Kansas City wideout room is hard to decipher. I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if the Chiefs don\u2019t win the division.<\/p>\n

Team takeaways<\/p>\n

Tony Pollard and Calvin Ridley were solid values last year despite a bad Tennessee infrastructure. All we ask is for rookie Cam Ward to keep his head above water and then Pollard and Ridley can be impact players. Count me in. Chig Okonkwo is also an interesting upside tight end.<\/p>\n

The Saints could have the worst offense in the league and I\u2019m out on Alvin Kamara (age, no chippy touchdowns) and Chris Olave (love the talent, hate the concussions). But Rashid Shaheed is a good target for your bench, a deep-threat wideout who\u2019s been adding more shorter routes to his game this summer.<\/p>\n

Kenneth Walker III has become a polarizing player<\/a>; a lot of pundits I respect really like him, but I\u2019m not sure he\u2019s really better than Zach Charbonnet. I\u2019m concerned Sam Darnold has pumpkin risk after leaving the womb of QB whisperer Kevin O\u2019Connell, so I\u2019ll sit out JSN this year.<\/p>\n

Until Kyler Murray shows the ability to produce in the red area \u2014 you wonder if his height keeps him from seeing the field properly \u2014 I\u2019ll be reluctant to draft Trey McBride and Marvin Harrison Jr., as talented as they are.<\/p>\n

The Bengals should be a carnival again. First team to 35 or 40 points wins. I love Joe Burrow, though his line is bad. Ja\u2019Marr Chase is the legit 1.1 guy. I used to think Tee Higgins was overrated but their tree is so narrow, maybe he\u2019s fine. Chase Brown has only done it once but he played pretty much every damn snap the final three months. They don\u2019t want to repeat that level of work and Samaje Perine is a pass-blocking god, but I am fine with Brown at cost.<\/p>\n

If the price on George Kittle is reasonable, I\u2019m not opposed to investing. He never gets an elite target share but can they avoid it now? Ricky Pearsall is also a screaming target if you don\u2019t mind baking in some improvement. I initially thought Brock Purdy was a good target but with Brandon Aiyuk still recovering from last season’s injury and Jauan Jennings in limbo, I backed off that.<\/p>\n

Carolina could be sneaky useful. Bryce Young got better, though a lot of it was due to running that might or might not be sustainable. But he\u2019s no longer a joke. Chuba Hubbard is one of my guys. I hate expecting rookie WRs to go off immediately, but they will ask Tetairoa McMillan to be the guy right away. Dave Canales is a good coach.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The following is an excerpt from the latest edition of Yahoo’s fantasy football newsletter, Get to the Points!…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":337690,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[2825,6086,4142,1842,1035,4127,925,10318,5305,487,4133,2644,1476,1036,4048,127,235,4132,692,699,6000,9764,1751,1270,1370,229,2772,5430,7354,146,5640,4130,833,2826,1999,38315,7,2310,6066,41,221,290,601,3006,1674,588,492,4563,1029,10117,734,14706,1736,1577,3608,4129,493,274,1328,9295,294,4827,4076,470,3374,32,216,1879,11808,233,6,15,1088,3698,2392,1032,1878,7535,894,2978,526,1453,10562,128,500,596,314,6042,3452,14233,589,1089,12062,4648],"class_list":{"0":"post-337689","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nfl-draft","8":"tag-alvin-kamara","9":"tag-antonio-brown","10":"tag-austin-ekeler","11":"tag-baker-mayfield","12":"tag-ben-johnson","13":"tag-bijan-robinson","14":"tag-bo-nix","15":"tag-braelon-allen","16":"tag-brandon-aiyuk","17":"tag-breece-hall","18":"tag-brian-thomas-jr","19":"tag-brock-purdy","20":"tag-bryce-young","21":"tag-caleb-williams","22":"tag-calvin-ridley","23":"tag-cam-ward","24":"tag-carolina","25":"tag-chase-brown","26":"tag-chicago","27":"tag-chris-godwin","28":"tag-chris-olave","29":"tag-chris-rodriguez-jr","30":"tag-chuba-hubbard","31":"tag-courtland-sutton","32":"tag-dak-prescott","33":"tag-dallas","34":"tag-daniel-jones","35":"tag-davante-adams","36":"tag-demario-douglas","37":"tag-detroit","38":"tag-devonta-smith","39":"tag-drake-london","40":"tag-drake-maye","41":"tag-evan-engram","42":"tag-fantasy-football","43":"tag-fantasy-football-league","44":"tag-football","45":"tag-garrett-wilson","46":"tag-george-kittle","47":"tag-green-bay","48":"tag-houston","49":"tag-hunter-henry","50":"tag-j-k-dobbins","51":"tag-jacory-croskey-merritt","52":"tag-jahmyr-gibbs","53":"tag-jake-ferguson","54":"tag-jalen-hurts","55":"tag-jameson-williams","56":"tag-jared-goff","57":"tag-jauan-jennings","58":"tag-jayden-daniels","59":"tag-jaylen-waddle","60":"tag-jaylen-warren","61":"tag-joe-burrow","62":"tag-joe-mixon","63":"tag-josh-jacobs","64":"tag-justin-fields","65":"tag-kaleb-johnson","66":"tag-keenan-allen","67":"tag-kenneth-walker-iii","68":"tag-kirk-cousins","69":"tag-kyler-murray","70":"tag-kyren-williams","71":"tag-ladd-mcconkey","72":"tag-marvin-harrison-jr","73":"tag-matthew-stafford","74":"tag-miami","75":"tag-michael-penix-jr","76":"tag-michael-pittman-jr","77":"tag-minnesota","78":"tag-nfl","79":"tag-nfl-draft","80":"tag-puka-nacua","81":"tag-rashid-shaheed","82":"tag-ricky-pearsall","83":"tag-rj-harvey","84":"tag-sam-darnold","85":"tag-samaje-perine","86":"tag-saquon-barkley","87":"tag-tee-higgins","88":"tag-tennessee","89":"tag-tetairoa-mcmillan","90":"tag-tony-pollard","91":"tag-travis-hunter","92":"tag-travis-kelce","93":"tag-treveyon-henderson","94":"tag-trevor-lawrence","95":"tag-trey-mcbride","96":"tag-tua-tagovailoa","97":"tag-tucker-kraft","98":"tag-tyler-warren","99":"tag-tyreek-hill","100":"tag-zach-charbonnet","101":"tag-zay-flowers"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/337689","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=337689"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/337689\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/337690"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=337689"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=337689"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=337689"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}