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Fantasy Football: Draft strategies from minds of the big winners BY MICHAEL FLORIO ROTOEXPERTS Friday, August 26, 2016, 11:17 AM
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While winning loads of money playing Fantasy Football is just a dream to many, it is a reality for Chris Vaccaro and Glenn Lowy, two high stakes players that ante up thousands of dollars every Fall.
They have been very successful in highly competitive national leagues, and Fantasy owners would be wise to follow their advice and employ their strategies in their own leagues.
Vaccaro, who can be heard on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio's RotoExperts in the Morning every Tuesday, began playing while in high school, when he and his friends had to keep track of the stats on paper. He has been playing in high stakes formats for more than 12 years, throwing down anywhere from $1,500 to $10,000 on leagues.
50 tidbits to help you prepare for your draft "When I started I was always the youngest in the high stakes leagues," he said.
Vaccaro has gone on to win several leagues, and is a National Fantasy Football Championship (NFFC) Hall of Famer. He won a national championship in 2012, and finished in the Top Five in 2013.
Lowy has also been playing Fantasy Sports for over 20 years and entered the high stakes world in 2009. While baseball was his first high stakes entry, he has been very successful in the world of Fantasy Football. He has spent up to $20,000 on an entry fee, and has won several leagues or finished in the Top Five, allowing him to take home large prizes in the Fantasy Football Player's Championship (FFPC) and the Fantasy Football World Championship (FFWC).
With that much on the line, these two veteran players study the depth charts, follow training camp position battles and stay up to date on all the latest NFL news. The two have spent years perfecting their craft and coming up with the ideal draft strategies.
Wide Receivers - After the Big 3, things get very interesting While Lowy and Vacarro have similar stories that led them into the high stakes world, they approach these leagues differently.
Vaccaro has entered his drafts for the past 10 years targeting wide receivers in the first round and usually with his top two picks. He still employs that strategy as he thinks Antonio Brown, Julio Jones and Odell Beckham Jr should be the top picks in every draft this season.
However, with the consensus now shifting to focus on taking a wide receiver early, Vacarro thinks he would rather have a RB early.
"Now, all of a sudden everyone wants to jump on receivers early," he said. "It creates value to be had early at the running back position."
The Sleepers - 10 players who could wake up your lineup Specifically, he believes top running backs Todd Gurley, David Johnson, Ezekiel Elliott, and Adrian Peterson are elite and provide a positional advantage to those owners selecting their first RB in the third or fourth round.
"You can get an elite running back and nab three top wide receivers with your next three picks," he said.
However, Vacarro said he will never be the owner grabbing Rob Gronkowski early. He advises owners to follow his lead on this one.
"I think taking a tight end early on weakens you too much," he said. "You are going to hurt yourself at either running back or wide receiver."
Running Backs - Despite passing era, prime backs still in demand He added that this approach hurts an owner's ability to nab an elite quarterback in the fourth or fifth round, if one was to drop, as they would be in jeopardy of falling behind at both running back and wide receiver.
That is where the two differ, as Lowy will go after the best player available, even if it happens to be Gronk.
Odell Beckham Jr. and the other top two wide receivers should be the top picks in every draft. Odell Beckham Jr. and the other top two wide receivers should be the top picks in every draft. (AL BELLO/GETTY IMAGES) "I have taken Gronk before, but it is not my favorite thing to do," he said. "It is easier to take him in shallower leagues, like 10 teams, as more wide receivers and running backs will fall and I get a positional advantage at tight end."
He does not go into the first round seeking a specific player or position, but rather the top player overall that he has ranked. He also believes Fantasy owners often times get too caught up in players that are projected to break out.
Defense - Offense wins fantasy crowns so don’t waste the pick "Owners chase the hype and a player will fly up draft boards," he said. "Owners then pay for the ceiling and ignore the floor. I never follow these players."
One example this season for him is Elliott, who has yet to play a snap in the NFL. Lowy views him as an early second round pick, but he has gone as high as number one overall in some drafts.
"He will go in the first, when I can have a Gurley or [DAVID]Johnson at the same point," he said.
He advises owners not to chase specific players, as it often leads to them having to overpay. He believes that is currently the case with Elliott.