Fantrax EPL: Drafting for First or Last Not Mid-Table

"You play to win the game!" - the famous words of Herm Edwards ring heavy in all NFL fans' heads. And the GIF is even more iconic. The essence of professional sports. Wanting to be the best and not settling for being "also-rans" is the essence of professional sports. It is what makes people crave competition. But do we consider winning when we draft a fantasy football roster? Or are we too buried under values and projections to see the bigger picture? Genie is here to help you see the forest for the trees and to adopt a new kind of strategy....one that will have you swimming in glory or have you head in hands....there is no in between in this. As fictional racing legend, Ricky Bobby, says: "If you ain't first, you're last." This strategy lives and dies by that quote. Take a look at our 26/27 Draft Kit and our Pricing Plans.

Check out our 26/27 Draft Kit for all the pre-season information you could ever need. We've got a Live Draft Aide, Draft Rankings, Team Previews, Cheat Sheets, Strategy Articles, Draft 101. Dominate your draft!

Defining Success

The fantasy season is long and tedious. It's ten months of deliberation, player values, percentages, decisions, sleepless nights, and early mornings, all offered up on the altar of ultimate league success. It all starts well before draft day, as you look to prepare for 16 long rounds of picks. But in the end, the only goal should be the championship; no ifs, ands, or buts. This success starts with the draft. Being prepared, knowing who to pick, who to avoid, and the route you want to take are all essential to kicking off a title winning campaign.

**Disclaimer: This strategy is not for the faint-hearted. Be prepared for weeks of numerous disappointments but also weeks of record-setting scores. You also must remain active on the Waiver Wire & Trade fronts to fully benefit from this strategy.

Basic Tenets of This Strategy

Starting off, you will need to look at your personal draft rankings and any resources you may have in the draft world. You should identify which players you believe can "boom", and earmark them as "must-drafts". You should understand that even while you are drafting for upside, you still need players who will start. For example, it would be very poor strategy to draft: Gyokeres, Gakpo, and Estevao as your front 3. While these players have significant upside, there is a very high chance that there are many weeks where none of them start leaving you with 0 starting forwards.

Which Types of Players Should You Target?

The obvious answer here is players with the highest possible "ceilings". These are players who usually have the potential to win you a gameweek. After the first round or so, the players with the highest ceilings will usually sacrifice their "floor". Players with a solid floor offer you consistent/safe points, usually 6-8, week in, week out, but with less upside/ability to score double digits. Floor players are usually pretty nailed on starters but lack explosiveness. These are set and forget players that some managers believe you need to win leagues. This strategy says NO to these floor players. We want players with higher ceilings, even if that means sacrificing a few total starts and less "safe" points every week.

For example, look at James Garner (404.75 points) vs. Morgan Gibbs-White (411 points). While their total scores only differ by less than 10 points, MGW managed 5 scores of 20+ points, whereas Garner only managed 2. . In the draft....you go MGW over Garner. with this strategy.

In a head-to-head matchup, you want players that can singlehandedly win you a week or cause you a weekend of agony and sorrow. These defensive midfielders and safer CBs won't do that for you. In a head to head Fantrax league, your only goal is to beat your opponent that week, and that will mean having a roster full of "game changers". You know that a gameweek that includes starts from Amad, Dorgu, and Foden will put you on course to dismantle the dude rostering Gravenberch, Scott, and Mateus.

Overall Take

As you may have read in Genie's Corner editions in the past, I tend to firmly believe in the statement "Championships favour the bold". This strategy is the definition of that. Personally, I always try to take upside over "safe" picks. A few seasons ago, I was the opposite, always keen on having 1-2 defensive mids in my team. Now I have realized those types of players will always be available the morning of gameday for streaming if need be. It is much better to use draft spots, especially in the mid-late rounds on players that have upside potential. Now with the transfer windows ending after the season starts, these late-round punts can be used on potential "Palmers". think of players that may either get a huge starting role if someone leaves, or with a transfer could have a breakout season. Kluivert, and Anthony can fit this category.

A good example is three seasons ago, I used my 15th round pick to punt on Wan-Bissaka when it was a "Here we Go" he was moving to West Ham. He was someone who had shown fantasy promise in the past when given a regular role, and exceeded expectations with a PPS of 10, and was a steal at that point in the draft. These kind of punts, instead of maybe going with a goalie or a DEF4 who plays Hull City in GW1 could easily be key reasons you push a title charge. Worst case there are plenty of streamers to go around, where as long as you are able to put out a core team with your first 4-6 round picks the rest can be filled in with active trades, strong pickups, and a punt working out.

Dealing with Disappointment

This tactic is not for the faint of heart. It might throw up certain gameweeks where you can only field 6 players. It might give you gameweeks where your 11 starters get you 18 points altogether. You need to plan for that and develop a thick exterior. If you do decide to go down this route, you might finish last. However, if even half of these high-upside gambles end up coming good, you have a chance of wrapping up the season by March. Again, if you ain't first, you're last!

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Check out our 26/27 Draft Kit for all the pre-season information you could ever need. We've got a Live Draft Aide, Draft Rankings, Team Previews, Cheat Sheets, Strategy Articles, Draft 101, plus so much more. Dominate your draft!

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