With fantasy rookie drafts in full swing, it’s a great time to take stock of this year’s class and discuss how we should approach dynasty rookie drafts. The following set of tiers is how I’m organizing my rookie draft board.
You’ll see below that both offensive and defensive players are included. Those in leagues without IDP can simply disregard the right column. Folks in IDP leagues may also want to do so.
What? Disregard defensive players in an IDP league? I know. It’s blasphemous, but hear me out. For starters, this is a relatively weak IDP class. There really isn’t much to get excited about on the defensive side of the ball.
But even this was a stellar class, I’d still recommend focusing on offensive players. Here’s why: In deep dynasty leagues with IDP, it’s very difficult (and sometimes near impossible) to pick up a starting-caliber offensive player during the season. In those same leagues, you can pick up fantasy-relevant defensive players nearly every week.
Simply put, IDP just isn’t as valuable as offense. That’s why in rookie drafts, it’s wise to stockpile as much offensive talent as possible. I’m not saying to never draft IDP, but only do so when it’s a value. This is where the tiers below come into play. Follow this draft board in your rookie drafts, and you’ll load up on talent from this year’s class.
| TIER 1 | ||||||||
| OFFENSE | DEFENSE | |||||||
| Rk | Player | Pos | Tm | Rk | Player | Pos | Tm | |
| 1 | Ezekiel Elliott | RB | DAL | |||||
If you have the first pick in your rookie draft this year, don’t overthink it. Elliott is head and shoulders above the crowd thanks to a primo landing spot behind an offensive line that graded out as our top unit in each of the last four years and produce a 1,000-yard season for Darren McFadden. Elliott has prototype size, impressive speed (sub-4.5 40), and is a polished pass blocker. He’s arguably the most complete back to enter the league in the last decade. Pick him first overall and then get your popcorn ready.
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