- Practice makes perfect: Fantasy football managers will be more prepared if they take more opportunities to run drafts similar to their actual draft.
- Pay attention during the draft: While it’s great to have a plan when the draft begins, don’t be afraid to change it depending on what’s happening.
- Data, tools and expert insights: Use code earlybird to save $20 on your PFF+ annual subscription.
Estimated reading time: 10 minutes
Whether you’re a rookie or a seasoned pro, these 10 essential tips can guide you toward fantasy football success in 2025. While they’re designed with newcomers and casual players in mind, even veterans might find a helpful strategy or two.
Dive in and get ready to dominate your league.
1. Know your league settings
Understanding your league settings is crucial for draft preparation.
This includes knowing how many players you start at each position and the number of flex and superflex spots. While most leagues follow standard formats, superflex leagues make quarterbacks more valuable, leading to earlier picks. Commissioners often tweak settings to make their leagues unique, such as starting only one running back or two tight ends.
It’s also important to know how points are awarded for each stat, especially for receptions. Points for receptions can vary widely: standard leagues award no points for receptions, PPR leagues give a full point, and half-PPR leagues give half a point. Additionally, the number of participants in your league can influence your strategy.
This is particularly true this season when it comes to Travis Hunter. It is imperative to know what points you will receive, if any, for the work he plays on defense. A league where he can receive points for his defensive work, or better yet, a league where you can start him in an IDP spot, will make him significantly more valuable.
PFF’s fantasy football draft kit provides extensive research areas. While some content applies to all leagues, other sections are tailored to specific league types.
2. Practice, practice, practice
Just like anything in life, practice makes perfect, and fantasy football is no different. The more you practice before the draft, the more prepared you’ll be on the big day.
Luckily, PFF offers a mock draft simulator to help you get the practice you need. You can sync your league settings if you use Sleeper, Yahoo! Fantasy or ESPN, or you can manually enter your league details, such as the number of teams, scoring settings, and starting positions.
You can also customize strategies for yourself and your fellow drafters. For instance, if you know someone in your league is a fan of a particular team, you can set the simulator to have them draft more players from that team.
The repeated practice allows you to experiment with different strategies. Try drafting a running back in the first round and see how it goes, then try another draft with a wide receiver in the first round. Comparing the results can help you decide which position to target initially. The mock draft simulator also provides suggestions for each pick based on my rankings, PFF’s projections and average draft positions.
3. Come up with a plan, but be prepared to abandon it
After you’ve done enough practice drafts, you should have a general plan of what you want to do heading into the real thing.
Mock drafts and our fantasy draft kit can help you create a strategy outlining the positions and players you aim to target in each round.
While having a plan is crucial, it’s equally important to stay flexible. Drafts are unpredictable, and players you wanted might get picked earlier than expected.
Be ready to pivot if someone unexpectedly becomes available. The mock drafts and draft kit will prepare you to adjust your strategy on the fly.
4. Pay attention to positional runs
During a draft, you might encounter situations where multiple players at the same position are picked consecutively. For example, if two teams select a quarterback earlier than expected, it can trigger a rush on quarterbacks as others fear missing out.
This is another reason why it’s crucial to adjust your strategy on the fly. Paying attention to tiered rankings is key. Tiers group similar players together, highlighting the gaps between different groups within a position.
If a positional run is happening and only one or two players within a tier are still available, it might be wise to grab one of them. Conversely, if an entire tier has just been picked clean, it could be a good time to focus on a different position.
5. Pay attention to nearby drafters’ picks
If you’re picking near the start or end of the draft, it’s beneficial to note what the people drafting after you might need.
For example, if you’re picking 11th in a 12-team league, you’ll have one pick, then the 12th team has back-to-back picks, followed by your next pick.
Suppose you want to draft a quarterback and a running back with your next two picks. In that case, it’s wise to check the roster of the team picking 12th. If they already have a quarterback, you should probably pick a running back first, knowing they are unlikely to pick another quarterback. Conversely, if they haven’t picked a quarterback yet, it might be best to draft one first to prevent them from taking the player you want.
This strategy is particularly useful for those picking early or late in the draft. It’s less helpful for those picking in the middle, but it can still provide an edge.
6. Draft a top-three tight end
The tight end landscape has changed in recent years. Two of the top seven tight ends from last season were Travis Kelce and Zach Ertz, but at 35 and 34 years old, respectively, it’s fair to expect their fantasy production to decline. Jonnu Smith and Pat Freiermuth were both top-nine fantasy tight ends, but now they play with the Pittsburgh Steelers, competing for the same targets. Mark Andrews and Sam LaPorta both ranked in the top eight as two of the more talented tight ends in the NFL, but both play in run-heavy offenses with significant competition for targets. They both rely heavily on touchdowns, but those can fluctuate from one season to the next.
The NFL has an influx of rookie tight ends who could be future fantasy stars, led by Colston Loveland and Tyler Warren, but it’s risky to determine whether they will be immediate fantasy producers. There was minimal movement at tight end in free agency, which also makes it hard to find the high upside sleepers.
This leaves Brock Bowers, Trey McBride and George Kittle, who finished in the top three last season and can also be trusted this season. For those picking in the early parts of the first round, McBride is an excellent option for a second-round pick, or sometimes a third-round pick. For those picking in the middle-to-late parts of the first round, Kittle should be available in the third round. For those at the very end of the first, then it’s best to consider Bowers with your second round pick, as all three could be gone by the third round.
7. Wait for a quarterback, and then keep waiting
Four quarterbacks stand out from the rest this season, similar to the top three tight ends. They are Jayden Daniels, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts. They are the four quarterbacks who are excellent passers and runners, putting their fantasy production at another level compared to those who either pass well or run well.
However, it can be challenging to draft both a quarterback early and a tight end early. The third round is typically the right time to pick players at either position. You would either need to spend your second- and third-round picks on these players or hope someone falls to the fourth round. It also makes it more challenging to have a well-rounded lineup at both running back and wide receiver.
I prefer picking a tight end early instead of a quarterback because there are several great options. Twenty-one of the 32 starting quarterbacks have finished either top-12 in fantasy points or fantasy points per game at some point in the past three years. That doesn’t include up-and-coming recent first-overall picks Bryce Young, Caleb Williams, Cam Ward or other second-year quarterbacks who were drafted early in the first round like Drake Maye, Michael Penix Jr. or J.J. McCarthy.
That is enough potential fantasy starters for each team in a 12-team league to draft two, and a few to draft three. Chances are, some of these quarterbacks will be available on the waiver wire. That’s why you can wait until the double-digit rounds to pick a quarterback, and then pick two of them. That way, you can start whichever quarterback has the best matchup that week. For specific suggestions, you should consider these quarterbacks who could finish first overall or these sleepers.
8. Use rankings instead of projections and draft for upside late
When drafting late, focus on rankings rather than projections.
The goal with these late picks is to choose players who have the potential to be great, even if there’s some risk involved, rather than selecting players who are consistently good but unlikely to improve. Having a player on your bench who never starts isn’t helpful. It’s better to draft someone who, if things go well, could become a fantasy starter. If they don’t pan out, you can easily drop them and pick up someone else.
For example, Austin Ekeler scored the 34th-most fantasy points last season as the Washington Commanders‘ receiving back, but he only had four weeks as a top-20 fantasy running back. He will remain there receiving back this season, but the Deebo Samuel addition will limit his production even further. He will still score a decent amount of points, and a lot more than some other backup running backs, but it is unlikely he will be someone you ever want in your starting lineup. Even if Brian Robinson Jr. were to get hurt, Jacory Croskey-Merritt would likely take over as the lead running back.
On the other hand, Cincinnati Bengals rookie running back Tahj Brooks is unlikely to play significant snaps this season with Chase Brown playing on early downs and Samaje Perine on passing downs. However, if Brown were to get injured, Brooks would likely take over his role, and he would be a top-20 fantasy running back weekly. Most places will have Ekeler projected to score more points, but Brooks should be ranked higher because he has a higher chance of being in fantasy starting lineups this season.
9. Only draft a kicker or team defense if you have to
If your league uses kickers and defense, it’s best to wait until right before Week 1 to pick them up rather than drafting them. There isn’t much advantage to drafting a kicker or defense early, so it’s fine to delay as long as you remember to add them before the season starts.
Instead, consider drafting a player with potential upside, like Keaton Mitchell. If Derrick Henry were to get hurt between now and the start of the season, you would have a top-20 fantasy running back, and then at the start of the season, you could drop someone else on your roster for a kicker or defense, and keep Mitchell. However, if Henry stays healthy, then you can cut Mitchell at the start of the season instead. The gap between the kicker or defense you would draft and the top ones available is relatively small.
This strategy is less relevant if your draft is only a few days before the season starts.
10. Have fun
Whether you’re playing for money or fun, it’s important to remember that fantasy football is a game meant to be enjoyed.
While it might not make sense to draft your favorite player several rounds earlier than his average draft position (ADP), it’s perfectly fine to choose your favorite player when deciding between two similarly ranked players.
Similarly, it’s OK to avoid players from teams you dislike. If everyone in your league does this, someone will eventually get some steals in the draft. However, if two players have similar ADPs, avoiding players from teams you don’t like is OK.
These decisions might slightly impact your team’s performance, but the difference is usually minimal when players are close in value. Even at the top of the draft, there isn’t always a consensus on who the best player at a position should be.
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