Winning a fantasy football league is about more than prize money. Prove to your friends, colleagues and neighbors that you’re better than them at life.
Inside: Fantasy strategies, players to target and a note from rankings guru Jake Ciely, who’ll join us as part of our fantasy coverage each Tuesday.
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Six strategies to win your league
Flipping the calendar to August is polarizing. On one hand, summer is nearly over, and I’ll miss the simple joys of sunshine, golf scores over 100 and barbecues.
But it’s peak fantasy draft season, so forget about any of that. With four weeks until the Eagles and Cowboys kick off actual football, it’s time to schedule your draft, collect league fees and lock in.
There are plenty of questions at the top of most drafts:
- Is Saquon Barkley worth the top pick? It sure is risky, given the 436 touches he took last season.
But rather than guess those specific answers, I’m sharing six timeless principles that will help you find league-winning picks this season. And next season. The season after that, too. And the season after the season I just mentioned, and even the season after the season after the season after next season.
After all that winning, it’ll be time to find a new league (and probably new friends).
1. Take a late-round flier on preseason risers.
A close reading of beat reports in the summer of 2023 hinted at Puka Nacua’s record-breaking potential. Receivers can shine in training camp, as their talent translates better than almost any other position to practices. (A receiver beating a DB looks about the same even without full contact, but a running back rumbling up the middle doesn’t.)
This year, preseason risers include Lions rookie WR Isaac TeSlaa, as well as discounted veteran WRs like the Bills’ Joshua Palmer, Raiders’ Jakobi Meyers or Steelers’ rising Scotty Miller — plus higher-priced standouts like Buccaneers WR Emeka Egbuka, Colts TE Tyler Warren or Packers WR Matthew Golden, who might be Green Bay’s No. 1.
2. Stash discount running backs with upside.
Your bench should be filled with those aforementioned receivers and “handcuff” (or backup) running backs. Why? To win your league, you need to outscore at least nine other teams on a consistent basis. That’s only possible with some luck, so swing for home-run picks by drafting cheap backups who could become every-down starters.
Each of these RB options is behind a starter who has either injury or contract concerns, or whom the team invested little draft capital for. In order, I’m drafting: the Bills’ Ray Davis, Cardinals’ Trey Benson, Bengals’ Tahj Brooks, Chiefs’ Brashard Smith, Colts’ D.J. Giddens, Texans’ Woody Marks and Seahawks’ Damien Martinez.
3. Draft quarterbacks who run.
Joe Burrow threw for 18 more touchdowns and nearly 1,400 more passing yards than Jayden Daniels last season, yet the explosive rookie finished just 17 points shy of Burrow’s total — despite playing one fewer game. That’s the power of rushing yards (Daniels had 891 to Burrow’s 201) and touchdowns (six to two).
The higher-priced rushing threats this year are Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Daniels and Jalen Hurts.
But if you scroll down while drafting — which you always should, when it comes to quarterback — you’ll find my preferred targets, starting with Kyler Murray (currently being drafted around 11th among QBs). There are also Caleb Williams (QB13), Justin Fields (QB15), J.J. McCarthy (QB16) and Drake Maye (QB19). Even Anthony Richardson (QB26) is worth stashing at that price, especially amid the newly glowing beat reports.
4. Target young receivers who finished strong.
In 2023, then-rookie receivers Rashee Rice, Jayden Reed and (once again) Nacua were among the top scorers at their position over the season’s final five weeks. Each started 2024 strong, much like Amon-Ra St. Brown did in 2022 after his impressive ending in 2021.
This year, that suggests Brian Thomas (23.3 fantasy points per week in that same span last season), Malik Nabers (20.8), Jalen McMillan (19.5), Ladd McConkey (18.8) and even Marvin Mims Jr. (16.9) could elevate. If I shrink the sample size to last season’s final three weeks, Ricky Pearsall (18.2) looks like a buy.
5. Go against consensus.
By that, I mean take a preseason faller or boring veteran in a new situation. Remember when a rookie Ja’Marr Chase struggled with preseason drops? Or last year, when we thought we knew the ceiling for Terry McLaurin, Chuba Hubbard or Courtland Sutton? These types are usually found in the eighth to 12th rounds.
In 2025, that includes Chris Olave, Stefon Diggs, Michael Pittman Jr., Josh Downs and Darnell Mooney — all of whom can’t have much worse quarterback play or injury luck than in 2024. At running back, Travis Etienne Jr. and JK Dobbins feel like unexciting options for most people. So let them fall to you.
6. Draft more rookies.
While they tend to start slower than most — meaning you can trade for many around Week 2 — they are typically underrated in fantasy drafts, particularly because of their untapped upside. In 2024, seven rookies accounted for top-15 seasons at their respective positions, including Bowers, who finished as the TE1. In 2023, five rookies hit those marks, including Sam LaPorta, who also finished TE1.
This year’s group could have multiple players with similar top-15 seasons. My guesses: RB Ashton Jeanty, RB Omarion Hampton, TE Tyler Warren, TE Colston Loveland and … WR Travis Hunter. Here’s how The Athletic ranks this rookie class.
Why listen to those? Last year, these principles led me to Bengals backup Chase Brown, typically the 35th running back taken. He finished RB10 and was one of the best values in football. I also recommended Nabers at his WR24 price (he finished WR6), Daniels at QB12 (he finished QB5) and Kittle at TE6 (he finished TE3).
What about the misses? Plenty, but all were bad luck, so we can ignore them. For more, check out: Jake Ciely’s rankings, breakouts for every position, and endless insights in The Athletic’s full draft kit. Over to Jake now:
Jake Ciely: Fantasy takeaways from elite drafters
The majority of my weekend was spent in New York City, where I hosted two fantasy drafts. With 24 of the industry’s best drafting across multiple leagues, I learned plenty about where the market might move — or remain steady — on certain players:
- Despite all the focus on how Saquon Barkley is coming off 400-plus touches, he was the first and second running back off the board. Clearly, the industry isn’t as concerned as it seems.
- Similarly, Christian McCaffrey was drafted among the top five running backs in both leagues, showing everyone’s willingness to gamble on a back with the upside to be the best fantasy player.
- Brock Bowers was the first tight end drafted, but Trey McBride and George Kittle are better values. Both were drafted multiple rounds behind the Raiders sophomore.
- Despite talk of J.K. Dobbins leading the backfield, RJ Harvey went higher in both drafts — including six rounds ahead of Dobbins in one league.
- Caleb Williams was QB13 and QB17. A bit surprising, but it shows some still doubt him. Meanwhile, DJ Moore was WR19 and WR21, while Rome Odunze was WR33 and WR35.
While I didn’t draft this weekend, I recently shared the players you’ll find on the majority of my rosters. That list includes:
QB Dak Prescott: He has 30-plus touchdowns and at least 4,449 yards passing in each of his past three seasons of 16-plus games, and given his double-digit round cost, I’m taking the discount.
RB Kenneth Walker: I was out on him until I talked to our Seahawks writer, Michael-Shawn Dugar, who told me to expect a bell-cow-like season. With that workload, Walker is pushing the RB1 tier.
WR Roman Wilson: Mike Tomlin coached Wilson in Senior Bowl practices, where he tested the prospect against Quinyon Mitchell — you know, that really good corner for the Eagles — before drafting Wilson in the third round. Wilson lost his rookie season to injuries, but the No. 2 role is up for grabs in Pittsburgh.
The full list has many more, some of whom Jacob mentioned above. Back to him.
Extra Points
🎙 Bo Nix on Year 2. The Broncos’ 25-year-old sophomore joined the “Scoop City” podcast to talk rookie nerves and his growth as a leader. As part of today’s episode, Dianna and Chase shared the best five-minute interview of a quarterback you’ll see. I don’t say that lightly.
⭐ New-look Steelers. Aaron Rodgers, DK Metcalf and Jalen Ramsey are Pittsburgh’s top performers so far, impressing teammates and reporters alike. They’re chasing the Steelers’ first playoff win since 2016.
👀 If Terry McLaurin were traded, he might land with the Patriots, 49ers, Chargers, Steelers or Bills. The Athletic’s beat reporters explained each of those offers, though none should tempt Washington.
2️⃣ Travis Hunter’s position on the depth chart was a challenge for the Jaguars, who listed their star rookie as a starting receiver and backup corner.
Yesterday’s most-clicked: How Rodgers’ connection with Mike Tomlin led him to the Steelers.
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(Photo: Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
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