Another Rookie WR Sleeper out of Los Angeles?

by Peter Overzet

1 month ago

In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Yahoo Fantasy:

Could fantasy lightning strike twice in the same spot?

I mean, the odds of there being another Puka Nacua across the entire league are slim enough as it is.

But the next great rookie sleeper WR coming out of Los Angeles again? That strains credulity…

And yet here we are with Rams rookie WR Jordan Whittington.

Since I last wrote about him two weeks ago, the buzz has continued to build.

He caught six of nine targets for 74 yards in the Ram’s preseason opener vs. the Cowboys. And after the game Head Coach Sean McVay said bluntly, “He’s gonna be a factor for us.”

It’s probably too thin of a click in redraft managed leagues right now (he’s a great last-round best ball pick, though), but it’s worth monitoring this situation closely.

Veteran journeyman Demarcus Robinson is not a giant hurdle for him to leap. If Whittington muscles his way into playing in 3-WR sets, there’s a chance for fantasy fireworks in a condensed offense. Keep your head on a swivel with this one.

What else is in today’s newsletter?

Ian’s Draft-Day Commandments: Looking to convert someone into a fantasy football player? Here’s your chance.
Watercooler: Late-Round Draft Pick Strategy.

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5 Fantasy Draft-Day Commandments

by Ian Hartitz

My wife asked me the other day if she should join her company's fantasy football league. Sensing the opportunity to ~~dominate her unsuspecting colleagues I've never met~~ spend some extra quality time with her, I responded, "Absolutely, and I'm happy to help."

Mrs. Hartitz (WILD move by her taking that last name btw) then asked, "OK. How do I draft a good fantasy football team?"

Man, what a great question.

Apparently, not everyone has the time nor desire to spend every waking moment pondering the intricacies of infinite fantasy football variables. Wild, I know, but this got me thinking: What is a good five-step fantasy football draft plan for someone who has never played before?

Obviously a helluva lot more than just drafting goes into capturing fantasy championship gold, maybe we'll address that at a later date, but for now let's just take things one step at a time. Today's goal: Provide a quick-and-easy game plan for anyone looking to try out America's greatest tradition (objective fact) for the first time.

A quick glossary on some football lingo you'll see in your draft room:

QB (Quarterback—the guy who throws the football)
RB (Running back—the guy who runs and catches the football)
WR (Wide receiver—the guy who catches the football)
TE (Tight end—the guy who catches the football and blocks)
K (Kicker—the guy who kicks the football)
DST (Defense and special teams—the guys who defend against the offense)
ADP (Average draft position—where someone is usually picked in a fantasy draft)
Queue (Just like on a music playlist; you can "star" players in order of who you want to draft next)

As always: It's a great day to be great.

1. Find out how many QBs your league can start

While Fantasy Life's Draft Champion is a mock draft tool designed to handle all the wild customizations that exist in the wild world of fantasy football, one simple league setting pretty much supersedes all else when it comes to your general early-round draft strategy:

How many QBs does your team have to start during any given week?

With that in mind:

If your league only starts one QB, don't worry about drafting one until AT LEAST Round 3. There's truly no rush to fill this position in the early rounds and you only need one total.
But what if your league identifies as "two-QB" or "Superflex?" Don't be a hero: Leave the first two rounds with at least one, preferably two, high-end QBs—and finish with three.

Stuff like the number of points awarded per reception and premium scoring are also plenty important—and Fantasy Life has rankings for all major formats available—but nothing alters early-round strategy more than the number of startable QBs.

More Fantasy Draft-Day Commandments…

Are you ready to draft?

With FantasyLife+, no one will be more prepared for draft day than you. Our Premium Rankings tool and Draft Champion (mock draft simulator) will make sure you know who your guys are and help you build a strategy to make sure you get them.

You can also use our site-wide League Sync integration to make sure all of our tools are customized to your league settings.

Fantasy football has changed, and so should your research.

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