College Fantasy Football: Going over the main draft strategies, and how they differ from the NFL game
The Yahoo College fantasy football player pool spans 68 Power Four programs and offers a host of features that allow managers to customize their league as they see fit. Here are some useful tips and strategies to consider for those of you who are joining Yahoo's default 1QB leagues, as well as some perspective on Superflex formats.
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Hero RB(s)
The most valuable CFF commodity is an entrenched starting running back who is returning to his team after a productive season. Short of that, highly compensated transfers and highly-touted recruits who are ascending from RB2-to-starter have the most linear paths to immediate fantasy production.
For my NFL brothers and sisters making the transition to CFF, let me put it more bluntly: "Zero RB" does not exist in CFF.
The most common opening two rounds of P4 drafts I'm seeing is WRs Jeremiah Smith and Malachi Toney going in the top three, followed by a parade of 15-20 running backs with clear paths to 200+ carries. It is virtually unheard of for a team to not draft a running back in the first three rounds, as you can stretch the Alpha WR Theory only so far. It's essential to be apprised of the current RB depth charts and have a loosely-defined plan for how to address the position at all three phases (early-middle-late) of the draft. With up to three running backs in your weekly CFF lineup, the consistency and depth of the position is vital to your success.
Streaming QB
I don't have to tell anyone reading this article how important the quarterback position is to any football team's fortunes on the CFB gridiron. However in CFF, their worth and commensurate draft value are largely tied to their scarcity, as they simply aren't worth the early draft capital investment in 1QB formats. Consider how the NFL 1QB league format weakens the relevance of quarterbacks, as you're only starting 12 each week and have a pool of 32 teams to choose from. Now, expand the league size to 68 teams with only 12 QBs active on a weekly basis.
Even in Superflex P4 leagues, Arch Manning is the only signal-caller regularly being taken in the top-30 picks from the drafts I've participated in. The first thing to do when evaluating a league is identify if it's a 1QB, Superflex or 2QB format. I've got just four quarterbacks in my top 100 of most valuable overall players in 1QB leagues. The 18-player roster limit means you likely won't roster more than three quarterbacks at any given time, and will likely stream your QB2 unless you struck gold with a pair of top-10 scorers whom you can play matchups with. So why invest in a QB besides Arch or Trinidad Chambliss before Round 7 when they will almost assuredly be dropped at some point? Astute managers will recognize the cold, hard math behind this strategy and use it to their advantage on draft day.
POWR3 Theory
By far, the most volatile position from preseason ranks to leading point scorers is wide receiver. Which is why securing a matchup-proof, locked-in starting WR1 you can bank on for 20+ PPR points every week is so incredibly valuable. That positional turbulence is why you want to laser focus on historically pass-heavy offensive play-callers who command high performing 33+ PPG offenses with continuity in the passing game and a competent quarterback distributing the ball. While a true WR1 usually emerges from these situations, it's not always the receiver who we expected to be the top fantasy option in the offense.
I've seen this pattern repeat time-after-time, with recent examples being DeVonta Smith (12th-Round ADP) outscoring Henry Ruggs and Jerry Jeudy back in the hey-day of ‘Bama. Emeka Egbuka (10th Round ADP) exploded onto the scene as a true sophomore to lead Ohio State after JSN went down early in the year to injury. Nobody expected Travis Hunter (Round 9 ADP) to detonate on the offensive side of the ball in a Heisman-winning campaign in 2024.
Many times, these premium passing offenses will produce two viable receivers, such as Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan in 2023, Troy Franklin and Tez Johnson in 2024 and Elijah Sarratt and Omar Cooper with Indiana, plus both Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith with Ohio State, last season. In summation, targeting WR2's in high-functioning passing offenses down the board has the potential to pay huge dividends at a very unstable position.
Is it worth drafting backups?
This question is somewhat downstream from the POWR3 theory, but it's relevant covering it for the other positions as well. At each position group, there are teams with position battles in historically profitable systems. When a potent legacy starting running back position is turning over or somewhat unsettled, it can suppress the value of a player who would historically merit second/third-round consideration because of the potential fallout from losing a camp battle.
With a roster of 22+ players and the ability to add/drop in-season, I strongly believe in surrounding these high-value, but tumultuous, backfields. With an 18-player roster, you have to understand that you will drop at least half that roster over the course of the season, and most likely 75% of your initial draft will no longer be on your team due to attrition and job loss. The heavy rotational aspect means I'm more than happy to take a stab at the Oregon RB duo of Jordan Davison/Dierre Hill, Indiana's new-look backfield of Turbo Richard/Khobie Martin, or Texas transfer tandem of Hollywood Smothers/Raleek Brown. When one of these backs separate over the other, simply drop the other and smile knowing you have a weekly starting rusher on a devastating offense for a mid-round investment.
Sometimes, a QB-insurance situation emerges where the winner is essentially placed in the driver's seat of a fully-constructed rocket ship that guarantees a high-floor of weekly production. That's indeed the case at a pair of traditionally explosive SEC programs in Alabama (HC Kalen DeBoer) and Tennessee (HC Josh Heupel) who are replacing veteran signal-callers.
At ‘Bama, longtime DeBoer understudy Austin Mack is battling Elite 11 MVP and five-star, second-year player Keelon Russell, with the winner almost assured to be a factor in any CFF scoring or roster format. Tennessee has pro-style QB George MacIntyre, who is less talented but more familiar with HC Heupel's offense than tantalizing true freshman Faizon Brandon, who opened eyes in spring practices.
While in prior years you could make a case for drafting two QBs from the same team and quickly cutting the loser, I don't think that strategy is the best course of action in these two situations. Russell outplayed Mack comfortably in the spring game and appears to have a defined lead over Mack in Alabama. While the Tennessee job is considered to be close to 50/50, MacIntyre's upside is capped by his relative immobility outside of structure, which renders him almost irrelevant in four-point pass TD formats and undraftable. Taking the plunge on Russell as a QB2/3 and Brandon as a late round dart throw is the right play here — no need to roster their challengers.
