Dynasty DIY: Snake Draft
Every year, the dynasty community is enriched with the addition of countless new leagues. For many years, the most popular format for drafting these leagues has been the snake format. Many of the tools and content produced over the years at DLF has centered on this format and our writers work diligently to give our readers the absolute best and most up to date information possible.
This Do It Yourself (DIY) tutorial will focus on how the sites readers can prepare for a start-up snake draft using the following tools:
Tools:
Step 1: Ground Work
Key to getting the best advice out of these tools is identifying the appropriate data set to utilize. This is much easier than it might sound at first glance. The necessary bits of information you would need to obtain are:
- Do you have the ability to start two quarterbacks? (Superflex)
- Do you start individual defensive players (IDP) or team defensive units?
- Are rookies or rookie draft picks included in the draft?
Write the answers to these questions down as we will be referring back to them as we utilize the two tools listed at the beginning of this DIY article.
Step 2: Getting Familiar With Rankings
It is recommended that you gain some familiarity and context with DLF’s Dynasty Rankings prior to diving into any draft, be it a startup draft or rookie draft. DLF’s rankings are among the most-trusted rankings of any fantasy site in the world. The site staff work very hard to keep them updated and fresh with respect to any news that breaks regarding the NFL.
To utilize this amazing resource simply click here and select the format utilized by your league by referring to the information we gathered in Step One. By default, the landing page will show the combined Top 200 offensive players ranked by our experts. If your league only uses offensive players, then you will want to focus on the horizontal menu shown below:
Depending on your league format and how your league scoring values each position, you have a variety of ways to examine the DLF rankings.
The Top 200 option displays the aforementioned mixed ranking of the top 200 offensive players. The QB, RB, WR and TE options shows the top 50 players ranked at each of the positions listed. The SF/2QB options shows the top 150 mixed rankings for players in a superflex league where owners have the option of starting two quarterbacks.
Finally, the Cornerstone rankings option displays a mixture of college players that are draft-eligible in the following season and who can be drafted in developmental, or devy, drafts as well as NFL players that are either rookies or in their second season. These options are displayed as they all display rankings that center around offensive players that are currently in the NFL.
However, there are two additional areas in the DLF Rankings section that feature additional rankings that go beyond this classification. Those two additional ranking types are IDP Rankings and Devy Rankings and can be accessed by clicking on one of the buttons displayed on the Rankings landing page shown in the following screenshot:
On any rankings page, players will be ranked with those individuals viewed as the most valuable by the rankers listed at the top of the list with the perceived value decreasing for each player as the list continues. If a player is not listed, then he has not been ranked. Also please be aware that a players rank is determined by averaging together the ranks that each ranker has assigned to that player, as listed and sorted by the heading “AVG”.
Readers can sort the list by the “Rank”, “Age”, “Bye”, “Height”, “Weight”, “DrYear”, “Eligible”, “(Ranker Name)”, and “AVG”. By clicking on any of these headings, the rankings will reorder with the lowest value in the column moving to the top and then grouped by rank (lowest to highest) and ordered with the highest value at the bottom.
Readers can also filter any ranking by removing specific rankers from the average ranking. By deselecting a ranker and clicking on the “AVG” heading, the rankings will reorder based upon the newly calculated average. Readers may also filter the rankings based upon the number of days since the last update. Selecting a value from this menu will remove any ranker that has not updated their rankings within the number of days selected, allowing the rankings you obtain to be either as fresh or as expansive as you’d prefer.
Once you set the parameters of the rankings to fit exactly what you’re looking for, one extra bonus that DLF provides is the ability for subscribers to export those personalized rankings as either a PDF or CSV file for future use, such as being able to take a printed copy with you to a live draft or to be referenced later. To download one of these files simply click on either link next to the “Export To:” label.
Further Context: Try making your own rankings. Once completed, compare your rankings to those of the DLF rankers and determine which ranker is closest you’re your valuations. Once you identify that ranker, you can directly refer to their rankings in future months as a trusted resource.
Step 2 Takeaway: Dynasty rankings are fairly subjective but DLF rankers do their absolute best to take into account prevailing community value as well as the player’s situation, injuries and current events that may impact the player’s value. They make a starting point for player valuations.
Step 3: Determining Value Using ADP
Another incredibly useful tool drafters can use during a start-up snake draft is DLF Startup ADP Data. For those unfamiliar with the term or concept of ADP, the acronym stands for “Average Draft Position” and is compiled by holding multiple mock drafts each month. This resource has been tirelessly maintained and updated by Ryan McDowell with data stretching all the way back to 2014.
ADP is especially helpful in finding value at any given pick of the draft. To achieve this, many dynasty owners will identify the top players whose ADP is lower than their current pick, drafting whichever player, or position, that fits the kind of team that owner is looking to create.
Traditionally, McDowell will host six mock drafts each month of the year. The pick that each player was selected at over those six drafts will be averaged together to determine the ADP for all players drafted and is displayed under the “ADP” heading while the pick the player was drafted in appears under each of the numbered headings.
That ADP data is posted each month, allowing readers to spot trends in how each player is valued over the span of months, or even years. Readers can access the ADP for previous months by selecting a month and year from the dropdowns above the left corner of the ADP table and then pressing the “Submit” button. ADP for superflex leagues is also available stretching back to July of 2018. The slight difference with superflex ADP is that four mock drafts are held every month as opposed to the six mock drafts held monthly for standard leagues.
On all ADP ranking pages, readers are presented with the option to filter the selected ADP by position by clicking on any of the positional links directly above the “Player” heading. Clicking on any of those positions will display the ADP for only the selected position, removing all players from the rankings that do not play that position.
Further Context: Participating in one or more of the mock drafts hosted by Ryan McDowell will allow you to see how ADP is developed while also allowing you to make your own small contribution to the dynasty community. Each player you draft in one of these mock drafts is akin to one of six votes for the month that the draft is conducted in. I highly recommend at least participating in one per season, and more if you’re up to it.
Step 3 Takeaway: ADP lets you know how the community values each player in respect to the other players available in the draft pool. Further context can be gleaned from how a players ADP rises and falls over time.
Step 4: Putting It All Into Practice
There is an old adage that “Practice makes perfect”. Athletes constantly practice so as to hone their skills and to keep their game sharp. Why then, should fantasy owners be any different?
Before diving into a draft that could well determine the success of your team for the net few years, it is recommended that you practice so you know when to zig on player values when the rest of your league-mates zag.
As a means to practice your drafting skills, DLF recommends using the Dynasty Mock Draft Tool powered by one of our trusted partner sites, FantasyPros. The Dynasty Mock Draft Tool allows owners to conduct a mock draft against a computer that controls the other teams in the draft. It is programmed to use utilize the rankings of over 125 experts that rank for the site, but can also use Value Based Drafting (VBD) techniques, Composite ADP and DLF’s own ADP list.
Owners can specify how many teams are in their league, what position they will be drafting from and roster requirements. This is in addition to the format of the league, in this example dynasty, the pool of players available, in this example all players, and the type of draft the owner wishes to conduct, in this example a snake draft. Once all your options are complete, simply press the “Start Your Draft” button to begin the mock draft.
Once the draft begins, owners are shown a list of suggested players to draft. Each player is shown with a projected point total for the next season, their position ranking, the player’s best and worst rank among FantasyPro experts and what percentage of experts believe that player should be drafted with the next pick.
At the competition of the draft, the Mock Draft Simulator will grade your draft performance, presenting a letter grade. Owners should practice as many times as they feel is necessary in order to prepare for their draft. It is also recommended that owners regularly return to the Mock Draft Simulator in order to maintain sharp and so as to remain abreast of player valuations which constantly shift.
Further Context: Try drafting from a different position than you have been assigned in your startup draft. Drafting from different positions can allow you to put yourself in your league-mates’ shoes. This context may allow you to develop a more solid game plan heading into your draft while also allowing you to more effective spot values that fall into your lap once your draft begins.
Step 4 Takeaway: Participating in mock drafts allows owners to be at the top of their game when entering their startup drafts. The more scenarios an owner can see and prepare for, the less apt they are to panic or to make poor decisions once their draft is underway.
Aftermath
Differing player valuations within the dynasty fantasy football format are the lifeblood of any successful league. Owners who are more familiar with differing valuations than their league-mates will have a distinct advantage in the league, not just during the start-up draft but well beyond as well.
We at DLF believe that resources provided on our site, as well as those tools hosted by our partner sites, offer our readers the best possible value and opportunity to prepare for any situation that the dynasty format my throw their way.
Please continue to check out our “Do It Yourself (DIY)” series as we demonstrate not only how to effectively use the tools that we provide, or recommend, but also how to take your dynasty game to the next level while hopefully guiding you to many championship seasons to come.
