The Perfect Fantasy Football Draft Strategy (v2): How To Dominate on ESPN, Sleeper, and Yahoo
Fantasy

The Perfect Fantasy Football Draft Strategy (v2): How To Dominate on ESPN, Sleeper, and Yahoo

Dwain McFarland updates his perfect fantasy football draft strategy for the 2025 season based on 53-man roster cutdowns, ADP movements, and more.

Building the perfect fantasy football draft strategy is all about thinking multiple moves ahead. While your leaguemates are playing checkers, you should be playing chess. While your buddies are planning on a draft falling just right so they can select a dominant team, you will prepare for things going wrong and have contingency plans.

The fundamental idea of a perfect draft isn't getting every player you think you must have—it is about building the best roster given the circumstances. Mike Tyson once said, "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth." So why don't we plan on getting punched in the mouth and see what happens?

This is my crescendo piece of the summer. Months of studying, tiering, and drafting (over 120 teams so far) to deliver this article to your eyes. Over the last two weeks, we have explicitly been building up to this moment by working through the perfect draft strategy for each position.

Now, it is time to zoom out and reassemble everything into one easy-to-use format so you can adapt as the draft unfolds.

The Perfect Fantasy Football Draft Strategy For 2025

We have hit on all these concepts below in the positional strategies, but went deep on No. 2. Today, we will hyper-focus on No. 1 and No. 3, with the context of knowing the answer to No. 2 for each position (which informs our strategy guidelines).

  1. Positional supply and demand: How many do I need, and how many are available? League scoring and starting roster requirements are enormous factors that many fantasy players don't consider.
     
  2. Value: Can I target mispriced assets that offer similar value at this position later? The more confidence we have in this answer, the more we can consider not spending early picks on the position. These players become pillars within our strategy.
     
  3. Draft capital allocation: How much have I spent on this position? As a rule of thumb, the more we spend earlier in drafts, the less we will invest later, and vice versa.
     

Below is a TLDR review of my findings for No. 2 based on consensus average draft position (ADP).

Quarterback

Running Back

Wide Receiver

Tight End

By following the guidelines below, you will be well-prepared for any situation.

Especially if you are willing to put the practice reps in and rehearse the fantasy equivalent of getting punched in the face: the top of your queue just got sniped, or the player you were waiting for at position X just went two rounds early.

At the end of this article, we will zoom back and walk through strategies for ESPN, Yahoo, and Sleeper based on draft position.

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Guidelines For The 2025 Fantasy Football Strategy

These guidelines are based on half- and full-PPR scoring. The standard setup for the majority of leagues (ESPN, Sleeper, Yahoo, etc.) is 1 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE, 1 FLEX. The strategies below also apply to 3WR and 2FLEX; however, there are a few strategies (in italics) that may be more challenging to implement.

How to use this table

Think of this table as a simplified "if-then" analysis. The left-hand column has the four different high-level strategies you might deploy. I am not using the exact technical definitions some in the industry use, so here are the definitions for how I am using them in 2025:

  • Hero RB: One RB in first three rounds
  • Super Hero RB: Two RBs in first three rounds
  • Zero RB: No RBs in the first three rounds
  • Heavy RB: Three RBs in first three rounds

There are two viable ways you could go Hero RB (one RB) in the first three rounds in 2025: 

  • 1RB + 2WR
  • 1RB + 1WR + 1QB or TE

Based on the path you choose, you then have multiple options for handling rounds 4 to 6. Once you finish Round 6, you know your attack plan for Rounds 7 to 9.

Example:

Notice the notes at the bottom of the columns. If you have a large tier of QBs or TEs in Rounds 7 to 9, you could push one to Round 10 or 11. These are guidelines, not etched-in-stone rules. The thesis: Squeeze as much value as possible out of every pick while building a well-rounded roster.

You don't have to predetermine which strategy you will use. While it is good to understand the ramifications of each path in future rounds, you can let the draft come to you. This approach keeps you open to unique value combinations early.

Strategy Guidelines: Do's and Don'ts for 2025

  • Do: Focus on WR and RB in the first three rounds.
  • Don't: Take a TE *and* a QB in the first three rounds—especially if in a 3 WR or 2 FLEX.
     
  • Do: Draft a falling dual-threat QB or George Kittle in Round 4.
  • Don't: Attack the other QBs and TEs in Rounds 4 to 6. (Exception: Joe Burrow)
     
  • Do: Draft three RBs in the first six rounds—of the 120-plus teams I have drafted, those are my favorites in 2025. I often have three after five rounds.
  • Don't: Take five of one position in the first six rounds. (Exception: 2FLEX + ADP value)
     
  • Do: Start a round early (Round 5), drafting WRs in the sweet spot if a position of need.
  • Don't: Be afraid to draft two QBs or TEs if you waited to Round 9 or later.
     
  • Do: Maximize the value of Tyler Warren in Rounds 9 to 10. (Round 8 okay)
  • Don't: Select a kicker or defense early—wait for your last picks!

Optimal Fantasy Football Draft Strategies for 2025

While I am a willing Zero RB drafter in best ball formats, my favorite two strategies in managed leagues for 2025 are Hero RB and Super Hero RB.

There are two reasons:

  1. Some of the best ADP values are at WR.
  2. We aren't getting the same veteran values we saw in 2024 at RB. They are now going at prices that give me pause. I want to attack the high-quality younger options early.
     

When going Zero RB, I wasn't crazy about my backfield—I was leaving value on the board later at WR as I had to pivot to potentially overpriced RBs.

Of course, you know your league far better than me. If you play in a league where WRs fly off the board, then Super Hero RB might not be for you, but Hero RB is in play. The framework above allows you to adapt based on your unique insights about your league.

A lot of my value plays are rookie-centric, but refer to the list above for veteran pivot options if you are concerned about having too many rookies. Based on value, I don't think we should overthink it, but veterans can boom too, so I wanted to provide alternatives.

Tip: You can use Draft Champion and select your draft strategy to practice different builds.

ESPN Fantasy Football Draft Strategy

Risers

Fallers

Picks 1 to 4

Picks 5 to 8

Picks 9 to 12

Sleeper Fantasy Football Draft Strategy

Risers:

Fallers:

Picks 1 to 4

Picks 5 to 8

Picks 9 to 12

Yahoo Fantasy Football Draft Strategy

Risers:

Fallers:

Picks 1 to 4

Picks 5 to 8

Picks 9 to 12

Note: Yahoo is the platform where zero RB is in play. You could start with three WRs from almost any draft position and still get two good RBs in Rounds 4 and 5.

Draft Strategy Tips: Three WR or Two Flex Formats

  • The strategy guide can still be applied, with some tweaks.
  • I am more likely to wait on QB and TE in these formats to win the WR3 and extra flex spots.
  • If an elite dual-threat QB or TE (i.e., George Kittle) falls into Round 4, then I am willing to consider them.
  • I am less likely to draft both onesie positions in Rounds 7 to 10. I want one to avoid two weaknesses, but I want to prioritize all the rookie WRs in Round 10.

Players Mentioned in this Article

  1. TreVeyonHenderson
    RBNENE
    PPG
    6.16
    Proj
    9.96
  2. JacoryCroskey-Merritt
    RBWASWAS
    PPG
    8.26
    Proj
    9.22
  3. TylerWarren
    TEINDIND
    PPG
    10.82
    Proj
    9.85
  4. Ricky Pearsall
    RickyPearsallQ
    WRSFSF
    PPG
    10.58
    Proj
    0.00