2025 guide

Round by round targets are very different depending on your draft type. Make sure you read the opening pages of this guide to understand the differences in league types and to ensure you know the draft type you are entering. In these coming pages, I will break down my targets by round in dynasty drafts and redraft leagues separately, while also breaking down different keepers to target in keeper leagues. 

Dynasty Drafts: How to prepare

Draft position is significant to your draft strategy. Drafting in the first four spots of superflex leagues will be much different than drafting in the first four draft spots in non-superflex leagues. Having a preference and plan for where you want to draft and how you want to draft can determine the leagues you enter. Most leagues will randomize the draft order, eliminating any edge you may have in picking your draft spot and planning draft strategy. Prepare your draft strategy by mock drafting from all different draft positions. 

*In the Sleeper app, once you join your intended league, you can mock draft based on the scoring and roster settings of that league. Use this as much as you can!

Once you’re in your league, spend some time communicating with your league mates. Knowing your league mates can give you a tremendous edge in drafts. When you know your league mates in drafts, you gain an advantage in understanding their tendencies, favorite players, and willingness to engage in trade talks. Recognizing these tendencies will prove highly beneficial to your overall outcome. You will notice three to four different types of players in your league. The four types are as follows: trade heavy, trade absent, win now, and prepare for the future. You will learn in round one how to separate half of these players, and trading is an underutilized tool in start-up drafts. 

When preparing for Dynasty Drafts, securing a top-four pick is huge for your quarterback position in superflex leagues. Acquiring a top-four pick is very difficult, but the minute a quarterback like Joe Burrow slips to the sixth spot of the first round, the traders will appear. The players who do not want Burrow may engage in talks to move their pick back and acquire additional capital in the first four rounds, while teams that want to obtain that elite quarterback, who are in the back half of the first round, will begin asking everyone for a price for a top quarterback. Whether a trade happens or not, take notice of those teams engaging in the group chat and use it to your advantage later in the draft. 

Trade Absent teams are teams that make 0-1 trades in all drafts. These teams are easy to weed out. The first three to four rounds are the most expensive trades to make. Teams are either willing to pay or they’re not. Rounds five through eight will usually see more trades than the first four between the players who were actively trying to trade in the earlier rounds. The teams that do not respond to trade offers, engage in your group conversation, or look to move up or down are a waste of time to engage with. Focus your energy elsewhere, as these teams typically have a well-defined strategy and stick to it. These teams cannot also engage in fair negotiations and will struggle to reach a deal; they expect to win every trade by a landslide and will not consider reasonable compromises. There’s nothing wrong with these managers, and you should not chastise them for their strategy. I recommend simply not wasting your time and the league’s time while you’re on the clock. 

Win-now teams in dynasty drafts differ from redraft leagues because you are planning for the future as well. The best players at each position will not be selected in the order of their fantasy production, because in these drafts, teams are also planning for the future. Last year, Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry finished as the top two fantasy scoring running backs, with Jhamyr Gibbs and Bijan Robinson finishing third and fourth. In dynasty drafts, you will see Gibbs and Robinson and now Ashton Jeanty get drafted before Saquon Barkley, and additionally see Jonathan Taylor, Breece Hall, Devon Achane, Josh Jacobs, Bucky Irving, and Omarion Hampton all more than likely get drafted before Derrick Henry. The reason is their age. In redraft leagues, Barkley and Henry will be two of the top five running backs drafted, with Christian McCaffrey now entering the mix as a top-five running back drafted. Win-now teams in dynasty leagues will have a mix of these older top-tier players mixed with some younger, already established players in their second to fifth years in the league. 

Win later- Win later players are usually teams that didn’t get the draft position they wanted, or their primary targets all got sniped before their turn. These teams will draft less experienced players and begin trading down in drafts while also accumulating future draft picks. Target these teams if you want to win now. 

Decide the player you want to be entering the draft, and build your draft from there. Trading is a significant asset to win now while also creating a young team, and will always be my preferred draft style. 

Entering round one of Superflex Leagues:

Draft Position 1-3: 

Not only do you need to know whether you are joining a dynasty league or redraft league for your draft strategy, but you also need to know if your league is a superflex league or not. Draft position and strategy are crucial in superflex leagues. If you are in a superflex league and have a top pick, there is almost no excuse for not using that pick on the top four elite quarterbacks in the league: Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Jayden Daniels. Two other elite quarterbacks in Jalen Hurts and Joe Burrow will get drafted in the first half of round one as well. Allen, Jackson, and Daniels are the clear-cut number three quarterbacks who are a must pick with one of those top three picks. You do not draft a position player here, and if for any reason you do not want to draft any of these quarterbacks, try to trade the pick to someone who does and gain an edge in round two or three. I do not recommend this, but the choice is yours. 

Draft Position 4-7:

We are in a transitional period in the NFL for fantasy drafting, where I no longer want a top four to seven pick in dynasty leagues. I am looking to join leagues where you can either secure a top-three QB, as mentioned above, or wait until the ninth through twelfth spot for the earlier comeback pick, especially in third-round reversal leagues. Jalen Hurts and Joe Burrow may get snagged in the top three in some leagues, pushing one of those other quarterbacks to you at four or five. I am no longer confident in Jalen Hurts being an elite quarterback and will avoid drafting any Eagles players in start-up drafts. If I land a pick 4-7, I’m looking for another league member who’s eager to grab one of the two and maximize a return. I am not accepting a trade here for anything less than a few spot trade down in the first or early second round, AND a move up from round three or four to two, or a first-round draft pick. Be sure to read the trading section to build your trading skills. 

Outside of Joe Burrow and Jalen Hurts, Ashton Jeanty has been going in this spot in some leagues, with Bijan Robinson not far behind. The two most likely to go in these spots with Hurts and Burrow are Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson. Two safe picks production-wise, IF they are healthy. The Burrow and Chase tandem both rely on Joe Burrow, who has only played 10 games twice in his five-year career. I have won leagues without either Bengals player, finished in the top three in my leagues last season without either player, and only one championship team in my leagues last year won with Chase on it – none with Burrow. Each of the championship teams or the runners-up had a share of Lamar or Allen, or neither. My point? You can win without Joe Burrow, and it’s worth exploring your options. 

Draft Position 8-12:

The first seven picks will determine strategy at this point in the first round. The WR position is much deeper than the running back position, making Jeanty and Robinson more appealing to some. This part of the first round is particularly important in Tight End Premium (TEP) leagues. If you can take Bowers in the 8-12 spot, you should, and I would look to pair him with a top WR on the comeback. If you’re not getting a top QB in the first round, I am waiting until round three to look at one. This spot is too early to take a QB other than Allen, Jackson, or Daniels, but if Burrow falls here somehow, you can look at him. Malik Nabers could still be on the board here, and pairing him with Bowers would be a phenomenal start. The back end of round one spills over into round two, and I am doing what I can to try to add an extra pick this round if I can.

Author: Nightghost