How To Use Tiered Rankings: 2011 Draft Kit

Tiered Fantasy Rankings – These are rankings, similar to the cheat sheet you’ve used for drafts for years, but instead of a list that is ordered by numbers, from the very top being the best player and the very bottom being the worst player, tiered rankings break groups of players down in certain talent levels.

Basically, a tier separates groups of players from each other. This ranking still list players in order from best to worst or the guys we’d most like to own all the way to the guys we don’t care to own. But, we also take that long list and break it down into like-players, guys we feel are close enough to equal where you wouldn’t have to reach for one of them – it really assesses value in a way that a Top 300 list really can’t.

This is the best kind of cheat sheet for drafts. It not only gives you a valuable ranking system, but it helps you recognize positional runs in the draft, the value of certain positions over others, a lack of talent left in a single area compared to other positions, and makes the leftover depth much easier to recognize.

The best way to use a tiered ranking cheat sheet is to use it to recognize value left on the board. For example, if it’s your turn, and you’re not sure if you should pick a WR or a RB, you can assess the depth of the position at the current tier level. If you see that there are just 2 WRs left on the board that fit into the 2nd tier, but there are 5 RBs that fit into the current high-tier, you should pick a WR. There are certainly more things to look at than that alone, but it is a very helpful tool in the heat of a draft.

Tiered rankings also help you recognize when it’s okay to reach for a player. If you haven’t picked a QB yet and the only QB left on the board from the first 3 tiers is Phillip Rivers, you might want to scratch your draft strategy for that pick and go with Rivers. His value has a huge jump because he’s the only elite level player left at that position.

Breaking the player pool into tiers is the only way I do it. Sometimes I break the entire draft down into tiers and sometimes I have different lists for each position. It helps me stay organized in the moment and keeps me on track.

I hope you enjoy our Tiered Rankings – all positions (sans kickers) will be posted. Links below…

Running Backs – Wide Receivers – Tight Ends – Defense/Special Teams