It’s draft season, which means you better get prepped before you’re on the clock without an idea of who you should pick. Lucky for you – and everyone who I’m in a league with – I’m going to outline my entire draft plan for 2017, from who I’m targeting in each round to which positions I’m focusing on getting early in the draft and those to wait on. All my favorite players are here in one place for each position, with a round-by-round outline at the end. The rounds are a rough estimation, and should give you a general idea of when you should be looking to grab them.
Before we begin, there are a few things to note:
– This outline is meant for a redraft, 12-teamer 5×5 league. It still applies to most variants, but obviously it’s not a one-size-fits-all.
– I have purposefully left some holes since drafts are fluid creatures that need affection and constant-attention to nail down just right.
– Don’t follow this so rigidly that when Ryan Bruan falls to the 8th round you ignore him.
– Round targets are created based around Fantasy Pros' ADP, which merges NFBC, Yahoo, and CBS data.
Catchers
I really don't like chasing a catcher in the early to mid-rounds as there is often value to be had deeper in the draft when you can often have you favorite choice of backstop at the 12th or 13th off the board. At that point, I'm hoping Stephen Vogt, Wellington Castillo or Russell Martin are still around to snatch up. There are some interesting upside plays that you can wait incredibly long for, such as Travis d'Arnaud and Cameron Rupp if all else fails.
- Wellington Castillo/Russell Martin/Stephen Vogt - Round 17/18
- Travis d'Arnaud/Cameron Rupp - Round 20+
Great info. I consider this website to be my secret weapon against the other players in my 12 team keeper league. Quick question? Would you rather keep George Springer in the 8th round or Wil Myers in the 21st (and obviously why)? I’m having trouble buying Myers’ breakout last season, and I think Springer has more to offer in that stacked lineup. Other keepers are Bryant, T Turner, and Josh Bell in the 12th, 13th, and 21st round respectively.
Thanks! Love the site.
Thanks Andrew!
The way I see it is that you’re getting Myers + and 8th rounder for Springer, which could be pretty dang solid, especially if it’s a stud closer or another excellent bat. I’d look into who would be available in the 8th round to make the right assessment.
At the end of the day though, I think I’d slightly lean getting Springer in the 8th.
However, if it’s possible to not keep Bell, I’d rather have both Springer/Myers at their rounds.
What’s up- No mention of Jose Abreu for 1B ??
I’m not a fan of his ADP and value. He’s going in rounds 4/5/6 and I have other needs there like a SP, 2B, and OF.
Nick, whats your strategy in terms of speed… don´t seem to draft any combo players early on.
And what about taking a Blackmon/ Starling Marte type on the second round?
Depends heavily on that first round pick. If I’m getting Trout/Betts/Altuve, I won’t look to grab someone like Pollock and Seagura to match it. I’ll almost always have a late speed guy in my OF, like Jankowski, Inciarte or Kiermaier as well.
I hate paying too much for speed as those who go for it are going to win the week anyway while I should plan on having the power bats to overcome it. Essentially, don’t aim to have the most speed but also enough to compete with those who didn’t pay the premium for it.
This site (and your content) is amazing! First year last year and I came in second, thanks to this site. :)
For a keeper league that is selecting keepers for the first time, I have 2 pitchers to keep. I have Chapman and Jansen, but I also have Hamels, Lackey, Bundy, Happ and Hill (he’s getting older). Whatcha thinking about good keeper options?
Did Trea Turner get abducted but aliens (with Abreu)? Pretty big misses……
I like Cron as a late 1B backup. Thoughts?