10 tips for winning in fantasy football

The 2026 NFL season is right around the corner, and that means fantasy football is too.

Here, we’ll offer 10 strategy keys to keep in mind for beginners and longtime managers alike when it comes to drafting a team and trying to build a championship roster in fantasy football.

Know your league format and settings

This is easily the single most important thing, and it’s something a lot of fantasy football managers don’t pay close attention to.

Is it a league with standard settings?

Is it a league that gives players half a point per reception (Half-PPR)?

Is it a league that gives players a point per reception (PPR)?

Is it a league that gives quarterbacks six points per passing touchdown instead of four points?

Are there more starting lineup slots for particular positions than usual (for example: two starting quarterbacks)?

An entire draft strategy could be impacted based on the league settings. And the player rankings provided by fantasy football hosts (like Yahoo! Sports) won’t account for your league settings; they might show you projected point totals, but you have to sort through those.

For example, in a PPR league, wide receivers get a big boost, especially if they’re high-volume pass-catchers (same with certain running backs and tight ends).

In 2025, San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey finished ninth overall in fantasy points for standard leagues, second overall for points in Half-PPR leagues, and first overall for points in PPR leagues. His 102 catches made him significantly more valuable in leagues that valued receptions.

Additionally, Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (129 receptions in 2025) finished 22nd in standard leagues, 12th in Half-PPR leagues, and second in PPR leagues.

Not everyone will be extremely mindful of the league settings, so having a good understanding there and targeting players who carry increased (or decreased) value with the format can give you an advantage. You can check the FantasyPros consensus standard, Half-PPR, and PPR draft rankings as a handy strategy resource.

Try to land a running back(s) early in your draft

Running back is the most important position in fantasy football. It’s a high-floor situation for starting running backs due to guaranteed opportunities in touches. They get double-digit carries weekly, they get goal-line opportunities for potential touchdowns, and some of them are very productive receivers.

However, there’s a scarcity of bell-cow running backs in the modern NFL, with so many teams going with a committee approach at the position (and with some offenses being pass-heavy).

So, you really want to try to secure at least one of the top running backs, which usually requires using a pick on the position before the third round.

You can never have too much depth at running back and wide receiver

And building off the last point, you want as many starting and/or upside-y running backs as you can land. Most leagues have two running back slots in the starting lineup, and running backs frequently make for a good use of the flex slot(s). Injuries happen frequently at the position, some teams have uncertainty in who will emerge as the primary back, etc.

The wide receiver position is also one that you want to load up on, especially if you’re in PPR leagues. And like running back, wide receiver will be a position you strongly consider as a flex option. Additionally, outside of the early rounds, wide receivers can become more of an unknown due to questions about their role in an offense and how many targets they will see. So, you want to increase your chances of finding quality wide receivers.

Save defense/special teams and kicker picks for the final rounds

Odds are that in your draft, you’ll see some defenses/special teams or kickers come off the board before the final two rounds. Resist being one of the people to do that.

Defenses/special teams and kickers are easily the least valuable positions, and they’re also the most random and easiest to replace. Wait until the very last rounds to address them.

Grab the best defense/special teams unit and kicker you can over the final two rounds, then consider your options weekly on the waiver wire. Defense/special teams is an area where you can go week-by-week and play it by matchups, looking for options that face the worst offenses.

Additionally, waiting on these positions until the end of the draft allows you to continue stacking depth at the other positions, and you might land a hidden gem or two while other managers stubbornly chase defenses and kickers.

Don’t “reach” at quarterback

First, you’ll want to check your league settings when it comes to the quarterback position. If your league starts two quarterbacks, the position is a priority, and the quarterbacks will likely go fast in your draft. Also, if your league awards six points per passing touchdown instead of four points (most leagues), that increases the value of the position, particularly for pocket passers who throw for a lot of touchdowns (like Matthew Stafford and Joe Burrow).

Otherwise, quarterback should take a backseat to running back, wide receiver, and even the top tight ends. The top quarterback in a given year (currently Josh Allen) shouldn’t be among the top-20 picks; you shouldn’t select one before the third round (maybe the end of the second in a league with 12-plus teams).

It’s not that quarterbacks don’t put up a lot of fantasy points; they do. The top scorers in fantasy football are annually quarterbacks. However, there’s a quantity of good options, and the gap between the top options and the second-tier options isn’t enormous, especially compared to the drop-off at the running back, wide receiver, and tight end positions.

And if you land one of the top quarterbacks, don’t bother drafting a second one. There are solid options weekly on the waiver wire to fill in for bye weeks.

Don’t let positional “runs” make you panic

There will be a run at a position during many drafts. Suddenly, several players from the position come off the draft board.

Most commonly, this is at tight end. There aren’t too many great tight ends, so if one or two tight ends start to go, sometimes other fantasy managers will panic and make sure they come away with one of the top options.

While that’s tantalizing, and it can be frustrating if you’re unable to land one of the top tight ends, remain patient. Let the board come to you. If a bunch of tight ends were just selected earlier than they should have been, that will mean there are good running backs, wide receivers, and quarterbacks available.

Collect the best talent you can, and if you still have a major need, that can frequently be resolved by trades (which are easier if you have strong roster depth to trade from) or the waiver wire as the season goes on.

Don’t let bye weeks dictate draft decisions

In online drafts and draft guides, you’ll see the bye week listed next to a player. Sometimes, this scares fantasy managers off from selecting a player if they already have bye weeks at the same position.

While it would be ideal if your players had separate bye weeks, and it’s certainly a nice tiebreaker, it shouldn’t prevent you from selecting the best players that you can get.

Again, collect the best talent and depth that you can; worry more about possible needs and bye weeks later on.

Keep expectations limited for rookies that aren’t starting running backs

The temptation is always there to look for upside and take chances on rookies, but usually they disappoint in redraft leagues. Rookies that are in position to start (or are in the mix to start) at running back are absolutely worth taking the chance on, but otherwise, you want to be measured in how you approach the position.

Rookies are frequently eased in while they learn the playbook, become better blockers, etc. And even if the playing time is there, succeeding as rookie quarterbacks, wide receivers, and tight ends is such an enormous challenge, especially in terms of high-volume production.

Now, in keeper leagues and dynasty leagues, you absolutely want to take swings on rookies and hope you find future stars. But when talking simply their rookie year, keep your expectations reasonable.

Remember that there’s always the waiver wire

While the draft is obviously the driving force in building a roster and landing stars, fantasy football leagues can be won with additions made via the waiver wire.

Pretty much annually, a surprise star running back or wide receiver emerges in early weeks on the waiver wire. And the league winners frequently feature players who were acquired in shrewd moves on the waiver wire.

So, if you don’t feel great about your team coming out of the draft, you still have a strong opportunity to build a champion with waiver-wire moves. Make sure to be smart about picking and choosing when to use a high waiver priority rather than wasting it on a defense, kicker, etc (Once the waiver period expires, players who are still available can be added immediately as free agents).

Stay active, and have fun

Winning a fantasy football league will take a commitment to regularly checking your lineup, looking into optimal choices to start, paying close attention to the injury statuses, and keeping up with the waiver wire and potential additions you can make.

But above all else, the fantasy football experience is supposed to be fun. So, ideally, you can find the right balance of competing and truly enjoying the experience. And hopefully that can lead to a fantasy football championship.