All fantasy managers know the value of a strong fantasy football cheat sheet on draft day, but the type of cheat sheet you use can vary tremendously depending on if you are in a standard league or a dynasty league. These league types each require their own specific approach, so the tools you use in your fantasy drafts need to reflect this dissimilarity.
We will cover how fantasy football cheat sheets differ in standard vs dynasty leagues, why ADP values and scoring projections vary by format, cover the impact of depth charts and injury reports on cheat sheets and show you how the RotoWire fantasy football draft kit allows you to customize your cheat sheets using a wide variety of draft tools.
What Standard Fantasy Football League Cheat Sheets Focus On
Standard scoring league cheat sheets concentrate solely on finding value for the upcoming season. This means these fantasy football rankings prioritize current season production as well as short-term upside. The focus on recent performance and expected workload combines to build a draft board that is tailored to one-year success.
This focus on a one-year fantasy football draft strategy doesn't mean the standard league cheat sheets lack an overarching view. They still aim to find which players are at the peak of a multi-year performance spike and note when prospects are on track to move up NFL depth charts. They just don't look for value in those areas beyond the upcoming season because standard leagues take one-year views.
All fantasy managers know the value of a strong fantasy football cheat sheet on draft day, but the type of cheat sheet you use can vary tremendously depending on if you are in a standard league or a dynasty league. These league types each require their own specific approach, so the tools you use in your fantasy drafts need to reflect this dissimilarity.
We will cover how fantasy football cheat sheets differ in standard vs dynasty leagues, why ADP values and scoring projections vary by format, cover the impact of depth charts and injury reports on cheat sheets and show you how the RotoWire fantasy football draft kit allows you to customize your cheat sheets using a wide variety of draft tools.
What Standard Fantasy Football League Cheat Sheets Focus On
Standard scoring league cheat sheets concentrate solely on finding value for the upcoming season. This means these fantasy football rankings prioritize current season production as well as short-term upside. The focus on recent performance and expected workload combines to build a draft board that is tailored to one-year success.
This focus on a one-year fantasy football draft strategy doesn't mean the standard league cheat sheets lack an overarching view. They still aim to find which players are at the peak of a multi-year performance spike and note when prospects are on track to move up NFL depth charts. They just don't look for value in those areas beyond the upcoming season because standard leagues take one-year views.
How Dynasty Cheat Sheets Value Long-Term Potential
Dynasty cheat sheets approach things in much the same way an NFL general manager would. They weigh attributes such as age, career trajectory (both single-year and multi-year) and future growth potential. The idea here is to raise the fantasy football ADP level of players who will give dynasty managers the most long-term value.
This often moves younger players with multi-year upside ahead of veterans, because dynasty formats reward retention and long-term value. That still needs to be balanced with the potential to win today.
"Consistent, veteran players that are in their mid-to-late 30s will fall tremendously in a dynasty format, as their window of production is often only 1-2 more years," RotoWire fantasy football expert Jake Letarski said. "Also, a dynasty cheat sheet usually values positions such as quarterback and wide receiver over running back, as the window of the athletic prime for those positions is much greater (i.e. a QB might be a 10-year starter, but for most RBs, their best seasons only span a 3-4 year stretch)."
Why ADP and Projections Importance Varies by Format
ADP is one of the elements with the greatest potential for variation between re-draft and dynasty leagues. Dynasty drafts often show lower ADP numbers for younger talent and will prioritize rookies to a much greater extent than standard leagues. This can cause the RotoWire fantasy football projections in dynasty formats be vastly different, so you need to interpret your league's ADP valuations with these variances in mind.
You should also be prepared to invest some time using the RotoWire fantasy football mock draft tool. It can give you even more information regarding how the ADP valuations may play out on draft day, if you go through a number of mock drafts.
"RotoWire offers a few dynasty sources on our fantasy football ADP report, which will better reflect your league's draft," Letarski said. "Most sites, including RotoWire, generate season-long projections for the upcoming season only. These are better suited for a traditional, re-draft league, as they only factor the upcoming season.
"However, if your dynasty strategy is to 'win-now', then perhaps projections data will help you find players who fall in your draft due to age, but are still projected to have another strong season or two."
Impact of Depth Charts and Injury Reports on Cheat Sheets
It is incumbent for all fantasy managers, be it in standard or dynasty leagues, to track player movements on NFL depth charts and watch the NFL injury report updates carefully. That latter element can be hard to keep up with, but that's not the case if you subscribe to RotoWire and take full advantage of the industry leading updates provided via our aggregation service.
These depth charts and injury reports are continually refreshed, so you will know how these items are impacting your players right up to the moment your draft starts.
"Players who are injured, or players who are backups, will fall accordingly on a given cheat sheet," Letarski said. "The RotoWire breaking news network is working around the clock to adapt to any injury or free-agency news, and will update these sources accordingly when news items break."
This means you will know how these items are impacting your players right up to the moment your draft starts.
How to Customize Your Cheat Sheet Using Draft Tools
Every league is unique, so smart fantasy managers want customized cheat sheets that are built for their specific situation. This includes creating dynasty-specific tiers if you are in that type of league format or generating a cheat sheet that reflects your draft day priorities for those in standard leagues.
In either league type, you can input customization factors into your RotoWire account. This customization includes things such as how much draft day risk tolerance you have or how much you want to prioritize going after sleepers or high upside players.
