Fantasy football managers have a huge selection to choose from when it comes to fantasy football rankings, but in general their decision will come down whether to use default fantasy football rankings or utilize custom fantasy football rankings.
There are pros to each system, but in general this decision will typically be made based on the league settings and fantasy football draft strategy each manager wants to use. The more detailed the league setting or strategy, the more likely it is that a fantasy manager will want to use custom rankings rather than default rankings.
That's not all that will go into the decision, so we've put together a primer to help you decide which is the best fit for your situation. We'll cover when default fantasy football rankings are most useful and when custom rankings give you a competitive edge. We'll detail how league formats impact your decision, walk you through how to use fantasy football ADP and projections to bridge the gap and close by giving you some pointers on blending both approaches for draft day success.
When Default Fantasy Football Rankings Are Most Useful
Default rankings like the ones found in the RotoWire fantasy football draft kit are a strong starting point for early research. They are well-researched and designed to be useful in a wide array of situations. That makes them the perfect draft day resource for casual leagues or managers who want to use a consensus-based approach.
The key to this wide appeal is that these player values are based on a combination of RotoWire fantasy football projections, ADP reviews and the detailed analysis provided by our RotoWire fantasy football experts. That works well with any drafting mindset.
When Custom Rankings Give You a Competitive Edge
Custom rankings such as the ones you get with a subscription to RotoWire become more valuable in competitive leagues. The value of every point is increased in those environments, so small edges can have a big impact here.
Exploiting inefficiencies matters a lot more when you are in this type of league. The highest percentage way to achieve this goal is through a fantasy football cheat sheet that is perfectly tailored to your league's roster settings.
The impact of draft strategy is also amplified in competitive leagues, so you will also want to assure that every draft day instrument, such as the RotoWire fantasy football draft assistant, is in sync with your draft strategies. Do this well and it will give you a big edge over default-list users.
"Custom rankings are crucial because each platform will have a default ADP and ranking list that players draft off of," said RotoWire fantasy football expert John McKechnie. "Your competition is likely to be drafting off of those lists, and while they have value, they aren't infallible. Having custom rankings helps give you a leg up because you aren't beholden to one site's set of rankings."
How Your League Format Impacts Your Decision
Standard rankings are a solid way to go when you are in a basic re-draft league, but custom rankings are essential for varied scoring formats like PPR, half-PPR or leagues that incorporate a bonus scoring system, such as extra points for throwing for 300 or more yards, or rushing for 100 or more yards.
Custom rankings are also essential if you are playing in a Superflex, 2QB, dynasty, Best Ball or IDP format (or a combination of these). These leagues often dive deeper into NFL depth charts than default rankings are designed to cover, so you need a custom approach to account for the positional value shifts.
"Since the popularity of non-standard leagues is growing, having an idea for how to approach each of those variations is essential," said McKechnie. "You should use RotoWire's My Leagues feature that allows you to import your league from any fantasy football platform, along with the unique league settings to tailor your rankings and set you up for success."
Using ADP and Projections to Bridge the Gap
Many fantasy managers combine default rankings with fantasy football ADP and projections to create a hybrid approach. This method works well because it helps balance market trends with personal evaluation without fully committing to one method.
If you decide to go this route, it is a very good idea to practice this approach via the RotoWire fantasy football mock draft simulator. This can often illustrate the strengths and weaknesses of your personal evaluation and can lead to a uniquely tailored system that works for your particular situation.
"Savvy drafters can battle-test their rankings against the ADP and spot the key differences," McKechnie said. "This provides leverage because a drafter could have a player ranked well ahead of ADP and take that opportunity to draft them later than they normally would without that data."
Blending Both Approaches for Draft-Day Success
The ADP and projections combination is one of many potential hybrid strategies that use default rankings as a baseline and layer in custom adjustments. For example, some fantasy managers have systems that combine various projections to generate their own cheat sheets.
These approaches ensure structure while allowing for flexibility to adapt to draft room dynamics. You will want to combine these with the latest NFL injury report news, since this is a factor that some default rankings are behind on.
"A successful drafter will utilize rankings, ADP and injury reports to build their optimal draft plan," said McKechnie. "It's also key for players to know the exact ins and outs of their league's scoring settings to ensure that the rankings are best fit to optimize their roster."
