This article is part of our Fantasy Football Draft Strategy series.
I drafted in the NFFC's Prime Time Contest live from Las Vegas on Saturday, at Park MGM. This is the quieter of the two live draft weekends in Vegas - a majority of live drafts take place over the second weekend, so that those drafting can watch their players the next day at the sportsbooks. I've always gone over this weekend, however - in part because I like the earlier date, and because in the past I had soccer coaching duties over the second weekend. Now that I'm done coaching (sadly!), I'll have more flexibility in the future.
A few notes about this contest:
- The NFFC features third-round reversal (3RR), which heavily influences where I prefer to draft. It's a normal snake draft the first two rounds, after which we start from the back (12-1) again in the third round. In previous years there's been a significant advantage for those holding the top 2-3 picks, and this rule strips the luck of the draw away a little bit.
- Passing touchdowns are worth six points apiece, instead of three or four.
- There are 20 rounds in the draft, and we start 10 players, including three receivers and a flex spot.
- The entry fee for the league $1,750. The top three places in each league pay out, but a good portion of that entry fee also goes to the overall prizes - including $250,000 to the overall winner.
I selected from the 10th spot, which was my first choice when setting my draft preferences. I earlier did an NFFC RotoWire Online Championship draft, where I selected from the first spot. I didn't like waiting until 24-36-37 to get my next three picks, and I've liked the structure of my teams better when drafting from the back in other drafts.
Here's the draft board, followed by commentary on my picks:
1.10 - CeeDee Lamb: When locking in the 10th spot, I wanted to get either A.J. Brown or Lamb, thinking I might actually have a chance at both, and failing that, I'd go with Amon-Ra St. Brown. The Cooper Kupp setback with his hamstring injury hurt me a little bit, as I had him ranked 13th and wasn't considering him for the spot. The thought on A.J. Brown was that if I got him, I'd pair him with Jalen Hurts and go with a mini-Eagles stack. Obviously, that dream went by the boards at pick 7, and might not have ever had a chance. Lamb is more than a consolation prize, he's a target, especially now that Dalton Schultz is stealing red zone targets in Houston now.
2.3 (15) - Nick Chubb: Wide receivers tend to get pushed up in the NFFC, which is why I went with Lamb over Chubb in the first round, even though I have Chubb, Saquon Barkley and Bijan Robinson ranked ahead of Lamb in my latest top-150 ranks. I knew I had a better chance of getting the back in the second round that I did getting Lamb.
3.3 (27) - DK Metcalf: As alluded earlier, yellow stickers were flying off the board, with Chris Olave, Tee Higgins, Devonta Smith and Calvin Ridley already gone. That didn't really surprise me, as that fits in with the Prime Time ADP. Metcalf is the end of the tier for me - I have a gap between Metcalf and the next group of the receivers. He was an easy selection for me, knowing that I'd have to wait 21 more picks before getting another crack at a wide receiver.
4.10 (46) - Chris Godwin: The Prime Time league skews older than many of my other leagues, so my "Godwin's Law" joke about the draft being over fell flat. I'm sure it's the demographic, and not my delivery.
5.3 (51) - Trevor Lawrence: It was now-or-never in terms of getting a top-8 QB, with only Lawrence and Justin Fields remaining. I decided it was "now," and took the better passer of the two, especially with Lawrence having Calvin Ridley available to throw to him. It comes at an opportunity cost - most notably not taking Aaron Jones at a deep discount.
6.10 (70) - D'Andre Swift: And here you can see the ramifications of my "opportunity cost" pick. Starting with Aaron Jones, 11 running backs went before my selection here. I would have preferred Kenneth Walker, who slipped nearly a round to former NFFC Classic overall champion Roger Gonzalez, one pick before me. I debated James Conner and Isiah Pacheco also in this spot.
7.3 (75) - Michael Pittman: I have a decent amount of Michael Pittman this year and it always feels like a consolation prize. That's not exactly a ringing endorsement of this decision. I think I should have gone with Pacheco or Jordan Addison here.
8.10 (94) - Khalil Herbert: Herbert will at least begin the year as the Bears' starting running back. He hasn't caught many passes in his career, pro or collegiate, but he's a great runner. I don't think there will be a lot of throws to the backs in Chicago, anyways.
9.3 (99) - Kyle Pitts: I didn't come to Vegas to be in the Kyle Pitts business, sometimes you have to take what the draft is giving you. At least, that's the narrative i sold to myself. Pitts' ADP in the Prime Time is 70, for what it's worth.
10.10 (118) - Raheem Mostert: Shockingly, the Dolphins haven't improved their backfield yet, having failed to sign Dalvin Cook or trade for Jonathan Taylor. Jeff Wilson is on the IR, and De'Von Achane has been nursing a shoulder injury. That should clear the runway for Mostert to start for the Dolphins - but will I be bold enough to start him over Swift or Herbert?
11.3 (123) - Tyler Boyd: Boyd is a pretty boring pick, but boring is fine when you're looking at WR5 on your team and your WR4 (Pittman) is a little shaky.
12.10 (142) - Tyjae Spears: Trolling for upside here, in the event that Derrick Henry gets hurt.
13.3 (147) - Jerome Ford: Just protecting my investment in Nick Chubb. I might have been better off gambling on Anthony Richardson's upside instead of getting both Spears and Ford.
14.10 (166) - Deon Jackson: I like Jackson a little bit better than Zack Moss, both from a pass-catching perspective and health, as Moss works his way back from a broken forearm.
15.3 (171) - Jordan Love: In a 20-round draft, I'm way more likely to draft a backup QB even if I get a top-8 guy as my starter. I went with Love over Brock Purdy only because Purdy has the same bye week as Trevor Lawrence.
16.10 (190) - Evan McPherson: It's technically the Bengals' Team Kicker, a modification the NFFC made a few years back after some kickers were sidelined due to COVID right before kickoff.
17.3 (195) - WAS Commanders D/ST: The Commanders host the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1.
18.10 (214) - Chase Brown: I'm not 100 percent certain it will play out like this, but I think that Brown is Joe Mixon's top backup.
19.3 (219) - Michael Mayer: Mayer was the last of the top rookie tight ends to get drafted in this draft.
20.10 (238) - CIN Bengals D/ST: It was a coin flip between the Bengals and Dolphins for their D/ST, so I went with the homer pick.
My roster by position:
QB: Lawrence/Love
RB: Chubb/Swift/Herbert/Mostert/Spears/Ford/Jackson/Brown
WR: Lamb/Metcalf/Godwin/PIttman/Boyd
TE: Pitts/Mayer
K: CIN
D/ST: WAS/CIN
I don't have a stack with my QB, which is a little disappointing, but I knew that going in I was unlikely to get a top stack once Ridley went. The major early stacks (PHI/BUF/KC) were all blocked from me before I had a chance to take one of them in the first round. I also probably should have drafted one more wide receiver instead of all three from Spears/Ford/Jackson. But these are all minor regrets. I'm sure I'll find a major regret later!
