Drew Loftis
A bit ago we discussed why auction drafts are so much better than snake drafts. We also acknowledged the primary drawback: time.
It takes so much more time to perform an auction draft, we find ourselves reluctantly stuck tending to snakes, simply out of convenience — because the Madman does so many drafts.
Similarly, it takes a lot more time to research individual defensive players and form a draft strategy to obtain them, or find an IDP league that has a compelling scoring format that scores those defensive players properly.
Chasing such an enormous expansion of knowledge is so daunting, we eagerly check down to a format that utilizes just a basic defense/special teams roster position.
The Browns are all in in 2024. Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK
We respect the IDPers, even envy them to a degree, but we have no desire to join. We’ll stick to our simpler drafts.
In doing so, that means we practically ignore the DST position. Yeah, that isn’t ideal. Like we said, IDP truthers aren’t wrong, because theirs is a fantasy format closer to real football. But everyone has to make sacrifices somewhere. And we’ve come to terms with sacrificing two-thirds of the real game in order to play our favorite fantasy one.
So, where were we? Ah yes, ignoring defense/special teams. Right. We’re going to do that for a long while. Practically to the end of drafts. Oftentimes, we wait until the penultimate pick of our draft, taking a DST only before we take a kicker. We can do this for several reasons:
Micah Parsons is a joy ot have on your teams defense. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con
1. DSTs in general are not reliably predictable from season to season. Sure, there are always some teams — like the Browns, Ravens, Cowboys, etc. this season — who we are pretty sure will have a strong defense. But that doesn’t mean they will score a lot in fantasy. You need turnovers, and defense or special teams touchdowns to pump up your scoring, and those are not consistent or predictable variables.
2. The ones we would actually target are normally taken long before we would target them. Sure, I would love to have the Ravens DST. But not if we have to take them in the 12th round. There is always a more valuable depth piece at running back, wide receiver, tight end or quarterback at that point in the draft. If the Ravens last to, say, Round 14? Then, sure, maybe. But that doesn’t happen frequently.
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3. We are perfectly comfortable streaming DSTs throughout the season. We’ll draft one that has an easy Week 1 matchup, then potentially replace that unit if there is a better Week 2 option, then do that again in Week 3, and so on. Thus, why waste a draft pick for a pick that will be discarded early in the seasons?
To that end, we have found ourselves targeting the Saints, Bengals, Vikings, Seahawks and sometimes even the Buccaneers — because those teams are facing shaky or young QBs on opening week.
4. The difference between the best DST and what you can find on the waiver wire during the season is normally smaller, sometimes much smaller, than the difference at other positions. (This also applies to kickers). So it’s not like, by waiting, that you’re downgrading from a Lambo to a Nissan, since there are no exotic cars on the DST car lot.
Fantasy Football DVQ Explainer
Hop out of the pool, unpack your vacation suitcase, boot up your laptop and get ready, because fantasy football season is back.
The Fantasy Madman has returned with the latest iteration of his DVQ.
The Draft Value Quotient is a player rating system that assigns one universal number for every player. This value projects the point in the draft at which a player’s projected production will match the estimated draft pick value.
Since there is a wider separation among production at the top, so too is there a wider gap between DVQ values at the top of the rankings.
The player projections takes into account playing time, expected use/touches, coaching tendencies, part performance and injury history. The DVQ measures these projections against a player’s schedule and factors in positional depth and value above replacement.
These ratings are updated regularly.
We will add one qualifier: There are rare scenarios specific to auction drafts that could open up possibilities to reach a bit further for a DST.
Say, you landed a number of bargains early, and your roster is incredibly strong, you have a lot of salary left to spend. You meet the aforementioned criteria, then someone nominates a top-tier defense … it is OK to bid above market value — like $5 instead of $1 or $2 — only because you aren’t worried about depth elsewhere, and you still have excess funds to complete your roster.
If you stumble upon this jackpot scenario, then you have our blessing to reach for a DST. Otherwise, wait until late or face the wrath of a Madman.
