Sometimes like John Winger (Bill Murray) in Stripes, it is better to start late.

“Why did the chicken cross the road, to get from the left to the right. He stepped out of rank, got hit by a tank, he ain’t no chicken no more. NO.” Well, that is what can happen to you if you stick to the SMART System exactly with a later pick this year.  Don’t be too chicken to take Calvin Johnson or even Dez Bryant with a late pick in the first round of your fantasy football draft. I wrestled through my 12th draft last night (below).  I have had draft picks at almost every spot.  I am also a Black Jack player.  There is a simple card that tells you what the “basic” strategy is for each of your starting two cards and then every card after that.  So this morning when I was thinking about what to share with you guys, I thought “isn’t the same true for drafting a fantasy football team.”Now, I know the sample size is small.  I know the number of teams is different in each draft.  I know that the scoring is different in each draft (2 QB leagues need to adjust up to get QBs – learned that the hard way). I know that when there is HUGE value, you have to change the plan, but let’s look at a 12 team PPR league since that is the most popular.  The league starts two (2) RBs, three (3) WRs and a Flex. Let's get to some basic training or some basic strategy if you will... We will break the draft into four distinct sections and I will share my learning about draft pick positions, not the positions of Dewey Oxburger to the left there. Then we can extend this to twitter (@Rickwolf1) for where you disagree...because you will since  this is a bit different from what pundits are spouting.  

You have picks 1-4.  For me, it is All Day with pick 1 and McCoy with picks 2-4.

Most people order the Top 4 like this: All Day, Spiller, Martin, Charles. I have taken McCoy in spots 2-4 since anyone who reads my columns knows what I think about those three guys having minor issues: (1) Charles health is questionable with nagging pre-season injuries; (2) Martin is only in his second year, so not enough track record; (3) Spiller is not durable enough and has a capable back-up to take time away.  Just think that McCoy is sure enough but provides HUGE upside in that Chip Kelly offense.  Won’t hurt you, but provides huge upside.  Have heard a lot of people say this about Jamal Charles with Andy Reid offense, but I will put up donuts on this one. Make sure you get the handcuff for Charles and Spiller if you draft these two.

You have picks 5-8.  Still the same.  It is about the RBs. 

Still don’t think you take Calvin in this block.  There are enough players that are great at RB.  Crazy thing is that I almost ALWAYS still get McCoy.  Most pundits have some combination of Ray Rice, McCoy, Richardson and Arian Foster,  Fair enough.  All great options.  Make sure you get the handcuff for Rice, McCoy and Foster.

You have picks 9-12.  Now this gets interesting. 

And here is what I learned.  You can go away from the SMART System here and take a WR with the first pick.  Many people on the wheel will take one or even two WRs.  It is a growing strategy.  By taking a WR here and then RB in rounds 2, 3 and 4, you still get almost the same value at RB and end up with a better WR by three rounds.  We imployed this in the Host’s League draft on SiriusXM and it turned out to disaster (Ryan Matthews and Rashard Mendenhall in 2nd and 3rd, but I believe that is the anomaly.  I have drafted no fewer than five times from the 10th or 11th spot.  Hated this spot at first until I figured it out.  Obviously you play from the other positions in the SMART System where the first two and most times three picks are RBs. In the words of Winger, "That's the fact, Jack." Let me go through how it played out yesterday in one draft.  Drafted twice from the 11th spot and took almost identical players.  Had the 11th pick in a 12 team PPR:My team drafted in order:
  1. Calvin Johnson (would have taken Dez Bryant here too)
  2. Matt Forte
  3. Frank Gore
  4. Darren McFadden
  5. DeSean Jackson (or Antonio Brown was there)
  6. Vernon Davis
  7. Russell Wilson (Have gotten him or Romo in the 7th in the last 4 drafts)
  8. Miles Austin (falling in every draft – good value at 8th)
  9. Mike Vick – played defense as one team didn’t have a QB and two others took their second so one team has Andy Dalton as his starter)
  10. Seahawks – WAY early, but 49ers just went and liked WRs I know nobody else wanted so could reach up.
  11. Denarius Moore
  12. Shone Greene
  13. Ronnie Hillman
  14. Jacoby Jones
  15. Matt Bryant
  16. Andre Roberts
This team is stacked (like below right).  Almost EVERY team I have changed to this strategy for the 9-12 picks has ended up being better than if I had gone RB/RB with just the one exception of playing with all the Hosts on Sirius.  Gotta know your competition I guess.  We did get Dez.So, remember what Winger says to the boys to get them ready to graduate from boot camp. “We're all very different people. We're not Watusi. We're not Spartans. We're Americans, with a capital 'A', huh? You know what that means? Do ya? That means that our forefathers were kicked out of every decent country in the world. We are the wretched refuse. We're the underdog.”  Well, getting the 11th or 12th pick in your draft can feel like the wretched refuse, but change your strategy a bit and you will be going to Italy and "making it" with the hot MPs (right).

So… Play SMART - ”All (you) have to do is to be the great American fighting sooooolllldier that is inside each and every one of us. Now...do what I do. And say what I say. And make me proud.”

Rick Wolf, Co-Host of Colton & The Wolfman - Sirius XM Fantasy Sports Radio The Fantasy 100Rick Wolf is a leader in the fantasy sports industry. Wolf is a founding Board Member and one of only fifteen FSTA Hall of Famers including Bill James and Matthew Berry. Wolf’s career accomplishments include starting the fantasy sports division at SportsLine USA that became CBS SportsLine, incubating Rotoworld to become the #1 fantasy sports news site, and spearheading the sale of Allstar Stats/Rotoworld to NBC Sports in 2006.  With college friend and fellow Hall of Famer, Glenn Colton, the team has won 7 expert titles in baseball and football.Twitter: RickWolf1