Alright, so I wanted to get a better handle on my fantasy football draft this year. I’ve been burned in the past by just going with my gut, so I figured I’d try to be a little more… informed. That’s when I stumbled onto this whole “ECR” thing – Expert Consensus Rankings. Basically, it’s like an average of a bunch of different fantasy football experts’ rankings.
First, I had to find a decent source. I’ve seen some sketchy rankings out there, so wanted to find reliable websites offering it.
I spent a good chunk of time just comparing the ECR from a few different sources. I figured that would give me a broader sense of where players were generally valued.
Then came the fun part – digging into the actual rankings. I started looking at the top-ranked players, obviously. But the real key, I think, is looking deeper. You know, finding those mid-round guys who are ranked higher than you’d expect. Those are the potential steals.
- Started at the top, seeing who the consensus “must-have” players were.
- Scrolled down, paying close attention to the RBs and WRs, since those positions always seem to be the trickiest.
- Noted any big differences between individual expert rankings and the ECR. That usually means there’s some debate around a player, which could be an opportunity… or a risk!
I spent a bunch of time highlighting players I liked – guys who seemed undervalued based on the ECR, or guys who I just had a good feeling about. I also made sure to note players who were ranked higher than I personally felt comfortable with. You know, avoiding those potential busts.
I repeated this process for all of the players that i was interested in.
Putting It All Together
After all that digging, I felt like I had a pretty solid draft strategy. My cheat sheet was full of highlighted names, circled players, and notes about potential sleepers. I even had a list of guys to avoid, which is just as important, I think.
Now, obviously, ECR isn’t a crystal ball. Injuries happen, unexpected breakouts occur, and sometimes the “experts” are just plain wrong. But using the ECR as a guide definitely made me feel way more prepared than just winging it. We’ll see how it all plays out when the season starts, but at least I feel like I did my homework this time!