Week 14 Strategy Tips for SKYLLZONE Drafts

by Ethan Haskell (Ethan) Last Updated 2013-12-08 00:03:12

SKYLLZONE has come out with a new daily fantasy game format that pits man against the machine and puts a unique spin on traditional sit and go drafts. This weekend, there’s a $2000 freeroll for all RotoGrinders members who sign up through our links. You can find out everything you need to know in our forum thread that discusses payouts, signing up and more.

The purpose of this article is to take a look at some of the strategy approaches you can take when drafting against the computer, as well as what strategies may prove most successful when trying to beat out fellow players overall scores.

Sign up for SKYLLZONE through the RotoGrinders Links for this Exclusive $2000 Free Event

Here’s the basic gist/background:

• You get two free drafts each week vs. 9 computers. You draft your team just as you would a season long league but it’s only for this weekend’s contests.
• You then compete against the 9 computer teams in a one-week contest based on who you picked.
• If you beat the computers, you get $20. Really.
• The $2000 RG Freeroll pits you against the drafted teams of fellow Grinders who signed up and drafted. You’ll be automatically entered into this and essentially you’ll be playing the computers in the same format as above, but your final score will be put into the overall scores for the RG event and you can win even more prizes through that.

Starting Out: Rosters and Scoring

First thing any smart fantasy football player does is break down the roster and scoring settings to figure out which players will have the most value. Here’s the basic info from SKYLLZONE:

Roster Settings

• Quarterbacks (1)
• Running Backs (2)
• Wide Receivers (2)
• Tight Ends (1)
• FLEX (1)
• Defenses (1)
• Kickers (1)
• Bench (2)

Scoring Settings

• Full Point PPR stands out as the most important note here. Finding possession receivers who are targeted a ton will be critical.
• One quarterback only, so you can likely wait until the later rounds to go after anyone not named Peyton Manning, Drew Brees or Matthew Stafford.
• Turnovers forced by defenses are each worth 2. That adds a ton of value to defenses who are opportunistic but may give up some points. Also, there’s no negative range of points allowed for defenses, so you want to target those opportunistic teams even more.

Strategy Approaches

There were a few things that really stood out to me as I went through the drafts on SKYLLZONE. How you approach drafts like this in general varies from person to person, but with the one-week format these are some of the things that seemed to be universally relevant:

#1 – Injuries Play a Huge Role In the Computers Draft

You might be able to find some extreme steals in the draft if you are willing to take a risk on some questionable players. You also may be able to find value by taking a chance on some players related to questionable players. For example, Josh Gordon fell to the third round in both of the drafts I tested, likely because of the quarterback situation in Cleveland being so unclear. Other notables that went below their skill level included Reggie Bush, Julius Thomas and Le’Veon Bell.

At least of the group of Gordon, Bush and Thomas, you have three players that could all easily be the highest scoring player at their position this week and Bush/Gordon fell to round three while Thomas wasn’t taken in either draft I did until I picked him up in the 11th round. It’s possible he could’ve gone undrafted.

#2 – Injuries Should Play a Huge Role in Your Bench Selections

I mentioned Thomas above as a good example of someone to pick up in late rounds. In his case, he’s questionable to go but if healthy he represents a tremendous value and is a Top-5 tight end. Similarly, look at the case of Reggie Bush. If Bush can’t play, Joique Bell is probably a Top-10 running back this week and I was able to pick him in the 9th round of the first draft I took part in, and he actually went undrafted in the 2nd draft I was in.

Here are some other guys worth taking a chance on your bench along with their draft position from my 2nd take at SKYLLZONE (full draft board shown below):

• Tiquan Underwood – Undrafted – If VJax is OUT
• Rashad Jennings – Drafted #95 – If McFadden is OUT
• Danny Amendola – Drafted #80 – If Thompkins/Dobson OUT

#3 – Manning/Brees or Wait

If you don’t get one of the big three QB names right now, there’s no sense in rushing anything this weekend. There are a lot of middle-tier guys who have good matchups. In the 2nd draft I did (below), Manning was first off the board. Brees then went in the 2nd round at #17, followed by Newton at #30. Then it was a full round later until Stafford and Foles came off the board. Brady, Rivers, McCown, RG3 and Romo were all taken in Rounds 5 and 6.

Just make sure you grab a quarterback by the 5th round. At that point, the computers went through a flurry of QBs in both drafts I partook in.

#4 – Pass Catching Backs are Essential

Obviously in full-point PPR scoring a running back who catches the ball out of the backfield is going to be much more valuable than in a standard scoring format, but in these drafts those backs come off the board quick. In both drafts, Forte/Charles were the first two backs taken off the board, while Marshawn Lynch fell all the way to #37 in one draft. Shane Vereen and Giovani Bernard were both 4th round selections as well.

#5 – Approaching Multiple Drafts

This is mostly my personal opinion, but here’s how I would approach multiple drafts (since you’re allowed to draft two separate teams for the RG Freeroll this weekend). First thing I’ll look to do is have one team that I think could beat the computers. This team is probably a little safer, much like how you’d approach a H2H or cash game lineup in a salary cap league.

The second team will likely be filled with high risk/high reward plays that I reached for in the draft. The computer isn’t going to reach on a guy like C.J. Spiller, because his floor is too low. Similarly, your opponents in the freeroll aren’t likely to reach for Spiller when there are seemingly better options available.

Going along with that thought process, you should probably try and get one or two deep sleepers into your lineups. Guys that the computer would never draft and a small percentage of your opponents in the freeroll would draft as well.

Here are the two teams I drafted for Week 14. The safer lineup is on the left, while the higher risk/reward lineup is on the right:

There are a couple of guys, like Gordon, Cook, Bernard and McCown that have high ceilings on the risk team but could also drop absolute duds. Meanwhile, the safer option has guys with guaranteed touches like Lacy and Romo. Also, I went after a Bills defense on the tournament team because they can pressure a young Mike Glennon and while he might be able to torch them here and there, they have as much upside as any defense (in my opinion) this weekend. On the safer team, I rolled the Cardinals D.

The last risk/reward slot is your flex. On the two teams listed above, I have a receiver in the flex spot. My personal preference is to use receivers in the FLEX anytime there’s a full point per reception awarded. But on the safer team you make, you can easily put a running back there. On the riskier squad, you almost have to start a WR. Of the 18 computer teams I drafted against, only 7 are currently starting a non-WR at the FLEX position.

Sample Draft Board for Week 14

Below is just a sample of the 2nd draft I went through for the Week 14 games. My picks are highlighted in yellow.

Basically, there are a lot of ways to approach it, but if you enjoy sit and draft style play then this is a really impressive offering from SKYLLZONE. You can win $500 just entering the free RotoGrinders league this weekend, so there’s no reason for you to not give it a try.