A fantasy football draft is quite different than the official NFL Draft. In fantasy football, there are different skills to pay attention to, different ups and downs to consider. The NFL is all about wins and losses, with stats taking a back seat. Fantasy football is ALL about stats.
The NFL is a constantly changing league. Right now, the game has evolved to be very quarterback friendly, and quite touchy when it comes to personal fouls and concussions. These changes in the game have led to huge numbers put up in recent years by quarterbacks. In fantasy football, running backs have reigned supreme with the top picks in the first round of the draft. Times have changed, and it might be a safe bet to use that first overall pick on a sure-handed quarterback instead.
Many teams in the NFL have switched to two (or three) running back tandems. Considering the short shelf-life for most running backs, less and less do we see the classic workhorse back taking thirty carries a game. In today’s NFL, pushing a back to the limit in such a fashion will run the tread off of his tires in the matter of a few seasons. As it stands right now, one of the best backs in the league, Adrian Peterson, is also one of the biggest injury concerns. Peterson is one of the only big-number players in a single-back system, and by doing that, opened himself up to a career-threatening injury late last season. The running back position simply isn’t what it used to be, and considering the injury factor and the splitting of carries, many backs on many NFL teams will end up being coin flips as to whether or not they will blow up or bust out.
So, if you end up with the first few picks in your fantasy draft, it might be the safer bet to go with one of the top-notch quarterbacks in the league, rather than taking the risk of ruling your team with a running back risk. The NFL is a quarterback’s league right now, and fantasy numbers are showing the signs of change as well.
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