Redraft Strategy, Superflex Leagues

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The Re-Draft Roundtables Series

The Footballguys staff looks at various strategies to help you in redraft leagues.

Participating in a redraft league is a process that starts with the draft and hopefully ends with a championship. The Footballguys staff has answered several questions about various strategies to help you achieve your championship dreams. From the beginning to the end and everything in between, we've got you covered to give you the tools and knowledge needed to dominate your redraft league.

For Superflex leagues, what is your approach to constructing the best team possible and navigating the quarterback selection process without sacrificing other position groups?

Jason Wood

As Superflex leagues proliferate, nuances are growing. A few years back, it seemed that any time a league had Superflex settings, you could count on everyone drafting at least two quarterbacks in the first three rounds without any thought of overall value. While that's still a justifiable strategy, a few years of playing out these leagues has tempered some of the unbridled quarterback mania.

One of the important parts of any league, including Superflex, is the size of a starting lineup. If your league has 11 or 12 starting spots, the Superflex spot is less important than if you have 8 or 9 starting spots. It also gives you more flexibility to strongly consider playing running backs or wide receivers in that spot.

Sam Wagman

Superflex is a relatively new concept, as I only played in my first such league last year. I have learned, though, to attack value where it falls, and in these leagues, you see skill-position players predictably tumble due to drafting quarterbacks high. I typically like to leave the first two rounds with a quarterback that will give me both upside and stability and an RB/WR/TE that has fallen past ADP and can make up for my passing on a second quarterback. I’m okay waiting for several rounds to select my second quarterback, as a few always fall.

Ben Cummins

Quarterbacks receive a massive boost in Superflex leagues. That does not mean you have to force quarterback/quarterback with your top two picks, but you will need to draft multiple quarterbacks way earlier than in a standard league to be competitive. This is a fine line that must be walked within each specific draft. Ideally, I like to have my top two quarterbacks no later than the fourth round. Despite the urge to draft other positions in what appear to be extreme values, it’s important to understand the heavy early quarterback runs will push all other positions down the board.

Craig Lakins

Superflex leagues offer a new way to zig while your league-mates zag, but make sure you do so responsibly. If I can pick up a top-flight quarterback early on, it's an easy decision. If those are gone when you're on the clock, the typical RB/WR studs have likely been pushed down the board and into your lap. Don't feel pressure to force a quarterback too early due to diminishing supply. If your league-mates are going QB in the first two rounds, you'll be feasting on top talent at the skill positions and can wait to start taking your quarterbacks.

It doesn't feel great heading into Round 4 with no quarterback on your roster, but you can also feel safe that your league-mates won't be touching the quarterbacks left on the board if they stocked up early. This provides another chance to veer away from the norm and continue stocking up on the rest of your lineup. Later, you can take as many shots at quarterbacks with upside as possible.

Andy Hicks

Superflex leagues are incredibly difficult primarily due to the uncertainty of when the quarterback runs occur. For these drafts, it can be a curse to be at the start or end of a draft. If you grab Jonathan Taylor at No. 1, you do not know if three, seven, or 18 quarterbacks will be gone by the time it gets back to you. Do you, therefore, take Josh Allen at one overall? What if only three are gone by the time it gets back? If you are at 12 and only Allen is gone, what then? It is going to be a long time between picks 13 and 36. You will lose if you are strong everywhere but at the quarterback position. Trotting out Baker Mayfield and Marcus Mariota and hoping for the best is asking for trouble.

Dan Hindery

For the most part, my approach is just to rank guys in order and take the best player available, the same as I would in a one-quarterback league. However, there does come a point where if I feel like I have to reach a little bit for a quarterback because they are going faster than expected, I go ahead and reach. You don’t want to put yourself in a spot where you are awful at the position, even if you feel like you have added a lot of value elsewhere. With that in mind, ideally, I have my top quarterback within the first few rounds. I am comfortable trying to scrounge for a second quarterback in the mid-to-late rounds if I get caught on the wrong side of a run but am not comfortable going with a late-round quarterback for both spots.

Gary Davenport

In most Superflex drafts, quarterbacks will fly off the board early—especially if the scoring favors the position. This isn't to say that you have to take a quarterback in Round 1. Or that two of your first three (or four) picks need to be signal-callers. You can use the zeal of other managers to grab quarterbacks early against them and get value at other positions if you can figure out how long you can wait before grabbing the last quarterback in a given tier. Having Kyler Murray and Kirk Cousins is well and good, but having Matthew Stafford and Matt Ryan can be even better if it means being stronger at running back or wide receiver.