How to play Yahoo Fantasy Football: Drafting a team

Last time we showed you how to join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league. Now that you’re in, and if you haven’t signed up now is the time, the next big event will be your draft. The draft is crucial to your team’s success, so knowing when your draft is and being able to choose your preferred players is key. Even if you have a conflict and can’t make your draft, you can still come out with a team that fits your strategy (with some tips from our experts).

[Now’s the time to sign up for Fantasy Football! Join for free]

First step, enter your draft, which you can do either on a computer or on iOS or Android. Then from there, you’ll get a screen like this, if you’re on your computer:

This shows what pick you have, what positions you must fill depending on your league settings and anything else you could possibly need. You can click on any player you want to see stats, analysis and more. When it’s your turn to draft, simply click on the available player you want and click the draft button, which will appear during once you’re on the clock. The players who are projected to be the best are listed at the top, and they go on from there.

If you want to stay organized, use the queue feature (see top right of the picture above and below). It’s an easy tool you can apply to players you want by simply clicking the star next to the player’s name. This will give a chance to limit how many players you are targeting when you’re on the clock.

You can also do this on the app:

When a player is queued, that means he is your default pick if you run out of time on the clock (or if, say, you ran out to get food midway through the draft or had any other distraction). Watch below, as Isaiah Crowell goes from my queue to my roster when time runs out:

Eventually your team will fill out. In standard Yahoo leagues, you need a quarterback, three wide receivers, two running backs, a tight end, a defense/special teams and a kicker. You’ll also want to fill your bench — six players in standard leagues — with backups for bye weeks or injuries.

Let’s say you can’t make your draft, though, but you still want to put together a solid team. This is where Pre-Draft Rankings come into play. Here’s how you edit those:

This is the best way to ensure you get the players you want and don’t get any of the players you don’t. If you’re stuck with an unavoidable conflict, this is the way to go.

Of course, you never want to be the person on auto-draft. But now, if you have to be that person, you can still draft respectably.

Once your draft is done, keep an eye out because you will receive a grade. And with that, you’re one step closer to the start of the season!