How many players should be in a tier?
Most managers use three to eight players per tier. The exact size does not matter as much as making sure everyone in a tier is someone you would be happy to draft.
Tier-Based Drafting
Tier-based drafting is a fantasy football strategy where you group players of similar value into tiers and draft the best available player from your thinnest tier.
Tier-based drafting means sorting players at each position into groups, or tiers, based on how good you expect them to be. Instead of stressing over whether one running back is ranked 14th and another 16th, you accept that they are roughly equal and put them in the same tier. This makes draft day decisions easier because you are comparing small groups instead of a long list of names.
The real power of tiers shows up when you track how many players are left in each one. If your quarterback tier still has five names but your running back tier is down to one or two, you grab the running back. You can always wait on a deep position, but you cannot wait on a thin one. Tiers help you decide when to pounce and when to be patient.
To use this strategy, build tiers for every position before your draft. Cross names off as they get picked, and watch which tiers are running low. When you are on the clock, take the best player left from whichever tier is closest to empty, factoring in what your roster still needs.
Common questions
Is tier-based drafting better than just following rankings?
Tiers add context that a straight ranked list does not. They show you where the value drops off at each position, which helps you decide when to draft a position and when to wait.
Do tiers change during the draft?
Yes. As players get drafted, tiers shrink or disappear. Cross off picked players in real time so you always know which positions are running low.
Related terms
Fanademy ranks every player by value over replacement under your league's scoring. The free top five at each position is public; the full board is $5 a month or $40 a year.
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