Need a Discount Option for Your Favorite Prospect? How to Maneuver Tiers in Rookie Drafts

Shawn Siegele
May 4, 2023

Want upside but don’t have early-pick firepower? Shawn Siegele explores the best options for maneuvering within 2023 rookie drafts.

Rookie drafts in the RotoViz TriFlex format start Saturday morning at the FFPC. With Superflex, TE Premium, and deep starting lineups, the format reflects most new leagues across the dynasty landscape. Tactics that work in the TriFlex are widely generalizable to your league, so let’s dive in.

In this exercise, I’m placing rookies into tiers based on a combination of my rankings and perceived trade values. I’ll break down the top-36 picks and look at options for moving down a tier and picking up meaningful value in trade.

Moving about in your rookie draft is a superpower that helps you perpetually reload. My co-managers and I follow that attack in our TriFlex leagues. In my six leagues, we have 42 combined picks in the first three rounds. We’ll be on the clock a lot, and it’s imperative to make the most out of those opportunities.

Today I’ll be referencing research from our pre-draft rookie content and our NFL draft reaction series. (The latter can be found here above the paywall, the former at the end of the article.) If you’re looking for more detail on our outlook for specific players, make sure to dive into the tools and research.

Day 1 Instant Fantasy Reactions: Where the Stars Belong Now
Superflex Rookie Draft Projections Following Round 1
Day 2 Instant Reactions: Rising Studs and Super Sleepers on a Weird, Wild Day 2
Day 3 Recap: A Trio of Late RB Sleepers and More

Always Reload, Never Rebuild

Want to know where the rookies fit with the entire player pool? Curtis Patrick fills you in on rookie values for startups.

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Shawn Siegele

Author of the original Zero RB article and 2013 NFFC Primetime Grand Champion. 11-time main event league winner. 2015, 2017, 2018 titles in MFL10 of Death.

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