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Don’t have time to do research and your draft is NOW? Don’t panic, we have a simple color-coded cheat sheet to help you in your draft.

Your plan is simple, stick to players in higher tiers to create the best overall roster and give yourself trade bait for later. Focus less on trying to fill out specific positions for your team and instead draft to acquire the most tier 1 players as possible. Using any extra depth that you gain to trade and fill out your team.

QUARTERBACK

Tier 1:

Andrew Luck

Aaron Rodgers

Tier 2:

Russell Wilson

Peyton Manning

Drew Brees

Ben Roethlisberger

Tier 3:

Matt Ryan

Tony Romo

Tier 4:

Ryan Tannehill

Cam Newton

Eli Manning

Matthew Stafford

Philip Rivers

Tier 5:

Tom Brady

Sam Bradford

Colin Kaepernick

Teddy Bridgewater

Tier 6:

Carson Palmer

Joe Flacco

Jay Cutler

Tier 7:

Andy Dalton

Alex Smith

Tier 8:

Jameis Winston

Marcus Mariota

Kirk Cousins

Derek Carr

RUNNINGBACK

Tier 1:

Adrian Peterson

Le’Veon Bell

Jamaal Charles

Eddie Lacy

Marshawn Lynch

Tier 2:

C.J. Anderson

Jeremy Hill

Matt Forte

DeMarco Murray

LeSean McCoy

Tier 3:

Justin Forsett

Lamar Miller

Frank Gore

Mark Ingram

Alfred Morris

Tier 4:

Melvin Gordon

Latavius Murray

Jonathan Stewart

Carlos Hyde

Tier 5:

Andre Ellington

T.J. Yeldon

Joseph Randle

Tier 6:

Ameer Abdullah

LeGarrette Blount

Todd Gurley

Christopher Ivory

Doug Martin

C.J. Spiller

Tier 7:

Giovani Bernard

Rashad Jennings

Joique Bell

Tevin Coleman

Arian Foster

Isaiah Crowell

Tier 8:

Shane Vereen

Devonta Freeman

Tier 9:

Ryan Mathews

Bishop Sankey

Duke Johnson

Tre Mason

WIDERECEIVER

Tier 1:

Antonio Brown

Dez Bryant

Julio Jones

Demaryius Thomas

Odell Beckham

Calvin Johnson

Tier 2:

A.J. Green

Randall Cobb

Alshon Jeffery

Mike Evans

Tier 3:

T.Y. Hilton

DeAndre Hopkins

Brandin Cooks

Jordan Matthews

Emmanuel Sanders

Tier 4:

Andre Johnson

Keenan Allen

Amari Cooper

Brandon Marshall

Tier 5:

Julian Edelman

Golden Tate

DeSean Jackson

Sammy Watkins

Davante Adams

Jeremy Maclin

Allen Robinson

Tier 6:

Jarvis Landry

Vincent Jackson

Larry Fitzgerald

Nelson Agholor

Roddy White

Steve Smith

Mike Wallace

Eric Decker

Charles Johnson

Anquan Boldin

John Brown

Martavis Bryant

Tier 7:

Torrey Smith

Marques Colston

Tier 8:

Brandon LaFell

Michael Floyd

Devin Funchess

Pierre Garcon

Kendall Wright

Tier 9:

Kendall Wright

Victor Cruz

Brian Quick

Breshad Perriman

Eddie Royal

Terrance Williams

Steve Johnson

Tier 10:

Markus Wheaton

Kenny Stills

Devante Parker

Rueben Randle

Marvin Jones

Michael Crabtree

Tier 11:

Doug Baldwin

Percy Harvin

Dwayne Bowe

TIGHTEND

Tier 1:

Rob Gronkowski

Jimmy Graham

Greg Olsen

Travis Kelce

Tier 2:

Martellus Bennett

Tier 3:

Jordan Cameron

Jason Witten

Delanie Walker

Julius Thomas

Zach Ertz

Tier 4:

Tyler Eifert

Kyle Rudolph

Dwayne Allen

Owen Daniels

Tier 5:

Antonio Gates

Austin Seferian-Jenkins

Larry Donnell

Heath Miller

Tier 6:

Josh Hill

Vernon Davis

Jordan Reed

Coby Fleener

Tier 7:

Ladarius Green

Charles Clay

Jarvis Landry returned this year as the number one wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins. After a solid rookie year he’s prime to come back to be a great PPR pick. Landry ended last season with 84 receptions for 758 yards. No longer behind Mike Wallace he has already shown promise during the preseason. He caught five of his targets for 84 yards during the Dolphins third preseason game. The Dolphin’s quarterback Ryan Tannehill has been making big steps in game, completing 15 of 19 passes for 149 yards and a touchdown during the third preseason game. With the two syncing up, Landry’s floor looks to be 5 receptions for 50 yards each week making a more consistent pick from the WR2 pool.

His hidden value doesn’t stop in PPR, though Landry does both punt and kickoff returns for the Dolphins if your league has points for return yards he is a must draft. Landry had over 1000 return yards depending on your teams scoring system this could be a MASSIVE bump. Last year in 1 point for 10 return yard leagues, he went from finishing 30th to finishing in the top 10 receivers. At his 5th round ADP you can look for Landry to be a steal as a solid wide receiver 2 to with possible wide receiver 1 upside.

Year			Receiving						Rushing						Fumb.	KO Ret		Punt Ret
Year	Team	G	Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	100+	TD	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	100+	TD	Lost	Yds	TD	Yds	TD
2014	MIA	16	84	758	47.4	9.0	0	5	2	-4	-.3	-2.0	0	0	4	954	0	204	0

Not everyone has time to watch every game and put in the research, so The Fantasy Gridiron has done it for you. Here are 3 quick picks for the late rounds that could make the difference in winning your league.

Sam Bradford

His stock is rising with his preseason performance. Tonight he went 10 for 10 with 3 TDs.

 

 

 

Last year Randall Cobb had his career best season. He went 91-1287-12 and ended the year as the 6th best receiver in the league. Although touchdown heavy, a great performance. From season to season, touchdowns are one of those stats that can be hard to predict and the question is will those touchdowns keep coming in 2015?

Back in July Cobb admitted “It’s going to be hard to top what I did last year,” and that likely would have been the truth if it were not for the travesty that happened this last weekend. The other half of the Packer’s dynamic duo, Jordy Nelson tore his ACL against the Steelers and will be out for the season.

In Jordys absence his 151 targets will be spread across the rest of the Packers. Both Cobb and Devante Adams will become the beneficiarys of those targets. In 2014 both Jordy and Cobb finished in the top 10 wide receivers and this year Cobb is expected to be a top 10 once again. Cobb has dedicated his 2015 season to his fallen teammate and I for one hope that Jordy gets the 21-touchdown salute that he deserves.

Rookie running back for the Detroit Lions, Ameer Abdullah made a splash in Detroit’s preseason 23-3 win over the New York Jets and has many fantasy owners excited.

It was not known exactly what Abdullah’s use in the Lion’s backfield was going to be a few weeks ago, but many had him in their sights as a late round flier. After his performance against the Jets that might not be possible. His ADP is rising quickly and with Joique Bell’s injury he will likely become a Lion’s starter sooner than later.

Abdullah’s running style differs from the Lions usual ‘ground and pound,’ but they are sure to adjust to him. The Lion’s defensive coordinator Teryl Austin admitted recently that Abdullah has been practically untouchable throughout training camp and he showed it during the game. With a quick cut through a tight gap he was able to accelerate down field for a big 45 yard play. Click here to watch the video.

Abdullah is the better pass-catcher of the two running backs and all signs point to him claiming the starting job. He has shown he has great potential for the 2015 season, but keep in mind two weeks ago Abdullah was going in the 8+round and now his ADP is at 46. Talk of him being a top 20 running back this season seems possible from all the known circumstances, but like all rookies be careful of putting your season on him. His price is no longer a late flyer but an early pick as one of your season’s starters.

When should you draft a kicker?

In the last round or at least that is for any kicker not named Stephen Gostkowski.

He has averaged over 150 fantasy points in the last three seasons truly claiming the title as #1 Fantasy kicker and he is worth the reach during your 2015 draft. While your league mates might wait until the 15th you will be snagging an every week advantage along with some peace of mind. Peace of mind that for two of the last three seasons has scored more fantasy points than every tight end but one. In that one year he scored more fantasy points than all of them.

2014			Passing						Rushing				Receiving				Fumbles
Player	Bye	Pts*	Att	Cmp	Yds	TD	Int	2Pt	Att	Yds	TD	2Pt	Rec	Yds	TD	2Pt	FL	TD
Rob Gronkowski, NE	10	178	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	82	1,124	12	0	0	0
Antonio Gates, SD	10	148	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	69	821	12	0	0	0
Jimmy Graham, NO	6	139	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	85	889	10	0	2	0

Stephen Gostkowski, NE

158

 

2013			Passing						Rushing				Receiving				Fumbles
Player	Bye	Pts*	Att	Cmp	Yds	TD	Int	2Pt	Att	Yds	TD	2Pt	Rec	Yds	TD	2Pt	FL	TD
Jimmy Graham, NO	7	211	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	86	1,215	16	0	0	0
Vernon Davis, SF	9	157	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	52	850	13	0	1	0
Julius Thomas, Den	9	144	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	65	788	12	0	0	0

Stephen Gostkowski, NE

10

168

 

2012			Passing						Rushing				Receiving				Fumbles
Player	Bye	Pts*	Att	Cmp	Yds	TD	Int	2Pt	Att	Yds	TD	2Pt	Rec	Yds	TD	2Pt	FL	TD
Jimmy Graham, NO	6	144	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	85	982	9	0	0	0
Rob Gronkowski, NE	9	140	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	55	790	11	0	1	0
Tony Gonzalez, Atl	7	135	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	93	930	8	0	0	0

Stephen Gostkowski, NE

157

 

Finishing as a top 2 kicker for the past three years running, his every week point advantage is hard to overstate. This year Rob Gronkowski is going in the first round for his week-to-week advantage. Now, while Stephen isn’t going to win you each week on his own his thrift store price is well worth his weight in gold.

Rank	Player Name	Position	Team
1	Jamaal Charles	RB	KC
2	Adrian Peterson	RB	MIN
3	LeVeon Bell	RB	PIT
4	Eddie Lacy	RB	GB
5	Antonio Brown	WR	PIT
6	Marshawn Lynch	RB	SEA
7	CJ Anderson	RB	DEN
8	Dez Bryant	WR	DAL
9	Demaryius Thomas	WR	DEN
10	Matt Forte	RB	CHI
11	Julio Jones	WR	ATL
12	Rob Gronkowski	TE	NE
13	LeSean McCoy	RB	BUF
14	DeMarco Murray	RB	PHI
15	Jeremy Hill	RB	CIN
16	Calvin Johnson	WR	DET
17	Andrew Luck	QB	IND
18	Jordy Nelson	WR	GB
19	Odell Beckham Jr	WR	NYG
20	Aaron Rodgers	QB	GB
21	Justin Forsett	RB	BAL
22	A.J. Green	WR	CIN
23	Randall Cobb	WR	GB
24	Alshon Jeffery	WR	CHI
25	T.Y. Hilton	WR	IND
26	Frank Gore	RB	IND
27	Mike Evans	WR	TB
28	Alfred Morris	RB	WAS
29	Lamar Miller	RB	MIA
30	Emmanuel Sanders	WR	DEN
31	Mark Ingram	RB	NO
32	Joseph Randle	RB	DAL
33	Brandin Cooks	WR	NO
34	Kelvin Benjamin	WR	CAR
35	DeAndre Hopkins	WR	HOU
36	Peyton Manning	QB	DEN
37	Carlos Hyde	RB	SF
38	Jordan Matthews	WR	PHI
39	Latavius Murray	RB	OAK
40	Jimmy Graham	TE	SEA
41	Andre Johnson	WR	IND
42	Jonathan Stewart	RB	CAR
43	Melvin Gordon	RB	SD
44	Andre Ellington	RB	ARI
45	C.J. Spiller	RB	NO
46	Martavis Bryant	WR	PIT
47	Russell Wilson	QB	SEA
48	Keenan Allen	WR	SD
49	Golden Tate	WR	DET
50	Greg Olsen	TE	CAR
51	Ben Roethlisberger	QB	PIT
52	Travis Kelce	TE	KC
53	Sammy Watkins	WR	BUF
54	Rashad Jennings	RB	NYG
55	Amari Cooper	WR	OAK
56	Ameer Abdullah	RB	DET
57	Drew Brees	QB	NO
58	DeSean Jackson	WR	WAS
59	Julian Edelman	WR	NE
60	LeGarrette Blount	RB	NE
61	Brandon Marshall	WR	NYJ
62	Todd Gurley	RB	STL
63	TJ Yeldon	RB	JAC
64	Doug Martin	RB	TB
65	Nelson Agholor	WR	PHI
66	Jeremy Maclin	WR	KC
67	Jarvis Landry	WR	MIA
68	Giovani Bernard	RB	CIN
69	Victor Cruz	WR	NYG
70	Tevin Coleman	RB	ATL
71	Joique Bell	RB	DET
72	Allen Robinson	WR	JAC
73	Cam Newton	QB	CAR
74	Martellus Bennett	TE	CHI
75	Matt Ryan	QB	ATL
76	Isaiah Crowell	RB	CLE
77	Tony Romo	QB	DAL
78	Chris Ivory	RB	NYJ
79	Julius Thomas	TE	JAC
80	Mike Wallace	WR	MIN
81	Shane Vereen	RB	NYG
82	Charles Johnson	WR	MIN
83	Tre Mason	RB	STL
84	Tom Brady	QB	NE
85	Zach Ertz	TE	PHI
86	Roddy White	WR	ATL
87	Vincent Jackson	WR	TB
88	Owen Daniels	TE	DEN
89	Arian Foster	RB	HOU
90	Kevin White	WR	CHI
91	Matthew Stafford	QB	DET
92	Ryan Mathews	RB	PHI
93	Devonta Freeman	RB	ATL
94	Michael Floyd	WR	ARI
95	Steve Smith	WR	BAL
96	Darren McFadden	RB	DAL
97	Eli Manning	QB	NYG
98	Larry Fitzgerald	WR	ARI
99	Jordan Cameron	TE	MIA
100	Brandon LaFell	WR	NE
101	John Brown	WR	ARI
102	Davante Adams	WR	GB
103	David Cobb	RB	TEN
104	Alfred Blue	RB	HOU
105	Ryan Tannehill	QB	MIA
106	Duke Johnson	RB	CLE
107	Bishop Sankey	RB	TEN
108	Breshad Perriman	WR	BAL
109	David Johnson	RB	ARI
110	Stephen Gostkowski	PK	NE
111	Jason Witten	TE	DAL
112	Pierre Garcon	WR	WAS
113	Philip Rivers	QB	SD
114	Knile Davis	RB	KC
115	Terrance Williams	WR	DAL
116	Torrey Smith	WR	SF
117	Reggie Bush	RB	SF
118	Marques Colston	WR	NO
119	Sam Bradford	QB	PHI
120	DeAngelo Williams	RB	PIT
121	Anquan Boldin	WR	SF
122	Josh Hill	TE	NO
123	Delanie Walker	TE	TEN
124	DeVante Parker	WR	MIA
125	Michael Crabtree	WR	OAK
126	Montee Ball	RB	DEN
127	Danny Woodhead	RB	SD
128	Teddy Bridgewater	QB	MIN
129	Eric Decker	WR	NYJ
130	Charles Sims	RB	TB
131	Marvin Jones	WR	CIN
132	Brian Quick	WR	STL
133	Carson Palmer	QB	ARI
134	Percy Harvin	WR	BUF
135	Dwayne Allen	TE	IND
136	Jay Ajayi	RB	MIA
137	Cody Latimer	WR	DEN
138	Kendall Wright	WR	TEN
139	Darren Sproles	RB	PHI
140	Colin Kaepernick	QB	SF
141	Dorial Green-Beckham	WR	TEN
142	Joe Flacco	QB	BAL
143	Steve Johnson	WR	SD
144	Cameron Artis-Payne	RB	CAR
145	Kyle Rudolph	TE	MIN
146	Markus Wheaton	WR	PIT
147	Chris Polk	RB	PHI
148	Kenny Stills	WR	MIA
149	Roy Helu	RB	OAK
150	Vernon Davis	TE	SF
151	Pierre Thomas	RB	NO
152	Jameis Winston	QB	TB
153	Adam Vinatieri	PK	IND
154	Eric Ebron	TE	DET
155	Antonio Gates	TE	SD
156	Rueben Randle	WR	NYG
157	Jerick McKinnon	RB	MIN
158	Lance Dunbar	RB	DAL
159	Fred Jackson	RB	BUF
160	Jay Cutler	QB	CHI
161	James White	RB	NE
162	Denard Robinson	RB	JAC
163	Andre Williams	RB	NYG
164	Jonas Gray	RB	NE
165	James Starks	RB	GB
166	Phillip Dorsett	WR	IND
167	Tyler Eifert	TE	CIN
168	Stevan Ridley	RB	NYJ
169	Dan Bailey	PK	DAL
170	Matt Jones	RB	WAS
171	Ladarius Green	TE	SD
172	Devin Funchess	WR	CAR
173	Coby Fleener	TE	IND
174	Cordarrelle Patterson	WR	MIN
175	Austin Seferian-Jenkins	TE	TB
176	Derek Carr	QB	OAK
177	Eddie Royal	WR	CHI
178	Nick Foles	QB	STL
179	Steven Hauschka	PK	SEA
180	Dan Herron	RB	IND
181	Andy Dalton	QB	CIN
182	Marcus Mariota	QB	TEN
183	Donte Moncrief	WR	IND
184	Justin Tucker	PK	BAL
185	Mason Crosby	PK	GB
186	Dwayne Bowe	WR	CLE
187	Cody Parkey	PK	PHI
188	Tavon Austin	WR	STL
189	Robert Griffin III	QB	WAS
190	Doug Baldwin	WR	SEA
191	Matt Bryant	PK	ATL
192	Connor Barth	PK	DEN
193	Blair Walsh	PK	MIN
194	Greg Zuerlein	PK	STL
195	Matt Prater	PK	DET
196	Shaun Suisham	PK	PIT
197	Sebastian Janikowski	PK	OAK
198	Nick Novak	PK	SD
199	Chandler Catanzaro	PK	ARI
200	Caleb Sturgis	PK	MIA