Value Based Drafting

I started reading this from Joe Bryant, back when he had cheatsheets.net (now footballguys.com)

He says this,

"Value Based Drafting in it's simplest form says the value of a player is determined not by the number of points he scores, but by how much he outscores his peers at his particular position...

We are NOT trying to assemble a group of the highest scoring players with no regard to position. If that were the case, the best team would be full of quarterbacks and kickers. We are bound by our starting lineups as to the positions we must fill. Our team, consisting of a specified number of players from the specified positions will compete against the other teams consisting of the same number of players from the same positions. Think of it in terms of individual matchups pitting your team against another team, position by position...

In order for the Value System to work, it requires a firm set of projected stats for every player in your draft pool. Don't give me grumbling about how unpredictable football players are or the whining that usually follows player projection discussion...

Now you must run these raw stats through your scoring system and come up with a projected number of fantasy points you expect each player to produce...

[Now] what we need is a way to measure each player against his peers. We do that by setting a "baseline" player to serve as a measuring point. Each position player will be either better or worse than this position's baseline player. The simplest way to set a baseline is to use the worst starter at each position...

Here's how to get the X number. If the #12 QB on my list is my baseline and he is expected to post 75 points, I would subtract 75 points from each QB on the list. That would give the worst starter (#12) a value of zero. All QB's who are not expected to start would have a negative value. This number will be called your "X Number" or X #. Do this for every position so that the worst starter at each position has a value of zero...

[Now] it's a very simple matter of throwing all the players (and their X #s) in one heap and ranking by the X Number. And there you have it. All the players ranked by their X number which means they're ranked by their value. A key point is to understand what the list is telling you. It's ranking the players by their value, or where they deserve to be drafted."

Really, this is the first step on the way to doing things right. But there are other things you can do to help you on your way to winning your league. Let's talk about those next. Thanks Joe, for your input.