Jeff Ratcliffe's Articles

Auction drafts aren’t as common as their snake draft counterparts in fantasy football, but it’s an exciting format that every fantasy football player should try. Where snake drafts are checkers, auction drafts are chess. Auctions have a much more nuanced strategy and give you the possibility for a wider set of outcomes for your rosters.  […]

Fantasy football draft strategy is widely discussed at this time of year, yet many fantasy drafters either don’t know or simply don’t use these strategies in their drafts. Part of that may be the fault of many of us in the fantasy industry, as it’s rare to find a comprehensive guide on how to use […]

Dwight Schrute said it best: “Keep it simple stupid.” That’s a mantra for fantasy football drafts. Instead of developing an overly elaborate plan for your drafts, making things as simple as possible is the path to success. On draft day, we don’t want to overthink. We want to react to what the board is giving […]

Every year, we see rookies make their mark on the fantasy football landscape. Often, these guys are some of the bigger names of their respective classes, like Ja’Marr Chase, Najee Harris and Kyle Pitts last season. This year, we don’t necessarily have that sort of high-end talent in this year’s class, but there are several […]

One of the best-kept secrets in fantasy football drafts is that you can use site ADP to your advantage on your commissioner platform. Invariably, those who do not prepare in your leagues will lean heavily on the site ADP to make their selections. If you know where the value gaps lie in that site’s ADP, […]

Fantasy football keeper leagues are a fun hybrid of the traditional redraft and dynasty formats where you get to carry over players from one season to the next. While keeper leagues come in all shapes and sizes, deciding your keepers can often be tricky. If you have to choose your fantasy football keepers this year, […]

Fantasy football draft strategy doesn’t need to be complex. The goal on draft day is simple: to out-draft your opponents and put together the best team possible. While there’s certainly a lot to think about in a fantasy draft, there are a few key things to keep in mind as we head into the heart […]

The 147th running of the Preakness Stakes is this Saturday, which means we have another opportunity to win some money. Two weeks ago, things didn’t go as planned with longshot Rich Strike shocking the world to win the Kentucky Derby. However, Rich Strike’s connections opted to skip the Preakness and angle the horse toward the […]

The 2022 NFL schedule is officially released, which means we now have an opportunity to get some team futures wagers in on regular season wins. To help us identify the best lines to attack, we can lean on the fantasy football projections we have over at FTN Fantasy.    Using our projections, we can establish […]

The Run for the Roses is here. Saturday, we’ll have the 148th running of the Kentucky Derby. Kentucky Derby betting is always tricky, as you not only have very young horses, but you also have a massive 20 horses on the track. That may seem intimidating, but I have something that can potentially help you […]

Round 1 of the 2022 NFL Draft is in the books, and there’s a lot to unpack for fantasy football purposes. For each of the skill position players drafted, let’s take a look at both their redraft and dynasty fantasy football outlooks along with giving an initial 2022 fantasy football projections and my current fantasy […]

It’s NFL Draft week. The 2022 draft kicks off in just a few days, and this year’s selection meeting figures to be one of the most intriguing we’ve seen in recent memory. It’s time to unveil my final mock draft of the year.    As you read through the picks, keep in mind that my […]

Our 2022 pre-draft dynasty fantasy football rookie rankings continue today with a look at wide receiver. This year’s crop is a fascinating bunch with some slam dunks at the top and a ton of potential long-term fantasy depth. Wide receiver can take a little time to develop in the NFL, but often we do see […]

Our 2022 pre-draft fantasy football dynasty rookie rankings continue today with a look at running back. This year’s class doesn’t quite have a standout at the top like we’ve saw last year in Najee Harris, but Breece Hall isn’t that far off. There’s also some interesting depth that could mean a number of these players […]

Our pre-draft 2022 dynasty fantasy football rookie rankings continue today with a look at tight end. This isn’t the best class we’ve seen in recent memory, but there are some intriguing names on the list. Let’s be clear that players like Kyle Pitts do not come around very often, and there is no player of […]

With the 2022 NFL Draft rapidly approaching, it’s time to get a lay of the land with some dynasty fantasy football rookie rankings. Today we’ll attack quarterback. This year’s class is an interesting group that is headlined by upside in Malik Willis.   Quarterbacks tend to offer some of the most value in dynasty rookie […]

The USFL is almost here, and that means the chance for some more fantasy football. If you’re thinking of starting an USFL fantasy football league, we have you covered here at FTN.   To be clear, alternative pro football leagues don’t necessarily have the best track record, given the AAF’s complete flame out in 2019 […]

With just over two weeks until the 2022 NFL Draft, it’s time to unveil my first mock draft of the year. As you read through the picks, keep in mind that my focus isn’t to get each pick correct.    Rather, I treated this like an academic exercise where I aim to address team needs […]

The internet is wrong. Shocking, I know. But in the wake of the blockbuster trade that sent Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins, many had the same take. It went something like this: “Hill is going to take the top off the defense and be used as a downfield threat for Tua Tagovailoa and the […]

The most compelling offseason in NFL history got even more compelling Wednesday, as the Kansas City Chiefs are trading Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for five draft picks that include a first- and second-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft. That’s a hefty haul for the Chiefs, but they’re now left without […]

The most active offseason in the history of the NFL continued on Monday with the Atlanta Falcons trading Matt Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for a third-round pick. The Falcons then went and inked Marcus Mariota to a two-year deal. (Follow along with all of the big free agency reactions here!) Despite rumblings […]

The AFC West continues to be the league’s most compelling division in NFL free agency, as the Kansas City Chiefs got into the mix and signed JuJu Smith-Schuster to a one-year, $10.75 million contract Friday. Still just 25 years old, Smith-Schuster will get a chance to prove it in one of the league’s most explosive […]

Finally. The Deshaun Watson trade saga is over. Watson shocked nearly everyone Friday afternoon, waiving his no-trade clause for the Cleveland Browns after it had been widely reported that the Browns were out of the mix. Watson and the Browns agreed to a massive five-year pact worth a reported $230 million. The entire contract is […]

It seems every year we get a big head-scratcher in NFL free agency, and we now have the leader in the clubhouse for 2022 after Allen Robinson signed with the Los Angeles Rams Thursday. The deal is a reported three-year pact worth $46.5 million. At $15.5 million per year, that’s well south of the $18 […]

Just when we thought we’ve seen it all with this NFL offseason, the Packers and Raiders went and sent a seismic shockwave through the NFL. Green Bay is trading all-world WR Davante Adams to Las Vegas in exchange for two 2022 picks. For his trouble, Adams is getting a massive five-year, $141.25 million contract. (Follow […]

What once looked like a bleak future for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers has turned around quite dramatically over the last week. Following Tom Brady’s unretirement, the team was able to re-sign C Ryan Jensen and CB Carlton Davis. Tampa then bolstered their wide receiver corps Tuesday with the addition of former Falcons WR Russell Gage, […]

The Detroit Lions addressed a glaring need at wide receiver Tuesday, agreeing to a one-year, $10 million contract with D.J. Chark. That’s by no means a massive deal for Chark, especially given the $18 million annual contract Christian Kirk netted from Chark’s former team the Jacksonville Jaguars. But he will get a chance to prove […]

All gas, no brakes. The Jets are going full-blast into 2022 and made a key addition on the offensive side of the ball Monday, signing TE C.J. Uzomah to a three-year, $24 million deal. While not quite the money we saw Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith fetch in free agency last year, this contract positions […]

The overhaul is in full swing in Jacksonville. After signing Christian Kirk to a hefty deal, the Jags will also be bringing in TE Evan Engram on a one-year, $9 million deal. Engram instantly vaults to the top of the Jacksonville pecking order at tight end and gives Trevor Lawrence a dynamic weapon at the […]

The next stop on Christian Kirk’s NFL journey is officially Jacksonville, as the veteran receiver agree to what NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport is calling a “large deal.” Kirk was expected to fetch north of $15 million per year, which would position him among the 20 highest-paid wide receivers in the league. (Follow along with all […]

The King is dead. Long live the King. With Ben Roethlisberger retired, the Steelers took a step to address the cavernous void he leaves on the depth chart by signing QB Mitchell Trubisky to a two-year deal. All sarcasm aside, Trubisky does figure to be the starter with Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins also in […]

James Conner is staying put in Arizona after agreeing to a three-year, $21 million deal that includes a hefty $13.5 million in fully guaranteed money. This news comes on the heels of Chase Edmonds bouncing for Miami, which essentially locks Conner in as a three-down back for the Cardinals. (Follow along with all of the […]