Jeff Ratcliffe's Articles

There’s no such thing as a “do not draft” player in fantasy football. If you’ve been told that there is such a thing, I’m sorry, but you’ve been fed lies. Every player has a value breaking point. If they’re on the board long enough, they become a value. However, the reality of drafts is that […]

There are many paths you can take in a fantasy football draft. I recently broke these down and you can check them out in the fantasy football draft strategy guide. If you end up going wide receiver heavy in the early rounds, you’ll need to have a plan of attack in place for running backs […]

There are many paths you can take in a fantasy football draft. I recently broke these down and you can check them out in the fantasy football draft strategy guide. If you end up going running back heavy in the early rounds, you’ll need to have a plan of attack in place for wide receivers […]

The 2022 NFL season is right around the corner, so it’s time to polish up my 2022 fantasy football rookie rankings. Below you’ll find my top-50 rookie rankings post-draft. These rankings are for 1QB leagues, but I did also include their overall ranking for superflex/2QB in parentheses.    If you’d like a more detailed look […]

Dynasty fantasy football rankings are a key tool in your arsenal whether you’re getting ready for a dynasty startup draft or want to fine-tune your roster. Below you’ll find my top-100 dynasty fantasy football rankings for 1QB leagues. We also included the player’s overall ranking for superflex in parenthesis.   Want to go deeper than […]

After months of speculation, we finally reached a conclusion in the Deshaun Watson suspension saga. The initial ruling of six-games from Judge Sue Robinson has been increased to 11 games along with a $5 million fine and mandatory counseling after the NFL and the NFLPA reached a settlement Thursday. Per the NFL, the suspension begins […]

Week 2 of the NFL preseason kicks off Thursday night with an island game between the Chicago Bears and Seattle Seahawks. Since there’s only one game on the slate, our only option to get some DFS action in is showdown.    While the preseason is certainly different from the regular season, our goal for showdown […]

One of the biggest mistakes you can make on fantasy football draft day is blindly drafting a team defense based on whatever rankings or draft board you’re using. Sure, that defense may be the top-ranked when you’re up, but you’re overlooking a massive factor that will impact their fantasy football production: their Week 1 opponent. […]

Running back handcuffing is an essential strategy in fantasy football drafts given the nature of the position. Simply put, top running backs touch the ball a lot and take a pounding. As such, they’re more prone to injury than the other skill positions. Handcuffing as a way we can protect our top investments.   If […]

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 […]