Special Newsletter: "The Last-Minute Draft Panic" Edition

Need to cram? In a panic? Read on!

Author

Peter Overzet
August 28, 2025

We don't always send newsletters on Thursday evenings, but when we do, it's for a goddamn (I hope the kids are in bed) good reason.

Draft Weekend officially kicks off at 7 PM ET tonight (we’re estimating), and we want to make sure you have everything you need to crush your draft before the beers and BBQ start flowing.

We've spent the entire offseason putting together an exhaustive draft kit for your cramming needs.

Below, you'll find articles, rankings, projections, sleepers, and everything else you'd possibly need to wipe the floor with your hopeless leaguemates.

Before I let you go and dig in, I'll quickly give you three pieces of macro advice to help you out:

* Quantity or quality, not both. If you go Elite QB, just take one. If you go Zero RB—take a bunch. It doesn't matter which way you go; just focus on quantity or quality at each position.

* Go get your sleepers. I love getting values early in the draft, but after the first 100 picks are off the board, get after it. I've been clicking Ollie Gordon 20 picks ahead of his ADP the past few days, I don't care!

* Don't draft scared. There's a tendency to be scared of rookies because we've never seen them before, but they are the cohort of players who, year after year, have the ability to smash their ADP.

Alright, that's it from me, get after it ...

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Linkfest 2025 — For All Your Drafting Needs NOW

If you have time, we have hundreds more stories and shows. Here’s our full set of columns this preseason. ⤵️

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There Is No Agenda For This Section

We just wanted to say thank you for reading, watching, following, and all that good stuff. This newsletter is a labor of love and is intensely crafted, designed, written, and edited every single day (and hey, on special occasions—twice a day!) to make it the best out there.

We hope you’re enjoying the daily read, and we cannot wait to pop in all season with what we think will be the best newsletter yet.

You may now proceed to the Watercooler! Hugs from everyone behind the scenes here!

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Around the Panicked Watercooler

🍺 Ordering food or 🍻 for your draft? Use code FANTASYLIFE60 for 60% off at Gopuff (<— our friendly neighborhood partners)

❓ ICYMI: Matthew Berry’s Reddit AMA from earlier Thursday.

🧠 🧠 Ian and Dwain did a high-stakes draft together on RT Sports. STEAL THEIR STRATEGY!

🧠 🧠 🧠 …and then Ian, Dwain, and Laghezza did a live draft with their own teams. STEAL YOUR FAVORITE STRATEGY!

❤️ Do you love Ian? Just like him? Every 5-star review here helps the show grow!

📼 Could this year’s Derrick Henry be… Derrick Henry? The Old Guy All-Stars!

💇🏽 Reminder that Guillotine Leagues™ are free … and awesome (and it supports as many teams as you want to play with — 5, 12, 18, whatever).

Our tiered premium product built upon a suite of fantasy football and sports betting tools. The NEW way to take your game to the next level.

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