2022 High Stakes Primer
Everyone plays fantasy football anymore. Whether you’re a fan of the classic home leagues, dynasty leagues, DFS, best ball, or whatever you prefer, there are options out there for everyone. There are fantasy football leagues, then there are High Stakes fantasy football leagues. If you find yourself dominating your home leagues, want to ramp up the competition, or just want a league with a higher buy-in, then High Stakes leagues might be worth considering.
Coming off a 2021 season where I made the finals of the FFPC Super Bracket tournament while making the playoffs in two of my three High Stakes leagues, 2022 shapes up to be another tough year. I’ll be breaking down everything you need to know about High Stakes drafts as we look into the 2022 season.
Where to Draft
When we discuss High Stakes Leagues, we are simply talking about the buy-in price in entering those and that the live drafts take place in Las Vegas mere days before the opening Sunday of the NFL season. But before I talk about entry fees, the three companies that hold live drafts in Vegas are the NFC, Fulltime Fantasy, and the FFPC. Personally, I like to play at FFPC. The buy-in for the live drafts can range anywhere from $825 to $10,000, depending on the company and the league you play in.
Different League Types
What I tend to do is draft three Main Event teams, one or two auction teams, and two Super Bracket teams. The night before the Rams versus Bills season opener, I will be in a private auction draft with a $1,000 buy-in. What you have to be keenly aware of is the fact that you will be drafting against people who are in the top 10% of fantasy rankings and who are also 365 days a year fantasy football managers. Entering a draft, you need to be at the top of your game and have a high level of concentration on the draft itself.
High Stakes vs. Home Leagues
The general philosophy in High Stakes leagues is very different than in your typical home leagues. The wide receivers with the least amount of question marks surrounding them are usually gone before the mid-3rd round while the running backs get pushed down 2-5 spots in these types of leagues.
For example, in some instances, you can get a player like Nick Chubb in the mid-to-late 2nd round. In home leagues, however, Chubb is taken by pick 15 or so. Be very prepared to come out of your leagues with two wide receivers in your first three picks as that is the way you have to draft to keep yourself in the chase for a league title throughout the whole year. With your first five picks, make sure you have at least three wide receivers, one or two running backs, and a tight end. Make sure you get that second running back by round 6. After that, simply begin to fill your team in as you see fit.
FFPC leagues have two flex spots, two wide receiver spots, and two running back spots. So make sure you have five skill position players you are comfortable with.
Here is an example of the first five picks I think you can make a run with:
- Justin Jefferson
- Javonte Williams
- Mike Evans or Keenan Allen
- Tee Higgins
- Darren Waller
The Main Event
The Main Event prize structure for the big buy-in and all of your hard work is well worth the investment. If you win your league or score the most points, there is a $2,500 prize. However, if you score the most points and have the best record, there is a $3,000 purse.
The playoffs have a pretty good payout in their own right. If you win your league, you will get a $4,000 payout. And if you lose the title game in the playoffs, you will get another $1,500. Third place gets $500.
Keep in mind that this is all the FFPC payouts. For being top two in your league, you will advance to the points playoff system where you can net yourself a cool $1 million if you win the whole thing. If you finish anywhere from second to 125th the prize money drops down.
Super Bracket
I also play in the Super Bracket. There is an $825 buy-in with a chance to win up to $10,000 if you take the Super Bracket down. Super Bracket is just like a regular league except it is a 96-player tournament so space is limited. If you finish with the best record or as the total points champion, you win $2,000. And if you finish as the third or fourth seed in your league, you win $650. In the playoffs, the 32 teams get seeded 1-32, and the last eight teams left in the playoffs will win money. Think of the NCAA tournament as Super Bracket is also single elimination.
Las Vegas is quite the experience as this will be my fifth year playing High Stakes fantasy football. And it is a bucket list to do for any serious fantasy football player. So if you do decide to go out to Vegas, enjoy the experience and have fun drafting amongst the best in the business. BE CONFIDENT in your abilities as a drafter and be sure to work the waiver wire week in and week out.
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