If you are new to fantasy football you may be wondering what a snake draft is.
A snake draft in fantasy football refers to a draft in which the order is reversed after each round. For example, if you have the last pick in the first round you will have the first pick in the second round.
Example of a snake draft 10 team league
| Pick 1 | Team A |
| Pick 2 | Team B |
| Pick 3 | Team C |
| Pick 4 | Team D |
| Pick 5 | Team E |
| Pick 6 | Team F |
| Pick 7 | Team G |
| Pick 8 | Team H |
| Pick 9 | Team I |
| Pick 10 | Team J |
| Pick 11 | Team J |
| Pick 12 | Team I |
| Pick 13 | Team H |
| Pick 14 | Team G |
| Pick 15 | Team F |
| Pick 16 | Team E |
| Pick 17 | Team D |
| Pick 18 | Team C |
| Pick 19 | Team B |
| Pick 20 | Team A |
As you can see in the example above a snake draft is going to flip the order of the draft between each round.
The example draft above shows what the first two rounds would look like in a ten-team snake draft in fantasy football.
You will notice the team that picks first overall will not pick again until the twentieth selection.
You may also notice the team which picks tenth is going to select twice in a row with picks ten and eleven.
If you are choosing your spot in a snake draft you want to take into account which players you want to target in your first few rounds.
This is because your draft position in a snake draft will largely dictate which players are available to you. On occasion snake drafts will be referred to as serpentine drafts this is just another name for this same draft format.
What is the difference between a snake draft and a regular draft?
The difference between a regular draft and a snake draft is the order of selection. A standard draft will keep the same order of selection for each round while a snake draft will flip the order each round.
In other words, a standard draft will have the player who picked first in the first round select first in each round. While a snake draft will have the player who picked first rotate between picking first and last each round.
This way each team will get an even shot at drafting their fantasy team.
Why do fantasy leagues use snake drafts?
The reason that the majority of fantasy football leagues use a snake draft is to make the draft fair for the fantasy managers.
It would simply be unfair if the team which selected first in the first round continued to pick first in each and every round.
Instead, by switching the order each round each team will have picked at the same average position.
If you picked first and then last your average pick will be in the middle of the draft order. If you picked second and second last your average pick would be in the middle of the round.
By doing this each fantasy manager is going to have a fair shot at drafting their team.
Tips for snake drafts in fantasy football
Now that you know what a snake draft is in fantasy football you may be wondering what you can do to get the most out of yours.
Pay attention to your draft order
In a snake draft, the draft order is going to be a very important factor. If you select at first or last you are going to have two picks in a row at several points during the draft.
This also means there are going to be long gaps before you make each pick.
You must be sure to pay attention to when these picks are coming so you know which players you want to target.
Otherwise, you will find yourself in a panic as you watch each team make two selections while you wait for your next pick.
Keeping a close eye on the draft order is going to greatly improve your ability to plan for the draft.
Know when you are going to target each position
When entering the draft it can be very helpful to have a rough idea of when you are going to select each position.
If you know the snake draft order you should have a rough idea of what players are going to be available based on ECR and ADP.
This will help you plan out your draft so that you don’t leave any positions behind.
Positions that do not have many great fantasy players can become a huge hole in your team if you wait too long.
For this reason, keep an eye on when you want to target quarterbacks and other positions which don’t always have a ton of depth.
That’s all for snake drafts to learn more about fantasy football see our guides to fantasy football playoffs or a fantasy commissioner duties.
