Top dog may not be where you want to be on draft day.

Whether you are meeting up with your buddies to draw names or waiting for the randomizer to generate your draft order, hearing that you have the first overall pick is an exhilarating feeling. The draft, especially if it’s live, is probably the most fun part of the fantasy football experience. Plus, when you have the first pick, you are the preseason favorite. But does that coveted spot really benefit an owner in the long run? Let’s look at the pros of drafting from the number one spot.

Pros

–In theory, you should end up with the league’s best player (Adrian Peterson this year).

–Drafting first means that you are guaranteed to get anyone your heart desires. You don’t have to wait anxiously with a slew of backups ready in case your guy is off the board. Nothing is worse than having a player circled on your cheat sheet or in your queue only to see him drafted a spot before you.

–Picking at the top means that you will eventually get back-to-back picks, with the result being you are getting players who are relatively close in production and value.

But it is important to remember that having the first pick doesn’t always mean you will have a great draft. If you do have that top spot, here’s some advice on how to draft in the later rounds and avoid some common pitfalls come draft day.

–You may feel more pressure to play it safe rather than take risks since you will not be picking again for a long time.

–You cannot afford to wait on potential sleepers. You may wind up overpaying for players out of fear that they will not be there when you get back on the clock, but if you really want them, we suggest taking the risk.

–It is also important not to handcuff yourself by overloading at one position. Picking the same position in consecutive rounds may leave you significantly weaker in another area of your team. I suggest in your first three rounds going RB, RB, WR or RB, WR, QB.

Is picking out of the top spot really such a great thing? Why don’t we examine the first picks for two teams, Team A picking first overall, and Team B, picking fifth in a 12-team league.

Team A:

1st (1) – Adrian Peterson

2nd (24) – Greg Jennings

3rd (25) – Roddy White

Team B:

1st (5): DeAngelo Williams

2nd (20): Calvin Johnson

3rd (29): Ronnie Brown

Looking at these first three picks, the Tracker says go with the number one spot. Peterson is far and away the best player in the league and you still get two number 1 receivers who put up top tier production.

Which position would you rather draft from?

–Anthony Sulla-Heffinger