Decision making between positions can be difficult. In the third round this year, for example, one might need to choose between a 405-point quarterback, a 235-point running back, a 222-point tight end and a 249-point wide receiver. The math gets tricky.

In our products, we rely on a supply-and-demand system. It’s based on making an assumption of what will be available in the later rounds at any given position, then measuring how much better a team could be by addressing that position now. At quarterback, for example, you might figure that you could secure a quarterback like Geno Smith (pictured) in the 12th round, getting about 335 points. Josh Allen projects to score 405, so he’s “worth” 70 points – 70 points is the extra value he’d generate beyond what you would have had by waiting.

If we follow this process for each position, it allows us to more comfortably pick between players doing different jobs. Continuing with the Geno-Josh example, we might decide that DJ Chark (141 points) would be a wide receiver we might get in the 12th round. Christian Kirk projects to score 80 more than Chark, so he would grade out higher than Allen as an early-round pick, even while scoring far fewer points.

Key, however, is deciding where to set those production baselines. Why, that is, consider the 12th round the key inflexion point? Why not the 10th round? Or the 15th? As those overall parameters are adjusted, it changes the entire board.

Consider the chart below. It shows my current top 50 in a 12-team PPR league with 20 rounds, with the baselines set in four different ways. From left to right, you’re seeing the emphasis change from 8 to 10 to 12 to 14 rounds. That is, for the 8-round version, I’m looking at how much better each player is than the first player picked at his position in the ninth round. For the 10-round version, I’m using the 11th-round picks at each position as the starting points. And so on.

To execute this approach, I used the results of a recently completed draft. I looked at the number of players at each position who were picked in the first 8, 10, 12 and 14 rounds. Then whoever the next guy chosen was, he was the baseline starting point for his position.

Notice in the chart that running backs are more heavily represented in the 8-round version. Wide receivers are more well represented in the middle two columns.

The middle two columns, I feel, are the most meaningful. The player ratios seem better. In a 12-team draft, there will be good players available in the ninth round. It’s too early to cut things off, in my opinion. If we instead use the 10th round, that’s only the halfway point of the draft, but close to 30-40 of the remaining picks will be on defenses and kickers (none were picked in the first 15 rounds of this league). So after 10 rounds about 60 percent of the traditional field players have been chosen. If we scale things through 12 rounds, then about 70 percent of the field players have been chosen.

I can intuitively see that including the 14th and 15th rounds in the measurements isn’t a good idea. At that point, you’re wading into the area where players who aren’t even on some people’s draft boards are being selected. I have some interest in Pierre Strong and Trey McBride, for example, and I don’t think I’ve seen either selected in a draft this year.

The variances above underscore that when using our products, you’ll want to have those baselines dialed in properly. We’ve put them in what we feel is the proper position for a typical league, but your roster sizes and scoring format might some adjustments worthwhile.

To adjust the supply-demand levels for your league, go to the “Your Stuff” of the website and click on the “Edit Your Scoring Profiles” link. Once in that area, you can either “Create a new Scoring System” or edit one that’s already there. If you’re starting a new one, click on the “Blank Scoring System” and drag down to the scoring system that is most similar to one you’re creating.

Once you’re in the league setup area, the “Auction Values” section is the key area (even if you don’t use an auction, that’s where you want to be). Once in that area, you need to identify how many players at each position will be picked (that shouldn’t be too hard). And at each position, you need to answer the question, “how many do you feel are worth more than minimum bid?”.

The minimum bid question is confusing to a lot of readers, and that’s understandable (with many having never been in an auction). If you’re in that group, it might help to think of it this way: “If your draft is 20 rounds long, how many of these players will be selected in the first 12 rounds?” (Or, “If your draft is 18 rounds long, how many players at this position will be selected in the first 11 rounds?”). You should be able to accurately answer that question through some combination of looking at results of your drafts from previous seasons or consulting mocks or other leagues with similar rules. But please take the time to answer those questions carefully, because they play a key role in stacking your overall list.

Keep in mind that any overall list will work best when paired with some common sense. You know more about your league than we do; you’ve got boots on the ground. If nobody in your league ever drafts a quarterback before the third round, there’s no need to select Patrick Mahomes in the first (even if the numbers suggest that’s where we believe he should be chosen).

More notably, factor in some of the key value picks you expect to be making. If there’s some later-round tight ends you like, then it probably doesn’t make sense for you to pull the trigger on somebody like Dallas Goedert or Evan Engram. For me personally, Isiah Pacheco and David Montgomery are two of the running backs that I like that I expect will be available a couple rounds later than I think they should be chosen. So in earlier rounds, it might make sense for me to select a wide receiver who isn’t the highest-rated player on my board (knowing that I’ll be drafting Pacheco and Montgomery later).

The overall draft board can provide a general road map, but as a draft progresses, you’re generally veering off the road here and there, with a plan for the next few rounds in mind.

—Ian Allan