Fantasy Football: You Are What You Draft (Pt.1)

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I know this might sound strange, but something I realized during my 2025 fantasy football season is that building a successful roster is not all that different from putting together a great day of eating. We all remember the food pyramid from elementary school – the idea was simple: you need the right balance. Some foods are staples. Some are sweet treats. And then there are those underrated additions that somehow make the whole meal that much better. A fantasy roster works the same way. You need a reliable foundation, your league-winning stars, and the occasional sweet treat that wins you the week. So, let’s build a fantasy roster the same way we would build the perfect day of eating. Each meal represents a different piece of roster construction, and every food has its fantasy football player equivalent. Some of these comparisons might make perfect sense to you, and others will have you wondering if I just wrote this article on an empty stomach. However, as someone who loves health and fitness, I promise there is a method to the madness. Also, keep in mind that this is just Part 1. We are starting with the foundation of the day, like the foundation of a fantasy roster; then we will come back for the rest of the courses in Part 2. Breakfast: TEs – The Most Important Meal You Keep Skipping So, let’s start this article the same way we would start any morning. With breakfast! Breakfast is the meal that people love to skip. If you are running late, you typically just tell yourself that you will grab something later, and then suddenly it is an hour into the day and you are wondering why you are keeled over your desk STARVING. Well, drafting a TE is surprisingly similar. Elite TEs create one of the biggest weekly advantages in fantasy because the position falls off a cliff after the top tier. There are only a handful of guys capable of consistently giving you a true edge. Look, I am not saying you should pass on Jahmyr Gibbs – who racked up 243 carries, 13 TDs, and more than 1,200 rushing yards in 2025 – to draft George Kittle , but waiting too long usually means settling for whatever is left. As someone who drafted Zach Ertz in the 14th round last season, I can confidently say that he was fine. Zach Ertz finished with 101.4 fantasy points, 50 receptions, and 504 yards – making him the banana you grab on your way out the door . Reliable, useful, and always nice to have around, but probably not the food you are building your whole day around. A banana gets the job done, but nobody has ever finished one and thought, “Wow, that banana just changed my morning.” (However, shoutout to Week 6, when Zach Ertz caught all six of his targets for 43 yards and a very exciting TD against the Bears for a respectable 16.3 fantasy points. Unfortunately, as a Commanders fan, all I remember is the 25-24 loss . I am still not over it, but I digress. That is a conversation for another article.) Fantasy managers often treat TEs as an afterthought, but the gap between a serviceable option and an elite one can be a game changer in your matchup. I had the pleasure of facing Brock Bowers in Week 9 of the 2025 season when he put up 127 yards, three TDs, and 43.3 fantasy points. Truthfully, Zach Ertz was never going to give me that kind of week at this point in his career, and that’s exactly my point. At TE, you are drafting for positional advantage just as much as raw production. See, an elite TE like Brock Bowers is a loaded breakfast burrito . You might not think yo…