Fantasy Football Draft Kit Analysis – The Best Free & Paid Kits for 2023

Modern fantasy football draft kits feature innovative tools, unique statistical insights, and diverse consumption channels (think exclusive podcasts, video player reviews, etc). Draft kits are vital if you’re looking to gain an edge and win more championships.

Today I reveal the best kits of 2023 including the best features, pros, cons, and even some exclusive discounts.

Comparing the Best Fantasy Football Draft Kits

If you’re looking for physical, paper-based draft boards, check out my review of offline fantasy football draft boards. There I evaluate reusable, auction-based, and fully-customizable draft boards.

The 3 Best Fantasy Football Draft Kits

While preparing for the 2023 NFL season, I had a chance to evaluate four of the best fantasy football draft kits. These kits have established a record for accurate predictions, quality advice, and unique tools for draft preparation, execution, and evaluation.

Let’s look at each of these kits in detail.

The Ultimate Draft Kit boasts exclusive features from a proven brand

The Fantasy Footballers is a popular fantasy advice site that’s known for entertaining podcasts, unique statistical breakdowns, and a loyal following that calls themselves the Foot Clan. These longtime friends wanted to provide a fresh perspective on fantasy sports, and they did just that with their Ultimate Draft Kit.

This draft kit has over 100 unique video player profiles and a variety of media types to accommodate any learning style.

I wrote a separate article dedicated to reviewing the Ultimate Draft Kit in detail. Check it out if you want to see a more in-depth evaluation of its features.

Let’s look at a few of the over fifty features of my favorite Draft Kit

Red Zone Report identifies potential breakout candidates

The Red Zone Report is a fantasy football draft tool for tracking and predicting players that score those all-important touchdowns. It evaluates wide receiver utilization when teams are in scoring position.

You can sort by various metrics to identify reliable players who get the most targets near the end zone. Prioritize these players, pounce when the time is right, and reap the high-scoring benefits that no one else saw coming.

Reception Perception evaluates receivers with surgical precision

The Reception Perception feature of the Ultimate Draft Kit goes deep, way deep. Wide receivers are analyzed and ranked using a variety of obscure but insightful statistics.

For instance, this feature details how often quarterbacks target receivers when they’re covered, including how often those receivers make the tough catches.

Target Share metric provides an accurate picture of receiver utilization

The Target Share Breakdown is a sub-feature of Reception Perception that illustrates how teams spread the ball around. It shows percentages of passes thrown to WRs, RBs, and TEs, along with their success at converting those plays.

Additional features of the Ultimate Draft Kit

Red Zone Report and Reception Perception are only the tip of the iceberg. This kit also includes dynasty rookie rankings, a new mobile app, an evaluation of coaching changes in 2023, and more.

Where I think this kit excels is the video player reviews and projections. The Footballers debate each player in short (~3minutes), value-packed segments.

So you get a thorough (and sometimes opposing) player perspectives that simple cheat sheets can’t provide. They’re a great way to cram before your draft when you’re short on time.

The price for the Ultimate Draft Kit is $29.99, although they do offer early-bird specials easily in the preseason. It also comes with one of the best fantasy football draft apps on the market.

The Draft Wizard has tools for every phase of the game

FantasyPros’ Draft Wizard is an extensive draft kit that is easily adaptable to a wide variety of league types. They have numerous widgets that leverage the top fantasy minds to help you gain a significant advantage on draft day and beyond.

The most popular tools in the Draft Wizard include:

You can learn more about the Draft Analyzer and other rate my fantasy team tools in our dedicated article on team graders. There you’ll find our favorite draft rating tools for 2023.

Draft Simulators predict player availability in real-time

Anticipating your opponents’ draft picks can help you make the most of each draft selection. The Draft Simulator feature in the Draft Wizard can predict owner selections, creating a realistic reflection of how the draft might play out in real life.

The Draft Simulator is an excellent mock draft tool with an array of customization options. I illustrate those options below.

If you’re in a keeper league, you can import your opponents’ rosters before running mock draft simulations. Does your league have custom scoring you need to consider? This fantasy football draft kit has that covered too.

They even have an auction draft simulator.

The Draft Assistant offers advice for every pick of your draft

The Draft Assistant tool inside the Draft Wizard does more than identify the BPA (best player available). It delivers real-time draft advice that considers factors like your existing roster, opponents’ rosters, and the remaining player pool.

So if there a run on wideouts, the Assistant will let you know that the wide receiver pool is dwindling. By the same token, if the other owners are set at a particular position, the assistant will indicate that you can address different positions.

It’s that smart!

Oh, and it’s also fully-functional on mobile. So if you don’t want to drag your laptop with you to the draft, use the included app instead.

Check out my Fantasy Pros Draft Assistant Review for a details breakdown of this impressive feature.

The Draft Analyzer puts the upcoming season into perspective

After the draft is over, it’s natural to look at your roster and overreact. Maybe you hate your team and decide to pursue daily fantasy instead.

Perhaps you love your team so much you want to gawk at the results and rosterbate.

In either case, there is much work to do. Why wait for the first game when you can start scouting immediately after your draft?

The Draft Analyzer helps you identify areas of weakness so you can start to improve through waivers or trades immediately.

Plenty of auction league features in this kit

Auction league owner may think there is no such thing as a fantasy football auction draft kit. But Fantasy Pros has you covered there, too.

In addition to their Auction Draft Simulator, they publish multiple cheat sheets with auction values that adjust based on your specific scoring system.

Every kit feature for one low monthly price

Unlike the Ultimate Draft Kit, the Draft Wizard pricing structure is subscription-based. The subscription model requires that you sign-up for recurring billing and cancel when you no longer want the service.

You get access to every feature and every tool in the Draft Wizard for $12.99 per month (or $7.99 if you don’t need auction or keeper support). But if you purchase a year subscription, that price plummets to only $4.99 per month (or $2.99 for simple, re-draft leagues).

That’s a crazy good deal for year-round fantasy advice. And the price is even more appealing when you consider that your subscription comes with support for not only fantasy football, but also fantasy basketball, fantasy baseball, and fantasy hockey.

Draft Wizard leads into My Playbook post-draft

The best part about a yearly subscription FantasyPros is that most of their widgets are designed to help you succeed during the season. So if you’re looking for a fantasy football draft kit that provides value even after the draft, a subscription to FantasyPros is your best option.

Once the season starts, you can begin to use their My Playbook kit. This includes tools to help you improve your team and make that push toward the championship.

RotoWire’s Draft Kit adds a human element

RotoWire has been a fixture in the fantasy sports industry for as long as I can remember. They’re known for publishing breaking players news and providing personalized fantasy advice from (gasp!) real human beings!

If you need specific advice, Ask an Expert

Fantasy football can be a lonely game. You can’t talk to your opponents about strategies, ordinatry people don’t get it, and experts don’t have time to answer questions from the 59.3 million people that play fantasy sports each year.

But somehow, RotoWire has a team of experts on hand to do precisely that. If you’re wondering if you should accept a trade, or unsure of who to add from the waiver wire, RotoWire lets you ask an actual human being what they think.

When it comes to accepting or rejecting a trade, it helps to utilize online tools. Check out my review of the best fantasy football trade analyzers for a list of trade tools for 2023.

This Rotowire draft kit runs on your PC

RotoWire’s draft tools aren’t web-based, like most sites. Instead, they’ve developed a downloadable software package that you install on your PC.

This draft kit includes cheat sheets that you can generate based on your league type and scoring system. And these cheat sheets are highly-customizable, including over 30 different stat categories.

The Rotowire Draft Kit also features a mock draft utility, draft pick tracker, and personal note-taking widget.

The Best Fantasy Draft Kit of 2023

If you’re looking for a pure fantasy football draft kit, you’re going to be hard-pressed to find a better product than the Ultimate Draft Kit.

Their features and insight are incredible. But for pre-draft preparation, you need in-depth player analysis. And this is where the Fantasy Footballers shines.

The one significant drawing of this kit is that it loses value once the season starts. And that’s a shame.

But for pure fantasy football draft preparation, it’s the product to own in 2023.

The Most Comprehensive Fantasy Draft Kit of 2023

Although the Ultimate Draft Kit owns the crown when it comes to pre-draft fantasy football, this article wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the incredible kits developed by FantasyPros: Draft Wizard and My Playbook.

The Ultimate Draft Kit is the best when it comes to pre-draft fantasy football. But there are many fantasy owners out there who play more than one fantasy sport. There are even more owners who need year-round support.

FantasyPros has the advantage over the Fantasy Footballers in a few key areas. These advantages may be valuable to serious owners who need a more well-rounded kit.

Let’s take a closer look at where FantasyPros excels:

1. FantasyPros kits are relevant throughout the entire fantasy season.
2. A FantasyPros subscription includes fantasy football features but also provides support for fantasy baseball, fantasy basketball, fantasy hockey, and daily fantasy sports.
3. Because FantasyPros is subscription-based, you may be able to save money by only purchasing a month or two to prepare for your draft.

If you think FantasyPros is the best fantasy draft kit for your situation, you should give them a try. If you purchase any of their multi-month packages, you’ll be able to try every kit component for a full 30 days at no risk.

If you don’t think a FantasyPros subscription will help you win your league, they’ll refund your entire purchase. That’s a killer deal!

If you know of any other fantasy football kits that you’d like me to cover in this review, tell me about them in the comments below.

What Makes an Effective Fantasy Football Draft Kit

In fantasy football, it’s challenging to develop a significant advantage when you rely on the same public data that your opponents are consuming. Routinely, the best owners in this scenario are the ones who act the fastest.

But the best fantasy football draft kits go way deeper than standard cheat sheets and projections. They identify obscure (but actionable) metrics that your average owner will never see.

I’m talking about the metrics and fantasy tools that will help you identify diamonds in the rough, increasing your odds of having a dominant fantasy draft. As as we all know, a successful draft is the key to a productive season.

A good draft kit mixes standard and innovative features

All fantasy football draft kits provide some level of baseline functionality that owners have come to expect. For instance, every kit will include custom cheat sheets that are adaptable to various league types (Standard, PPR, etc.).

But what separates the best draft kits from basic draft preparation packages are unique insights that help you identify the diamonds in the rough.

Many 2018 leagues were won by owners who selected lesser-known players like Patrick Mahomes and avoided big-name disasters like Le’Veon Bell. And kit creators like the Fantasy Footballers were able to make these calls.

If you’re strictly looking for assistance during your draft, check out my list of the top fantasy football software. There you’ll find programs that provide tips and player insights to ensure you draft the best player possible.

Insightful features for draft preparation and assistance

Fantasy football is essentially a data war. The victors have access to the best information and tools. And they use them effectively.

In addition to containing more in-depth analytics and interactive tools, next-level kits help you:

• Efficiently prepare for your draft in less time
• Develop an intelligent draft strategy
• Make informed picks during your draft
• Find diamonds in the rough
• Evaluate your final roster after a draft

The keys to finding a draft kit that speaks to you

Before you consider purchasing a draft kit, think about the type of media you typically consume. Your learning style, research schedule, and media preferences make some types of content easier to consume and than others.

Are you someone who likes to start with free spreadsheet templates and develop your own projections? Do you prefer audio content that you can listen to on your drive to work? Maybe you’d rather sit down and watch a video library that features highlights and in-game performances.

Each fantasy football draft kit has content channels where it excels and others where it falls flat. It’s essential to purchase a kit that fits your research habits.

Know thyself, young baller.

Evaluating draft kit pricing and refund policies

It may not make sense to splurge for a premium draft kit if you play in a free league. That is unless bragging rights are a driving force in your league (they are in mine)!

Luckily, most kits are very affordable. And in my opinion, are well worth the small investment.

The most common kit pricing structures

Draft kit developers sell their services using either a one-time purchase or subscription-based model. Each of these has its pros and cons.

A one-time purchase is typically more expensive than a single month of a subscription-based service. Also, the product tends to become irrelevant much faster.

But you don’t have to remember to cancel your membership with a one-time purchase, as there is no agreement for recurring payment.

Subscription-based kits can start to get over expensive if you keep them active for a long time. But monthly they are insanely inexpensive (as little as $2.99 if you sign-up for an entire year).

Refunds are rare, so choose your kit wisely

Some fantasy football draft kits come with a money-back guarantee or limited refund policy. But be aware that these policies are unusual.

It’s just too easy for owners to use a kit to prep for a draft, then claim they weren’t satisfied with the results. If you follow my advice in picking a draft kit, this should be a non-issue.