Fantasy leagues, in my opinion, tend to overemphasize running backs. But they’re running a contest at Draft Sharks that corrects a lot of those issues. With their scoring system, you tend to get more balance in the early rounds.

To help along quarterbacks, they’ve got a “superflex” postion, giving teams the option to start two quarterbacks. That juices up the demand for the players who are the marque faces of the game.

They also award an extra half point per reception for tight ends, giving them additional value. And to further complicate the math, there’s also a traditional flex spot, allowing teams to potentially start five wide receivers versus only two running backs. (Or to start two of those tight ends who are getting an extra half point per reception.)

With these different dynamics, you see a lot more varied thinking in the early rounds, with all four positions getting consideration, rather than everyone simply queuing up to select the best available running back.

I had the 11th pick of the draft, yet was still able to select two of the top three running backs on my board. That would never happen in a traditional format.

In the draft I participated in, the first three rounds including 16 quarterbacks, 9 running backs, 4 tight ends and 7 wide receivers. That’s a different (and I think better) player mix than what you typically see in a traditional draft. It’s the quarterbacks who dominate the real-life game, with the contracts worth $200-plus million, so appropriate in my eyes to see those guys being picked in the early rounds.

It was a weird draft for me; not at all what I expected. I spent a couple hours putting together my draft plan. I meshed my own player rankings into what I thought would happen (using the drafts from the previous two seasons of this competiton, I created a list showing which positions likely would be selected in each draft slot – giving an idea of when to move on quarterbacks, tight ends, etc.)

Last year I did well by selecting quarterbacks in the third and fourth rounds (Stafford, Cousins), and figured that would be a possibility again. Sitting at the 11th spot I figured I’d take a quarterback there if one of my top 4 was available – maybe Justin Herbert but more likely Joe Burrow.

But the draft model was quickly blown up, with me being placed into more of a quarterback-hungry group. Eight of the first 10 picks were on that position, leaving me with Matthew Stafford, Dak Prescott and Russell Wilson if I want to get into that game.

But three of my top 4 overall players, remarkably, were sitting there available. Guys I had never given much thought to. Travis Kelce (extra half point per reception) was my No. 2 overall, but I passed on him. I’m a little worried about his age, but more notably believed there would probably be a good tight end value available later.

Cooper Kupp was there, and perhaps I should have selected him. But with Matthew Stafford’s elbow issues, I decided to instead to go with Justin Jefferson. It’s a decision that needed to be made in under 60 seconds, and I just went with it – safer pick, maybe. After Kupp and JaMarr Chase went with the next two picks, that left me mulling between Kelce and Austin Ekeler. Kelce was higher on my board, but I went with Ekeler – hoping it would get me out of being painted into a corner at running back in the middle rounds.

When we got to the end of the third, all of the good quarterbacks were gone, including Cousins, Carr and even Trey Lance. Even Justin Fields was taken. So there would be no duplicating of the double quarterbacks in that area that had worked well for me last year. But my No. 3 running back, Najee Harris, was still there. So I grabbed him. I came into this draft thinking I’d be one of the last to select a running back but instead went the opposite route.

Next two picks were both on quarterbacks: Matt Ryan and Mac Jones. Neither is a standout, but both look likely to be 17-game starters. I did well last year in part because I had every-week starters at quarterback: Stafford, Carr, Cousins, and later-round pick on Garoppolo (with two of those four counting each week). This current group (including Carson Wentz) isn’t as good, but that was the feel I was going for.

We picked 300 players, by the way, but I would have liked to have picked one more. I think I should have chosen Taylor Heinicke, giving me a better chance of getting 17 quarterback starts out of Washington.

Dalton Schultz, in the sixth round, is my main tight end, and the math works out on that. Using my projected stats, Schultz and Justin Jefferson should give me a little more production than the alternate reality of selecting Kelce in the first round and following that in the sixth with someone like Allen Robinson, Mike Williams or Jerry Jeudy.

With wide receivers, I went after some hyped players – guys who have been talked about multiple times at training camp. Brandon Aiyuk is supposedly looking really good in San Francisco. I picked him at 8.11. Isaiah McKenzie has been playing well for the Bills; I took him at 14.02. That might have been two or four rounds early (I have no idea what others think of him) but I didn’t want to lose him. I delayed selecting Amon-Ra St. Brown last year in this league, and it might have cost me the overall title.

I used my pair of picks at 15.11 and 16.02 on the two Green Bay rookies, Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs. I like them more than the veterans there (Watkins/Cobb). Aaron Rodgers keeps talking about Doubs. I have already committed to Allen Lazard as a starter in my league, so I thought it made sense to add two more Packers. Maybe Lazard gets hurt. If there’s weeks where he doesn’t score, it would be more likely somebody else on that team does (best-ball format).

Nyheim Hines at 11.11. He’s on every team I’ve picked, I think. He’ll catch a bunch of balls. The only running back in the league who’s played in all 65 games over the last four years.

I went earlier than I wanted with Isaiah Spiller (13.11). But that’s an important position for me. If something happens to Ekeler, I’ll need that backup. And at the software we were using, Spiller was showing as the best-available running back, making it seem unlikely he’d last another 20 picks. I used my last pick on another Chargers backup, Joshua Kelley (if Spiller isn’t the No. 2 there, then perhaps Kelley will be).

Regret: I figured I’d select Eno Benjamin. He went at 19.07, four spots before I would have grabbed him.

I’ve got good depth at tight end, with four others in addition to Dalton Schultz. Keep in mind there’s a double flex in this league, and with the extra half point for tight ends. I’m figuring those guys will land in the flex some, making things easier for the backs and receivers.

Draftsharks.com is running a 72-team invitational, with teams divided into six leagues. It’s a best-ball format.

To hear the the accompanying play-by-play of the draft I participated in on Friday night, click here. A few of the team owners hopped onto the podcast. That was an option for everyone, but I didn’t get in on that. Trying to track the flow of the draft and with a one-minute clock, I wanted to be ready when it was my turn to pick.

—Ian Allan