The Do’s and Dont’s

Welcome to another week of Fantasy 101. Now, if you are like me you have scheduled your draft for about a week from now. Which means I have time to get one more blog of tips in before I go with my pre-draft sleepers for each position. This last week is a great chance to really figure out the middle of your draft, because as has been established the first 3 rounds is when you will be getting your top shelf players.

My first piece of advice is DO NOT TELL YOUR FELLOW DRAFTEES WHO YOU PLAN ON DRAFTING. This one could almost go without saying, but I have seen it happen where someone showed a bit of his hand to a friend and that friend then snaked the pick from him. The only time that I would say that there is an exception to this rule is in the 1^st round with guys who are drafting after you, although even then you have to trust that they won’t sell you out to those in front of you.

Next, do not let prejudices keep you from picking up a stud player. Yes, we all have our favorite teams and equally our least favorite teams, but if you let that stand in the way of picking up a particular player then you are in for a long season. At the same time just because that player from your favorite team is available doesn’t mean you should overlook the better player that is also still on the board. I know that this can be a tough balancing act between your loyalty to your team and your desire to win your league and the best I can say is that the longer you play, the better you get at being able to balance it.

Do not load up with players from one team. This is the easiest way to get into trouble in any given week. When you have too many players from one team, it becomes too easy to find yourself on the outside looking in at the end of the season. I would say the most you want from any one team is 3 players and 2 of those should be QB and WR because of the possibilities of getting 12 points for one TD. More than that and you risk your season.

Make sure that you have energy for your draft. When you have a live draft with your friends it can take a while. It is easy to start losing focus in the later rounds once people are not as sure of who they want to pick. It is also easy to then make a poor decision because you just want to hurry up and end it. I personally recommend an energy drink with a red label from any brand. It will keep you alert and help you make it through the process.

Another important piece of advice is know when the bye weeks of each player before you draft. If you draft 2 stud quarterbacks who have the same bye week, then when that week comes you are either going to have to drop a player or concede the loss. Most publications have the bye weeks next to the player to help you avoid this problem.

Finally, have fun. Our yearly draft is the one day when everyone is able to get together at one time. In my league we meet for breakfast before our draft and are able to joke around and remember that ultimately have a good time. If you aren’t having fun, you shouldn’t be playing. At the end of the day no matter what I have involved in the outcome I have fun, it’s a great way for me to become invested in other games and to bond with my friends. Until next week.

erik@bobcatfans.com