Draft Day Is Almost Here
Fantasy Football drafts are right around the corner for most owners. Whether your league is dynasty or redraft, draft day is one of the most exciting days of the year for owners. That is until you make any of the following draft mistakes.
Here are 10 mistakes commonly made on draft day, that ruin a fantasy owner’s chances of winning.
#1 – Lack of Preparation
This is the most common mistake made by fantasy owners every year. They don’t prepare for draft day. Drafting a quality fantasy team is much more that just a one day event. It takes weeks of preparation to have everything you need. Mock drafting, creating cheat sheets and knowing injury updates are just part of the preparation process. Preparation also includes doing your homework on league settings and scoring system. Understanding your league is key to knowing who and how to draft.
#2 – No Draft Strategy
Every great owner comes to draft with a strategy. Are you planning to draft based on tiers? Are you going to draft running back or wide receiver heavy? Is this the year to stream the quarterback and tight end position? Before draft day you need to have these questions answered in your head. What positions or players are you targeting in certain rounds? Have a draft strategy.
#3 – Panic and Abort
Maybe you missed checking off some taken players or the guy you wanted was taken right in front of you. Regardless of the reason, panic overtakes owners and they abandon strategy. It’s OK to alter plans based on how your draft is going, but don’t completely go rogue. This is the easiest mistake to make and it happens to almost every draft novice. By the time draft day is over, owner remorse will hit you hard. You’ll wonder why you drafted 8 wide receivers, there’s a dollar missing off the nightstand and your daughters knocked up. I’ve seen it happen a million times.
#4 – Being a Homer
Don’t be the owner that needs to have every player from your favorite team on your roster. An example of this would be a New York Giants fan not getting Odell Beckham so they reach really early to get Brandon Marshall just to have a receiver on their roster from their favorite team. It’s OK to be a fan, but until my favorite team sends me a Super Bowl ring, my fantasy team comes first.
#5 – Being a Hater
Opposite of being a homer, is being a hater. Don’t avoid good players just because of personal feelings. I know a lot of owners who will never draft Tom Brady because of their personal hatred toward him. Check your feelings at the door on draft day. All is fair in love and Fantasy Football.
#6 – Building Around Bye Weeks
Do not draft your team worried about bye weeks, especially late season byes. Of the top 50 players this year, 32 of them have a bye between weeks 8 and 11. Do not let this discourage you from picking the guy you want. Typically, by week 8, a lot of changes happen in fantasy football. Guys get hurt, trades happen, and the waiver wire gets hot. Don’t let late bye weeks dictate your draft.
Disclaimer: I would pay attention to week 5 byes.
#7 – Drafting and Afraid
One of the toughest things to do in fantasy football is to block out the haters. Every league has them, at least the fun ones. Those guys at draft that try to play psychological war games with your before and after every pick. They will pressure you into making a bad pick or passing on a guy you really like because “they” don’t think its a good pick. Block these people out. Don’t draft scared. Scared to be wrong or ridiculed. If you like a guy, regardless of where other people have him, pull the trigger. If your research suggests Mike Evans will have a better year than Julio Jones, go for it.
#8 – Following The Rush
This is the most common mistake I see fantasy owners do. It’s also the most common reason to make mistake #3. Just because a run of a certain position happens, that doesn’t mean you need to panic. As mentioned, don’t panic and abandon your strategy. If you are like me and you use the tiered player strategy, you will always have players available. Let the rest of the league go crazy with that first run of QB. Stay calm and stick to the plan.
#9 – Not Knowing League Tendencies
A smart fantasy player knows his league mates and their tendencies. This goes back to draft strategy and preparation. If you can identify owners in your league that typically fall victim to any of the above mistakes this is an advantage. Not knowing tendencies and weaknesses will put you at a disadvantage with other owners, especially if they know yours. Fantasy football drafting is like poker, you need to keep a straight face, have no tells and never let anyone know your strategy. All while figuring out what you think the other owners are going to do.
#10 – Not Reading The Draft Board
Can you wait another round on the position you really want? This is determined by knowing your league mates and reading the draft board. Too many time owners are not looking at what the guys drafting before and after them already have. Looking at all of the teams and knowing what they are in need of you can help determine when its time for you to pull the trigger on a guy. If all the owners in your league have already drafted a quarterback by the 10th round, you know you can wait and continue with other positions for a few more rounds.
Enjoy draft this year and remember to listen to The Point After Show: Fantasy Advantage Podcast on iTunes and Sound Cloud this year for all your fantasy news and advise. Hopefully this article helped you think about things before drafting this year. Finally, remember the most important mistake of all, friends don’t let friends draft drunk, but other owners encourage it.
Good luck and kick ass!
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