I know today is draft day for many fantasy football leagues. Or maybe you just had your draft and are starting to feel out some trade offers. The preseason is actually when many trades occur, so the same principles that
I know today is draft day for many fantasy football leagues. Or maybe you just had your draft and are starting to feel out some trade offers. The preseason is actually when many trades occur, so the same principles that go into drafting should be applied to dealing.
Everyone already has their cheat sheets and magazines, so I’ll stay away from just standard player rankings. Let’s all do some critical thinking together, shall we?
I see some eye-rolling.
Anyway, here is some last-minute advice for those of you still heading into the war room, or some solid tips for those of you evaluating your teams.
Do not overpay for a
handcuff.
A “handcuff” is a backup to one of your stars, so if you lose a top dog to injury, you have his replacement ready and waiting. It’s a nice luxury on a deep bench, but it also usually eats up a valuable roster spot.
Yes, Minnesota’s Chester Taylor is a good running back and, heaven forbid, if anything were to happen to Adrian Peterson, he would probably put up decent numbers in his absence.
But if you’re lucky enough to have Peterson, there is no need to reach or overpay to stash Taylor at the end of your bench. Unless you get stung by the injury bug to an unprecented degree, you will never start both of them at the same time. So why go out of your way to take a weekly inactive player?
The truth is, you should have a better backup option to your top guys than just their own backups. So draft the best guys who will have the most opportunities. Forget their uniforms.
Look at bye weeks, but go against the grain.
Lots of owners will avoid having multiple players with the same bye week, fearing that they will be completely depleted in that week’s matchup. And they’re right.
But maybe that’s a good thing.
If you run into a situation where five starters are all off the same week, guess what? All five will be available every other week. This shouldn’t be something to necessarily avoid.
I don’t think limiting yourself to a handful of teams to draft from because they all have the same bye week is the right play, but don’t shy away from guys because of a bye week. It may end up creating an advantage for you.
Sleepers are sleepers
because they are sleepers.
That may be the most abstract sentence I’ve ever written.
Jay-Z once wrote “You know why they call a project a ‘project?’ Because it’s a project.”
Same principle applies here. A sleeper is someone that you get in later rounds who gives the same production as guys taken in earlier rounds. So if you continue to grab your so-called “sleepers” three rounds before anyone else would have even thought to take them, they’re not “sleepers” anymore, are they?
Always have guys in mind that you think are undervalued and figure out where they are likely to go in your draft. Then swoop in just a tad early and grab them.
Some smaller pieces of advice:
Keep potassium levels high.
Cramping is an underrated aspect of draft day. A few bananas will keep you limber and loose.
Stay hydrated.
Dehydration is a well-known cause of wayward thinking and brain malfunction. Don’t let it happen to you.
Funny trumps all.
OK, maybe you aren’t too happy with the way your team is turning out. Instead of sulking in the corner, spring into action with one-liners. Did somebody just take Brett Favre in the eighth round? He’s old, grizzled and his flip-flopping has made him about as believable as the phrase “Oscar-winner Vin Diesel.” Lots to work with there.
You get the idea. A funny owner with a stinky team is still the life of every draft. If that suits you, don’t run from it.
Hopefully these tools will keep you in good spirits and able to put together a team you like. If not, well, basketball season is only a few months away.
