1) Don't play favorites or hate your rivals if you want to win! This is fantasy football and to win you cannot restrict yourself to one team's player only or eliminate the other teams in your favorite division just because they are rivals. It does not mean you have to draft them just that they need to be at the right place (value) to be drafted. Say you love Denver and want Peyton Manning. Fine but do not take him in the first four rounds when A Rodgers, Brees, Brady and Newton are going. Instead wait until the 5th round when QBs like Romo and Rivres should be coming off the board and draft him then if you think he is going to recover and go on to a great year (I think so too!). Likewise, do not shun division rival OAK and C Palmer, D McFadden and DHB, D, Moore simply because they play for the Silver and Black. Don;t draft them where they should be, avoid them and pick them up if they are still available a round later. That way you are more than likely to not draft them but if you do it should be at a great value draft wise. Of course, I never downgrade or upgrade any player due to my favorite teams. Why because I want to WIN!
2) Know the rules-Sounds simply, but many league owners do not know all the nuances of their league rules. Most know the basics
-how many rounds is the draft? (# players drafted)
-What are the starters? (Positions and number at each who start for your FF team each week). often this is in terms of QB/RB/WR/TE/K/Team DEF so 1/2/2/1/1/1. Other leagues start 3 WRs so 1/2/3/1/1/1 and still others add a flex player who can be either a RB, WR or TE (1/2/2/1/1/1+1 Flex (R/W/T)
-What are the scoring rules?
--Is a passing TD worth 4 or 6 Pts
--Are yards given points (typically 1 pt per 10 yds rushing/rec and 20 or 25 yds passing)
--Do receptions get any points (called PPR leagues for Point Per Reception these leagues award 1 Pt per catch to RB, WR and TE. The FFPC awards 1.5 pts to TE per catch
3) Track the draft. You do not have to write players names in on a draft tracker but do track who has taken a QB, TE, K , DEF and who has how many RB and WRs. See my first book Fantasy Football Guidebook for a sample draft tracker and ways to use it. One example is if you have the 10th pick and need a QB but look on your draft tracker and notice that teams 11 and 12 who will draft twice after you in the 7th and 8th rounds already have their QB. Why pick a QB in the 7th when you can wait and get the same one in all likelihood in the 8th round after those teams have picked twice. Grab an extra RB or WR in the 7th and then your QB in the 8th. I see teams not draft smartly all the time (even in the big money leagues) simply because they are not tracking the draft.
4) Know of and avoid injuries, suspensions, holdouts and retired players. You have to make sure that cheat sheet you use is current. If it came from a magazine or Fantasy Football Almanac 2012 it needs to be updated with the current information right before the draft.
5) Draft safe early and take risks late. Your first 8-9 picks need to be the money makers on your FF team. I.e the starting RBs, WRS, TE and QB plus a strong backup at RB and WR for bye weeks, injuries, bad match ups etc. But one or two of those nine picks will bust or fall prey to injuries or other circumstances. With that in mind you cannot afford to take any risks early because if you do and the risky player fails too that is enough to cripple your team for the season. We do not know what weeks 6-11 will bring but we have a good sense of weeks 1-5 by what condition the players are in before the draft. Do not draft a suspended Marshawn Lynch in the early part of the draft because combined with some other busts your team will not have a chance to recover. Instead to chances late in the draft...on sleepers like.....MORE in ANOTHER BLOG
2) Know the rules-Sounds simply, but many league owners do not know all the nuances of their league rules. Most know the basics
-how many rounds is the draft? (# players drafted)
-What are the starters? (Positions and number at each who start for your FF team each week). often this is in terms of QB/RB/WR/TE/K/Team DEF so 1/2/2/1/1/1. Other leagues start 3 WRs so 1/2/3/1/1/1 and still others add a flex player who can be either a RB, WR or TE (1/2/2/1/1/1+1 Flex (R/W/T)
-What are the scoring rules?
--Is a passing TD worth 4 or 6 Pts
--Are yards given points (typically 1 pt per 10 yds rushing/rec and 20 or 25 yds passing)
--Do receptions get any points (called PPR leagues for Point Per Reception these leagues award 1 Pt per catch to RB, WR and TE. The FFPC awards 1.5 pts to TE per catch
3) Track the draft. You do not have to write players names in on a draft tracker but do track who has taken a QB, TE, K , DEF and who has how many RB and WRs. See my first book Fantasy Football Guidebook for a sample draft tracker and ways to use it. One example is if you have the 10th pick and need a QB but look on your draft tracker and notice that teams 11 and 12 who will draft twice after you in the 7th and 8th rounds already have their QB. Why pick a QB in the 7th when you can wait and get the same one in all likelihood in the 8th round after those teams have picked twice. Grab an extra RB or WR in the 7th and then your QB in the 8th. I see teams not draft smartly all the time (even in the big money leagues) simply because they are not tracking the draft.
4) Know of and avoid injuries, suspensions, holdouts and retired players. You have to make sure that cheat sheet you use is current. If it came from a magazine or Fantasy Football Almanac 2012 it needs to be updated with the current information right before the draft.
5) Draft safe early and take risks late. Your first 8-9 picks need to be the money makers on your FF team. I.e the starting RBs, WRS, TE and QB plus a strong backup at RB and WR for bye weeks, injuries, bad match ups etc. But one or two of those nine picks will bust or fall prey to injuries or other circumstances. With that in mind you cannot afford to take any risks early because if you do and the risky player fails too that is enough to cripple your team for the season. We do not know what weeks 6-11 will bring but we have a good sense of weeks 1-5 by what condition the players are in before the draft. Do not draft a suspended Marshawn Lynch in the early part of the draft because combined with some other busts your team will not have a chance to recover. Instead to chances late in the draft...on sleepers like.....MORE in ANOTHER BLOG
See more rankings in Fantasy Football Almanac 2012 out now!
Fantasy Football Guidebook (2nd Edition): Your Comprehensive Guide to Playing Fantasy Football ($19.95) http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428650
Fantasy Football Tips: 201 Ways to Win through Player Rankings, Cheat Sheets and Better Drafting ($10.95) www.amazon.com/dp/0982428669
Fantasy Football Basics: The Ultimate "How to" Guide for Beginners available ($10.95) at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428634
Fantasy Baseball for Beginners: The Ultimate "How-to" Guide ($10.95) www.amazon.com/dp/0982428693
Fantasy Football (Soccer to Yanks): The Ultimate "How-to" Guide for Fantasy Football/Fantasy Soccer ($14.95) http://www.amazon.com/dp/1936635011
Fantasy Hockey: The Ultimate "How-to" Guide for Fantasy Hockey Players ($14.95) www.amazon.com/dp/1936635100
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