Draft Day Battle Plan
The most glorious fantasy day of the year has finally arrived. Eight months of trash talking, late night Sportscenter watching, watching free agents change coasts, and more trash talking has led up to this day. If NFL Draft day is football Christmas, fantasy football draft day is your football birthday party, and you are turning 21 every year. The brats are on the grill, the beer is on ice, the cheat sheets are in tow, the football is being tossed around in the front yard, and the big draft board is ready to go. So what kinds of things can you do on draft day to give your team an advantage? Here’s a short list of tips and tricks that just may help you along.
· Easy on the barley pops! Studies show that drinking alcohol in excess makes you stupid for a brief period of time. If you have eight beers before the draft begins, chances are that you are going to make a mistake during the draft. There is nothing more annoying than an owner drafting Fred Taylor four rounds after he was picked, and most of the time that owner is too drunk or preoccupied to know exactly what he/she is doing.
· Distractions play to your advantage! I read in a magazine once that bringing pornography to a draft is a great diversion. It might be if you are the only woman in an all male league. While porno may not be your cup o’ tea, the distraction it brings could certainly give you an edge. Other notable distractions are football games on TV, Van Halen, food, children and significant others.
· Know your strategy! If you have mocked your socks off, and you know who may be available in round one, you are way ahead of the game. But do you know what position you would want to take in rounds two through seven? Having a plan for when you might take a flyer on that sleeper receiver, or what round is the proper place to take your backup QB and your defense, is invaluable.
· Remain calm during runs! Every draft has the crazy run on tight ends, kickers and defenses. Unless you are on the front end of the wagon, don’t hop on! When everyone is spending picks on the fifth or sixth best option at a position, use that time to solidify your bench. Take that sleeper player, take the best available player on your board, or start the next run. If everyone is on the defense run, take the best kicker!
· Try to look like you are having fun! Even if you are getting your butt whooped, and you are completely stressed about screwing up rounds three, six and seven, keep your poker face. You can easily fix some poor early rounds with solid drafting in the late rounds, but only if you stay calm.
