August 24, 2002
I�m not quite when this phenomenon started, but since its inception it has grown by leaps and bounds. And by no means is this "vice" or "hobby" restricted to the male of the species. On the contrary, I have been witness to some females of the species who were quite adept and downright ruthless in their pursuit of a championship.
I used the words "vice" and "hobby" because that is what Fantasy Football is � a way for men & women to enjoy their free time by doing something they love. Isn�t that what a hobby should be?
Let�s start with the Draft. All owners converge on a predetermined location at a predetermined time & date. Food & beverage are supplied and the carnage begins. And you eat a little too.
The best part of the Draft? � Making fun of another owner�s bone-headed pick! Course what goes around comes around. But that�s okay. The other owners can laugh all they want. You did your homework and you are quite happy with your team.
The Draft may be the single most important part of a successful season. What happens at the Draft probably accounts for 75% of the ultimate success or failure of any given Fantasy Football Team.
Yes, you can pick up Free Agents or make trades during the season, but� the level at which you will or will not need to modify your roster during the season will be contingent on how successful your draft was.
But which players should you select? Which positions should you go for early in the Draft? What players or better still, (NFL) Teams should you avoid?
All very good questions.
I promise to answer these and many more in the near future.
In the meantime, here�s some tips on how to prepare properly for the Draft.
Log on to one of the sites I recommended and sign-up for the free-email alerts. Yes, some are only free prior to the season starts, but you can still gain some valuable knowledge as you head into your Draft. And if you can, keep the email alerts coming during the season and you can really gain an advantage over your opponents.
Check other sites, too. By no means restrict yourself to checking one site. The trick is to find some that think the way you do. By that I mean, if you have a distinct draft strategy planned, try to find a site that has similar thought processes in evaluating talent as you do.
Buy a Fantasy Football magazine, BUT BUY ONLY ONE! Take it from someone who, in the past, has bought upwards of 5 magazines to prepare for the Draft! Besides making your wife mad at you for spending all that money, you will confuse the heck out of yourself! How? Easy. You will have many different opinions and advice from the "so-called" experts that you will then need to decipher and come to some conclusions from. By the time the Draft rolls around, your head will be spinning! So stick with one book � often times the site(s) you like, will also publish a magazine.
Stick to your guns. If you know in your head AND heart whom you want on your roster, then stay the course and don�t let anyone talk you out of it. Right, wrong or indifferent, it�s still ultimately your decision. So stand your ground!
Last but certainly not least. This may be the most-overlooked thing when it comes to Fantasy Football. And that is this: Don�t ever forget that all of the sites you read and all of the magazines you read and all the email updates you read and so on are just one person�s opinion. Take them as you will. Remember, the only difference between the majority of the "experts" and you is they have a vehicle to promote their opinion. On their site, in their magazine, etc. You could be an "expert" too if you promoted yourself that way.