| Drafting Tips for the Rookie Coach |
By Dan Grogan
Pre-Draft Preparation
Have a clear understanding of your league's rules: how players score points, starting lineup requirements and how the waiver wire works. This basic information will help you formulate a draft plan of when to take certain positions.
Ask your commissioner for a copy of last year's draft - the selections round by round. You'll gain a good appreciation of how quickly running backs fly off the board, when defenses get selected and when kickers begin to go.
Draft Day
Take some chances. That said, don't go hog wild, but nobody wins in fantasy football by playing it safe.
Avoid overloading your fantasy team with players from the same NFL team. If they have a bad day, so will you.
Watch the bye weeks. If half your team is off because of a bye, you can say bye-bye to a victory.
Although defenses often are high scorers, it doesn't mean they should be drafted early.
Use the first six rounds to build the core of your team. That is, 2-3 RBs, 2-3 WRs and 0-1 QB.
Learn how to "read" the draft. This works best if you're drafting on either of the ends. Before you make your pick, have an idea of the needs of the owners drafting before your following pick. If you're thinking TE with your selection, but most of the others already have a TE, take a gamble with another position. There's a good chance your TE will still be there on for you.
Don't draft alone. Have a co-owner or helper with you on draft day. It's hectic making decisions while tracking who the other owners are drafting.
You won't have any time for research during the draft. At most, you'll have a few minutes between your picks so there's virtually no time to be flipping through pages of a draft guide. Your cheatsheet should be all you need on draft day
If your league doesn't use a draft board, make a grid with the appropriate number of rounds and teams. Tracking which team took which player will tell you their future needs and help you make wiser decisions.
As your pick approaches, think in terms of a group of players you might want as opposed to being focused on a single guy. There's nothing to send you into a panic like hearing the words, "You're on the clock" right after the player you wanted was just taken.
When the Season Starts
Work the waiver wire like mad and have the mindset that you can never improve your team enough. Play defense too. If the situation arises, grab a good player even if you don't need him. Why let a gem fall into the hands of a competitor?
Watch out for the bye weeks. This is like telling someone to breathe, but don't make the mistake of starting a guy who's sitting.
If you're playing on-line, don't wait until Sunday morning to put a starting lineup. Put one in earlier in the week; you can always change it. You just never know what could come up later to cause you to miss the deadline.
Post-Season
Take advantage of your bragging rights after winning the championship. Never stop letting your competition know how much you enjoyed kicking their butts!
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