The Draft

Draft day is more exciting to most Fantasy Owners than Christmas. We look forward to it like 6 graders look forward to the last day of school. We are absolutely irrational in our focus on that day. There's so much that can be said about this mass psychosis and someone looking to make millions in pop psychology should write a book about it. But for our purposes, we'll just examine what goes on and let someone else psychoanalyze it later. There are things you'll need to bring to the draft. Actually, if you can host the draft do it. There is such a thing as homefield advantage so volunteer for this if you can. If you host it, you don't have to worry about forgetting something. It is considered bad form, however, to nag and pester the other owners about feet on the coffee table and no drinks in the living room, and don't use those towels. Your home will be besieged by a horde of marauding Vandals. Drinks will get spilled. Don't host it if your house is not buffoon proof.

On draft day, you'll want to wear your favorite team's jersey, or hat, or helmet, or mascot costume. The sky is the limit here. You could show up in just any old thing that you grab out of the laundry hamper too but it adds to the party atmosphere if you, wearing your Peyton Manning jersey are sitting next to someone else wearing an Aaron Rodgers jersey. You can go old school with this too and show up in a Dan Marino jersey. That'll show your long time love and respect for the game. BUT, be prepared to talk about Marino's best game and what a crying shame it is he never won a Superbowl. You don't want get caught faking your way through this. The most sure-fire bet would be to get the jersey of any of players listed at the top of the cheatsheet.

Bring some food. Nachos and wings are a solid choices. Petit-fours and Lady Fingers, not so much. A 2 liter of your favorite soda is absolutely required. I'm in a league with my church buddies so we don't do beer but if you're in a league with drinkers, don't be the only one to show up without some. The goal here is not for everyone to get hammered-this is not a party, its a draft. In fact, not a whole lot drinking actually happens during the draft. Everyone is trying to stay sharp. You'll probably bring most of it back home with you.

You'll also want to have your team name ready for this day too. I keep my team name under wraps until the last possible moment and then unveil it with great ceremony. I do this because I'm a ham and just have to milk the spotlight when I get the chance. Most people use some kind of macho rendering of their names, "Mark's Madness," "Perkins Pirates," "Bad News Bags" (his name is Bagley). Some people use some variation of their favorite football team ie "Bronkomaniacs," "Mikey's Chiefs." I think those all lack style so I usually come up with something really out there. Last year, I went 12 and 4 with "Dogs Playing Poker." This year, I went with a reverse and chose "My Little Pony." It was the least macho, most girlie name I could think of. I chose it so when I win, Perkins Pirates has to tell everyone he lost to My Little Pony. It adds an extra measure of humiliation for my opponents.

Bring either a list of specific players or a strategy for position choices. Some guys show up with their dream list of each player they'd love to have for each position. This plan typically disintegrates in the first round because someone else will want those same players. So along with their list of ideal players, they also bring 2nd and 3rd choices for each position. Plans like this have been known to survive through the 2nd round but once again, if you have them on your list, then so does everyone else. A better plan is a drafting strategy.

Using a drafting order strategy has two advantages. It will help you build a better team and keep you from "falling in love" with one player and possibly having your season ruined when they tear their ACL on the first carry of the game. Secondly, it will save you the hassle of memorizing statistics about each player. So if someone were to ask you who would you take in Round 1, you could respond with: "I'm gonna grab the best Running Back, depending on my draft order." This will also give you the appearance of being savvy and cagey. It shows you know enough to know which position has the greatest value and shows you know better than to tell someone else who you really want. They may just be asking you so they'll know which player to draft before you have a chance to. League winners show up on draft days with two or three must-haves. These are players they will grab in the first round if they are available. The highest ranked RB is usually the first player selected. So, now that the season has started and the draft is over, if you were just wanting to break the ice and get a conversation started, you could ask "So who'd you take in round 1?" This should be all that's needed to get the conversation going. From this point on, just nod and smile along with everybody else.

To help you prepare for your draft, use the following drafting order strategy and participate in a mock draft at this link:Mock Draft. This is a free service, DON'T spend any money or give them any financial information. Just register and log in so you can use the mock draft tool. Draft your players according to this list of positions. Just select the highest ranked player available at the position you are drafting for. Here's your drafting order strategy:

RB
RB
QB
RB
WR
TE
RB
WR
QB
Def
WR
WR
TE
Def
PK

Use your cheat sheet from "The Basics" post to help you select the highest ranked player at each position when it's your turn to pick in each round. In preparation for draft day, many owners will tinker with their strategy and participate in about 5-10 mock drafts first. Have fun.