I used VBD for the 1st time this year (1 Viewer)

[Wingnut]

This is my 9th year in FF, and after reading about VBD for the last five years, I finally decided to stop thinking I was smarter than everyone else and give VBD a try (no one else in my league uses it that I know of). I only have 2 FF bowl appearances in 9 years, and lost them both (although Ive only missed the playoffs 3 of 9 years), so there was definately room for improvement.So this year, I figured that I had to change my approach. I thought "Whats the worst thing that can happen? I end another year without a championship?" Enter VBD. I read up on VBD, DVBD, etc etc....did ALL my own projections for every position....read every thrad known to man on the subject....came up with a solid but different strategy....and went for it.After 10 weeks, looking back, Id say VBD is one of the main reasons Im #1 in points, 2nd best record in the league, and one of 2 powerhouse teams in my league right now.I feel Ive smoked everyone on the waiver wire this year without ever being higher than 5th in the order, and have made crafty moves and trades to keep my team competitive after Walkers injury, etc...so team management has alot to do with it, as does luck, but if not for VBD, I dont think I would have drafted as well as I did. I never had exact dropoff numbers in front of me at the draft before, and was afraid to buck trends and runs...but using VBD along with the DD, I was able to really see the draft unfolding and could tell when I could wait on a player to grab better value, and when to deviate from VBD for a round or 2 because of need factor.Color me converted. Ill NEVER draft without using the principles of VBD and Bruces great draft management program again. Its almost unfair.Funny thing is, at my draft this year, when I was the 1st to bring a laptop to the draft, I got a few snickers....my response? "We'll see how many laptops there are next year after I win it all this year!". That shut em all up!Im not counting my chickens yet, but Im one of the top 2 teams, and have a really great shot at winning it all, barring injuries.VBD works. Why didnt I try it years ago when I first read about it? Who cares, Im using it now and lovin life.

 

[Chinchilla]

You should try getting in a real league.

 

[Wingnut]

You should try getting in a real league.

Highly competitive league, $200 entry fee, no creampuffs, but these are all hardcore football fans (and good FF players) that think they dont need VBD. Hell, I never thought I needed to use it. But so far it looks like its paying off.Actually, only 3 other guys in the league use FBGs that I know of. So thay MAY use VBD but they aint telling. Neither am I.

Thanks for adding to the discussion though. 'Preciate it.

 

[Wingnut]

You should try getting in a real league.

Highly competitive league, $200 entry fee, no creampuffs, but these are all hardcore football fans (and good FF players) that think they dont need VBD. Hell, I never thought I needed to use it. But so far it looks like its paying off.Actually, only 3 other guys in the league use FBGs that I know of. So thay MAY use VBD but they aint telling. Neither am I.

Thanks for adding to the discussion though. 'Preciate it.

I wasted that response on member number 19,310?

 

[chet]

VBD is only as good as the projections.Congrats.

 

[shamrock84]

You should try getting in a real league.

 

[Chumpson]

I agree that VBD can help, but you probably have been one of the lucky few in your league that wasn't affected by injuries too much. Let's not forget the luck factor.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

I agree that VBD can help, but you probably have been one of the lucky few in your league that wasn't affected by injuries too much. Let's not forget the luck factor.

Last year was about luck.This year is about skill.

Not coincidentally, I am having a better year this year than last.

 

[themeanmachine]

I VBD as well for the first time this year (with some exceptions), but I really felt that DD was the reason I had a really solid draft. I'm 9-1 now, feeling very confident as we get closer to playoffs (though I've also been fortunate to have very few injuries).Funny that you were the only one at your draft with a laptop - so was I, and I got a little teasing. But nobody laughed when it was all over, we took a look at the teams, and everyone agreed I had the most solid team.

 

[4thAndForever]

I don't see the point in letting a computer run your team for you. Where's the fun in that?

 

[Keys Myaths]

I agree that VBD can help, but you probably have been one of the lucky few in your league that wasn't affected by injuries too much. Let's not forget the luck factor.

Who said he was?Luck+Skill>>Luck

 

[richn]

Call me naive, but what is VBD & DD? What does it entail, and how does it work? does it take individual league scoring into consideration? Thanks.

 

[streamkeeper]

richnsht it takes all of those into account.i agree Wingnut. Vertan player, first time user as well this season. I will nerv draft again w/o this tool.I find it most helpful in follow the flow of the draft. DD gave me a much better picture of what was going on.

 

[shamrock84]

This was my first year using VBD too and I have to say that I really didn't like it. Felt too constricted when it was my turn to pick. Using VBD I didn't feel like I was choosing my team but rather it was chosen for me based on who everybody else picks. Maybe I'm wrong but it just felt uncomfortable for me and I'll be changing back to my own way next year. I'm big on taking 2-3 straight RB studs and that didn't happen with VBD. FWIW, I'm doing the worst I've done in 9 yrs (5-5) but that probably has a lot more to do with my injury problems than anything.

 

[richn]

Does it tell you who to pick, or make suggestions? For me the FF draft is the best part, doesn't it take the fun out of it??

 

[pinequick]

Call me naive, but what is VBD & DD? What does it entail, and how does it work? does it take individual league scoring into consideration? Thanks.

What is VBD?Download the Free versions and have a look. . .

 

[Challenge Everything]

VBD is thrown out the window when a person starts to trade. Waiver pickups can be incorporated during the years as most people have access to each player throughout the year. A simple explanation is that VBD is garbage during the year though and especially if trades are involved. A true VBD league, draft, season would be one with larger roster size, few waiver moves, no trades, and a winning season. Until that happens all VBD can be given success for is a strong draft that "is a well rounded team." VBD would be maximized if those listed parameters above were involved.

 

[dudaman]

It would be helpful to see draft results vs. what your roster looks like now so we could compare. Half the battle is making wise FA pickups and/or trades as well as starting the right guys.I doubt VBD has THAT much impact (a psychological crutch).

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

I agree that VBD can help, but you probably have been one of the lucky few in your league that wasn't affected by injuries too much.  Let's not forget the luck factor.

Last year was about luck.This year is about skill.

Not coincidentally, I am having a better year this year than last.

 

[BassNBrew]

I don't see the point in letting a computer run your team for you. Where's the fun in that?

Spending the winnings???

 

[thesurfshop19]

It seems to me that the principles of VBD are something that everyone uses to some extent in fantasy evaluation.Are we talking about VBD in the strict sense of "the footballguys.com VBD model"?I'd also totally agree that VBD is only as good as the projections in there, and if you have some "wacky" projections you'd also better know a guy's perceived value so you don't overpay for a guy you could have gotten for less or in a later round.Once you're in a league full of people using the same VBD strategy, it's time to go another direction. In the Interboard Challenge league (I was in it for 4 years), you have to go contrarian to really stand out.

 

[Bull Dozier]

Since this seems to be the thread to share personal stories, I'll sumarize our league. There were three laptops at the draft in our ten team league, with myself having one of them. I am 6-4 and leading one division depsite being 6th in the league in scoring. The other two teams that had laptops are both 4-6, but are 3rd and 5th in the league in scoring. I know two other guys without laptops use FBGs, but draft off cheatsheets. One guy is 9-1, #2 in scoring. Another is 5-5, 7th in scoring. One team that is 8-2 and leads the league in scoring drafts off of cheatsheets, but I don't know his source. The guy who came to the draft with some fantasy rag is 3-7, dead last in scoring.Skill isn't everything, but luck doesn't account for it all either.

 

[culdeus]

You should try getting in a real league.

Highly competitive league, $200 entry fee, no creampuffs, but these are all hardcore football fans (and good FF players) that think they dont need VBD. Hell, I never thought I needed to use it. But so far it looks like its paying off.Actually, only 3 other guys in the league use FBGs that I know of. So thay MAY use VBD but they aint telling. Neither am I.

Thanks for adding to the discussion though. 'Preciate it.

I wasted that response on member number 19,310?

10 bucks it's a three-digiter.

 

[culdeus]

VBD is money. Understanding how to change baselines and messing with the often too "last year" oriented projections has led me to 2 1sts, 1 2nd, and 1 3rd. This with major injuries on each team.

 

[Horses Mouth]

care to show us your roster?

 

[theToes]

I used VBD this year also and am currently 2nd in total points and 2nd best recored at 8-2. VBD was definetly a good start but I can't say that has gotten me this far.With only 6 of the original 15 player I drafted still on my team, I would like to think that my WW and trading abilities contributred as well.

 

[Chumpson]

I agree that VBD can help, but you probably have been one of the lucky few in your league that wasn't affected by injuries too much.  Let's not forget the luck factor.

Last year was about luck.This year is about skill.

Not coincidentally, I am having a better year this year than last.

I concur.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

I don't see the point in letting a computer run your team for you. Where's the fun in that?

He said he used his own projections. All the computer is doing is.....well, computing.

 

[Evilgrin 72]

I don't see how you can even draft a competitive team without using VBD in some form. The first year I ever played FF, maybe 12 years ago, I did projections and basically figured out VBD's basic principle on my own; not that you need to be very bright to do so... to wit, how does one look at a set of projections and say.... "well, the top 12 point scorers are all QBs, so I guess QBs will go 1-12...."If you do/did think that, you're an idiot.If you didn't, you used the principles of VBD whether you knew it or not. Everything else is just a matter of quantifying what you surmised and putting it down on paper. The Draft Dominator just takes the concept a step further and does more of the leg work for you. Using it hardly means you're "letting a computer run your team" if you're using it properly.

 

[culdeus]

care to show us your roster?

who? Or is this a shot at a roster sig?

 

[Chinchilla]

VBD is money. Understanding how to change baselines and messing with the often too "last year" oriented projections has led me to 2 1sts, 1 2nd, and 1 3rd. This with major injuries on each team.

You should get in a real league too.

 

[EMoney]

QB value has screwed up every draft I've used VBD in. I always ended up going qb way too early if I followed the VBD system. I don't like that because it always seems to be a constant that qbs are not consistent year to year and are very unpredictable.

 

[culdeus]

VBD is money. Understanding how to change baselines and messing with the often too "last year" oriented projections has led me to 2 1sts, 1 2nd, and 1 3rd. This with major injuries on each team.

You should get in a real league too.

 

[ExaltedOne]

Is this an infomercial?

 

[Gopher State]

You should try playing in a league other then the free Yahoo

 

[Keys Myaths]

VBD is money. Understanding how to change baselines and messing with the often too "last year" oriented projections has led me to 2 1sts, 1 2nd, and 1 3rd. This with major injuries on each team.

You should get in a real league too.

A real league is one that you're in, since you finish last so much?Or is the league you're in not a real league, since you suck at FF so much?

 

[Chinchilla]

VBD is money.  Understanding how to change baselines and messing with the often too "last year" oriented projections has led me to 2 1sts, 1 2nd, and 1 3rd.  This with major injuries on each team.

You should get in a real league too.

A real league is one that you're in, since you finish last so much?Or is the league you're in not a real league, since you suck at FF so much?

bitter much?

 

[Andy Dufresne]

I've heard that chinchilla make lousy bait.

 

[The_Hunchback]

How does DD handle auctions. I mostly do auctions and not the straight draft anymore and as such haven't found the VBD and DD would be very helpfull.

 

[SouthJersey]

VBD is money. Understanding how to change baselines and messing with the often too "last year" oriented projections has led me to 2 1sts, 1 2nd, and 1 3rd. This with major injuries on each team.

I never really understood this part of VBD. Care to elaborate? TIA

 

[Maelstrom]

Here's a true endorsement of both DD (VDB and DVBD) and the FBGs projections.My wife's team (played last year in a freebie Yahoo league, but this is the first year in our league) and the team for a guy that didn't show for the draft (known ahead of time that he couldn't make it) used DD for the draft. My wife knows a bit about football, but not a ton. The other guys team was drafted by consensus at the draft using DD suggestions and sometimes "downgrading" them by picking the 3rd/4th choice on the list.The guy that didn't show - started 6-0. Now is 7-4 (1 doubleheader week). My wife is 7-4 also and has beat me twice (in the league - get your heads outta the gutter). They are both in the top 5 teams (outta 12) and have made no trades and only a few WW moves.

 

[jesse]

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

Be excellent!

 

[Da Guru]

I did too. I took Gonzo in the third of a 14 team league in front of Gates!

 

[Keys Myaths]

I did too. I took Gonzo in the third of a 14 team league in front of Gates!

Heh, as did I.Proving the point: VBD is only as good as the projections.

 

[radballs.]

I did too. I took Gonzo in the third of a 14 team league in front of Gates!

Heh, as did I.Proving the point: VBD is only as good as the projections.

Wouldn't any system that you use require accurate projections though?

 

[Keys Myaths]

I did too. I took Gonzo in the third of a 14 team league in front of Gates!

Heh, as did I.Proving the point: VBD is only as good as the projections.

Wouldn't any system that you use require accurate projections though?

Of course.But blaming VBD because you took Gonzo over Gates isn't the answer.

That's all I'm saying.

 

[Wingnut]

I don't see the point in letting a computer run your team for you. Where's the fun in that?

The computer program is just a draft tracking tool that does the calculations for Dynamic VBD for me so I can focus on the task at hand, which is drafting. I input all my projections, scoring system, league variables, and tweak the baselines to my liking, and when it comes draft time, it keeps track of every round, all the teams, shows me positional runs, lets me find complimentary players, etc.It doesnt "run" anything. It just makes tracking and managing the draft a breeze.

 

[inca911]

The auction value calculations in the current FBG VBD app aren't quite correct. Hopefully they'll get fixed for next year to help those of us who are looking for projection-based VBD auction values. I've already got most of the fix completed, now it's just an automation task.VBD is indeed a very nice tool.

 

[Wingnut]

It would be helpful to see draft results vs. what your roster looks like now so we could compare. Half the battle is making wise FA pickups and/or trades as well as starting the right guys.

I doubt VBD has THAT much impact (a psychological crutch).

The main thing using VBD and DD did was allow me to see exactly where the dropoffs were, and knowing my leagues tendencies (from the last 9 years), I was able to almost figure out exactly how many of each position would be taken in each of the first 6-7 rounds. Instead of having tiers of players with no exact numbers, I was just guessing at how much better I thought player X was than player Y. Now I can look and see that player X will score 35 more FF pts than player Y. Little things like that made me more comfortable during the draft, and I felt in control the whole way.As for rosters, okay I will bite. Heres my team after my draft. 12 teams. Start 1QB, 2RB, 3WR, 2TE, 2K, 2DEF. Must carry 3QB, 4RB, 5WR, 2TE, 2K, 2DEF, plus one extra player at any position. My team after the draft:

QB: Palmer, Delhomme, Ramsey

RB: Alexander, Dunn, F Taylor, Crockett, Fason

WR: C Johnson, J Walker, Stallworth, C Rogers, Patten

TE: Witten, Putzier

PK: Vinatieri, Longwell

DEF: Cincy, Carolina

At the time I was looking good, based on MY projections. After Walker got hurt, I had to start working the wire and trading. Heres how my team looks now:

QB: Palmer, Delhomme, Garcia

RB: Alexander, F Taylor, G Jones, MBIII, Barlow

WR: C Johnson, Branch, Stallworth, Engram, Reggie Brown

TE: Witten, Cooley

PK: Rackers, Vinatieri

DEF: Cincy, Carolina