Is it just me... (1 Viewer)

[MAC_32]

Maybe I'm on an island here, but I come in here each August and the pool is basically full of different draft planning threads. I gotta ask, why? Draft good players, know who is under and over valued, who is hurt and who it may effect, get a 6 pack, go to draft.

Yea, I read all offseason about news and players and some of you may not and need to play catch up, but I have to think there's a more efficient way to spend your time getting prepped for the draft, yes?

 

[pantherclub]

its just you

 

[pantherclub]

oh and I drink a 6 pack before noon on the day of the draft

 

[Mystery Achiever]

With the majority of drafts taking place now through the next three weeks, what do you expect people to be talking about on a fantasy football message board?

Seriously, though, I am definitely in the catch up mode you mentioned and talking about it helps me solidify my thoughts an dplayer preferences. I think you can have a basic plan, but still be flexible to take advantage of how things go in your particular draft.

 

[zed2283]

Yeah, people just need their fix, that's all.

Plus all those things in your head you take for granted are actually a bunch of things that you've thought out and analyzed, maybe without even thinking about it. Some people like to take those thoughts and ideas and post about them.

 

[gump]

Personally...I decided a few years ago to mostly rely on the 'experts' for forecasts...and focus myself more on understanding the rankings and draft strategy.

I've never drafted better than the last 3 years.

 

[Balance]

Yes.

Or perhaps it isn't over prepping so much as trying too hard to look like they are "sharks".

 

[Banger]

agreed. I think they serve a purpose and some people like to plan ahead and have it figured out but that's not the way I ever draft. I never box myself in and no draft ever ends up even close to how I thought it would so why waste the time. Every league there are always crazy picks that I could never predict in 1,000 mocks. Basically, I have multiple guys that I target and multiple guys to avoid at each tier and when those players fall to me I grab them. To me the key to drafting is being very flexible and changing on the fly.

 

[Godsbrother]

I usually read the shark pool, FF mags, browse internet, etc. but end up doing my own thing on draft day. However a lot of the fun of this hobby is to discuss player rankings and draft strategies.

If we didn't do that we would be in the FFA over analyzing politics and religion

 

[KCC]

As odd as it may seem, there is a danger in being overly prepared for a draft.

 

[TankRizzo]

I read the boards and what not, but I've never done a mock draft or projections or even really come up with a prelim draft board. I just print up some cheat sheets and cross off the guys taken and roll with it. I can't see putting any effort into something that will be completely shattered within 15 minutes of the start of the draft.

It's how I got through school. I paid attention, took good notes and re-read them before a big test.

I got mostly Bs and some As....and I've been in 4 superbowls...and lost

 

[domvin]

Paralysis by overanalysis....

 

[ppierce]

The mock drafting is just stupid. I don't get it. Nobody pays as much attention to a mock as they do their real draft. Its just a bunch of junkies getting a fix before their actual draft takes place. It shows you nothing.

Find players you want based on whatever factors you think are imortant. Find out where those players are generally being drafted ie ADP. Although i can tell you that once your draft gets going, you'll find that no ADP actually holds up.

 

[CravenM]

I think many guys under-prepare for the pace and positioning of the players.

I could sit around a group of guys and they're fiddling with a bunch of lists and magazines when ALL of this could be on a computer. They sit around, not knowing who they're already got, get in a panic and then start to grab backup players in the 8th round, or a defense in the 9th (WHOOAOAA - A RUN ON DEFENSES!! I GOTTA GET ONE!!!).

Instead of laboriously studying players and a hundred pundits draft rankings, they should practice the full draft online and make sure they recognize where they are in the draft.

 

[Instinctive]

Preparing is one of the most fun parts to me. In the days and weeks leading up to the draft, I get to intimately discuss the value of every single player in the NFL. I can spend a lot of time talking and analyzing something that I really enjoy and as a bonus, it helps me on draft day. No such thing as over-preparing.

For instance, in my draft last night, I was incredibly prepared, tiers and everything. It landed me the DD's (some other guy in the league is a subscriber) top ranked team by starter points. Even though early runs on QB and RB had me start off WR/WR/WR/TE...AJ, Moss, Roddy, Finley. Had I not had tiers prepared to know that those 3 wideouts were the only guys in my top tier, I may have tried to jump on Clinton Portis or Laurence Maroney in round 3 in a panic at the HUGE RB run.

 

[gump]

The mock drafting is just stupid. I don't get it. Nobody pays as much attention to a mock as they do their real draft. Its just a bunch of junkies getting a fix before their actual draft takes place. It shows you nothing.Find players you want based on whatever factors you think are imortant. Find out where those players are generally being drafted ie ADP. Although i can tell you that once your draft gets going, you'll find that no ADP actually holds up.

while there are certainly 'throw away' mocks, I've found that doing enough mocks (at the right places) gives me a great realistic idea of adp. I combine that knowledge with what I know about my league.I trust what I learn about adp more thru my mocks then any other souce...and its proven to be ver accurate in my league.

 

[bshell27]

The mock drafting is just stupid. I don't get it. Nobody pays as much attention to a mock as they do their real draft. Its just a bunch of junkies getting a fix before their actual draft takes place. It shows you nothing.Find players you want based on whatever factors you think are imortant. Find out where those players are generally being drafted ie ADP. Although i can tell you that once your draft gets going, you'll find that no ADP actually holds up.

I disagree. Mock drafting helps because you have a better feel for where players will be drafted, especially if you know your draft position. I know ADP does the same thing, and there are wild cards in your real draft, but as they say practice makes perfect.

 

[dapunisher]

The mock drafting is just stupid. I don't get it. Nobody pays as much attention to a mock as they do their real draft. Its just a bunch of junkies getting a fix before their actual draft takes place. It shows you nothing.

Find players you want based on whatever factors you think are imortant. Find out where those players are generally being drafted ie ADP. Although i can tell you that once your draft gets going, you'll find that no ADP actually holds up.

I could not disagree more. I've done mock drafts the past two Augusts, and they have given me a fairly accurate sense of how the drafts will flow, and as a result, which strategies to pursue (e.g. RB/WR/RB or WR/WR/RB etc.) The online tools out there are so accessible and such a minimal time drain that to ignore available mock drafts would be denying yourself a useful prep device.

 

[bushdocda]

If I knew my draft spot in my main league I might get crazy with more prep. Good and bad thing to find out on draft day.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

I like to look at who is going to be available within a certain proximity of where I am drafting. Figuring out who your anchors are going to be in the first 3-5 rounds allows you to go thru the rest of the players and try and target those that will make good additions to what you have.

Example...You go WR/WR in the 1st and 2nd, you might want to look at trying to grab a RB anchor in the 3rd etc...it helps. I like trying to have a strategy going in and working to make that plan happen. I find when I am all over the place my teams usually suffer.

What I don't do or get into as much are projections, but I do like to analyze the ADP of where guys are going so I know when I need to pull the trigger to get certain players I might value over others.

 

[GoBears84]

The mock drafting is just stupid. I don't get it. Nobody pays as much attention to a mock as they do their real draft. Its just a bunch of junkies getting a fix before their actual draft takes place. It shows you nothing.

Find players you want based on whatever factors you think are imortant. Find out where those players are generally being drafted ie ADP. Although i can tell you that once your draft gets going, you'll find that no ADP actually holds up.

I could not disagree more. I've done mock drafts the past two Augusts, and they have given me a fairly accurate sense of how the drafts will flow, and as a result, which strategies to pursue (e.g. RB/WR/RB or WR/WR/RB etc.) The online tools out there are so accessible and such a minimal time drain that to ignore available mock drafts would be denying yourself a useful prep device.

Yep! Just having an idea of a rough strategy and what you're going to do if it deviates is the difference between a so-so draft and an awesome draft.

 

[Clifford]

its just you

No it's not. I think the worst thing you can do is go into a draft saying: I have to have x number of x position by round x, or I'm going WR-WR-QB-TE-RB-RB this year. You have to be ready to take what the draft gives you. If you're drafting from the 10 spot and are set at taking stud WRs in the first three, and AJ, Calvin, and Moss are gone before you pick, having that strategy is only going to screw up your thinking.

 

[Multiple Scores]

Agree 100% with the OP.

 

[Instinctive]

its just you

No it's not. I think the worst thing you can do is go into a draft saying: I have to have x number of x position by round x, or I'm going WR-WR-QB-TE-RB-RB this year. You have to be ready to take what the draft gives you. If you're drafting from the 10 spot and are set at taking stud WRs in the first three, and AJ, Calvin, and Moss are gone before you pick, having that strategy is only going to screw up your thinking.

Being prepared and pigeonholing yourself into a set strategy are two very different thingsETA: you can be prepared and have a strategy and then deviate from it confidently because you're prepared

 

[Black]

Ask again on Sept 14 when you look down your roster and wish you had done more research or keep getting rejected for the trade offer on that player 'you really love.'

Seriously, it's the single biggest day of the Fantasy year, since all (most) players are there for the taking. You need a plan/system, and you should practice for the curveballs that will come.

 

[TheFanatic]

I like to look at who is going to be available within a certain proximity of where I am drafting. Figuring out who your anchors are going to be in the first 3-5 rounds allows you to go thru the rest of the players and try and target those that will make good additions to what you have. Example...You go WR/WR in the 1st and 2nd, you might want to look at trying to grab a RB anchor in the 3rd etc...it helps. I like trying to have a strategy going in and working to make that plan happen. I find when I am all over the place my teams usually suffer. What I don't do or get into as much are projections, but I do like to analyze the ADP of where guys are going so I know when I need to pull the trigger to get certain players I might value over others.

This is why I'm not feeling all that good with you in the same Survivor draft I'm in tonight. You and I may be thinking way too much along the same lines...

 

[Instinctive]

I like to look at who is going to be available within a certain proximity of where I am drafting. Figuring out who your anchors are going to be in the first 3-5 rounds allows you to go thru the rest of the players and try and target those that will make good additions to what you have. Example...You go WR/WR in the 1st and 2nd, you might want to look at trying to grab a RB anchor in the 3rd etc...it helps. I like trying to have a strategy going in and working to make that plan happen. I find when I am all over the place my teams usually suffer. What I don't do or get into as much are projections, but I do like to analyze the ADP of where guys are going so I know when I need to pull the trigger to get certain players I might value over others.

This is why I'm not feeling all that good with you in the same Survivor draft I'm in tonight. You and I may be thinking way too much along the same lines...

It certainly is going to be interesting.

 

[JMJ]

I do my own tiered rankings and show up to the draft. Never go in with a set plan. Take the best player available at all times (of course taking into consideration lineup needs when necessary) and you can't go wrong.

 

[Manster]

The mock drafting is just stupid. I don't get it. Nobody pays as much attention to a mock as they do their real draft. Its just a bunch of junkies getting a fix before their actual draft takes place. It shows you nothing.Find players you want based on whatever factors you think are imortant. Find out where those players are generally being drafted ie ADP. Although i can tell you that once your draft gets going, you'll find that no ADP actually holds up.

while there are certainly 'throw away' mocks, I've found that doing enough mocks (at the right places) gives me a great realistic idea of adp. I combine that knowledge with what I know about my league.I trust what I learn about adp more thru my mocks then any other souce...and its proven to be ver accurate in my league.

the value of mocking really shines for the later rounds of a draft, imo.anyone can draft in the first few rounds, after that is what separates prepared guys from unprepared.as far as over preparing of over analysis, yea, i think sometimes guys rely on number crunching too much rather than trusting their gut.my preparation consists of gathering info from sites like this, mocking, and going with my gut.

 

[MAC_32]

Ask again on Sept 14 when you look down your roster and wish you had done more research or keep getting rejected for the trade offer on that player 'you really love.'Seriously, it's the single biggest day of the Fantasy year, since all (most) players are there for the taking. You need a plan/system, and you should practice for the curveballs that will come.

I research year 'round, I read up and watch players whenever I have free time, I just don't create draft plans.The curveballs that get tossed throughout the draft are exactly why I don't get the need to plan so much. Rank your guys for round 1, get an idea of who you'll be looking for in round 2, then go from there. I've had a couple of drafts so far, in one I had 3 RB's by round 4 (flex league) - something I didn't think would happen but DeAng fell to round 2, Shonn Greene to round 3, and Pierre to round 4. I expected my competition to put a premium on starting RB's (option to start 3) so I thought they'd go earlier than usual, not later. They didn't do as I expected so I went with the flow of the draft and went RB heavy. If I had made a plan for this particular draft it'd have been in the trash can by pick 28 and may as well be burned by pick 43.

 

[kellumsboys]

its just you

No it's not. I think the worst thing you can do is go into a draft saying: I have to have x number of x position by round x, or I'm going WR-WR-QB-TE-RB-RB this year. You have to be ready to take what the draft gives you. If you're drafting from the 10 spot and are set at taking stud WRs in the first three, and AJ, Calvin, and Moss are gone before you pick, having that strategy is only going to screw up your thinking.

Being prepared and pigeonholing yourself into a set strategy are two very different thingsETA: you can be prepared and have a strategy and then deviate from it confidently because you're prepared

and by doing mocks, you will see how to overcome different things as they happen in the draft.

 

[TheFanatic]

I like to look at who is going to be available within a certain proximity of where I am drafting. Figuring out who your anchors are going to be in the first 3-5 rounds allows you to go thru the rest of the players and try and target those that will make good additions to what you have. Example...You go WR/WR in the 1st and 2nd, you might want to look at trying to grab a RB anchor in the 3rd etc...it helps. I like trying to have a strategy going in and working to make that plan happen. I find when I am all over the place my teams usually suffer. What I don't do or get into as much are projections, but I do like to analyze the ADP of where guys are going so I know when I need to pull the trigger to get certain players I might value over others.

This is why I'm not feeling all that good with you in the same Survivor draft I'm in tonight. You and I may be thinking way too much along the same lines...

It certainly is going to be interesting.

Not to mention you're drafting right behind MOP. Ouch. How bout the two of you let AJ drop to ole #9 tonight? And I don't mean AJ Feeley!?!

 

[Iwannabeacowboybaby!]

I like to look at who is going to be available within a certain proximity of where I am drafting. Figuring out who your anchors are going to be in the first 3-5 rounds allows you to go thru the rest of the players and try and target those that will make good additions to what you have. Example...You go WR/WR in the 1st and 2nd, you might want to look at trying to grab a RB anchor in the 3rd etc...it helps. I like trying to have a strategy going in and working to make that plan happen. I find when I am all over the place my teams usually suffer. What I don't do or get into as much are projections, but I do like to analyze the ADP of where guys are going so I know when I need to pull the trigger to get certain players I might value over others.

This is why I'm not feeling all that good with you in the same Survivor draft I'm in tonight. You and I may be thinking way too much along the same lines...

It certainly is going to be interesting.

Not to mention you're drafting right behind MOP. Ouch. How bout the two of you let AJ drop to ole #9 tonight? And I don't mean AJ Feeley!?!

Why, you're right where you want to be, right in position for you to take your beloved S. Jackson. Go enter it in the predraft and get it over with.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

I like to look at who is going to be available within a certain proximity of where I am drafting. Figuring out who your anchors are going to be in the first 3-5 rounds allows you to go thru the rest of the players and try and target those that will make good additions to what you have. Example...You go WR/WR in the 1st and 2nd, you might want to look at trying to grab a RB anchor in the 3rd etc...it helps. I like trying to have a strategy going in and working to make that plan happen. I find when I am all over the place my teams usually suffer. What I don't do or get into as much are projections, but I do like to analyze the ADP of where guys are going so I know when I need to pull the trigger to get certain players I might value over others.

This is why I'm not feeling all that good with you in the same Survivor draft I'm in tonight. You and I may be thinking way too much along the same lines...

It certainly is going to be interesting.

Not to mention you're drafting right behind MOP. Ouch. How bout the two of you let AJ drop to ole #9 tonight? And I don't mean AJ Feeley!?!

I don't usually draft in the middle, typically towards the ends so I'm not really feeling great tonight. I have a plan but we'll see. I have looked at all the US drafts so far and there does seem to be a pattern of sorts. Also seems like people use the DD software a little much for my taste so I might be able to use that to my advantage, we'll see. I'm ready to go now, can we start early?

 

[TheFanatic]

I like to look at who is going to be available within a certain proximity of where I am drafting. Figuring out who your anchors are going to be in the first 3-5 rounds allows you to go thru the rest of the players and try and target those that will make good additions to what you have. Example...You go WR/WR in the 1st and 2nd, you might want to look at trying to grab a RB anchor in the 3rd etc...it helps. I like trying to have a strategy going in and working to make that plan happen. I find when I am all over the place my teams usually suffer. What I don't do or get into as much are projections, but I do like to analyze the ADP of where guys are going so I know when I need to pull the trigger to get certain players I might value over others.

This is why I'm not feeling all that good with you in the same Survivor draft I'm in tonight. You and I may be thinking way too much along the same lines...

It certainly is going to be interesting.

Not to mention you're drafting right behind MOP. Ouch. How bout the two of you let AJ drop to ole #9 tonight? And I don't mean AJ Feeley!?!

Why, you're right where you want to be, right in position for you to take your beloved S. Jackson. Go enter it in the predraft and get it over with.

Honestly, not a fan of SJax. Maybe in this format in that it's just the first 5 games but not a fan. I think he will be bothered by the back this year...

 

[valence]

What you call overpreparing, I call enjoying the hobby that I have loved for the last 20 years.

 

[Instinctive]

Again, preparing doesn't mean saying you have to take a guy (guy above who posted about ending up with DWill/Greene/PT)

If you had those guys in a higher tier than you had, for instance, any of the remaining WRs, then you prepared for it. I tiered everyone, and had 3 RBs in my tier 1 and 3 WRs...I ended up with all 3 of my tier one WRs because the draft went very RB heavy and I saw no value.

Had I not prepared, there's always the off chance I might have been like "oh ####!" and tried to grab Jonathan Stewart in the 2nd round...or Arian Foster in the 4th ---yeah, Texans fan...wtf...

 

[Darth Cheney]

BPA....that's the best advice.

 

[One]

I once over-planned for a draft just to see what it felt like.

 

[ratbast]

I don't believe it is over preparation, more like exaggerating the abilities of my league owners. I never plan for the guys they miss!

I have so much fun preparing that if I realized I did over do it, well I'd probably accept that as a weakness and keep on preparing.

 

[Couch Potato]

When it's my turn to pick, I always ask myself "What would MAC_32 do in this spot?" -- and then do something else. Works every time.

j/k my friend

 

[cheatsheetwarroom]

I think the most important thing leading up to the draft is staying current on injuries and training camp battles. When I first started playing fantasy football, I went the route of complex formulas to try to predict future production, but in the end you're right it isn't worth the effort. In the NFL things are so fluid, that the only statistics I consider are fantasy point output from the previous season, using my scoring rules. That number gives me a start point to begin manipulating my rankings.

I definitely think its important to have a comprehensive cheat sheet with bye weeks, and you should vet all players for about a week leading up to your draft to be sure someone hasn't fallen off the map due to injury or lost their spot on the depth chart to someone else. After that, just be smart and go with your gut. It's also important to remember that, while the draft is definitely critical to your fantasy success, your actions during the season are just as important. A good owner can recover from a poor draft if they're worth their salt. Save your stamina because the season is a marathon, not a sprint.

So, in closing, don't overdue it when preparing for your draft. At the same time, don't rely on a random cheat sheet you found online to assist you, then end up making a stupid mistake because that cheat sheet was only updated a month before your draft. I can live with some players on my roster not living up to expectations, but it'd be harder to stomach a poor team resulting from laziness in draft preparation. Do enough to put yourself in a position for success.