Over Exposure to FF Material (1 Viewer)

[ImTheScientist]

Its funny because I intentionally did not pick up a mag, check a site, or look at anything fantasy related for the entire offseason. I felt my mind was clouded last year due to overexposure to these things. I used the draft dominator in my draft, I had 5 mags, 2 website subscriptions and really did my due diligence when it came to trying to prepare for the draft. It turned out all that preparation did no good due to what I like to call "The Clouded Mind Syndrome".

There is nothing wrong with studying in the offseason, I know its more of a "for fun" exercise than anything else. My point to the thread is that the mind is clouded by "experts" opinions.

http://forums.footballguys.com/forum/index...howtopic=403736

Just look no further than this post. Might as well have just cut it out of a mag and posted it on this forum. No need to pretend to mock. Im not pretending to be "an expert" but some of the reasoning behind some of the rankings make as much sense as the "Travis Henry/Maroney" hype from last year.

My advice to you would be: Buyer beware. Think about it.....is your mind clouded. You may now proceed to r@pe me in the forums because I realize this will not be a popular post.

 

[Return of the Sheep]

A similar thing happened to me last year by the end of June. I'm being very careful this year.

 

[KCC]

This is a realistic concern. I'm also gearing down my exposure to FF information this year.

 

[One]

 

[Manster]

for me, the key is finding out a teams'/players' situation, i.e. o-line status, coaching changes, etc.. look at a few key stats, and then go with your gut. a lot of guys really like breakin down stats. i get bored with that stuff. i guess thats why i'm not a big MLB fan.

this FF thing is a big business, and getting bigger. so it's very easy to be inundated with all the "experts" and their theories.

i think mocking is a very useful tool, leading up to your draft, especially if guys in your league dont do it. i try to mock with a setup as close to my league as possible. i like to draft from all positions, and try different things. each mock is very different. it prepares you for different scenarios. and besides, drafting is a huge part of the fun for me.

 

[MCguidance]

for me, the key is finding out a teams'/players' situation, i.e. o-line status, coaching changes, etc.. look at a few key stats, and then go with your gut. a lot of guys really like breakin down stats. i get bored with that stuff. i guess thats why i'm not a big MLB fan.this FF thing is a big business, and getting bigger. so it's very easy to be inundated with all the "experts" and their theories.i think mocking is a very useful tool, leading up to your draft, especially if guys in your league dont do it. i try to mock with a setup as close to my league as possible. i like to draft from all positions, and try different things. each mock is very different. it prepares you for different scenarios. and besides, drafting is a huge part of the fun for me.

This is my second year back into FF after a short hiatus after college. However, I had never done a mock before this year. I just never thought it would be a useful activity. So while some people may be inundated, others welcome it. I like doing a mock here because it is much more serious than anywhere else I can find. So while you may think that mock is being cut out of a mag, for others it's a useful tool. I feel like if I can put together a decent team here, I can do it in my own league.

 

[southeastjerome]

Its funny because I intentionally did not pick up a mag, check a site, or look at anything fantasy related for the entire offseason. I felt my mind was clouded last year due to overexposure to these things. I used the draft dominator in my draft, I had 5 mags, 2 website subscriptions and really did my due diligence when it came to trying to prepare for the draft. It turned out all that preparation did no good due to what I like to call "The Clouded Mind Syndrome".

There is nothing wrong with studying in the offseason, I know its more of a "for fun" exercise than anything else. My point to the thread is that the mind is clouded by "experts" opinions.

http://forums.footballguys.com/forum/index...howtopic=403736

Just look no further than this post. Might as well have just cut it out of a mag and posted it on this forum. No need to pretend to mock. Im not pretending to be "an expert" but some of the reasoning behind some of the rankings make as much sense as the "Travis Henry/Maroney" hype from last year.

My advice to you would be: Buyer beware. Think about it.....is your mind clouded. You may now proceed to r@pe me in the forums because I realize this will not be a popular post.

I definately had issues with this a couple years ago. As a result, last year I mainly just kept abreast with the news, player movement, offseason injuries, coaching staff movement, etc. I don't really get into reading articles, rankings and mock drafts until about July. I did some of my best drafting last year, so I am definately taking that approach this season.

 

[CentralPA]

I just like reading mags but I usually just end up using the mock draft from my website for the players that i'll choose. I never try to read into too much of anything other than injuries and possible suspension time.

 

[wolfie]

for me, the key is finding out a teams'/players' situation, i.e. o-line status, coaching changes, etc.. look at a few key stats, and then go with your gut. a lot of guys really like breakin down stats. i get bored with that stuff. i guess thats why i'm not a big MLB fan.this FF thing is a big business, and getting bigger. so it's very easy to be inundated with all the "experts" and their theories.i think mocking is a very useful tool, leading up to your draft, especially if guys in your league dont do it. i try to mock with a setup as close to my league as possible. i like to draft from all positions, and try different things. each mock is very different. it prepares you for different scenarios. and besides, drafting is a huge part of the fun for me.

Couldn't agree more. I will do 60-100 mock auctions and drafts(50% of them with settings close to my local live auction league and draft league, more fun beating your friends) to just get a feel for the flow, no player lists or rankings. This helps so much in the real thing, you already know the players, have tiers setup in your mind(even if you don't realize it), and you seen every scenario, so nothing ruffles you.I am not a stat guy either, may tweak a projection or 2 in the draft dominator, to get a draft list i like but that's it. But i do love reading the spotlights and faceoffs to get a feel for players true value in other ff players minds. Great sources of info.

 

[Itchy Amos]

Its funny because I intentionally did not pick up a mag, check a site, or look at anything fantasy related for the entire offseason. I felt my mind was clouded last year due to overexposure to these things. I used the draft dominator in my draft, I had 5 mags, 2 website subscriptions and really did my due diligence when it came to trying to prepare for the draft. It turned out all that preparation did no good due to what I like to call "The Clouded Mind Syndrome".

There is nothing wrong with studying in the offseason, I know its more of a "for fun" exercise than anything else. My point to the thread is that the mind is clouded by "experts" opinions.

http://forums.footballguys.com/forum/index...howtopic=403736

Just look no further than this post. Might as well have just cut it out of a mag and posted it on this forum. No need to pretend to mock. Im not pretending to be "an expert" but some of the reasoning behind some of the rankings make as much sense as the "Travis Henry/Maroney" hype from last year.

My advice to you would be: Buyer beware. Think about it.....is your mind clouded. You may now proceed to r@pe me in the forums because I realize this will not be a popular post.

I am in complete agreement. There were a couple of years that I went overboard on the research and it was more of a hinderance than a help. If you read enough, sooner or later you will have read empassioned opposing opinions on every player out there. I am a big proponent of making a very basic tiering list for your next draft at the end of the previous season. For me, the most helpful rankings on this site are usually some of the first ones that are made before all of the hype begins.

 

[ImTheScientist]

I am in complete agreement. There were a couple of years that I went overboard on the research and it was more of a hinderance than a help. If you read enough, sooner or later you will have read empassioned opposing opinions on every player out there. I am a big proponent of making a very basic tiering list for your next draft at the end of the previous season. For me, the most helpful rankings on this site are usually some of the first ones that are made before all of the hype begins.

I actually did that exact thing.....then I look at that which makes sense and some "expert" rankings and they are different. Have that many teams/coaches changed? No.

 

[mozzy84]

sounds like an easy excuse for having a bad year

 

[QUEZILLA]

 

[Itchy Amos]

sounds like an easy excuse for having a bad year

It may sound that way, but I think it has very little to do with making excuses. It has everything to do with learning from your mistakes and making positive adjustments so that you can make the process more enjoyable and perhaps even improve your outcome. Go ahead and crunch numbers and watch as much football as you can. I think there is real value in that kind of preparation for fantasy football. My experience has shown me that I am better off relying on what I have seen, combined with what I know (stats) than trying to find out what other people think they know about every player. That is not to say that I wont be reading lots of threads here, its just that I wont be putting that much emphasis on players that I have a solid feel for, whereas in the years that I have gone overboard, I would have read everything.

 

[3nOut]

For a number of various reasons, I had to cancel my FBG subscription last year. I just visited this board to get some info on certain things but found that I reiled on my own instincts to make my FF decisions. I ended up winning my league last year. I really missed some great content and some of the features that a FBGs subscription offered, but one has to be careful HOW MUCH information you take to heart. Overall, I agree with the OP's sentiment.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Number-crunching doesn't help as much in FF as it does in fantasy baseball, because many players' numbers are so inconsistent from year to year, and quite a few guys come out of nowhere to make a big impact every year. And it seems like half of the first rounders don't come close to living up to their draft position. So thinking of this as a science, or being rigid with rankings and tiers because of what the number-crunchers say, is often counterproductive.

 

[css2373]

Thought I would add something, research study on overthinking a decision:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1214506090...l?mod=yhoofront

 

[texasheat]

Thought I would add something, research study on overthinking a decision:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1214506090...l?mod=yhoofront

I think you should have thought twice before posting that.

 

[Synthesizer]

We had a guy show up for the draft one year with nothing. No homework, no cheatsheet, no rosters. He won the league that year because a few of his guys got hot in weeks 12-16.

 

[DoubleG]

I am in complete agreement. There were a couple of years that I went overboard on the research and it was more of a hinderance than a help. If you read enough, sooner or later you will have read empassioned opposing opinions on every player out there.

I am a big proponent of making a very basic tiering list for your next draft at the end of the previous season. For me, the most helpful rankings on this site are usually some of the first ones that are made before all of the hype begins.

Not only that, but I have found that if I read too much, I reach on "sleepers" too early because you read to much hype on "so-and-so WR whose only the 3rd option now but could explode if given the opportunity as he as all the skills..."

I find this is also an issue when playing in both dynasty and redraft leagues at the same time - that is, I'll think too highly of a guy in redraft, because I was reading up on him from a dynasty perspective. Of course, that's also just me getting easily confused.

The idea of making rankings right after the season is a very good one. Obviously you'd have to refine them to allow for drastic situations (i.e. Cedric Benson being gone from the Bears or someone retiring...again.), but not adjusting them everytime a new article comes out is actually probably not a bad idea.

 

[GoLobos]

I am in complete agreement. There were a couple of years that I went overboard on the research and it was more of a hinderance than a help. If you read enough, sooner or later you will have read empassioned opposing opinions on every player out there. I am a big proponent of making a very basic tiering list for your next draft at the end of the previous season. For me, the most helpful rankings on this site are usually some of the first ones that are made before all of the hype begins.

Don't you feel concerned over all the retirements, coaching carosel, waivers, drafts, trades, and free agents signings will throw so much off balance?

 

[Itchy Amos]

I am in complete agreement. There were a couple of years that I went overboard on the research and it was more of a hinderance than a help. If you read enough, sooner or later you will have read empassioned opposing opinions on every player out there. I am a big proponent of making a very basic tiering list for your next draft at the end of the previous season. For me, the most helpful rankings on this site are usually some of the first ones that are made before all of the hype begins.

Don't you feel concerned over all the retirements, coaching carosel, waivers, drafts, trades, and free agents signings will throw so much off balance?

If a player has a major change then I will adjust his tier accordingly, but the actual amount of significant changes are pretty low. What I am trying to avoid (especially with players that I have a solid feeling for) is being swayed to significantly up or down based upon the testimony of a nameless, faceless homer.