The Draft Dominator (1 Viewer)

[Beau Tocks]

I have been a long time subscriber with the FBG'S website. I have never ultilized their draft dominator program. I have been at this FF thing some 20 years and seem to have a good handle on who I want and who I don't with relatively frequent success when draft time comes. Can any of you really sell me on this feature? What tales of epiphany can you share with this critical piece of information the boys at FBG provide at pre-draft time?

Thanks,

I'll hang up and listen

 

[Tom Servo]

I'd been using their spreadsheets for a couple of years before I hooked up with the DD last year. I had pick 1.05 and had run multiple mocks beforehand so I could run alternate scenarios and get used to the software. This allowed me to gameplan the draft and try to anticipate scenarios that could arise. In my 16 team league, there are enough guppies that their non-shark thinking can annoy and frustrate me -- the kind of people who blithely take Peyton Manning in the first round -- it was something I had to get used to so that I could be ahead of the curve.

When it was all over, I felt I had one of the strongest teams coming out of the draft. Even though I lost both Deuce McAllister and Darrell Jackson to injury, I still had a good base that allowed me to slip into the last playoff spot and make to the conference championship game before losing.

It's not a replacement for good old reading, thinking and analyzing. But, even if you don't get it for any other reason, get it so you can do all these mock drafts to prepare for the draft.

But don't take my word for it, you could go to this helpful article.

 

[Deuce'sWild]

I have used the draft dominator for a couple of years now, but only to get ready for my draft. The thing I like about it the most, is that I can put in my scoring system and variables, make my projections, and then see where my players rank. It's more objective than just ranking players IMO. I've never actually used the DD at a draft, and I'm thinking about it this year.

I agree with the poster who uses the mock draft, this is a very nice feature. You can use the "draft by ADP" to get a pretty good idea of where you owners will go, and if you've paid attention in the past, you can get a pretty accurate mock draft of your league (owner tendencies).

This years version also shows you team strengths and weakness, so you can see where you need help. Also, I like the depth chart, which you can use at the touch of a button during the draft.

I'll probably take my laptop to the draft and use the DD this year. If nothing else it eliminates all the paperwork.

GL

 

[Bri]

no

I have done well with FF since we used Monday's paper for scoring by hand and sorta have my own routine. I don't want to mess with what works for me.

It's an awesome product that this FF geek loves playing around with though. It's really something. Kudos to Bruce. I'd recommend it to anyone+everyone that asked

 

[lebowski]

I have REALLY enjoyed the draft dominator the last couple years. It really helps me be more ready when my pick comes around. I used to use lists of players and cross them out while we were drafting. That gets to be difficult and time consuming in the later rounds. With the draft dominator I can type in a search for a player really quickly then select them. It is the most organized I have been at a draft. When someone asks has ________ been drafted I can confidently answer the question. It also helps you predict runs on positions, etc. I really enjoy it and would never go back to paper again.

Also, in the event you are like me and like to have a few during the draft then it is even more helpful.

 

[audiophile]

Yes, I find it useful. It's another tool to use on Draft Day. As most of the other posters here have said, however, it is by no means a substitute for proper planning and responsiveness during the draft event.

Use it for what it is and you should not be disappointed. HTH.

 

[Double_J]

I don't understand why you are saying that it's not a substitute for reading and preparing. Yes it is, that's exactly what it is. If you take the time to put your scoring system into the DD, you can cruise to a stacked team. You could not know anything about FF and place in the top 3-4 of your league just by using the DD if you know how to use it properly. Best tool ever for FF.

 

[Wingnut]

I used it for the first time last year, and I cruised to my first ever championship in my 9th year in my league.

No, the DD didnt win me the trophy, but it helped me prepare like never before. Being able to run numberous mocks helped tremendously, and being commish, it made managing the draft a BREEZE. It was the first time I didnt use a pen and paper during the draft, which allowed me to focus on drafting instead of keeping up with the draft.

Ill never draft without it again. Using my own projections, running multiple mocks, and knowing how most of the guys in my league draft and think, it was almost unfair. When the draft was over, I definately knew I had my best draft ever. Getting to the championship game and winning took alot of work during the season, but the DD definately made my draft easier and stress free.

Worth the price for a FBG subscription for sure.

 

[Kai's Hero]

I would like to know from someone who drafts "Auction" style how they liked the DD. Is there anything I should know that would help me in my Auction Draft? Thanks, in advance.

 

[lebowski]

I don't understand why you are saying that it's not a substitute for reading and preparing. Yes it is, that's exactly what it is. If you take the time to put your scoring system into the DD, you can cruise to a stacked team. You could not know anything about FF and place in the top 3-4 of your league just by using the DD if you know how to use it properly. Best tool ever for FF.

I don't know about that...but it is a very useful tool for draft day. I do think that if someone walked into the draft with DD vs. a magazine and did no other preperation they would be much better off. But placing 3 or 4 is pushing it.

 

[NateDawg]

I don't understand why you are saying that it's not a substitute for reading and preparing. Yes it is, that's exactly what it is. If you take the time to put your scoring system into the DD, you can cruise to a stacked team. You could not know anything about FF and place in the top 3-4 of your league just by using the DD if you know how to use it properly. Best tool ever for FF.

4 team league?

 

[schu]

I would like to know from someone who drafts "Auction" style how they liked the DD. Is there anything I should know that would help me in my Auction Draft? Thanks, in advance.

If I remember right, the DD uses values based on VBD relative rank (like #1 always goes for $193...#2 for $183...etc...). Maybe they've changed that for 2006 but if not, I can't recommend DD for auction values.

 

[mario8723]

I used it for the first time last year to actually help me draft a team in a very involved dynasty league I was in. I used it for the initial draft and wound up with a receiving corps of Chad Johnson, Kevin Curtis, Donte Stallworth, and Steve Smith (who was drafted VERY late). My backfield consisted of Willis McGahee and Larry Johnson. Needless to say, I found myself in the Championship game although I lost.

Still, while I didn't use the Dominator to the "T", it proved extremely useful in identifying who were the true values on the board when it became my turn to pick.

 

[thayman]

I've used it once and liked it. I won't use it again we do our draft at a bar everyone gets drunk and I spilled beer on my laptop.

 

[barndog]

I use it in almost every draft. One particular feature that I don't see mentioned a lot is that it helps me overcome my biases against certain teams and players. If it wasn't slapping me in the face with numbers sometimes, I would completely discount some options out of silly obstinance.

That said, however, I don't hesitate to take the "lesser" of two close options if I feel it is a better fit.

 

[B. Nugget]

I use it in almost every draft. One particular feature that I don't see mentioned a lot is that it helps me overcome my biases against certain teams and players. If it wasn't slapping me in the face with numbers sometimes, I would completely discount some options out of silly obstinance.

That said, however, I don't hesitate to take the "lesser" of two close options if I feel it is a better fit.

The ability to track the other teams was pretty nice; I knew I could wait a couple of rounds to take a QB because 10 out of 12 teams had at least 1 QB and there were about 3-4 QBs that were very similar still available. Knowing that allowed me to get extra value out of those earlier rounds, which admittedly was one of my weaknesses when drafting. Sure you could do it on paper, but when you can see how many each team has at each position, it was probably the single biggest help I got last year in any of my drafts because a guy I drafted in the 8th round started hot and I traded him to the LJ owner to handcuff Priest. I'm almost embarrased to admit that I didn't track this before.

 

[BrutalPenguin]

I love the draft dominator for drafts (not auctions). Pre-draft mocks are easy and informative. During the draft it helps me see who I value now and projects who will be of what value on my next pick. At the end of my draft, I have a full list of which players are on which teams that I can dump to excel. My only complaint, and I've said it every year, is that it doesn't allow you to directly input fantasy points. My scoring system doesn't work well with DD and I do my own projections in excel and the only way to get my fantasy point projections into DD is to dink around with the projections to get the FPs right. It would be perfect if FPs could be entered directly.

 

[Wachman]

I would like to know from someone who drafts "Auction" style how they liked the DD. Is there anything I should know that would help me in my Auction Draft? Thanks, in advance.

I'vee used DD for the last couple of years in our auction. It helps me keep an eye on the entire auction. I can easily tell the following:Who's left on the board

How much $ each team has left

What positions each team still needs.

Without DD, i could barley keep track of my own team. Now I don't have to spend alot of time trying to see what everyone else is doing. Its all right in front of me.

 

[Construction Man Jim]

Is there a DD version compatible with Macs?

 

[Bruce Henderson]

Is there a DD version compatible with Macs?

It will run on a mac if you have VirtualPC. I'm also told the new macs with the intel processor are capable of running windows too.

 

[ShaqAttaq]

i use DD to mock / draft prep. each of my 4-5 leagues plays a completely different strucutre & scoring system & it helps me make sense of various scenarios. i've never used it during a draft, as i just take the VBD sheet & nothing else to drafts.

 

[Mark Wimer]

I've used the DD since Bruce debuted it here at FBG's, and not only has it helped me draft more easily and more insightfully, it has improved every year since it debuted.

I find the ability to "weight" certain weeks of your draft very valuable for my long-time (since 1989) redraft league because that league is a 3-division, 12 team league where 3 of the 4 playoff spots are determined by in-division champion (the 4th playoff spot goes to the 4th-best record, regardless of division). So, after the first 3-4 rounds, I tell the program to start drafting my team to maximize fantasy points for the weeks I play my in-division rivals by weighting those weeks more heavily than non-division games on the fantasy schedule. This way, I don't have my 2nd- and 3rd- WR or my starting QB on bye for a divisional game (depending on how the early rounds of the draft play out from year to year and who I have rostered during the early rounds).

I also weight weeks 15-16 more heavily so that my matchups are maximized for fantasy championship weeks.

I love DD!

 

[ConstruxBoy]

I would like to know from someone who drafts "Auction" style how they liked the DD. Is there anything I should know that would help me in my Auction Draft? Thanks, in advance.

I'vee used DD for the last couple of years in our auction. It helps me keep an eye on the entire auction. I can easily tell the following:Who's left on the board

How much $ each team has left

What positions each team still needs.

Without DD, i could barley keep track of my own team. Now I don't have to spend alot of time trying to see what everyone else is doing. Its all right in front of me.

Just wanted to point out that I agree that it works well for an auction IN PERSON. But when you are doing an auction online, and having to manipulate a internet screen to place bids and such, the DD is really too much to handle. You're probably better off printing out the cheatsheet and using it.

 

[isuvike]

I like it because it helps me keep track of what the other guys are doing. It's easier to strategize when you know the guys around you have already drafted their starting RBs, and WR's and are probably targeting a QB next.

I play in a league that requires you to carry a certain number of each position. Two years ago I was able to get Carson Palmer as my last pick (probably 3 or 4 rounds after I would have normally picked him) because I knew everybody else had already drafted their allotment of QB's a few rounds earlier.

Sure, you can do this with paper, but the DD makes it easier.

 

[Oaktown]

For an online draft that obviously goes rapidly, how is it? Is it too much of a pain to be flipping back and forth on the screen, etc?

 

[Chase Stuart]

The importance of the Draft Dominator is hard to overstate. I know I won't willingly draft without it ever again (or at least until Bruce names it something else. ). It's that good and there's no downside to it.

 

[Chase Stuart]

For an online draft that obviously goes rapidly, how is it? Is it too much of a pain to be flipping back and forth on the screen, etc?

Not really. ALT + TAB is your friend.

 

[massraider]

At the draft I attended last year, I was the "friggin' laptop guy", this time, I'm the "returning champ".

One question, I have held back from purchasing it, as I want to use it on my desktop, and use it on my laptop when I go to the draft. Anyone know if this is a problem? I'd rather not purchase it twice.

 

[Chase Stuart]

At the draft I attended last year, I was the "friggin' laptop guy", this time, I'm the "returning champ".

One question, I have held back from purchasing it, as I want to use it on my desktop, and use it on my laptop when I go to the draft. Anyone know if this is a problem? I'd rather not purchase it twice.

You can download it to both computers massraider. And if there's a problem just e-mail Clayton (but there shouldn't be).

 

[massraider]

At the draft I attended last year, I was the "friggin' laptop guy", this time, I'm the "returning champ".

One question, I have held back from purchasing it, as I want to use it on my desktop, and use it on my laptop when I go to the draft. Anyone know if this is a problem? I'd rather not purchase it twice.

You can download it to both computers massraider. And if there's a problem just e-mail Clayton (but there shouldn't be).

Thanks for the heads up, mate.

 

[LAUNCH]

The importance of the Draft Dominator is hard to overstate. I know I won't willingly draft without it ever again (or at least until Bruce names it something else. ). It's that good and there's no downside to it.

There is one downside and that is the way (unless it's changed this year) that it treats every draft like a serpentine. In an auction league one team can make 5 "picks" in a row, but the DD always tries to go to the next team. Having the ability to just select a team as needed would be a huge addition. Drafts can be fast and furious at times and having full control over the input source would be great.This is a nice tool for commisioners that allows you to run a draft, have your projections, and updated moves all in one concise place.

LAUNCH

 

[Angry Beavers]

used it for the first time last year - it was awesome - easy to use for my one online draft and makes tracking things a whole lot easier. I used to do a lot of what DD does by paper ( keeping track of what other teams have, need etc); and DD is far easier