Top Fantasy Football Draft Mistakes

Every year in the month of August millions of people begin pouring over stat sheets and buying up fantasy football draft guides from their local news stands. As the popularity of fantasy football grows at almost exponential rates, so do the resources available to fantasy managers to aide in making draft decisions. Despite the wealth of information now available to the virtual GM, there are a number of common mistakes that are made very often by even the most seasoned fantasy veteran. Here is a list of the top draft mistakes made by fantasy football managers.

1. Going to the draft unprepared

Without a doubt the biggest mistake people make in any fantasy league draft is going into it unprepared. I know it's just a game, but if you want to win doing a little homework is a necessity. Getting prepared means checking injury reports (at least for the top players) and having a strategy planned out. I can't tell you how many times I've seen people waste a top pick on a player who got seriously injured in a preseason game a few days before (i.e. Michael Vick in 2003). Being prepared also means being organized. I've been known to hastily print out some stat sheets from Yahoo! Sports at the last second myself, but this is a poor strategy for drafting a good team. Compile all your data together in one place (I prefer excel spreadsheets). This will save time and prevent you from passing up on a good pick simply because you overlooked him when you were on the clock and under pressure. There are several programs out there for purchase online to help you organize and develop a draft strategy but I have found these to be a waste of money as most people can create something with the same basic framework in excel. For an example of an excel spreadsheet that I have used and downloaded for free in the past click here.

2. Drafting without regard to bye weeks

One mistake many less experienced fantasy managers make is drafting players without properly evaluating the impact of their bye week. This is especially important in drafting running backs where the fantasy value drops off quickly after the first couple rounds. Sometimes the lure of a top pick that slips to the third or fourth round is enough to get even the most experienced fantasy football manager to ignore the bye week and pick up a potential starter with the same bye week as a previous pick. Unless you're hoping to make a trade later or your league is full of idiots that somehow let LT fall into the third round (in which case you'll win anyways), don't get caught in a bye week trap. When faced with a decision to pick between two players at any position of relatively similar skill and value, ALWAYS pick the player that has a different bye week than your previous picks; even if that means passing on a player that's slightly better, in the end it will be better for your team overall. It's hard enough to win in the weeks your top position player has their bye, don't make it harder on yourself by losing multiple starters in the same week if it can be avoided. In the past I have thought it best to simply throw in the towel for one week and pick players with the same bye week in hopes of having a stronger team for all the other weeks. This is a poor strategy because as they say, in the NFL anything can happen any given Sunday. Just like a stock portfolio, you want to diversify your risk across a number of weeks.

3. Falling in love with a player

I love Ricky Williams. Not in a weird, obsessive, or creepy way but I still have to exercise a lot of self control to keep myself from drafting him. It's obviously a huge weakness of mine and while it's unlikely anyone else shares my fondness for spiritually enlightened running backs, falling in love with stand out players from a past fantasy team is a weakness many people do share. Over the course of several fantasy seasons we all tend to develop a sense of ownership and pride in having certain players on our team and it can be hard to let someone steal them away from you. But it's important not to let your emotions cloud your judgment as this often leads to poor draft decisions. I'm not saying you should ignore top picks just because you've had them on your team before, what I am saying is that you shouldn't waste a 3^rd round pick on, oh say, Robbie Gould, because he's been on your team for the past 3 seasons and you feel a certain attachment to him. It's great to have players that you actually like on your team, or players you can root for when you're watching your favorite team on Sunday (Go Bears!) but just make sure you're not doing it at the expense of a better pick, and in the end, a better fantasy team.

4. Failing to understand your league's scoring system

Not fully understanding your league's scoring rules is most often a mistake made by less experienced fantasy managers or people who are new to a particular league; however, it still ranks as one of the most common mistakes made during the draft. Scoring systems in fantasy leagues can vary widely and can have a big impact on the way you draft your team. For example, consider the difference between Kevin Curtis and Bobby Engram in 2007 in leagues that award points per reception verses leagues that do not. Both had similar total receiving yards and touchdowns for the season (Curtis: 1110 yards, 6 TDs vs. Engram: 1147 yards, 6 TDs). However, Engram had 94 receptions verses Curtis' 77, which could be a difference of 17 total points in a league that scores receptions. The impact of this stat can be even more pronounced in running backs that also have a lot of receptions (i.e. Brian Westbrook with 90 receptions in 2007). The point is, it is important to fully understand how you score points in your league and take that into consideration when choosing one player over another. While 17 points over the course of one season may not seem like much, individual weeks are often decided by as little as 1 point so it is important not to miss any opportunities you may have to get an edge.