(Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
(Above: There's no thought needed. If you can, take AP.)
If you're an avid fantasy football freak like me, then you've already taken advantage of Yahoo! Sports leagues and probably have gone through countless mock drafts.
To put it simply; if you're the owner in more than one league for a sport that is two months from happening, keep reading.
We're almost a full week into June.
That means Brett Favre and his now (we're told) surgically repaired shoulder are just beginning to stir up emotions and hype in the NFC North.
It also means that the Green Bay Packers have less than eight weeks to put the finishing touches on that new 3-4 defense.
As for you and your glorious attempt at fantasy greatness-much the same.
Sure, your friends and relatives, hell, maybe even your boss, talk up a mean game.
They know all the players and all the positions. They have their own rankings. They have memorized averages, game splits, who is good on turf, and who plays bad in snowy weather.
They even have the odds figured out on which quarterbacks are most likely to be used in their respective team's "wildcat" formation.
They bought magazines, man. They bought magazines.
So, now that we know they're serious about winning, it's time for a good, solid gut-check time.
Just how committed are you to hoisting that extremely heavy, golden, imaginary trophy over your head at the end of the season?
If the answer is, "More committed than I am to my own marriage or job," then, again, read on.
1. Take Advice With a Grain of Salt
That's right-even mine, and especially everyone else's.
In the end, there's no perfect way to draft, and there definitely isn't a perfect team.
There will be injuries, roster changes that affect your players, and there will undoubtedly be poor performances, usually without warning, and for no good reason.
A winning season in fantasy football is rarely about "knowing everything," but it's also rarely about luck.
I know it was hard to watch that one cocky dude race to an 11-3 finish in your league last year, but just ask yourself one question-did he win your championship?
I think not. (In some cases, he very well may have, and I do apologize, albeit half-heartedly.)
The point is, you won't feel good about winning in any league, whether it be personal or public, unless you reached that final plateau on your own merit.
At least, that's what the guys who finish 2-12 tell themselves.
2. Don't Leave the Show on Auto-pilot
Draft your team. Watch the waiver wire. Pull the right trades. Ignore the wrong ones.
And set your frigging lineup, bro.
On top of having the certainty that all of these things are done the right way (by your own line of thinking, of course) you will also not be annoying the hell out of the rest of your league.
Don't be the guy who didn't show up for the draft, but lucked out and got a stacked team. Everyone hates that guy.
38 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete