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Last Updated: Oct 16th, 2008 - 13:33:17 |
The NFL Preseason is one month away,
which should have you fantasy football fans
dancing in the endzone. August is the usual
meeting time for fantasy football owners to get
their usual suspects together and hold the annual
draft to put together a juggernaut of the
best fantasy players in the business.
There are some tidbits you should take with
you in the upcoming month before you take your
pen, paper and drafting hat to the table.
Always consult more than one fantasy magazine
or website. One mistake fantasy owners
make in the preceding month is they consult one
publication and draft players based on that particular
magazine or website's biased comments.
I usually pick up three to four different fantasy
football magazines hoping to find every conceivable
outlook on a player. One publication will
say that Randy Moss is going to have a great
year under Tom Brady, but another will tell you
that the Patriots like to spread the ball around
and he will put up minimal stats. Just like any
and all education, find more than one source to
take in knowledge about fantasy football.
Keep a close eye on injury reports, team
transactions and depth charts. With training
camp already in full swing, players are pushing
themselves to get into shape and that's when
hamstrings are blown and ligaments are torn.
As we target our favorite wide receivers and
running backs, we feel the pain of ACL and MCL
tears as much as the athletes themselves, but if
you draft a player who is out for the season because
the fantasy draft is the first time you even
thought about football, then you are doomed for
a long season.
Make sure you have a complete understanding
of the point system in your particular league.
There are so many different types of drafts and
ways to score points from Auction Drafts, Keeper
Leagues, Rotisserie Leagues, etc. Some leagues
have TD-only scoring, some carry a point-perreception,
some are scored by the most yards
produced and the ways to rack up points every
week are endless. In my top league, we take into
consideration that your quarterback should be
the most important player on your team and we
give them a point-per-completion, so if you own
a QB from a team that throws more than they
run, you could ride the wave of his game to a
title. If you have an understanding of how your
league is scored, you can prepare now for your
draft and have the advantage of those who walk
in clueless on the leagues rules.
Be wary of the rookie hype. I know that
the 2006-2007 saw new talent dominate the
field from Maurice Jones-Drew's 15 total touchdowns,
Reggie Bush's 1307 total yards and even
Matt Leinart's 2,500 passing yards and 13 total
touchdowns, but don't think that you are going
to outsmart other owners by forecasting that
Brady Quinn is going to explode for 20 passing
touchdowns or that Marshawn Lynch is primed
to carry the Bills to the playoffs. If you feel the
need to draft rookies in hope of grabbing the
next Vince Young or Joseph Addai, do it in the
later rounds where your starting lineup is secure
with proven veterans and if someone goes
down to injury, a surprising newbie can slip into
your lineup and you will be called a genius (or
lucky) by your fellow owners.
Finally, in the month leading up to the day
that could make or break your fantasy team,
never show your hand to the other owners who
want nothing more than to steal that sleeper pick
and have him/her laugh in your face as you say, "I
was just going to draft him." Keep your thoughts
on who is going to have a breakout season, who
is doomed for a lackluster year and which player
you drool over to yourself. This leads to the games
you can play with the other owners, whether by
giving them a false sense of who you desire to
see on your squad or by giving them false "inside
information" about a player who has all the potential
to carry a fantasy team, even though that
wide receiver from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
won't see many passes thrown his way because
his quarterback is on his keister half the time due
to their wretched offensive line.
So there you go, extensive knowledge on how
to come to your fantasy football draft in August
with full preparation and know-how. We all know
there are a handful of owners who don't even
glance at a magazine or website and look ridiculous
when they draft Jake Plummer in the first
round. Don't be that fool and do your homework.
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