1. Thou shalt look high and low for sleepers…. The term “sleeper” is an overused term in FF, but the idea that you can get a 3rd round talent production for 7/8/9 round value is where fantasy champions are made. Do your homework, research what the pros suggest and make your picks with confidence, even if you have to reach for a player a round early, make sure that you round out your team in your own vision.
Some early sleepers at each position so far are: QB Freeman, RB Tate, RB Royster, WR Titus Young and TE Cook of the Titans.
2. Prepare thyself for heart break…. The Fantasy football draft and season are all full of disappointments, as you enter draft day prepare yourself for these and you will be able bounce back much easier when the rug is pulled from under your feet. Don’t worry if the one you wanted got away and don’t worry if your draft position sucks, each has its own merits and each has its own peril. Roll with the punches, stay focused.
3. Thou shall not covet thy neighbor’s pick…. Good picks come and good picks go, stay focused and concentrated on your picks and try not to squirm too much or WHELP when your prized player gets pilfered a round or even a pick before you were going to pull the trigger. If the unspeakable does happen, don’t even mention it, just move on and pretend like it was part of your plan all along.
4. Thou shall know the leagues rules…. Reading the leagues rules is more important than bringing food on draft day! Find out if this is a PPR league, 2 TE league or how many teams are in the league! Each of these minor differences will have severe effect on your squad’s success. Don’t know the differences, head over to LADYSFOOTBALL.COM and read the Fantasy Football basics page.
5. Thou shall lie…. Don’t worry, this isn’t about your eternal soul, this is fantasy football, and all bets are off when it comes to little white lies. Go ahead and forfeit some of your merits and spread an untruth about a “nagging injury”, coaching changes or contract issues that may or may not exist in reality.
6. Thou shall not misuse the name of a sleeper…. The sleeper players names that are rattling around your brain shall never be spoken in unfriendly circles. Keep thine secrets to thy self, under no circumstances shall you utter the phrase, “I really like player A, as opposed to player B”, lest you never will see the player in question again, and he shall be under the kingdom of thine enemy.
7. Thou shall honor the past years Champions…. No matter if you are playing for money, fun or greatness, always remember that winning fantasy football does indeed take skill, luck and determination, show some respect, this is 4 or 5 months of their lives dedicated to domination of group of adults.
8. Thou shall use MOCK drafts…. Most drafts that are online will randomize the draft order JUST before draft time, so it is a great idea to run through your paces in the practice arena before the big day, practice the first through twelfth pick. ESPN, NFL and more sites all have MOCK drafts that you can practice on any time of day. These are great, fun and they come with no repercussions except greatness. Yes, we are talking about PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.
9. Thou shall not make a ridiculous trade offer…. These are your friends, co-workers or family members, so don’t treat them like idiots and offer Rashard Mendenhall for Drew Brees or some such non-sense, it makes you look bad, it makes them think that you are disrespectful, it’s a lose/lose for everyone. There is nothing worse than your inbox filling up with nothingness trades that will never be approved by the commissioner, let alone agreed upon by the tradee. Another dangerous byproduct of your horrible trade offer is when you really want a legitimate trade to be looked at and accepted, it is ignored and deleted. Bad form. Don’t be that guy.
10. Keep the Sabbath holy…. Go to church now so that you can be free for the next 4 months worth of Sundays.
-Good luck and god speed friends.
-Mike Komrosky @getrealfootball.com
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