Draft Day Dos and Don’ts

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Whether you’re drafting online or throwing a party for your league’s owners, draft day is fantastic. From the moment the draft order is drawn until you make your very last sleeper pick, drafting is a blast. To make sure your draft experience is the best it can be, here are a few suggestions for the big day.

 
Do schedule enough time for the draft, especially if you’re participating in an auction. The final rounds are important, too; you don’t want to miss out on your late sleepers thanks to another appointment.

Don’t bring a cell phone to the draft unless you absolutely have to. Think about it: would you really rather be taking calls than stealing Koren Robinson in round seven?

 
Do be prepared and organized. Not only will you have a better draft if your player rankings and roster lists are in order, but the other owners will thank you for not holding things up.

Don’t print out every cheat sheet and depth chart you can get your hands on. Having to leaf through three hundred pages of information before every pick will leave you frazzled.

 
Do read your league’s rules carefully. Even the best cheat sheet is useless if it doesn’t take your league’s scoring into account. Among the key factors to check are whether receptions will earn you points, rather than just receiving yards; whether defenses or defensive players are key factors or afterthoughts; and whether return yards are overvalued (which we’re seeing a lot of this year).

Don’t assume you’re the only one who is aware of the scoring. If return yards are as valuable as receiving yards, for example, don’t wait until the final round to grab Michael Lewis, or you may well miss your chance.

 
Do turn the draft into a party. Invite your competition over for a barbecue, or shoot the breeze in a chatroom to get to know the other owners a bit better.

Don’t party so much that you wind up focusing on the drinks instead of the roster. It’s awfully embarrassing to mumble “Joe Montana” when it’s your turn to pick.

 
Do test your computer’s connection to the draft room in advance if you’re drafting online. There’s nothing worse than having your team auto-picked while you bash your forehead against the keyboard.

Don’t have too many other windows open while drafting. Having your draft room crash in round nine and missing out on your best sleepers isn’t fun, either.

 
Do wait a bit before drafting sleepers. They’re called sleepers for a reason – even if a player is good, you don’t want to pay full value.

Don’t wait too long on those sleepers that have been getting a lot of fantasy attention. Matt Hasselbeck, Onterrio Smith and Correll Buckhalter may go off the board a round or two earlier than you had hoped.

 
Do make sure you grab a running back early. This season, if you wait too long, you’ll be stuck starting Antowain Smith all year.

Don’t pass on a star like Donovan McNabb, Terrell Owens or Marvin Harrison to pick a marginal RB. Once the top RBs are gone, concentrate on the other positions.

 
Do consider drafting a tight end early. Jeremy Shockey, Tony Gonzalez and Todd Heap will all give you a considerable edge over teams starting Jerramy Stevens.

Don’t even think about picking a kicker early. Even if kickers score lots of points in your league, the difference between a David Akers and a Jeff Reed will still be marginal.

 
Do have a blast!

 
Arlo Vander thinks Draft Day should be made a national holiday.