The Unarmed Strike series will be offseason series focused on dynasty and redraft fantasy football offseason strategies that are themed with Dungeon & Dragons storytelling. Follow me @FF_Derekfuchs to see when my latest articles get posted.
I truly believe I have never mock drafted more than in 2022. I have joined several dynasty leagues trying to improve in that area, along with being fortunate to compete in Scott Fish Bowl 12 (#SFB12) and Warrior Bowl 2022 (#WB2022); I have run several mocks every day for the past couple of months. I have enjoyed meeting people through the leagues and mocks but most importantly, I have become a prepared wizard for redraft leagues now and wanted to share some tips and lessons learned from running through all these mocks and drafts for those leagues.
Spell Slots (Developing a Plan)
Wizards get the chance every long rest to reset their spells for each spell slot they have. I think this is a great analysis for developing a plan for your league draft since each one will be different, meaning you will need to reconsider the spells or tools you have for each one.
There are so many different strategies to take into each draft: Best Player Available (BPA), Zero XX, Hero XX, Robust XX, where XX is RB or WR. Scoring and league settings also play a factor, considering if your league is Superflex, 2QB, or Tight End Premium (TEP). One of the benefits of mock drafting is you can try all these strategies and find one that you are comfortable with or practice if you need to adjust if the draft falls differently than you expect.
One of the biggest mistakes from people that don’t mock draft often is when they panic pick because the draft starts to go against how they thought it was going. Imagine a run of wide receivers that you thought would be at your pick, and you panic because you don’t know how to pick from your queue. This is why we say practice makes perfect! These scenarios come up during mock drafts, meaning you will be prepared in a low-stress environment, so when it comes game time, you will have an idea of what to do instead of panic picking a kicker in the 9th round (sorry, Aaron, I’ll never forget that moment).
Perception Check (League Scoring/Settings)
As mentioned in the previous section, looking at the league settings is crucial for planning your draft. It goes for the same when planning a campaign or joining one, setting where the story/adventure will be for the players and Dungeon Master is important for a successful group. When planning for the draft, look over how scoring is set and if there are any specific changes for the draft or league itself.
The Scott Fish Bowl is a great example of this. Each year, there are changes to the scoring, and you need to pay attention. For the #SFB12, there was a change for how kickers score and an additional bump for tight end scoring as well as adding first down points.
Another change in the #SFB12 is the draft had a third-round reversal (3RR). This means that the third round starts back at the 12th position. One of the reasons I chose to draft from the 12th spot in the #SFB12 was the 3RR. This made it so I could potentially have three players that I have ranked in the top 24 of my projections and standing. Here is how my three picks went in the Billings, MT Division.
I got two great quarterbacks and a top tight end in Kyle Pitts. I am super happy to start in the twelfth spot and would do it again if there is 3RR.
Attunement (Mock Drafting Tools)
For every magic item you acquire along your campaign, you must become attuned with it. You form a bond with these magical items that help you become stronger and handle the toughest of challenges on your quests. The same thing now is with all the fantasy football tools we have at our disposal for mock drafting and assisting with our drafts themselves.
One of the best tools for mock drafting can be the platform you play your league on. When using the best fantasy platform, Sleeper.com, you get to use their mock draft tools that use your league’s settings and go against their ADP rankings or your imported rankings. Nothing beats Sleeper at this point when it comes to fantasy football platforms. You can also make a little extra money if you play from a legal state with their new Over/Under game! Use the link above to get a deposit match of up to $100 when you do!
Another new tool that you can use is Underdog Fantasy. Best ball has been a huge source for creating ADP data and letting some of the best in the industry prove how well they can draft.
There are other mock drafting tools, and you are open to using whatever your preference is. I suggest you follow The Undroppables Rankings for whatever league you are in (Dynasty/Devy/Redraft/Best Ball) and get all the updated rankings from our amazing experts and analysts. We put a lot of effort and time into our rankings, and last year our fearless leader, Chalk, was one of the higher-ranked ranking experts on Fantasy Pros ECR!
