Ten Fantasy Football Commandments -- FFL Bulletin Board

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Date Posted: Wed, Aug 27 2003, 10:26:19 PDT
Author: Michael Murillo - Fantasy Index columnist
Subject: Ten Fantasy Football Commandments

As the preseason winds down, things are heating up in Montgomery, Alabama. The state's Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore has refused to remove a two-and-a-half-ton stone monument depicting the Ten Commandments, sparking lawsuits, suspensions and a potential showdown.

And while that battle rages, many of us are preparing for upcoming fantasy drafts.

Injuries and roster cuts have proven that you should wait as long as possible to hold your draft or auction. If that day is still ahead, use these guidelines for a successful season. They aren't nearly as important as the real Commandments that many people follow, but they can help you win a title. And, as they say here in the south, that ain't too shabby.

I. Thou Shalt Not Drink On Draft Day -- I don't care if your draft is held at a local bar with a preseason game on television. I don't care if another owner is buying. I don't care if it's just one for good luck. You shouldn't drink before or during your draft. One drink becomes two, which becomes three... which becomes David Carr. It happens all the time.

II. Thou Shalt Not Draft According To Bye Weeks -- Never discount a player because his bye week doesn't seem to "fit in" with your roster. A "good" bye week can turn "bad" in the turn of an ankle or an untimely fumble. Don't give bye weeks any weight at all. Just take the best players and deal with the bye weeks as they come.

III. Honor Thy Kicker And Defense -- I said this in "Make Special Teams Special" but it's worth repeating. Those starting positions can add a few points to your weekly total, and sometimes wins and losses are decided by a field goal. So it is in real football, and so it is in fantasy football. Make sure your starters are above average at those positions.

IV. Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbor's Cheat Sheet -- You did your own work in the off-season to prepare for this day. Have confidence in your strategy; believe in your game plan. If someone else has a different ranking order, that doesn't mean yours is wrong. If an owner scoffs at your selection, ignore them. Two teams cannot win a league, so somebody has to be wrong, and it might very well be the ones who are laughing. You can't afford to worry about other people's strategies when making your selections.

V. Thou Shalt Not Change Thy Mind At The Last Minute -- Many good game plans crumble under the weight of a difficult draft pick. Don't dismantle your season based on a last-second hunch. Barring last-minute information, your well-informed opinion is still well-informed. Stick to your guns.

VI. Thou Shalt Not Cram The Night Before The Draft -- You need to do something unrelated to football before your draft. Spend time with your family, see some other friends who don't like football or go to a movie. Names and rankings can get scrambled on draft day if you've over-analyzed everything. You should check for last-minute injuries or depth chart changes, but make a concerted effort to take your mind off the game the night before before your draft.

VII. Thou Shalt Steal Thy Neighbor's Backups -- Only a few backups are worthy of real consideration; feel free to take all of them. You don't need to own Ahman Green to select Najeh Davenport and you don't need Kurt Warner to draft Marc Bulger. Those guys are fair game in later rounds, and you should keep them in mind when filling your roster. It's a good move for you, and damaging to your opponent.

VIII. Thou Shalt Not Automatically Draft Thy Starter's Backup -- Like I said, only a few backups are worthy of real consideration. Just because you have your starter's backup doesn't mean the position is covered. Before selecting the next guy on the team's depth chart, see if a better fill-in is still available.

IX. Thou Shalt Participate In All Thy Leagues -- If you're in 12 drafts, you better have time to play in 12 leagues. It isn't fair to abandon a team that's off to a slow start, making the quality of the league suffer. If you don't really care about that team, let someone else have that spot. Don't ruin the experience for other owners; only play in leagues where you plan to give 100 percent of your effort.

X. Thou Shalt Have Fun -- Remember that fantasy football is a game. Even if the winner takes home some cash, you don't really play for money. You play for the camaraderie, the love of sports and the enjoyment of fantasy football. Great memories will be forged this season, and your friends will be a part of it. Remember why you're playing the game.

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