With draft day only a few weeks away for most of us, several bad practices even experienced fantasy owners fall victim to. These habits have the potential to ruin your season and weaken your team before your players ever take the field. Our featured experts are here to impart their wisdom on these mistakes and explain why you should avoid them.

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Q. What specific draft mistake do you most commonly see, even among advanced fantasy owners?

“No matter who it is, there is a tendency among fantasy enthusiasts to reach for “their guy.” While I get it — you want to make sure you have this guy on every roster — there’s a point of no return. What I mean by that is even if this player lives up to the hype you’ve built inside your head for him, you’ve erased all of his draft equity because of where you drafted him. As an example, I love Joe Mixon as a potential breakout star this year, but with his cost moving into the middle of the second round, you’re essentially paying for what NEEDS to be a breakout year, instead of what is the most likely of scenarios. Always leave room for some equity with a player, because you don’t want to be drafting a player at/near their ceiling.”
– Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros)

“Not keeping up with what other owners do during drafts is a big mistake I still see all the time. It’s one thing to have your targets and an idea of the price you are willing to pay, but without following what the needs of the other teams are as the draft goes on, it is impossible to know when the right time is to pull the trigger. This is especially true for owners that are picking on the swing of a snake draft where they make a pick and then may have one or two owners make two picks before it comes back to them again. For example, if you know that both of those teams already have a tight end, it’s easier for you to wait on going tight end until it comes back to you and it’s better for you to go ahead and grab a running back or wide receiver first.”
– Dan Clasgens (Pro Football Focus)

“Over-optimism with injuries is a major fantasy leak, especially on draft day. Look, problems and injuries will find you in a fantasy football season. The only way I’m drafting a player who’s already hurt is if the room gives me a strong discount for doing so (this rarely happens; perhaps it’s just human nature to want to believe in the optimistic side). And spare me any positive spins about quick returns from ailments; teams, and especially the players, have an obvious conflict of interest. There’s no incentive for them to be honest or detailed in their explanations, timetables, and disclosures.”
– Scott Pianowski (Yahoo! Sports)

“You should go into a draft with a strategy in mind, but being locked into that strategy will often result in missed opportunities. Drafters need to keep an open mind as the draft is unfolding, but instead are often reluctant to zig when others are zagging. You might want to begin your draft with two RBs, but others in your league wanted to do the same. Don’t reach for the next running back on your board, if it means passing up on a top-level wide receiver just because that is the strategy you wanted to employ.”
– Rich Piazza (Fantasy Shed)

“While it’s great to go into a draft with a strategy, it’s important to be flexible and adapt to what’s happening in the draft. Many times, drafters won’t deviate from their plan even if value opportunities present themselves elsewhere. For example, I go into every draft (outside of two-QB leagues) with the intention of waiting on QB like most owners given the value at the position. With everyone waiting, elite QBs can drop far enough to make it worthwhile to switch tactics and capitalize on the value. Go into your draft(s) with a plan, but don’t be too rigid that you’re unwilling to adapt.”
– Kevin Hanson (EDSFootball)

“A strategy that isn’t for me is having a bunch of lotto ticket wide receivers. When it’s late in a draft, I find it far more valuable to take a shot on starting RBs that the industry (myself included) have concluded will be supplanted despite the actions of the team saying otherwise. For this season, that could be guys like LeGarrette Blount or Devontae Booker or Peyton Barber. The chances of late picks hitting is already low and the WRs going in that range, even if they amount to something, won’t make the impact of stealing an unwanted starting running back.”
– Mike Wright (The Fantasy Footballers)

“Don’t pass up on your guy just because some average of millions of other fantasy owners says you shouldn’t. ADP is both a gift and a curse when planning your draft. You know where a player is supposed to go, so if possible, you want to get him around that pick or even later. But sometimes, you need to get your guy. ADP is an average draft position for a reason. The term inherently implies that sometimes the player goes higher and sometimes the player goes lower. My general rule of thumb on a particular player you really want is if you are not sure you can get him with your next pick, take him now.”
– Jason Katz (FantasyPros)

“Abandoning your cheat sheets/rankings during the draft and relying on the sites pre-draft rankings is a huge mistake. We make our cheat sheets for a reason, but the drafts move fast. That makes it easy to lose track. When you do that, you are stuck relying on the draft software’s typically bad pre-rankings to pick the rest of your team. This leads to missing the players you wanted because the draft software has them ranked a few rounds later than when you wanted to draft them.”
– Joe Bond (Fantasy Six Pack)

“Do I have to pick just one? The first one is some still think bye weeks matter. They do not in redraft/keeper/dynasty leagues, only in best ball formats. I still see drafters take lower-ranked/projected players because they have a conflict in Week 10. Why? Take the best players available and work the rest out later either via the waiver wire or trades.

The other one is to remember it is a game! Have fun, even if it’s a high-stakes league, only play with what you are willing to lose in the end. Everyone started playing fantasy football because it was fun…keep it that way.”
– Ken Zalis (Pressbox)

Thank you to the experts for their mistakes to avoid. Be sure to give them a follow on Twitter for more great advice and check out our latest podcast below.

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