Draft season is quickly approaching, but before we dive straight into average draft position (ADP), rankings and other useful information, we should remember the mistakes we have made along the way and how not to repeat them.
Below are 10 draft mistakes to avoid in 2025.
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Draft Mistakes to Avoid
Not Knowing Your Rules
This is the first rule of fantasy sports. Whether this is your first year playing or you’re a seasoned vet, knowing your rules can be the difference between winning and losing.
Too often I see people halfway through a season find out about a rule they didn’t realize was in place. You should know your league constitution like the back of your hand.
Being Unprepared
I can’t tell you how often someone shows up to the draft without doing enough prep. If you print out rankings 10 minutes before the draft as your prep, you are bound to finish in last place. You should have a good understanding of the player pool and a strategy of how you want your draft or auction to go.
If properly prepared, you can pivot when things in a draft or auction go sideways. Spend the time it takes to be prepared for your draft.
Not Having a Backup Plan
As mentioned earlier, sometimes things won’t go the way you planned, so it is important to have a backup plan. Maybe you wanted to build your team around Juan Soto, but someone takes him right before you pick.
You need to be prepared for things to go haywire. I recommend snake drafters create a decision tree that outlines a wide range of possibilities. You should prepare for the worst and hope for the best.
Waiting To Get Your Guys
This is one we all do. We identify our “sleepers” and then play ADP chicken with our league mates. While we all want to extract as much value as we can by waiting as late as possible. Do not wait if you have a list of players you desire — get your guys.
I would rather spend a 10th-round pick on someone I value as a seventh-round talent than risk him going before my pick even if he has an ADP in the 15th round. Don’t be afraid to reach on players important to you.
Taking a Guy That Falls
On the flip side of getting your guys, I often see people taking someone who fell because of the perceived value. This is putting too much weight into ADP or site rankings.
There is nothing wrong with drafting a player you feel is of great value and is a great fit for your team, but often people draft players just because they fell. Remember, there is often a reason why players fall in a draft. ADP is built by every player taken in every draft, which means it weighs the teams that are going to finish last as much as the teams that will finish first.
Judging a player as a “value” just because he has fallen past his ADP is fairly meaningless unless you have determined his value is greater than the pick. If you didn’t like him enough to take him at cost, you probably shouldn’t like him just because he is cheaper.
Taking on Injury Risk
There is nothing inherently wrong with taking on an injury-risk player. However, when you spend a high draft pick on one or you compound that risk by taking multiple risky players, you are adding to your overall risk profile.
The riskier a profile your team has, the less likely you are to have a good season. Yes, risky upside players are fun, but choose them wisely and don’t load up your team with them or you will regret it by summer.
Drafting Too Much Upside Early
I think a lot of people draft players with massive upside early and do not think about the risks involved. You want players who can win your league, but you should consider players more likely to return value in the first few rounds. In the top 30-40 picks, everyone is a stud for the most part.
It is more important to think about who will most likely not be a bust than who is more likely to be the top player. For example, Yordan Alvarez has the talent to be the best overall player in fantasy, but he has a ton of risk because of his health. Freddie Freeman is almost guaranteed to not be the number one player in fantasy, but his floor is super high. I would rather draft the safe option early and take risks later with players I am more OK with dropping.
Not Trusting Yourself
This is one I learned a few years ago. I would spend months doing prep work for my drafts and then I wouldn’t trust myself as much as I should on draft day.
Instead of following my beliefs and values, I would take players others hyped up and then I would pass on the guys I had highlighted. If you are like me and put a ton of work into your prep, trust your process and yourself.
Using Other People’s Rankings
This may be blasphemy writing on a site like FantasyPros, but using someone else’s straight rankings as a draft sheet is a mistake. I know not everyone has the time those of us in the fantasy industry do to create their own rankings and values, but if you want to be a strong fantasy player, you need your own rankings.
At the bare minimum, you should take a rankings list you trust and tweak it to reflect your own preferences and league rules. I know that it is tough work, but often the ranks people are using aren’t even meant as a draft list or can be used for every format or league size. Make sure you cater your ranks for your particular league.
Taking Things Too Seriously
I take fantasy baseball as seriously as possible, putting countless hours into my prep. However, at the end of the day, we are playing a game. Your draft should be fun.
No matter the stakes, make sure to have as much fun as possible. If the game stops being fun you shouldn’t play.
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