I thought maybe I would take a few minutes and write about what I like to do in the offseason leading up to Fantasy Football Draft Season. As a lot of you, hardcore Fantasy Football fanatics may know, its boring as hell right now!
This really is a good time to come up with a plan to conquer the 2018 season. Most players who play in a few leagues for a couple hundred dollars wouldn't even think about planning this early into the offseason, but if you do this correctly then you can set yourself up to be fully prepared for draft day.
First thing first... Look at the new coaching changes. This might take a little while since it is a revolving door in the coaching world. This is something that needs to be done BEFORE you start really evaluating players you may want to draft in the upcoming season. Why is this important? Tendencies and philosophies. Different coaches prefer different types of players, some coaches value a position more than the other, and some just.....suck in general.
This isn't limited to head coaches either. Offensive coordinators should also be factored into this process. Head coaches lay out the plan, but the OC calls the plays.
Example: Remember Vincent Brown of the Chargers? For years that guy was supposed to emerge BUT never did. Who did? Big Tall, spectacular catch type guys... Vincent Jackson, Danario Alexander, Malcom Floyd, and even Keenen Allen. Rivers and that coaching staff loved the guys who could climb the ladder.
I am going to skip the part where I tell you to NOW scout players you might like... Its March and that's pointless.
The next thing that I want to do is to figure out a schedule. I know that I want to be in at least 20 paid leagues. I also have some experience doing this so I know that drafting early does not suit me well. I like to have information and I also LOVE to pick players who blow out their knee in week one of the preseason. This tells me that I need to be drafted no earlier than 2 weeks out from the start of the season. It's a lot of drafting in a short amount of time, but the more information I have PLUS limiting the risk of injuring players will help my overall return.
What do I do until then?
Easy... I mock my life away. By the time I get to August, I know the draft inside and out. The moment I see my spot I already have an idea of what my team will look like. Prepare yourself for all the different directions. If you go RB RB from the 8 spot... is that better than WR RB? How does your team look overall when you pick no RBs in the first 3 rounds. Test it. You don't need to pick a winner in a mock, but you can set yourself up to do that in August.
Last tip... Start off your Sunday with a big breakfast burrito. You will be full all day long so you'll never have to leave the TV AND they are delicious.
Tell me in the comments below what YOU like to do to prepare during the offseason.