System overload. It's something that most diehard fantasy owners suffer from as they cram their brains with an array of data charts, bar graphs, and names that their grandmas could never pronounce. And all this in preparation for a three- to four-hour event; fantasy draft day.
Yes, fantasy football is a complex game, but only if you want it to be. Sometimes, I ask myself why can't I be 10 years old again? That was when I used to draft whomever my pea-sized brain thought would be good in whichever round I wanted to select him. I mean, it makes sense, doesn't it?
Well, sort of. It makes sense to the optimistic part of the fantasy brain, but to the analytical part it's downright irresponsible. See, the optimistic part wants you to buy a brand new Corvette, but the analytical part is bringing you back to reality by knocking you upside your head with the memory of how much money you don't have in your bank account.
The optimistic part is telling you, with your ‘80s mullet and skin-tight jeans, that you have a chance with Jessica Simpson, but the analytical part is telling you that you have a better chance of becoming friends with Simon Cowell. The optimistic half is telling you to take Shonn Greene or Ryan Matthews in the first round, but the sensible, analytical side is blowing out your eardrums yelling Ray Rice and Frank Gore.
I think you get the point. Now ask yourself: Which are you?
Are you the one who stays up hours past bedtime, eyes about explode as they crackle red, while you sort through spreadsheets on your outdated and excruciatingly slow computer? Or are you the optimistic, laid back fantasy owner, who only opens a fantasy magazine or prints out a spreadsheet on draft day just to check off players that you can no longer select?
What if you were neither?
Instead, what if you were what I call "Optimal?" In other words, you're the fantasy owner who is laid back come draft day and you take chances when others don‘t, but at the same time do some research, and keep a level head by balancing your optimistic picks with sensible, well thought out selections. That sounds like the "optimal" solution to me, doesn't it? Yes, but it's not that simple.
Last season, I was invited to join a few "expert" fantasy leagues. Exuberance overwhelmed me, and trust me I was just as thrilled to be lumped in as an expert as I was when I was eight and I opened "Transformers" and G.I. Joes on Christmas Day. At the same time though, I knew that this meant that heavy research would be required if I wanted to come out on top.
I used and abused Fantasy Football Calculator night in and night out preparing my fantasy football wits for the ultimate tests. I generated spreadsheets, wrote strategies across my head, and talked to myself about them in the shower; don't kid yourself, you've done it, too. But how do you think I ultimately fared?
I was nervous, overwhelmed, and very, very careful come draft day. I overanalyzed every pick, and I was stiff as, well... you know. Hey, it was my first time, and like everything else in life you do for the first time that you're incalculably excited about, it takes time for you to get settled in a productive comfort zone.
The sad part is that I had all the fantasy football wisdom I possibly could have going in to the expert drafts, but because I had a tight analytical approach, and was more concerned with piecing together the perfect team I didn't take any chances at all. In the end, and in most of these leagues, I finished somewhere around .500, and I really didn‘t have that much fun doing it, because of my serious numbers-always approach.
Meanwhile, in one of 15 or so leagues hosted by 540 ESPN, I found myself a little more laid back. I took the more optimistic approach, as I really was the only so-called expert in my group of 12 fantasy owners. I spit out player names as if I saw them like stock market prices scrolling across some kind of "bottom line" of sight. I took risks like selecting Brandon Marshall (2009 ADP: 54.3) in the fourth round; something I would've never done in any of the expert leagues. I never panicked, even when the tight end pool weakened faster than the starting running backs walked off the board. And in the end I assembled a much more comfortable and productive team. It wasn't my best work, but it was a good enough team for me to win a Bissell vacuum.
And then in a league that has always nipped me in the butt come playoff time in all the five or so years I've participated, I found the perfect championship formula. Sure, I had the 14th pick of 14 teams, but I wasn't phased one bit. In fact, oddly enough I found myself more daring, but smart at the same time. I mean, anyone who knows what it's like to draft out of the final spot in the pecking order should know that you sometimes have to jump all over your rankings big board to grab some of the players you desire. That is precisely what I did, but I did it with a more analytical approach. In other words, I went optimal in this particular draft.
I was pumped and ready to grab a Giants running back after seeing them destroy the NFC East in 2008, but analytical power runner Brandon Jacobs didn‘t tickle me pink, because I knew as the draft progressed I could grab the optimal Ahmad Bradshaw, and at the same time get more value. After seeing that Cleveland had a weak schedule down the stretch I went against the analytical side that was telling me to stay away from all Browns players and selected Jamal Lewis. I then handcuffed him with rookie James Davis. Later on, I would pick up Jerome Harrison off waivers, and the rest is fantasy playoff history.
These are just a few of the examples of draft moves I made that ultimately skipped me down the yellow brick road to my first fantasy championship in this league, and past the monkey that was latched on to my back.
"It is the child in man that is the source of his uniqueness and creativeness, and the playground is the optimal milieu for the unfolding of his capacities and talents." - Eric Hoffer
Consider the draft room your fantasy playground. How are you going to achieve optimal performance? Are you going to crunch numbers, and find yourself stiff, dull, and downright robotic? Are you going to nauseate the room with your vivacious optimism, reaching for every player you desire? Or are you going to meet somewhere in the middle, bringing dull and vivacity together as one to form the absolute perfect fantasy team?
Its your decision, your team, and ultimately your fantasy championship for the taking. Will you skip down the yellow brick road? Or will you be flushed down the fantasy toilet bowl with your one-sided draft strategy?
