Draft Psychology

It’s that time: Fantasy Football! OK maybe not yet. We’ve only just begun the OTA’s. But hey, it’s close enough. I can almost hear Vince Lombardi “Gentlemen, this is a football” and Henry Jordan “Coach, could you slow down a little?”

Of course, with the advent of the football season come the fantasy football drafts. In this post I am discussing the mental side of the draft – not the rankings or the position sequence. Rather, the focus is on your composure during the draft. Here are three of the top mental mistakes fantasy football players make.

1.  Letting a bad pick influence your next pick. Hey, to quote Rafiki, “It doesn’t matter. It’s in the past.” So if you made a bummer pick, forget it and make your next pick a good one. And, seriously, you don’t know if it really was a bad pick. You’ll know for sure later, much later. But it may be your best pick of the draft!

2.  Drafting to trade. OK, you missed the player you really wanted, right? Maybe you can trade for him... Maybe if you pick the right player, you can do a trade with the other manager after the draft. Don’t try it. Don’t take someone just because you think you can trade him for the player you wanted. Don’t do it. If someone else sniped you, move on. Only select players that will help your team – not players you think you can use to get the guy you missed.

3.  Not trusting your gut. Study, do your homework, get a feel for the players you want and then select them. Well, duh, right? Yes but…. How many times have you selected a player you were lukewarm on thinking you could get your guy the next round – only to get sniped? Take the guys you like. If someone else critiques it as too early, so what? By the end of September he’ll be the guy trying to do a trade for your guy.

Most importantly, remember a fantasy football draft is 50% physical and 90% mental. Each pick stands on its own. If you think you made a mistake, stand up, flex your shoulders and read a Tony Robbins quote. Then sit back down and be empowered. Your team will be glad you did.

The original post can be found at www.rotoprofessor.com.