So, no one told you life was gonna be this way? (clap, clap, clap, clap)
Your job’s a joke, you’re broke, and it’s because of fantasy football.
Okay, maybe that’s not how the song goes, but this time of year, everything revolves around fantasy football.
This week, my schedule is predicated on when I can mock draft and when my real drafts are scheduled. Tuesday and Wednesday night are absolutely clear. Why? Because that’s when my live drafts are scheduled. The entire night is open to prepare, draft, and then evaluate.
Fantasy football has become a camaraderie-driven game focused on bettering your peers. With that in mind, here are some fantasy football do’s and don’ts:
Fantasy Football Do’s and Don’ts
Do’s:
- Join or create a league with friends. It’s a good way to stay in touch after graduations, jobs, etc. It’s also a great way to create some competitiveness amongst one another and that’s what friendship is all about, right? Trying to one-up one another in various activities is all part of it.
- Participate in the draft process. Make it memorable if you can. Take part in live drafts. Get all of the league members together in one place and draft with one another.
- Set your line-up every week. It takes, at bare minimum, a few minutes of dedication every week to ensure a valid line-up is set. Don’t let the league become tainted because some guy (or gal) made it into the playoffs because he/she beat an invalid line-up the week before.
- Have fun. At the end of the day, it’s a game. Talk some trash with your buddies, eat some good food, but enjoy the game. Football is a game we love, don’t let your ego ruin it for the rest of us.
Don’t’s:
- Give up on your team halfway through the season. Don’t be that “easy win” that ends up starting players on Injured Reserve and BYE weeks just because your playoff hopes are dead. Fight for honor. Fight for dignity. But mainly, fight to play the spoiler. If you can’t make the playoffs, at least prevent one of your buddies from making them too.
- Veto trades. A trade is between two parties. If both parties find a trade to be fair and balanced, then the trade must be allowed. Vetoing a trade because it makes another team better is weak. NFL teams can’t veto a trade because it makes another team better, so why should you?
- Offer unfair trades. No, I do not want to trade my star wide receiver for your bench player. Not only will I not accept your offer, but I won’t even bother with a counter-offer. If you wouldn’t accept the trade, don’t offer it.
- Fantasy football is a game. It’s supposed to be fun. Don’t ruin the season for everyone by cheating.
- Use “auto-draft.” Drafting is part of the experience. Pick a date that works for everyone. Auto-draft ruins any chance of ambiguity within the draft.
Enjoy the season, have fun, and make memories.
