CALLBACK! 4 Simple Tips for Gaining the Edge at Your Fantasy Draft (Updated for '12)

by Matt Prendergast,


EDITOR'S NOTE: I wrote this piece last year right when I joined ReclinerQB, and thus rushed out a 'draft plan article' basically four days before the regular season. In the interest of not rehashing the same valid points - and because I'm prepping a ton of new content for the next month, here's this piece for those who missed it the last time. (For those that are 'relevancy' obsessed, please substitute '2012' for '2011', and pretend that picture of Rodgers and Matthews is Eli Manning and Jason Pierre-Paul. I've updated a couple areas just a smidge)


Hey again kids! Apologies for the back-to-back fantasy-based pieces right off the bat, but as we are now in the throes of Draft Week , it seems the time sensitivity of this issue is pushing these to the front of the line. I promise to provide a more fair-and-balanced approach to topic distribution going forward, including a treatise I'm working up on why four current NFL franchises should be transferred in-full to the UFL for the foreseeable future. But time is of the essence!

Many of you have perhaps already participated in your big-money-league drafts this past weekend (In 2012, no you haven't, it's not even August! If you actually have, next year please just mail me your league entry fee and I will shred it for you), likely because some owners have some ridiculous 'commitments' to 'spending time with their families' over Labor Day weekend, and then further jinx up the deal by holding 'jobs' during the week. Beyond the obvious need to replace these owners with folks who can get their priorities straight, there's not going to be much here to help you out immediately - instead, file this away for next season, and begin your planning now. As my father often says 'a little pre-planning saves everyone a lot of problems'. When applied to this scenario, he clearly means 'a little pre-planning wins you your league over a lot of suckers'. My father knows what he's talking about.


Now let's assume that you play in a league with a generally solid ownership base - these folks put in their due diligence, pay enough attention to the NFL in the weeks preceeding, and by and large have historically made reasoned and sound choices - well, you, devoted fantasy player, need to get ahead of the curve and grab any advantage you can in securing the ever-critical mental edge. In the end, that's the difference in winning and losing in this world, and you, my friend, are a winner, right?



Please note: these keys to a winning draft are applicable only to live drafts - online leagues are certainly fun, but suffice to say, any money league betwixt one-time-close friends worth its salt is throwing this thing down live and in person. However, if you can figure out a way to apply any of these helpful hints to an online draft, by all means, send me your crazed, stream-of-consciousness ramblings on how exactly you see that happening, and I will promptly forward your manifesto to the most appropriate social services provider.


1) Control The Location First things first, never, and I do mean NEVER, let your draft go down at a league member's home. There's just way too many uncontrollable elements in that setting that can really sour up a solid draft, even if it's held in your own trailer. Be it children running hither-nither, a distracting buffet with an inordinate amount of delicious deviled eggs, the host's wife who keeps glaring at you as she passes through the room on account of what you did to the garden shed at the summer get-together in '08, or your own wife who is also glaring at you for the same reason, there's too much that can break bad in a home environment. Yes, even if it's in the garage (who drafts in a garage anyway? That just feels dangerous).


No, you need to insist, and (this is important) coordinate the effort to secure an off-site locale for your war room. Preferably, find one with a separate room that will provide table service for your hearty group, doesn't pay close attention to local fire ordinances and has a very lax 'pants-wearing-required' policy. Now everybody is on a level plain - no homefield advantage . Except for you; the hero that put this all together, because you care about the league and were concerned that Don could have his nachos AND Deirdre could have a Cobb salad. And if you work it right, that will be remembered by at least one person who will agree to a draft-day deal slanted heavily in your favor that they will spend an entire year regretting.

2) Make Your Entrance Count If professional wrestling has taught us one important lesson as a society, it's that overindulgence of muscle enhancers combined with a grueling work schedule usually leads to early death. As we are not speaking about dynasty leagues, that doesn't really apply here. However, if professional wrestling has taught us TWO important lessons as a society, the second one is: an awesome entrance is a game-changer.

Now the parameters of your entrance are going to be somewhat dictated by your location - Buffalo Wild Wings for instance has a very strict and unreasonably restricting policy regarding indoor pyrotechnics; Chili's however, is a little grey in this area. Again, this is why it's critical you do the legwork on the location. The point is, you need to walk into your draft with no question in any other league member's mind that you are indeed the baddest man walking the planet, in that nearly-empty room, at that moment.


Get creative! If fireworks aren't your style, then how about dry ice? It looks cool, and for added toughness, carry a couple chunks in your bare hands and wave them around frantically. (Editor's Note:  DO NOT PICK UP DRY ICE WITH YOUR BARE HANDS, ARE YOU INSANE? Or if you do, please note that neither AmazingMattyP, nor ReclinerQB.com, are legally responsible for any of your ensuing medical bills, nor the fact that you apparently paid zero attention during your fifth grade science class) Or keep it old school: just enter the room with a thick stack of draft magazines, walk to your place at the table, and immediately tear the entire stack in half like your some sort of crazed man-ape brought forth from a circus in 1947. (Editor's Note: May require some form of muscle tone) 


In summary, the important thing is: You'd better have an awesome theme song, and it better not be 'Don't Fear The Reaper' by Blue Oyster Cult, because that's all mine.


3) Know Your Opponents Much like you wouldn't be foolish enough to jump into the ocean having never learned to swim, so too should it be instinct that dictates you learn as much about the personal lives of every other owner in your league before walking in. Why? Because sometimes you win the battle at the line of scrimmage before the snap count is complete.


It's a tale as old as time, if 'time' is defined as 'whenever Muhammad Ali started getting popular'. While it'll never win the whole battle, the slight-of-hand tactic that is modern psychological warfare is only at it's most deadly when you've done your homework. To attempt such a technique flying blind is a fool's folly. No, you need to know dirt. And then you need to know how to properly grind it in.


An example of a horrifying sad verbal attack: 'Nice AD Toby Gerhardt pick, guess you'll take Bernard Berrian Adrian Peterson next since you love the Viqueens so much, idiot.' This fails on many fronts. One, you've delivered it after a pick, and an obviously good sad one at that. Secondly, it's an obvious attempt to shake somebody up using trite cliche, poor logic and subpar trash-talking skills, and is easily defensible via 'ignoring you'. Thirdly, you're twelve.

A worse example: After the guy in front of you steals away Dwayne Bowe, you retort: 'well, at least I still get to go home to my wife, who used to be yours.' That's just poor sportsmanship.
Much better tactic: It's three picks before your arch nemesis 'Mark' is up in the fourth round (and you do have an arch nemesis named Mark somewhere, even if you are unaware of it) - he drafts right before you, and you both have an absurd crush on Joseph Addai Jonathan Stewart for whatever reason, who is still, rightfully, on the board. Now, because you've done your homework, you also happen to know that Mark's brother 'Devon' just got sent to the can for a 5 to 10 stretch for trying to smuggle an inordinate amount of illegal fireworks over the Canadian border hidden in a truckload of melons. So you, with all the earnest caringness you can muster, lean over to Mark and simply ask 'Hey man, how's Devon been doing? I haven't seen that guy in forever, that dude has the coolest fireworks. You gotta tell him I said 'sup!'' Mark's subsequent weeping will make it impossible for him to pick anyone but the next name he can think of, and it will be Devin Hester Devin Hester,as a misconstrued tribute to his fallen hero. Now you're living in Addaiville Stewarttown!, baby! All through the efficient execution of subtle and lethal mind attacks.

4) Lead With Your Gold I think there's a lot of grey area in this confusing world, but one thing is clearly set in stone; people make questionable to horrific decisions after a couple of stiff belts. So by all means, get to your draft early and help them along. A couple pre-draft rounds of shots will cost you 20-30 bones up front, but the ROI should be more than adequate.


Sure, you're not going to lure the majority of your responsible owners in, most likely because in their past, they've experienced one year of 'only drafting Raiders because they're totally DUE!' under the direct counsel of Ron Rico -Juris Doctorate, but trust me when I say this: you're going to get two of them to run down the amber-brick road. That's two less guys that will have any idea what's going on by the middle of the third round, and that's two less dudes trying to take what's yours.

True story: implementing a variation on this strategy in 2004, I witnessed another owner attempt to draft Philadelphia wide receiving non-sensation Todd Pinkston in the 8th, 10th and 11th rounds of the same draft, when he was off the board in the 6th. We can get into the question as to why Todd Pinkston was taken in the 6th round, ever, at a later date - the impact point in this illustration is: the entire last half of that draft was about 10 percent more valuable by round that it had any right to be, all thanks to the glory of a guy that liked his relaxation by the dozen. You can make that happen; take charge of your destiny.


Note: Please do not implement this strategy when drafting with minors. That's essentially cheating, and I'm 85% certain it's also illegal (unless you're in Reno, Nevada). Also, why are you playing fantasy football with a bunch of fifteen-year-olds anyway, freak? Unless you are also fifteen, in which case, that's cool.


This is war, kid. Play all the cards you've got. I wish you luck, come home safe.
FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER: @amazingmattyp. Or check your local police beat.

Keep One Eye Open: For James Jones *

by Matt Prendergast

 Keep One Eye Open is a series of quick notes on players that ReclinerQB.com is pointing out that maybe, just maybe, you should put in your 'Players To Watch' queue, wherever your league may be hosted. These aren't guys that we're saying you should draft come fantasy league time; in fact, you probably shouldn't. These are guys to keep in your holster with a watchful eye, because there's some potential that you might want to take a roll on them at week three, five or seven when your sleeper guys are revealed to be 'the dead weight they've always been'.

Um...wrong James Jones.

Alright, you've likely picked this guy up, or at least tried to, at some point in the last four years. Pros: He's big and physical, and capable of breaking the big play. Cons: Upon occasion, he's had some hand confusion from time to time (and once in awhile, it might be at a critical juncture)....oh yes, I nearly forgot, and he's COMPLETELY BURIED among any of a dozen other receiving options on every play the Green Bay Packers run. Between Jennings, Jordy, Driver, Jermichael, Randall Cobb, any of the running backs - and they've got two' potential franchise futures' sitting in the wings in Tori Gurley and Jarrett Boykin - there's just not enough to go around.  And they need at least one practice squad spot for Dale Moss...

Also the wrong James Jones.
This one played D for the USA.

Look, this is just my opinion, but I really don't think Green Bay management ever expected Donald Driver to go this long (at least not without really losing a few steps, which he really hasn't). I truly believe that back when Jones was drafted, it was his destiny to fill that role - but that role hasn't needed any filling. His early career has reminded me a lot of early Driver - good enough to keep sticking around and showing a flash, but spotty in the consistency department at times, perhaps due to sporadic use, perhaps due to the yips. Perhaps even, in one of the biggest 'slow news week non-stories' to strike this offseason, due to lack of respect.  (Please note: I think that article and other versions of it are merely poorly constructed spins to make it sound like Jones is disgruntled - read the words. He just wants to make an impact in an overcrowded locker room).

Quick Quiz: Name me in three seconds another two-sport receiver who combines a football career with hockey? See that: James Jones doesn't care. The man just wants to score points. It's a passion.

Let's cut to the quick: James Jones has talent and skill to start in this league - and despite a wealth of depth at that position in the last few years throughout the land, that remains true. Among potential fits:

The Denver Broncos - This piece right here already makes any valid points I could ramble on regarding a Jones fit in the Mile High City...there's a valid logic that works in this scenario, though Jones would just be moving into the WR3 position, at least it would be his alone.

HERE HE IS!  YAY!

The Minnesota Vikings - They certainly could use him, whether Percy Harvin settles his diva-ass down or not...the second best receiver on that team is out for four weeks with a well-known 'girlfriend signed for a brick' suspension, and they need the help. Also THIS MOVE WILL NEVER HAPPEN WITHIN THE DIVISION. Screw you, Vikes.

The Cleveland Browns - If JJ were traded to the Browns tomorrow, the legit argument could be made he would already be the most dangerous and proven receiver on that squad. Greg Little hasn't proven anything (yet), and Mohammed Massaquoi is a WR3 at best anywhere else on the planet (LOOK AT THE STATS!). So of course, with the time-tested logic of recent Browns' management, they're completely uninterested. So this means one of three things: a) They are completely uninterested in increasing their depth and talent by a boatload at a critical-to-success skills position; b) They are completely interested and are playing 'hard to get', which is akin to a young lady festooned from head-top to torso with headgear and born with one cyclops eye turning down the class vice-president on an invite to the prom 'to make sure he's really interested'; or c) Mike Holmgren has gotten a tremendously deep-rooted glue-sniffing habit in the past couple years, and Cleveland has the best Public Relations department ever.

The Seattle Seahawks - Yeah, I know, the 'Hawks are overloaded at the position....mostly with guys that haven't shown themselves to be consistent weapons: Golden Tate, Ben Obamanu, Fat-Again Mike Williams....and Sidney Rice more or less disappeared into the mist last year too thanks to injury and the continued presence of Tavaris Jackson standing in the spot where a quarterback is supposed to go. Their most volatile receiving threat for the year was Doug Baldwin with 788 receiving yards and 4 scores. So what I'm saying is: there's not a lot of Hall of Famers named 'Doug' (one, to be precise, versus 12 guys named 'Jim' or 'James'. Mostly 'Jim', but it counts), so there's plenty of room for improvement. To reunite Matt Flynn with James Jones - two guys that have had a lot of practice time together and have shown to have more than a little chemistry - Seattle would be doing themselves a tremendous solid for years to come. To wit: in the two showcase games Flynn's had in his career (2010 versus the Patriots, and 2011 against the Lions), that connection shone through. In the Pats game, Flynn to Jones was good for 5 for 95 and a score, with Jones the leading receiver on both sides of the ball....during last year's shoot-out with the Lions, Jones was second on the Pack with 6 for 89, including the critical 40 yard gain that set up the winning score.

See, sometimes he's got great hands!

Sure there's other possible destinations - The Fins, The Jags, The Titans, etc....but none of those provide the either the clear-cut starting opportunity, veteran arm, or proven history, to warrant a real opportunity down the line for Jones to shine.

File James Jones under: If traded to the right situation above, a late-round flier or week two pick-up.


*If he's not traded from GB, or worse yet, moved to the Jags, never you mind.

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