You ever walk out of your draft with the sinking feeling that your team is sinking? Sometimes there are telltale signs that things didn't go according to plan on draft day. Here are some of my favorites:
- You rationalize your picks by saying you "had to take them" there.
Some owners will say "Well, I don't like Player X, but when they fell to the third round I had no choice but to draft him." Is that right? You had no choice? He somehow became a different guy in that round? Using that excuse only shows you're not happy with the decision.
Now, don't get me wrong. I don't think much of Chris Johnson this year, but there's a point I would certainly draft him. But it's not a round after you expect him to be drafted. Six rounds later? Yeah, maybe. But if you don't like a guy in the second round, what makes you love him in the third? A mistake is still a mistake a round (or two) later.
- You start looking for trade partners right after your draft.
In one league I received my first trade offer about 16 hours after the draft completed. You have to really hate your draft to abandon players before a full day has elapsed. Even if you're looking for bargains, you don't even know what you're giving up yet. The players you think are expendable might be difference-makers.
- You adjust your football predictions to fit your draft results.
If someone asked you what you thought of Washington in a few weeks ago, you'd have laughed and said they don't look very good. But now that you selected DeSean Jackson, Alfred Morris and Robert Griffin III (hey, you had to take them there), you're seeing things differently.
All of a sudden they look like the surprise Beast of the East. This is a team with momentum on its side! Yeah, sure it is. You just have more invested in them than you expected, and rather than admit you wagered a on a nag you're pretending it's a thoroughbred. That's a bad sign.
- You start looking for last-minute leagues to join.
If you're looking for extra chances to redeem yourself, and you're willing to join an entirely new league to do it, that's an indication that things didn't go your way. But no matter how well you do in Generic League Alpha, it doesn't erase the mess you made before that. It's not a make-up exam. The first one still counts.
- You're not quite as excited about the new season as you were before.
Hey, they're still playing baseball, right? Isn't hockey starting soon? I mean, football is fun but why are we obsessing over it? Let's put things in perspective.
Of course, with a great draft you'd have a countdown clock on your phone counting down the hours until the first kickoff. But now, it's just a silly game, right?
- You start pestering the commissioner to open waivers early.
If you look at the waiver wire (you know, just for fun) and you see several players you'd rather take a chance on than the scrubs on your roster, you blew your draft. This might be worse than trying to make a trade, because nobody wanted those guys at all. Now you want a bunch of them?
- You start blaming everyone but yourself.
That cheat sheet messed me up. The team lied about a player's progress. I was working on no sleep and couldn't hear which players were being taken. My computer kept kicking me out of the draft. I forgot I had a family reunion on a mountaintop that day and couldn't get service. My buddy got wing sauce on my draft board and I took the wrong Manning. Whatever the excuse, it's someone else's fault. Except it's your name on the owner's page and you picked the players.
You know how I came up with this list? A lot of observation, and a little personal experience. We've all been there. The draft got away from us somehow, and things didn't go the way we planned. But the funny part is, you could be sitting on a playoff team. Maybe, just maybe, your pre-draft strategy wasn't perfect. Maybe the flow of the draft dropped some gems into your lap and helped you avoid some disasters you wanted. Maybe the guys you look at with disdain will help you win a title in a few months.
Or maybe not. We don't know yet. But you can't throw up your hands after exactly zero games. We've all seen mediocre teams catch fire, and have bench players who came out of nowhere to lead a team to the playoffs. Maybe with some strong team management and a good amount of luck, your team can be one of those. Your dream team might have gone 3-11, while the team you drafted is a contender. Stranger things have happened in fantasy football.
Either way, stay positive and see what happens. You didn't wait several months to give up before final roster cuts have been made. Play it out, and you might be pleasantly surprised. Good luck in your remaining drafts.
Any signs you'd like to add? Share your thoughts below.