One of my favorite phrases comes from quote machine Mike Tyson: "Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth." It's a brutal, sobering truth about how people react when reality hits, often hitting pretty hard. And while it applies literally to Tyson's chosen profession, it also applies metaphorically to your fantasy draft. Because when (not if) your plans take a beating, you'd better know how to respond.
I don't know my readers personally, but I know this: Every single one of you has seen a guy you really want sniped a pick or two before your turn. You saw him drop, you saw managers skip him and now here he is, coming back around toward you. He's just a few picks away, and the managers in front of you don't even need to address that position. He's practically on your team, and you're imagining his presence on the roster, how it upgrades your entire draft, how he could be your MVP who earns you bragging rights through next summer. In fact, once you pair him with...
And then he's gone.
Just like that, his name disappears from the queue. Another manager took him. A manager who usually just follows the website's rankings, which means he should have taken someone else. It doesn't make sense. Why choose now to think for themselves and hurt your team's chances? It's ridiculous. The team you envisioned fades away, and you're left having to figure out which...
Ding! You have 10 seconds left to make a pick. You've wasted your time and now you're almost guaranteed to get someone you didn't really want. You grab the name at the top of the list still fuming at the other manager, the player you didn't get, the player you got, and everyone else except yourself. You might even spend the next couple of picks trying to "make up" for the one you regret, which hurts your draft and leaves you with guys that don't fit your strategy.
You got punched in the mouth, and your plan got knocked out.
It's easy to say "don't do that," but it's much better to accept that punches will be thrown and try to be better prepared when it happens. Here are five suggestions that might help.
Think of yourself as always “on the clock.” When a player is coming back around, work on your best choices after him. If he's three picks away, assume he won't be there. Pretend he was just taken and use that time to put three other viable guys in the queue so you're ready to go no matter what. Do not daydream about how awesome it would be if he was still there. Use every minute wisely, even when someone else is drafting. Consider the guy you'd take if he was gone and then consider another guy if that guy is also gone. Do that for as many picks as are in front of you and in the worst-case scenario you'll end up disappointed but prepared.
Don't compound mistakes. If you panic and make a bad pick, do not spend future draft capital trying to make up for it. You'll just make things worse. Be like an NHL goalie, grab the water bottle and put it right out of your mind. If you chase a bad decision with more players at that position, you'll miss out on bargains in other places and create a critical imbalance on your roster. Take the punch and keep moving.
Understand that it all might work out in your favor anyway. If you looked back at previous drafts, you'd find that many players you missed out on were duds anyway, and the guy you were "stuck with" helped you win games. We remember the feeling of missing out on a player, but we don't always remember when we dodged a bullet because we didn't get them. The negatives are easier to remember, I guess. Try to keep that in mind when it happens to you.
Don't let your emotions get the best of you during the draft. Don't get too frustrated or angry, and don't get too happy or cocky, either. There will be plenty of time to feel great or terrible about what happened, but the time for it is definitely not while it's happening. Can you imagine actually getting punched in the mouth, and spending the next few moments analyzing why it happened and how you feel about it instead of defending yourself or countering? You're begging for a KO at that point, and it will be the same on draft day. Stay analytical, stoic, and prepared.
Above all, remember to have fun. Yes, the draft can be a stressful, important event. But it’s still a game you play for enjoyment. If you lose that part of it, what’s the point? So have a plan and stay focused, but it’s okay if you don’t get a guy you wanted. You’ll be fine if your roster doesn’t resemble what you planned. Things might turn out better than you expected, or you might have fun building the team up over the course of the year. No matter what happens, enjoy football season. You waited long enough for it to come back, didn’t you?
I know this stuff isn't new to you, but we all benefit from refreshers every so often. Now's the time to read it again and get the right mindset before draft day.
What do you do when a favored player doesn’t make it to you? Have you ever dodged a bullet that way, or let it get the best of you? How do you stay cool and collected when the pressure is on? Share your thoughts below.