One of the biggest questions entering the fantasy football draft is whether or not to manually select your team lineup or allow the computer to make the selections for you. If you’re new to fantasy football and a relative or friend has finally persuaded you to join their fantasy league, this article is for you. Or, if you’re a longtime fantasy player trying to explain the draft to a first-timer, you may find this article helpful.
Fantasy Football-To Draft or Autodraft
Auto drafting is a tool that can be used in a variety of ways. One of the most common reasons to rely on auto-draft is if your league’s draft is scheduled at a time when you’re unavailable. The solution is to set the computer to auto-draft and let the computer choose your lineup for you.
But it’s also an option for new players who may not be comfortable selecting a team for themselves. For a first-time fantasy league participant, the draft can be intimidating. If the newcomer is a fan of their hometown football team but not well acquainted with individual players across the league, it might feel overwhelming or confusing.
Auto-drafting can be an excellent option for beginners or casual players who are just learning fantasy football. Instead of trying to decide which player to select when you’re on the clock, just sit back and let the computer do all the work for you. Pour yourself a drink, sit in front of your computer, and watch the draft without the pressure of having to make a single choice.
The Thrill of Manually Drafting Your Team
But for longtime fantasy players, the draft can be one of the most exciting parts of the fantasy experience. Managers look forward to the draft for the sheer thrill of assembling the dream team of their choice and managing those players throughout the season.
Strategizing over training camp and preseason performance reports, Fantasy managers decide which players to draft and in what order. They agonize over whether to draft an injured player who’s destined to be out for several weeks, knowing he might be a valuable asset down the stretch. As soon as the draft room opens up, they log in and begin moving their wish list players into their queue to be selected when they’re on the clock.
The excitement and intensity build as the draft begins and they begin to assemble their chosen dream team. Managers trash-talk the competition when a targeted player is grabbed but rejoice if a key pick is still available when they’re on the clock. When the draft is over, fantasy managers bask in that pride of ownership, knowing they’ve carefully cultivated a team that has set them up for victory. Although their pre-draft strategy has been time-consuming and a bit stressful, the thrill of leaving the draft with a winning lineup makes it all worthwhile.
The Advantages Of Auto-Draft
For fantasy managers who can’t participate in the draft at the designated time, it’s a matter of convenience. They know the computer will see to it they get the best available player in every round. The computer doesn’t favor the hometeam nor allow emotional attachments to get in the way of making the best selection. Instead, the auto-draft computer algorithm relies solely on pre-draft rankings by focusing on the average draft position (ADP) of a player compared to other available individuals in that round. The computer automatically selects the next player with the highest-rated ADP.
Experienced fantasy managers who can’t be in front of their computer or phone for the live draft can still maintain some control with auto-draft by selecting their players and pre-ranking them for the queue. If a designated player is still available in a given round, the computer will draft that player even if there are other available players with a higher ADP who aren’t on the fantasy manager’s list.
One advantage of auto-draft is that if you choose the auto-draft option for Yahoo Fantasy and let the computer make all your selections, you’re sure to Get an A-plus grade from Yahoo since your brilliant draft strategy lines up perfectly with their algorithms.
The Advantages Of Manual-Draft
There is no question that auto-draft is the easier option. But sometimes easier isn’t always better. You miss out on the sheer excitement of the draft experience and the pride of knowing you masterfully crafted this team from scratch. Making the playoffs is so much more satisfying when it’s with a team you hand-picked. But, Fantasy is still a game of luck. Sometimes, despite your best strategic efforts, you could still end up losing to a manager who auto-drafted and didn’t bother to cover his injured or bye-week players.
