Pros versus Joes

Last night I participated in a Pros vs Joes draft where a group of fantasy football site owners are playing against a group of fantasy football users. It's a set it and forget it league where the optimal lineup forms the basis of your weekly score. For those not familiar with that concept, it's pretty simple. You have to start 1 QB for example, however you can draft multiple QB's. The QB with the most points that week is the one who counts towards your weekly score. It's a neat format that really forces you to think about how you're drafting.



It was a fun endeavor with quite a bit of banter back and forth. I think the format would be more challenging if they kept the team sizes to a more realistic level. Each team is made up of 26 players which translates to 26 rounds. I think a number of the "Joes" made some really great draft decisions, particularly in the later rounds where some of them grabbed some great values.



Here's my team where I had the #7 pick in a PPR-format:

QB Kurt Warner

QB Chad Pennington

RB DeAngelo Williams

RB LenDale White

RB Earnest Graham

RB Dominic Rhodes

RB Kolby Smith

RB Mewelde Moore

RB Peyton Hillis

WR Wes Welker

WR Dwayne Bowe

WR Antonio Bryant

WR Hines Ward

WR Muhsin Muhammad

WR Justin Gage

WR Michael Crabtree

WR Devery Henderson

WR Amani Toomer

WR Rashied Davis

TE Antonio Gates

TE Bo Scaife

K Rob Bironas

K Nick Folk

DEF Baltimore Ravens

DEF Carolina Panthers



One thing I noticed that could benefit all the "Pros" and "Joes" is better preparation. The best way to prepare for your upcoming drafts is to participate in a few mock drafts. Practice makes perfect! I am like many who have already participated in many, many mock drafts. This was pretty evident in the time it took each guy to make his picks. Generally, the "Pros" were made in 20 seconds or less. Several of the "Joes" regularly came close to their 2 minute limit. My picks were generally made within 10 seconds. Not that this should necessarily be a goal, but it does throw off the timing of the guy next in line (which I love!) and keeps the draft moving along (which I love as well!).



I find that I'm able to not only keep the FFN Draft Buddy current with everyone's picks, but I can also keep my list of players in the Watch Queue up to date with my preferred next picks. I find it useful to keep up on these two areas because it makes the task of drafting a little easier.



There's no way that I could do all that without putting in some practice time. I don't care if you're a "Pro" or a "Joe". Get out there and practice. Check out any of the fantasy football mock draft sites out there. Visit your league management site to get a feel for any new changes. The point is: get out there and practice. I guarantee that the more you practice, the better your odds are of drafting a good team.



To the "Joes": With the exception of a few, you guys really impressed me! You made some great picks and it will be very interesting to see how we all do at the end of the year. Don't let the "Joes" label distract you. You were "Pros" in my book.



Good luck this season!



Joe

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