Okay, so I’ve been wanting to get better at my fantasy football drafts. I always feel like I panic pick or end up with a team I’m not super thrilled with. I heard about these “fantasy draft simulators” and figured I’d give one a shot. Here’s how it went down:
Finding a Simulator
First things first, I needed to find a simulator. I just did a quick search and, well, there are a ton of them out there. I picked one that looked pretty straightforward, and I didn’t have to sign up for anything, which was a bonus.
Setting Up the Draft
Once I got the simulator loaded up, I had to mess with some settings. I put in the basics: like, how many teams are in the league (12, like my real league), and what kind of scoring we use (standard, nothing fancy). I made sure to set it as I am the 9th.
Diving into the Mock Draft
Then came the fun part – the actual draft! The simulator started spitting out picks, and I was on the clock. It felt a little weird at first, drafting against a computer, but it actually got pretty intense. I tried to think about who I really wanted, not just who the simulator suggested. I’m used to PPR, but I forced my self to select the best possible choice at my turn. I used the “available players” list a bunch to see who was still out there.
- Round 1: I got a solid running back – always a good start.
- Rounds 2-4: Grabbed a couple of wide receivers and another running back. This is where I usually start to get lost, so it was good to have the simulator keeping things moving.
- Middle Rounds: This is where I tried to focus on getting some good value picks. The simulator helped me find some guys I wouldn’t normally consider.
- Later Rounds: Time for a quarterback, tight end, and some defense/special teams. I even snagged a kicker!
Reviewing My Team (and Doing It Again!)
After the draft was over, the simulator gave me a little summary of my team. It even showed me some “grades” for each position. It was kinda cool to see it all laid out like that. Honestly, the first team I drafted? Not great. But that’s the whole point, right? I ran the simulator a couple more times, trying out different strategies. Like, one time I waited way longer to draft a quarterback, just to see how it would shake out.
I did like five or six mock drafts in a row. It’s kinda addictive! I feel a little more prepared for my real draft now. I mean, it’s not gonna be exactly like the real thing, but at least I’ve got a better idea of who I might want to target and when.