Commish 101: Draft Dates

Coin Flip Posted On June 30, 2015

commish101

When you join a fantasy league, understanding how the draft(s) will work is a vital piece in deciding if the league is right for you. A commissioner should include the draft landscape in the bylaws to help teams understand what to expect. Redraft leagues hold one draft to allow owners to fill their teams – this can be completed using one of the draft options I mentioned in a previous article.

Serpentine/Snake Draft
3RR (3^rd Round Reversal)
Auction

Redraft leagues allow a fresh start yearly and are a great way to begin your fantasy football menu. These drafts generally take place closer to the start of the NFL season in August/September yearly. Many of the items I am going to continue to discuss can be used when drafting a redraft yearly, but I want to dive into the dynasty options since they are more complex.

Dynasty Drafts Beginning Prior to the NFL Rookie Draft

[inlinead]If you are “itching” to draft prior to the NFL’s Draft, (i.e. February), you have choices to make on when and how you will account for rookies fairly. You can hold two drafts your inaugural year, one for the veteran players and one for the rookies. Who would be opposed to this? I mean you get to draft twice in one year scratching the draft itch most of us have in the off-season. I have seen start up leagues drafting prior to the NFL rookie draft generally handled one of three ways generally:

1.) Reverse order of the Vet Draft order

Once the draft order is known the rookie order is the same only reversed. You would then hold a rookie draft once the NFL Rookie draft is complete.

2.) Draft Vets and Rookies from the start

This provides a bit more of a challenge as owners do not know which NFL team the rookies may be drafted too or if the rookies are drafted. It can make watching the NFL draft on television much more exciting. This option holds the most risk.

3.) Use Rookie Spacers during the Vet draft

Rookie spacers are merely placeholders for a rookie to be named later. This will allow you to draft in February by choosing veteran players and rookie slots. When the draft concludes and you own rookie spacers 1.02, 1.07, 2.05, 2.07 and 3.10 you will replace those draft picks with rookie players in May or June when your rookie draft is held. If you did not draft any rookie spacers you could obtain a rookie spacer through a trade or simply sit out the rookie draft.

Auctions can also use the rookie spacer option by allowing owners to bid on the rookie spacer slot with auction funds. As a commissioner, you should choose the option that best fits your league’s personality. I personally prefer the rookie spacer option when I draft prior to the NFL Rookie Draft because I find it the fairest way to handle rookies and vets and it removes the luck factor. When I refer to the luck factor, I am primarily focusing on the reverse order of the vet draft option. I find the owner who receives the 1.12 pick to be extremely lucky – why wouldn’t you want the 1.01 pick to begin drafting veteran players around? If you land the 1.01 pick in the rookie draft and Todd Gurley is your #1 you can draft lightly at running backs knowing you’re guaranteed Gurley. This would entice that owner to draft back to back wide receivers with the 1.12 and 2.01 draft picks in the primary draft of a 12 owner league. Obviously a good drafter will make all his picks count, but I don’t want anyone helped out through luck unless it’s me!

When to Hold the Rookie Draft

I have noticed dynasty leagues holding rookie drafts in all months of the year. The lion’s share are held in May. May rookie drafts help contribute to the idea that dynasty leagues provide year round activity. Holding a rookie draft in June or July may provide owners additional time to review the rookie pool. If you find this added time will benefit your owners you will want to choose the later draft date. If you would like to watch rookie players in preseason games you may choose to hold your rookie draft in August yearly. Placing the draft date on your league calendar is always helpful.

When to Hold the Draft for a Redraft League

Redraft leagues are mostly drafted in August. These are leagues that draft yearly with no players held from year-to-year. If you want to draft earlier there are early redraft leagues. In early redraft leagues I have noticed handcuffed players being drafted in case a player experiences an injury during training camp or preseason games. If you draft Adrian Peterson with your first round pick and it is mid-July you may want to draft Jerick McKinnon to ensure you have Peterson’s backup.

I feel the draft date in August is based on two main factors – owner availability and league fees. You will want to choose a date all your owners can make if you hold a live draft. If you choose a slow email draft, you also will want to choose a time your owners will not be away from the draft for long periods of time. If you choose to play in a league with a higher league fee you may want the draft to be at the end of the month or even the beginning of September. Nobody wants to see their number one draft pick, in a $500 league, sustain an injury that will keep their player sidelined for several weeks. Drafting closer to the NFL season reduces this risk.

The draft is the most exciting part of a fantasy league. It is where you begin your foundation in building a winning team. Good luck in all your drafts no matter what month you draft! Be a winner!

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