We’re still weeks away from the time when live drafts are hot and heavy, but for some of us who love fantasy football, this time of year is awesome because of slow drafts – also known as email drafts.
I love slow drafts. Let me count the ways and whys.
[And let us at DataForce Fantasy Football jump into the conversation here and there as well!]
Back up the truck, you say? You’re among those who hate slow drafts? That’s OK. To each, his or her own.
One reason I love slow drafts is because they help consume the days until the actual football season begins. It’s a long time between the end of one fantasy football season till the NFL draft and then the start of the next regular season.
Those who hate slow drafts will say, hey, what about best ball drafts? Yeah, best ball drafts can fill that void to a degree. But here’s what I don’t like about best ball: You draft a team, then you forget all about it. Then you draft another and forget all about that one, too. Rinse and repeat. Before you know it, you have a slew of best-ball teams that you really don’t give a crap about, then when the actual season begins, you don’t give those best-ball teams a second thought. Me, I like to manage my teams, so best ball is not for me. Not at all.
[This is why DataForce Fantasy Football offers two flavors of bestball! 1) The “purist” leagues, where you do normal league maintenance like trading and waivers all year long, but don’t set lineups, and 2) The draft-n-go style Granddaddy describes here, which we label Draftmaster leagues. We got you covered!]
Slow drafts, however, are very much for me. Slow drafts are especially great for dynasty, both start-up and existing leagues.
Slow-drafting a start-up dynasty team allows you the time to really ponder how you want to build that roster. Do you want to draft it very similarly to how you would draft a season-long team and go for the title right out of the box? Or do you want to rule out any player even remotely approaching 30 years old and focus on the young bucks? I’ll add this: I’ve always done dynasty start-ups the first way, and I don’t think I’ve ever finished worse than first in Year One. I’ve never done it the second way because I guess I have more of a win-now mentality.
If you like to plot and plan, slow drafts are the way to go. Slow drafts give you time to really chart out how you want to play your cards in a draft. You can analyze the other teams’ rosters and try to predict in your mind who you think will be selected before you are on the clock again.
I love to plot and plan. Let’s say I have the fifth pick in the first round. I will chart out my options for that pick and make a list. When I’m done, I want to wind up with a list of five players. As the picks are made before my turn, I’ll cross guys off my list, assuming those players are selected. When it’s my turn to pick, I know exactly who I want, and I waste no time in making that selection. Sure, it’s a slow draft, but I’m always ready to go when I’m on the clock. I might take a few minutes before actually clicking the button, but I’m not one of those owners who is on the clock for hours and hours.
Speaking of that, yeah, there are always owners in any slow draft who take forever to make their picks. Sometimes they’re trying to make a trade, so, OK, we can live with that, especially if they are actively involved in negotiations. What can be aggravating about that, though, is when an owner posts a message or some such and says, for example, pick 2.05 is available for trade, then just sits back for hours and waits to see what kind of offers roll in. That can get irritating. Be pro-active if you want to deal a pick. Don’t just put up a for-sale sign and wait for customers.
[At DataForce, we build draft guidelines into the rulebook that keep the draft moving reasonably quickly. You’re not the only one aggrevated by slow drafters, Granddaddy!]
As for leagues with owners who take five, six, seven hours to make every pick, that can suck the fun out of a slow draft. But it is a slow draft, so you need to roll with it. As the saying goes, patience is a virtue. Timing out in a slow draft, though, that’s inexcusable. I’m a firm believer that anyone who times out in a slow draft should lose that pick rather than getting a player popped in there from some rankings list. There needs to be a stiff penalty for timing out in a slow draft.
[A perfect solution for those who share Granddaddy’s frustration is DataForce’s optional Banked Hours email draft format. It’s a little like using a Chess clock.]
But back to the fun of slow drafts. After I make that first-round pick, I’m going to see how many picks till I’m on the clock again, and I’m going to make another list. I love analyzing that and determining who I’m going to put on that list of six, eight, 10players, then crossing off names as selections are made.
What’s really interesting about making these lists and crossing off those names is how many times your whole analysis changes when you get down to being one or two picks away. You look at what’s left on your list and second-guess yourself. You start to think, do I really want this guy or that guy? So, then you start examining other options and wondering why you made the initial list in the first place. But that’s a dumb thought. It’s all about analysis. Without that initial list, you never would have analyzed the situation to the level where you question who is left on that list. So that’s great analysis. In the end, that helps you make better choices.
For plotters and planners like me, building those lists for each pick you’re about to make is a lot of fun. I love it. All that analysis that goes along with it is lots of fun, too.
Slow drafts give you time to think ahead, to communicate with other owners, especially in leagues where you’ve gotten to know some of the other owners. You have time to put snide comments in chats if you want. You have time to make comments about picks that were made. Slow drafts are just a whole different animal than a live draft that gives you 60 seconds, maybe less, to make a pick. Sure, those live drafts provide an adrenaline rush that are fun, too, but I love being able to analyze pretty much everything as a slow draft moves along.
Speaking of timeframes, what’s the best time limit for a slow draft? I say six hours. Four is probably too short because that can hamstring people due to work or other obligations. But I think eight hours is too long. Eight hours is a gruesome amount of time if you’re in a league where multiple owners are taking the bulk of the clock repeatedly, especially if those types of owners are back-to-back on the clock.
[DataForce uses an 8-hour clock early in the draft season, which accelerates ten days before the season starts to 6 hours. We also offer “speed drafts” at 4 hours per pick, and these are very popular with many drafters. But we work to keep ALL drafts progressing rapidly, regardless of the timer.]
What would be really cool is if the slow-draft clock could change per round. Say one hour for the first round. Everyone should be ready to pick in the first round, so one hour should not be a problem for anyone. Then two to four hours in the second round. Then six to eight hours in the third round and beyond.
[Ahem. Check out Banked Hours drafts at DataForce. Use your time where you think it’s put to best use. We really hope this draft format catches on.]
Bottom line, slow drafts are a blast. The adrenaline rush of a live draft is not there, but excitement and anticipation build as picks are made, and you get closer and closer to being on the clock again.
Getting sniped or snaked in a live draft can affect you negatively for two or three rounds. Being sniped or snaked in any draft is a slap upside the head, but in a slow draft, you have time to take a deep breath and recover. You can figure out what to do and make an excellent choice to overcome what you didn’t want to see happen.
June and July are great months for slow drafts. I have about dozen of them coming up, and I am pumped!
[We love your enthusiasm, Granddaddy! May you be snake- and sniper-free in all your slow drafts this year! – DataForce Fantasy Football owner Lee Harmon]
🏈 Leagues Forming Now at DataForce Fantasy Football! 🏆
Ready to draft? We offer the widest variety with the best prize payouts anywhere!
Come check out what we have available in our lobby and Orphan Marketplace.
Join the fun and draft your winning team today at DataForceFF.com!
Fantasy Granddaddy
Fantasy Sports Writer
Comment