Hello fantasy football family!

Hello fam. It's June and we're in the eve month of training camp as we start to prepare for our fantasy drafts. Every free minute away from family and work (for the hardcore) is given into the preparation for the upcoming fantasy year. As you prepare you often think back to this time last year and remember the mistakes and mishaps you made and often start the snowball effect of overthinking. But lets be real for a second. Everything that you think makes sense today probably will NOT be the case come late August. Training camp, injuries, trades, player progression, player regression, and just pure luck all change between now and December.

What notes from the previous season are you taking into 2017? What mistakes will you be sure not to make in this new year of fantasy? How does your strategy change if at all? I'll answer that last question from my experience this past season. In one of my three leagues, which happened to be my first of three drafts, I felt so dirty after the pick I could not do it again on the following two... I took Antonio Brown with the #1 overall pick. I listened to the "experts" and it bit me hard. I finished towards the bottom of that league. The other two rosters were loaded with solid RBs drafted early and often and both finished well. One resulted in a championship (RZF). So note to self: DO NOT LISTEN TO THESE EXPERTS. TAKE RBs. And on that note I'd like to list a few things that I feel every league manager should follow.

-Don't play afraid

Be confident in the decisions that you make. Playing with confidence can be hard to do. Especially if you get off to a slow start. But remaining confident and believing in your strategy can go a long way.

-Bye week drafting

A lot of guys including myself in years past tend to watch that bye week number while drafting. That is ridiculous. This can potentially destroy your draft and your season if you're not careful. Selecting players whether it be through draft or waivers based on bye week is just bad business. Take BPA and stick to your game plan. Bye weeks will come and go. Don't sink the ship trying to avoid one week. Patience grasshoppah... You can live to fight again next week!

-League settings

As a commissioner of multiple fantasy leagues I can't stress enough how important it is to read your league settings. Most commissioners set their league settings in advance minus a few tweaks after managers arrive and things change. Please read your league settings as soon as you sign up. It's only beneficial to you, the commish, and the entire league.

- Handcuffs

Here's another ridiculous ritual I use to partake in. Handcuffs are nothing more than a distraction from what you should be focused on. BPA or position of need. Going out of your way to draft handcuffs just like bye week drafting, could be deadly. If you go this route just be careful. People tend to reach in fear of not getting their handcuff (bench player) when guys that could be starters are still coming off of the board.

-Play your starters

The first handful of players drafted to your roster are considered starters. Play them! For example; You have RB David Johnson and that Seattle Seahawk defense really kept his fantasy production down a few week prior and it KILLED you. So now you're thinking about benching him and starting LeGarrette Blount in his place because he's playing a much weaker defense and could produce this week. STOP! You drafted Johnson to be your star. PLAY HIM! After all, this could be the week he blows up the fantasy world.

-Stay the course

Through June, July, and most of August you're developing your game plan for the up coming season. You gather all of the information needed as well as mistakes and mishaps from previous years and put everything together for what you hope and pray takes you to ultimate fantasy football glory come December. But things happen. Sometimes a player goes early, or you take a loss you know you should've won. Always stay the course no matter what happens. Stick to your game plan. This kinda goes along with my -Don't play afraid.

-Know your league

It's really important to know the guys in your league. Yeah you're buddies and all but really... This guy over here is a huge Saints fan and will take Saints early and maybe often. Something to keep in mind if he's picking around you on draft day. This other guy loves RBs. He's taking RBs in the first 3 rounds and you know it. He's that guy. Knowing these things about your fellow managers only benefit you come draft day as well as throughout the season.

-Networking

When I started the RZF fantasy league it was more of a teaching course than anything. It was a work league of guys that always had the unfortunate benefit of me yapping on about Alabanga. My first league (Now currently known as (The Lost Tribe of Alabanga). I enjoyed bringing new guys on board and watching them fist pump as they won close one and/or stomp their feet when their bench outscored their starters in week 1 in a crushing loss. Sharing fantasy advise with my league and yes, taking theirs, only make us all stronger as a league. Working as a community. You can give solid honest advise and still not give away your game plan. I even talk about do's and don't to my RZF family often. I feel so strongly about this because I've come to realize that is exactly why this league is so much fun. My podcast was built with this very thought in mind. We share our thoughts and give each other our honest opinions. Just not on the week you're playing my Dream Killers...

Don't forget to tune in to Tuesday's podcast as I go over the AFC East draft analysis. The finale of the draft analysis' will be the following Tuesday with the AFC West. If you'd like to come on the show and do a standard mock draft please contact me. You do not have to play in my leagues to come on. I hope to see you Tuesday! I'll be back with another rant every Friday from now until the end of the football season. Have a blessed day!!!

-Scott Wilson