Fantasy Football Lessons

        I learned a lot of lessons while playing fantasy football. One of those lessons is that you can never do too much research. Leading up to the draft in one of my leagues, I felt I was as prepared as can be. I researched all these different players and read articles on how they are projected to do for the season. I participated in mock drafts to give me an idea of what players would get picked when. I was so confident that I would win the league by the end of the draft based on the players I had selected. The season went by and I finished dead last in the league. Injuries and bad decisions played a part. From this season I learned that you can never do too much research. I thought I did plenty but there were always some scenarios I hadn't thought about. I went for players that seemed like they would do well but ended up being busts. These players were high-risk-high-reward. According to Matthew Berry, there will be one-year-wonder players and those are the ones you want to avoid (129). Those were the types of players I had drafted and were complete busts.

          Other than doing more research, I also learned that going the safe route rarely goes wrong. It is something I really should've went with while drafting players. I tried finding the diamonds in the rough thinking they would have a breakout season. Instead, they had very unproductive seasons. It costs me many games. The team that did win the league had players that were could be relied on year in and year out. They were very consistent and could get the job done. They didn't have very many huge games but they also didn't have very many weak games. Berry explained how drafting consistent players were keys to becoming a championship-contending team (167). I think if I followed these guidelines ahead of the draft, I would've had a better chance of winning the championship.

What valuable lessons have you learned from doing the activities you enjoy?

Berry, Matthew. Fantasy Life. Westminster: Penguin Group, 2013. Print