National Football League

"You Drafted Wrong": A Fantasy Football Letter

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

Dear Fantasy Football Owner,

Football is officially back in one week and a majority of fantasy football drafts are completed. Are you happy with your team? That’s good. Are you unhappy with your team? I’m sorry to hear that. Either way you drafted wrong.

Sorry but it’s true.

Before you start to panic, let me clarify: We ALL drafted wrong.

You, me, your favorite fantasy football analyst. We all did it wrong.

Fact: We all overvalued some players.

Fact: We all undervalued some players.

Fact: There are players on the waiver wire who are going to finish top five-ten in their respective positions.

Right now, on September 1, 2016, I can’t tell you who these players are. If I could, I’d take all the money out of my well hidden shoebox (banks are for chumps) and enter the most expensive fantasy leagues and dominate.

How do I know this?

It’s because it happens every year.

When I say “every year” I honestly mean every single year since the game “fantasy football” was invented.

Here’s a quick a recent example of this.

Aug 26, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) looks to pass the ball during the second quarter against the New England Patriots at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

Using Fantasy Football Calculator‘s 2015 ADP, this is what your team could have been if you had the third pick in a 12-team PPR league:

QB: Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers (ADP: #119.1) #1 FF QB

RB: Devonta Freeman, Atlanta Falcons (ADP: #96.3) #1 FF PPR RB

RB: Danny Woodhead, San Diego Chargers (ADP: #69.0) #3 FF PPR RB

WR: Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers (ADP: #2.5 overall) #1 FF PPR WR

WR:Brandon Marshall, New York Jets (ADP: #50.5 overall) #3 FF PPR WR

TE: Jordan Reed, Washington Redskins (ADP: 158.4) #2 FF PPR TE

FLEX: DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans (ADP: #28.7 overall) #4 FF PPR WR

D/ST: Denver Broncos (ADP: #140.7 overall) #1 FF D/ST

K: Stephen Gostowksi, New England Patriots (ADP: #145.7 overall) #1 FF K

Bench: Allen Robinson, Jacksonville Jaguars (ADP: #53.5 overall) #6 FF PPR WR

Bench: Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals (ADP: #84.1) #7 FF PPR WR

Bench: David Johnson, Arizona Cardinals (ADP: #118.0) #9 FF PPR RB

Bench: Doug Martin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (ADP: #38.0 overall) #4 FF PPR RB

Bench: Gary Barnidge, Cleveland Browns (ADP: Undrafted) #4 FF PPR TE

Bench: Blake Bortles, Jacksonville Jaguars (ADP: Undrafted) #4 FF QB

This lineup would have destroyed any team in any league last season and would have made a lot of owners question their own existence. Not only that, the bench or “JV” squad would have crushed them all as well.

Yes, hindsight is always 20/20 but you don’t have to be a genius to realize the same exact thing is going to happen again this year, the next year, the year after that and so on.

Now do me a favor and look at your team you recently drafted and let these words sink into your cranium: You blew it.

You passed on players you shouldn’t have.

You drafted guys that will get hurt and/or grossly underachieve.

You will scoff at players on the waiver-wire who will be picked up by a different owner and somewhere down the road that same player will ruin your entire week.

These things will happen.

Don’t feel too bad though because these events will happen to every other owner in the league.

I promise.

I can also promise that some of you have a player on your bench that will end up being one of your top scores. There’s a player who is not even on your team yet who will be a huge contributor to a few of your weekly wins this season.

Lady Luck will be on your side some weeks and others weeks she’ll cheat on you with your best friend or that one person in the league you don’t even know.

For most of you, the biggest part is out of the way: the draft.

So do yourself a favor and stop staring at your team and the draft recap wondering what you could have or should have done differently.

It’s nonsense.

You took the knowledge you had, the information you complied and made the best possible picks at the time (or at least most of you did).

So do yourself this one favor when you kick back and enjoy the agonizing excitement which is fantasy football: Enjoy it.

Aug 18, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman (24) breaks free for a touchdown during the first quarter against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Gather around with your family and friends, set your lineups, watch the games, drink some beers, trade some stories, eat some food that will make you feel guilty the next morning and talk a little trash. However, lets keep the mom’s out of it. Unless you’re playing your mom that week. If that’s the case, give her some gentle verbal jabs that makes your father giggle.

You know why?

Because the only thing worse than when your fantasy football team is underachieving and driving you up a wall are the months February – July when there is no football.

A couple months ago, the only NFL action we had was the mind-numbing reports of Deflategate, Von Miller‘s holdout, Ryan Fitzpatrick and the New York Jets game of chicken.

Well, that time is over.

It’s now time for the real deal so let’s get to it.

Before I forget, for the people that feel as if the world is ending after a bad opening week, here’s a quick reminder of some of the top fantasy football performers in Week 1 of the 2015 season:

#2 QB – Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans

#4 QB – Alex Smith, Kansas City Chiefs

#1 PPR RB – Carlos Hyde, San Francisco 49ers

#3 PPR RB – Bishop Sankey, Tennessee Titans

#5 PPR WR – James Jones, Green Bay Packers

#6 PPR WR – Kendall Wright, Tennesse Titans

#3 PPR TE – Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

So do yourself a favor and don’t panic if your fantasy team is a little slow coming out of the gate.

Or do.

Whatever.

Just do yourself a favor and enjoy the ride.

Sincerely,