A big debate among both home & Twitter/Discord/Reddit leagues alike is when to hold the draft. Some people are eager and want to get it done as soon as possible, others want to wait until literally hours before kickoff of the first game of the season....and some are everywhere in between. Each choice will have inherent pros and cons. This article is designed to help show you why drafting as close to the first game of the season is the best choice for your league as a whole. Click here for details on how you can access our 24/25 Draft Kit.
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Why Your Fantasy EPL Draft Should Happen as Late as Possible
Genie is here once again to delve into the reasons why you should undertake your Fantasy EPL Draft as late as possible...
Summer Window Signings and Rumours
The summer transfer window usually hits us with some big transfers in and out of the EPL, and it doesn't end until a few weeks into the season. Sometimes we see 1-2 big names come in late into the window, or just before the start of gameweek 1. The later you have your draft the more time you will allow for new players to arrive, and enter the system. As well, your risk of drafting players rumoured to be leaving significantly decreases. I have seen some leagues draft as early as end of June/early July and end up seeing players leave, or a big name entering and everyone will just bid 100 FAB for them, but luckily for the guy with the 12th draft slot he just got him self another tier 1-2 type asset. The point of FAB is to eliminate the issue of the manager with the last draft pick being able to scoop up another incredible asset so easily, but if you see a huge name come in...well everyone will just bid 100. This also usually triggers FAB wars which is a topic for a whole other article.
Drafting sometime in the first days of August, will let you see how likely certain players are to leave based on their preseason involvement, training appearances, manager comments, and of course the player's comments themselves. This summer I'm already seeing some big names rumoured to be on the move such as Kane and Kai. Drafting earlier in the summer devalues these players slightly due to their risk, and if they leave the EPL then the manager who wasted their #6 overall pick on Kane is all of a sudden a little less interested in the league without his best player, and may turn their attention to focusing on other leagues.
I would fully recommend aiming for an early August draft. A few days before your draft search the Twitterverse and see the latest rumours. Are United ready to bring in a new striker or left back....if so then bump down Martial and Shaw significantly. Could Kai be just a few million away from joining a club in Italy? If so he's an easy do not draft. All these things start to come to the forefront the closer we get to gameweek 1. Teams seem to prefer to have as much of their core squad ready to go a week or so before the first kickoff, but obviously personal terms and financial negotiations can delay this until the end of August.
Pre-Season Results and Tactics
Pre-season is usually a big deal for clubs that bring in multiple new signings, or a new manager. You as a Fantrax manager can try to piece together the tactics they will run, their go-to players, and any major changes in set-piece takers or rotation minutes. Seeing the way Pochettino for example will set Chelsea up will be very key come draft time. Will he go with a wing-back or full-back system. Of course just 1 pre-season game won't be indicative of what is to come, that is why the more of pre-season you are able to see the better off you are to make informed decisions about how players will fit into their team's system for the upcoming season.
Another obvious benefit to seeing as much of preseason as possible is seeing which players are having a good stretch of form. While this isn't always a great indicator of who will start a season hot, it can at least sway you toward a player because he gained some more of his manager's trust and is probably more likely to continue his good form, vs. a player on a 4 game cold streak just all of a suddenly turning it around. Defensively I like to look at preseason to see how teams are playing at the back, are they trying to win 8-4 or playing more compact football going for those 1-0 wins the closer we get to the season. It can really show the kind of mindset and thinking these players will have for at least the first few weeks of the season.
Player Injuries
Early season injuries are some of the biggest fears to players, but also Fantrax EPL managers. Even worse if an injury is sustained in a meaningless preseason game. Unfortunately, these things really do happen every year. Having your draft as late as possible will also allow you to see either a player's updated timescale from returning from a recent or more longer term injury, but also ensure you are drafting as late as possible in preseason where the chance of a major injury will significantly decrease. I would really prefer to draft at the end of preseason, where the only injury risks would be training ones, or minor knocks we were unaware of in a preseason game. It would put a hamper on your opening few games to have your 2nd round pick out for 5 weeks.
If a player does sustain an injury in preseason, and your league hasn't drafted yet you can expect their value to plummet significantly based on the length. Usually I like to avoid drafting these players, but if it is in your interest, you could get some decent picks a few rounds later than usual, then it is simply a game of patience until they return.
The Hype Stays Alive
This is one that might slip your mind when you think of reasons to have a draft closer to gameweek 1. I have seen this happen way too often over the past few years. Leagues finish their draft with 2-3 weeks left until the season starts, and then managers put that league on the back-burner until the day gameweek 1 starts. Usually the hype for trades dies down as there's a huge gap between draft and gameweek 1. Some managers may even forget to submit bids for the weekly waivers on new signings. All this does start your league out on a slightly sour note. The group chat probably will be silent until gameweek 1 as well unless it's a more tight-knight home league vibe.
Now imagine having your draft two days before the start of the season. The group chat will be filled with buzz, managers trying to trade in players they just missed out on in the draft, but don't want to see increase in value in gameweek one, there will be a classic FAB war with the 1 waiver run that will occur before the season start. To me that sounds like a fun way to start a season.
Final Verdict
All in all for these reasons and more a draft as close to season kick off is the best approach for any league. Now I will give my recommendations of some dates to actually have your draft. If your league will be doing a SLOW draft (non-live), then I would recommend starting 5 days prior to season's kick off if you are all pretty active. I would give 7-8 days if the time zones are spread out or if you know a manager or two will be busy with life, vacations, or other things. If your league is planning on doing a LIVE draft, then my best recommendation is August 12, 5 hours before kickoff on the Manchester City vs. Burnley game. No better way to start off the season than with a draft. A lot of the times this may not work, especially if you have an in-person gathering, so my next best date would be the August 4-6 weekend. This leaves you only the weekdays to sit and stir over your squads until the gameweek, and still allows hype to be at it's peak, while we are at the conclusion of pre-season.
Check out our 24/25 Draft Kit for all the pre-season information you could ever need. We've got a Live Draft Aide, Draft Rankings, Team Previews, Cheat Sheets, Strategy Articles, Draft 101, plus so much more. Dominate your draft!
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