Ever considered the different strategies you need to bring to the Draft Room whilst undertaking different formats of a Fantasy EPL Draft? This article dives into the different strategies and approaches you should take depending on if your league is carrying out a Slow Draft or a Quick Draft. Click here for details on how you can access our 22/23 Draft Kit.
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Quick vs. Slow Draft
The type of draft your league agrees on should heavily influence how you approach and prepare for draft day. A quick draft will usually take 2-3 hours to finish, and if it's live there will be a lot of distractions and even mind games. I have seen some slow drafts take as long as 3 weeks to finish! They are painful, but sometimes will allow you to perfectly plan each pick.
I highly recommend doing a quick draft when possible. Not only will it truly test a manager's prep and knowledge, it will foster a much better league atmosphere. Even if you are not in a "home league", there is still a lot of good times to be had in hopping on a zoom with 11 other managers in your Twitter or Discord league and having a laugh at Jake when he panic picks Xhaka in round 5 because he believes Arsenal will win the title on his back. To make this happen try to plan a date a few months in advance - it will give everyone enough notice to plan schedules and to lock in that date. I have done both quick and slow drafts, and can say quick drafts are a lot more exciting, and one of my favourite things about the draft game!
3 Tips For a Quick Draft
Creating Ranks and Tiers
Each of your picks will come faster than you think. Planning who to pick in each round will largely depend on who is available. I would strongly recommend creating your own tiered sheet based on positions, and ranking players in the Fantrax draft room. This, combined with the Draft Rankings resources we provide, should allow you to properly plan each pick. Going into each pick knowing which group of players you are choosing between will allow you to spend the allotted time making a 50/50 call rather than panic searching through your queue and overreaching/making a mistake with that pick.
Having an idea of what position you are targeting in that round will also give you a massive advantage. This should help you to focus in on a smaller group of players to choose from. With less than 2 minutes to make your selection, time really is of the essence. The brilliant part about making tiers is that some tiers, especially in the middle rounds, could have 6-8 players in that position in the same tier. This gives you a lot of flexibility with your pick. What I would recommend is to, in between picks, choose the position you want next, then arrange the players in that position tier accordingly. From there, you simply draft the player that is available/on the top of your list (ideally your list is longer than 8).
Having a Plan B, C, and even D
Arguably the most important strategy in a quick draft is to have multiple backup options. Let’s say you have your eyes on Trippier for your Round 4 pick then your mate steals him from under your nose in the pick before you. After frantically searching through your queue, you end up panic drafting Matt Targett - a solid pick but way too early - you could have gotten him at least a few rounds later. All of a sudden, you have wasted your 4th round pick. In the ideal situation, even if Trippier was snagged right before you, having backup options would allow you to calmly select the next guy on your list, and move on without having to worry about damaging your draft with a bad pick, especially in the "earlier" rounds.
Learn About Your League Mates
In a quick draft, despite having ranks and having done mock drafts, you and your league mates will fall victim to your usual ways. Is someone in your league dead set on drafting the entire United attack every year without fail? It will happen again. Is someone usually completely devoid of a solid defence? They probably won’t draft one for the first 10 rounds. Understanding these little things about your league mates can give you the upper hand in a quick draft. It will help you better predict what the people in the picks nearest to you may end up doing, which will allow you better plan your strategy and any many cases get a player you wanted later than previously anticipated. If you were Pick 11, and you know the manager at Pick 12 will not draft a defender in Round 4,, you can likely wait on picking Digne since you know he'll still be there after the turn. This saves you from having to reach for him earlier than necessary.
This strategy will allow you to get better "value" on certain players and not miss out on others. Building on the Digne example, letting him slip just 3 spots opens up the possibility of adding a MID2/3 type player that your league mate might have snatched up after your pick (especially since you know they avoid drafting defenders early).
3 Tips For a Slow Draft
Look Through Other Teams
One advantage of a slow draft, especially one involving people from different time zones, is being able to constantly check the teams other managers have drafted (more specifically, the managers close to your pick). You will be able to better predict their next moves, or even play mind games by forcing them to reach for a player. For example: If the manager picking next to you is short on midfielders, by the time we reach round 6, instead of reaching to add in a DEF2 who may still be available after the turn, you instead decide to draft Olise. This could force the manager with a light midfield to overreach on someone like Bissouma given their desperation for a midfielder. This will give you a huge advantage in later trades, especially if you constantly keep track of positions other managers are lacking after the draft.
Don’t Panic Pick
Yes, you shouldn’t be holding up the draft room for more than 5 minutes to make your pick if you are available. But in a slow draft, there is no need to ever make a panic pick. You have plenty of time. Even if the manager before you steals your pick from under you, you can take the time to look through your queue, ranks, and current roster to make a proper selection instead of being forced to panic draft Fred in Round 4 in a quick draft. Again, I am not recommending you sit there for more than 5 minutes and hold up your league’s draft, but simply saying something like, “I will make my pick within 5 minutes” will allow the next manager to think of a few options while you properly pick the player that will suit your roster. To avoid this, my best recommendation is to have a long queue set up and your tiered and positional rankings nearby. Despite it being a slow draft, having a queue ready will help you make better decisions, and prevent your league mates getting frustrated as you hold up the draft by doing 20+ minutes of research.
Mid-Draft Trades
Now this is something that may not be allowed in all leagues, but I am encouraging it. A slow draft is very long, tedious, and sometimes just boring. To make it a bit more interesting, you may want to open it up for mid-draft trades. This can help you not only get a step ahead in your league, but also to go with the flow of a draft a bit better. Let’s say by Round 5 you have 3 midfielders and 2 defenders and are desperate for a forward. You look around and see the best available forward is Bamford, who you are not interested in. But your mate Billy at Pick 6 already has 3 forwards but no midfielders, and lives for a good trade. With the delays in a slow draft, you and Billy can more likely than not come to a mutually beneficial deal. Maybe you are eyeing the 2nd forward he drafted, say Ronaldo in round 3, you could offer him the midfielder you took in the 4th round, Harvey Barnes, and a later draft pick upgrade as a sweetener to get in a high upside forward, without destroying the balance of your team at all.
Overall Thoughts on a Slow Draft:
Personally myself, and the majority of our Draft Society analysts are not fans of slow drafts. I do think it is sometimes necessary, but with proper planning can easily be avoided even across multiple time zones. A slow draft requires A LOT less prep than a quick draft. Personally, I have seen people take 30-45 minutes to make a pick while active, because they were either doing all the Twitter and Google research they could, or asking every known member of the draft community who they should pick....believe me I will get these DMs at least 4-5 times a day during draft season. A slow draft also doesn't enhance league comradery. Nothing brings people together like sweating over which fantasy players to pick in a 2 hour window. If you truly want to figure out the best managers right from the start of the season, the best way is a quick draft.
Suggestions for Organizing a Quick Draft:
Create a League Poll asking for everyone's time zone (if you are not all in one place)
Give MULTIPLE options for draft dates/times....the draft should take no longer than 2-3 hours!
Don't be afraid to draft a few days earlier than you would of hoped.....it is truly worth the sacrifice to avoid a slow draft.
LOCK IN A DATE EARLY!!! Arguably the most important point to remember, everyone is busy in the summers, but scheduling a 3 hour slot to set and draft should be easy if done 3-6 weeks ahead of time.
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