Fantasy draft: Three rules to live by

Just over that very small hill is arguably the greatest event on the calendar — fantasy football draft day.

It’s an annual welcomed train wreck where you reunite with loyal friends, partake in various pre-draft activities, hang out for hours on end, laugh heartily and repeatedly, imbibe an unhealthy amount of booze and construct a roster which, at the time, you feel is the greatest assembly of football-playing humans in history.

Baby Got Backs is destined for a title in 2024. Ooh, rump-o’-smooth skin you can feel it.

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As this mouthpiece always stresses, success in fantasy is a three-part equation — one-third draft, one-third trades/transactions and one-third plain old luck.

Whether you’re a rookie or seasoned vet, here are three rules this three-decades-long fantasy player always lives by.

Get your guys. As a seller of #MandatoryMontgomery and #RequisiteWarren, this is a hard and fast axiom typically adhered to. When it comes to fantasy, we’re all promiscuous. Share your love. Spend that extra $1. And bank your season on the guys you believe will take you to the promised land. Remember, ADP and AAV data merely operate as a guide. Don’t marry them. Unless you’re idiotically reaching for a defense in Round 5, you deserve zero ridicule for paying above market price or reaching an extra round. Remember, come year’s end, virtually no one will recall draft-day purchases — especially if you’re the one laughing last.

Follow the no-strategy strategy. Pundits constantly shove various theories down fantasy manager throats. Zero RB, wait on a QB, WR-WR-WR, draft a kicker first (OK, no sane individual recommends this) — the list goes on and on. Instead of subscribing to allegedly foolproof approaches, let the room come to you. Before the third tequila shot hits, internally convince yourself to focus on best value, no matter the position. Be open-minded. Be opportunistic. Be a sniper. Over-preparation can be a killer in this game. Keep it simple, stupid.

Draft for depth. As veteran fantasy players know, the menacing injury imp lurks around every corner. Stockpiling RBs and WRs is imperative in traditional single-QB formats. Along with physical setbacks, bye weeks, coaching decisions and week-to-week matchups are influential factors. Yes, you landed Christian McCaffrey with the No. 1 overall pick, but the selection guarantees absolutely nothing. If disaster strikes, you need proper life rafts to endure the tempest. In this gamer’s opinion, depth is THE biggest key to season-long success. In a violent sport, 16 or 17 weeks (your league is looney if a title is decided in Week 17) is a long season. Just over that very small hill is arguably the greatest event on the calendar — fantasy football draft day.

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