Draft Day is the best! It’s up there with celebrating your anniversary to what’s-her-face and getting gifts for no real reason! But we think there are always ways you can make your Fantasy Football drafts more fun.
Make Your Fantasy Football Drafts More Fun!
Consider these ideas individually, although, some of them certainly go together. But also take the spirit of the idea, and use it to come up with some of your own great ideas to make your Fantasy Football drafts more fun.
1. Force Owners to Come Up With Team Names
This sounds silly, but there’s nothing more depressing (and I’m including world hunger and the movie Sophie’s Choice) than seeing “Jim’s Team” in the standings or on the schedule. Make everyone name their team something. If they don’t have any ideas, then send them to my list of 201+ Horribly Awesome Fantasy Football Team Names and Logos.
2. Make a Big Deal Out of the Previous Season’s Champs/Chumps!
Play some trumpets, buy a crown and scepter from the party store, give the champ his/her own special seat during the entire draft. Make it something memorable. As for the worst team from the previous season, give him a toilet seat that he has to wear around his neck during the draft, or make him the champion’s slave for the entire draft. Fun!
3. Do a Mock Draft With Three of Four Guys Beforehand
I like to get a couple guys together a week or two before (or even an hour before the regular draft), and try to figure out how the first couple rounds will go. They might share real info, but you should only share ADP with them, as not to give away your secrets! Either way, it’s fun and you’ll learn some good stuff.
4. Finger Foods and Bottled Beverages
Don’t get too worked up with what kind of food you have available, unless your spouse is willing to take care of it all! But think about doing mostly finger foods and snacks, so that people don’t have to get the ol’ knife and fork out, ruining any draft momentum you might have built up.
5. Have a Draft Lottery One Hour Earlier
Personally, I like to have a lottery get-together like a week before the draft, but an hour earlier will do, also. It gets everyone into the mood and they have 60 minutes to really lay out their draft plans.
6. Allow Draft Pick Trades
Most draft sites, like CBSSports.com and MyFantasyLeague.com, allow owners to trade draft picks before the draft (usually you have to suspend the draft if they trade in-draft, which should still be allowed, by the way). There’s a certain amount of excitement added to the day when you hear the words, “We’d like to announce a trade!”
7. Set Up Draft Game Rules, Like Drinking Games
Everyone knows the drinking rule that forces someone to drink a shot if they draft a player that’s already been taken, but there are some other faux pas one might need other rules for. For instance, if an owner accidentally drafts out of turn, make him draft from the bathroom for a round. Or if someone spills a beer, their next pick drops three places.
I also like to do trivia games after the draft! You can even do trivia from your own league, like “This was the No. 1 overall draft pick in our league last year!”
8. Slow Down
Everyone loves their Fantasy Football drafts so much, but one common theme is that everyone is always yelling at everyone else, “PICK ALREADY! JEEZ! LET’S GO!!!” It drives me nuts. They aren’t trying to make the draft end earlier, they just want their pick to hurry up and get to them. Narcissus much!?! So slow down – make a 15-minute break every five rounds mandatory. Plan a big cookout afterward so everyone knows they’re there for the afternoon. Just chill.
9. Get Your League and Team Names Printed On Customized Draft Boards
I like to get a customized draft board for our league and keep them from year to year, sometimes breaking them out on their fifth-year or 10th-year anniversaries. They just look great and they keep the draft from getting disorganized. It’s become part of the ritual when you make a draft pick – you peel off the sticker and place it under your team’s name. It’s the circle of Fantasy life.
Let us know what you do to make your Fantasy Football drafts more fun by tweeting us @FLEX_Leagues!