Any real value in participating in mock drafts?

[JT 137]

I've been playing ff for years, and have a couple guys that I talk with pre-draft. I watch the boreds, check ADP's every once in awhile, develop my own player rankings.

 

What I haven't done is participate in mock drafts. Guess I never thought there was much to gain since they're not necessarily indicative of the way the guys in my league will draft.

 

My question for those who get involved in mocks: do you gain any insight from them, or are they just a good diversion during the dead days of summer? TIA.

[Fumbleweed 555]

I've been playing ff for years, and have a couple guys that I talk with pre-draft. I watch the boreds, check ADP's every once in awhile, develop my own player rankings.

 

What I haven't done is participate in mock drafts. Guess I never thought there was much to gain since they're not necessarily indicative of the way the guys in my league will draft.

 

My question for those who get involved in mocks: do you gain any insight from them, or are they just a good diversion during the dead days of summer? TIA.

 

The picks in a mock may not mirror the picks that will be made in your draft, but you do become very familiar with your own thinking process in an actual draft situation...even if it is a mock. Fewer things will surprise you and/or catch you off guard in a real draft when you've done a few. It can be very helpful (although admittedly not necesarily essential)

 

From one Ponca City guy to another..........

[Zap 0]

I've been playing ff for years, and have a couple guys that I talk with pre-draft. I watch the boreds, check ADP's every once in awhile, develop my own player rankings.

 

What I haven't done is participate in mock drafts. Guess I never thought there was much to gain since they're not necessarily indicative of the way the guys in my league will draft.

 

My question for those who get involved in mocks: do you gain any insight from them, or are they just a good diversion during the dead days of summer? TIA.

.

 

I think it depends on how many you do. But the answer is, both, a good diversion, and a source of insights.

 

If you only do a few then I think the benefit is "practice" drafting. It may not seem like something you feel the need to practice, but if your local league is frantic and working on a fast clock, a few mocks can help relax you, and maybe spare you from a bad pick. Likewise if it's an online live draft you're preparing for, online live mocks can help. You've been there before.

 

If you do A LOT of mocks, I think you start gaining some insights "into" ADPs. They are fluid, not fixed, and certain draft flows create new sets of ADPs on the fly.

[JT 137]

Do you pay much attention to scoring systems, getting in mocks that are similar to yours? Or are they all similar enough that it doesn't matter?

[jedeye 0]

Also, if you do multiple mocks, you can try different strategies to see how they might work out.

[Phurfur 70]

The picks in a mock may not mirror the picks that will be made in your draft, but you do become very familiar with your own thinking process in an actual draft situation...even if it is a mock. Fewer things will surprise you and/or catch you off guard in a real draft when you've done a few. It can be very helpful (although admittedly not necesarily essential)

 

From one Ponca City guy to another..........

 

 

 

It is the most useful when you know your draft position.

[Jackson Biggs 0]

I'll tell you what, my brother-in-law and I just did a two-man 12 team mock, and it actually opened our eyes to a few things this year, like the huge drop in RB talent toward the end of the 1st rd....i suggest do a couple because it gives you a feel for what to expect this year...worse part is not being able to keep any of your mocked teams

[heavy-set 39]

the only time mocks are good, is when you mock right near your draft date. mocking too long before then will give you inaccurate values for players.

[GiantsFan11 0]

To me the value of the Mocks is experimentation and seeing how it turns out...of course since other guys are doing this also it can mess with ADP

 

In one league I know my draft spot is #1...first couple rounds are obviouse but in the 4/5 and 6/7 turn of a snake draft there are a few strategies I can employ....if I hold of on QB who is likely to be left at the end of 6, am I OK if I am wrong and have to go 1-2 QB lower on my draft board than I had hoped...If I go heavy on WR because some real studs are still there at 4/5 do I miss the chance for a viable back-up RB...doing a few mocks to answer these questions I find to be more telling than just using ADP...ADP is good for coming up with the hypothesis...but I like to do a few mocks to test it out

 

For my other league the draft is decided on draft day...no time to research based on position. I like to do some mocks from the top, bottom and middle of the draft so that again I can experiment with different theories on how to maximize value on draft day

 

I have found that on draft day my mock drafts are a better indicator of who I had choices between than ADP...not yet sure why

[Raider 84 29]

They're free and fun!

[montana 89]

i usually do about 4-5 per yr & try different things & try to switch up draft spots - as i have no idea where i'll be drafting until about 30 minutes before the actual draft. it helps to get a feel for certain draft positions & i try to join mocks that are the closest to our scoring system/line up requirements. i've tried all kinds of different ways - stud rb theory/stud wr theory, etc.... it doesnt mean squat in the end....but it does give you a chance to experience a drafting strategy for that upcoming season. give it a try, & goof around a bit - its worth it.

[U Dub 0]

Also, if you do multiple mocks, you can try different strategies to see how they might work out.

 

 

i do a bunch of these just for this purpose. i try to do a few at every postion with different strategies (ex. RB, RB, WR or RB, WR, RB or RB QB, WR and etc...) in each to see how they pan out. you can post your results on here and some of the geeks can give you pointers on how to improve. plus they are fun and free like mentioned above...... practice never hurt anybody.....well maybe it did, haha

[Let Da Big Dog Eat 42]

I join a free Yahoo league right before my main draft with a scoring system like my league. Like the real bullets and it's all the practice I need.

[Fantasy Noob 10]

I have done several this year, and they are fun. I liked it also because you can try some funky things in them to see what happens, specifically I tried drafting two stud WR's in the first and second rounds something I would not want to try for a real team without some practice runs (and which I dont think worked very well). Another neat thing about mocks is you can choose the spot in them from which to draft. This really helps give you an idea of what players in the first 3 or 4 rounds you will be looking at.

 

I think the best thing about it is to show you where the middle round talent is going primarily. For example I am high on Deangolo Williams in Carolina this year. The mock has given me a good point to start looking to draft him from without reaching too much. Early 8th round, late 7th round so far.

 

Also it helps you to identify trends a little better. Has a run on WR's started in late 2nd early 3rd? Or is everyone eating RB's up as fast as they can. This seems to me the most valuable insight you could have in your draft, and the mock seems to help.

 

I also agree with above poster that your mocks should be as close to your real draft as possible especially with training camps and all the info pouring out of them now.