Don't Be That Guy!
Posted: 6/8/06
Almost every league has one. They’re known simply as "that guy". Their actions make you wonder about the evolution of man, and if it was possible to actually skip a human being when passing out genes. Each league seems to have one and they’re virtually impossible to get rid of. While they sometimes make you wonder why you play fantasy football in the first place, more often than not, the entertainment value they bring to the league is morbidly priceless. We here at Dynasty League Football hope you don’t fit our eight different criteria for him. It’s easy to avoid, just …
Don’t be that guy who drafts a QB with a very high
first round pick in the initial dynasty draft.
While it was easy for some to take Peyton Manning as high as #1 last year, those who did paid the price dearly, and will continue to do so for years to come. As Manning regressed back into the stratosphere, many coaches lost their league titles and RB depth. The fact is, taking a QB with a high first will leave you thin at RB for years to come. Let’s repeat that, it WILL leave you thin at RB for years to come. You may think some guys will slide to you, but nobody wants their first RB to be Warrick Dunn. No cut against the former FSU dynamo, but I’d rather have someone else be my rock and end up with the 2nd, 3rd, or even 8th best QB. It’s just not worth it, and time has proven that, especially in dynasty leagues. It’s not like a yearly league where you can say, "I won’t make that mistake next year!" Well, no you won’t. You’re stuck with it forever.
Don’t be that guy who takes players in the draft just to trade them.
This is an easy trap to fall into. You have a specific need for a starting position to address in the draft, but a player from another position you already have filled has slid further than you thought they would. You don’t need them, but take them thinking you could trade them later. Two things will happen to you. First, everyone in the league will know you want to peddle that player, thus driving their value down. Keep in mind they’re sliding past many coaches you’d want to trade to - if they passed, they probably don’t want him in the first place. Second, the quality of your team will be diminished by you basically passing in the round. No draft is unimportant enough to take a virtual pass in ANY round. More likely than not, you’ll have a great bench, but a less imposing starting unit. Don’t fall into the trap. Fill your needs first and let the other coaches worry about their mistakes.
Don’t be that guy who trades a marquee player or draft choice without shopping around first.
With any team, you’ll have to ask yourself when it’s time to trade away one of your stud players or high draft picks. This is a tough choice, especially in a dynasty league. Any good dynasty league owner will have a strategy for trades. Some coaches like to trade away RBs when they hit a certain age or number of career carries. This ensures getting value for that player, without having them retire off their roster. That, of course, is a major no-no in a dynasty league. If you make the decision to trade one of your marquee players or picks, ASK AROUND first! Don’t just let a couple of coaches know you want to move him. Let everyone know in some way shape or form. Review our Trading Tactics article to show you how to approach them. The worst thing you can do is take the first offer without seeing if you could get better value somewhere else. The last thing you want is a message from another coach telling you they would have given you more for them. Maximize their value!
Don’t be that guy who starts looking at his lineup on Sunday morning.
This is a pet peeve of coaches everywhere. Start looking at news before the weekend so you can be prepared. Get your initial lineup set on Tuesday or Wednesday. Take out your bye week players and be ready for Sunday. You never know when there will be a power outage, computer problems, or website issues. Being prepared is being professional. A pro will simply laugh at any coach who claims they tried to get in on Sunday morning but had trouble getting online. It’s a lame excuse, and one only for rookies. Use Sunday morning for last second injury updates and breaking news only.
Don’t be that guy who whines about injuries or lucky breaks.
There’s a saying that "nobody likes a whiner". This is especially true in the world of fantasy football. "That guy" will always say they would have won if not for an injury. What that really means is they likely lack the depth to have a solid team. "That guy" is also the one who claims you always get lucky whenever you play them, or only have your "career games" against them. They’re always somehow on the short end of the stick. There’s something to winning and losing gracefully. Grumbling about injuries or lucky breaks doesn’t minimize victories, it merely tarnishes their own reputation in the league. Champions win AND lose gracefully. There is time for smack talk, but no time for sniveling. The best response to them is get better. These are the same guys who think they should have won the last 19 championships, but likely haven’t won any.
Don’t be that guy who attempts to assemble a roster with only young players and no veterans.
This is another easy trap to fall into. In your initial draft, or even when you make trades in later years, you need to have a solid mix of veterans and young players. It’s easy to think you’ll rule the galaxy if you assemble the youngest roster, but that’s simply not the case. For every high #1 home run like Carson Palmer, Carnell Williams or Larry Fitzgerald, there’s a washout like Tim Couch, William Green and Charles Rogers. Don’t believe it? Check out the Inside the Numbers article. The numbers are astonishing. By going all young, you are likely to have some good young players to build around, but you’ll also have a lot of busts. Sure, it’s easy to think you’ll just keep those good young players and build around them. Problem is, you have no good bargaining chips other than those players. You can try to rebuild through the draft, but by the time you catch up, those young guys you started with aren’t quite so young anymore. Meanwhile, you’ve seen five or six championships go to your enemies.
Don’t be that guy who tries to trade a player you subsequently drop.
Remember when we said it’s sometimes morbidly entertaining to have "that guy" in your league. This is a perfect example. Many times a coach will attempt to shop around a player who has little or no value, then subsequently cuts them a day or two later. For example, a coach may pitch around a message to a few coaches about a player they’re "really high on", but are willing to trade. When they cut him the same week, it’s obvious it was all a shadow game and pack of lies. You say it’s wise to try to get value? Hardly. Problem is, every coach approached by this trade offer feels as if their intelligence was questioned. They ask themselves, "what, they were looking for someone stupid enough to do that and picked ME?" Good luck trading with any of these coaches again, you’ve burned a bridge. Actually, you’ve probably burned their whole town.
Don’t be that guy who badmouths another coach when they reject your trade proposal.
Every good trader knows for every deal consummated, there are 10 others that fail. Approach and exit each deal with some dignity and respect. You’ll likely need to attempt a trade with them at a later point (again, see our trading tactics article). When you make an offer, stand by it. If rejected after following all the steps we’ve provided, thank the coach and move on. Don’t insult them. There’s nothing more revolting to a coach than having another say something like, "You’re just stupid not to do that deal." or "I don’t why I would have done that it the first place. That guy is a scrub." For a real pro, that reinforces that you SHOULDN’T have made the deal. Getting insults from another coach shows you’ve disappointed them. Get too many of these and that coach will really get under your skin. Again, nobody likes a whiner.
Almost every league has "that guy." They’re the ones who keep you scratching your head and laughing until it hurts. Remember, "that guy" is critical to your league. They keep people coming back just to see what could happen next. They’re just as important as the solid coach, just make sure it’s not YOU who becomes "that guy" for your league.
Does your league have 'That Guy" in it?
Are there any other things 'That Guy" does which drives you nuts? If so, then...