As January approaches, so does fantasy draft day. There’s nothing quite like logging in to see who will be on your team for the upcoming year. The high of scoring that top-ranked all-arounder! The fun of researching someone you don’t know much about! It’s a treat. But then, Week 1 approaches and you have choices to make. We rounded up some top tips to help you settle into another fantasy season.
Max out Your Draft
Leave nothing to chance. We strongly recommend including 200 gymnasts on your list if you’re doing a traditional draft. Sometimes themed drafts just won’t have that many options, but if you’re going old-school, you don’t want to run the risk of the auto-draft handing you someone who is injured or doesn’t contribute because your draft list was too short.
Avoid Chaos Lineups
Who in all of Gainsville will the Gators put on bars?! I don’t know. I have some guesses, but at the end of the day, I don’t know! There are always a few teams that have some lineups that rotate constantly due to huge depth or injury management. This year, we’re wary of Florida bars, LSU vault and Minnesota bars—at least for the first few weeks. If steady lineups emerge, that could change, but for Week 1? Anyone’s guess.
Stay on Top of Injuries
There’s nothing worse than putting up an injured gymnast and coming away with a zero (alright, being that injured gymnast is surely worse). Every week we’ll include the past week’s injury updates in Fantasy Central, but you can also find new updates at the top of our injury page, which is updated throughout the week.
Don’t Over-Trade
Trading is fun. That’s undeniable. But anyone who has played fantasy in any sport knows that the quickest way to defeat is to get waiver-wire-happy. Yes, absolutely trade a gymnast who isn’t competing, has a long-term injury or is just not producing scores on events where you need them. But don’t get too antsy and drop a gymnast who just had an off week or who is struggling on one event where you don’t rely on her scores. Dropping someone after a frustrating week, only to watch her rebound the next week on someone else’s team is not a recipe for success.
Keep an Eye on USAG Teams
This is a strategy borrowed from USAG aficionado Rebecca. Teams in this tier have a tendency to have slower starts to their seasons. Rebecca almost never recommends putting gymnasts from these teams in your January lineups. That said, this is a group that tends to rocket up in scores after a month or so, and by conference championships, they’re really cooking. When you start to see the numbers jump, this is a great pool to eye for the waiver wire. Don’t write them off after slower starts.
Have Fun
It’s so easy, especially for gymnastics fans, to get lost in scores and spreadsheets, trying to maximize numbers and win the season. Our editor-in-chief Elizabeth has some news for you: She tends to put in minimal effort, enjoys the year and almost always finishes top three in our internal league. Getting too bogged down in the numbers can not only make the game stressful instead of fun, but it can make you overthink and unintentionally torpedo your team. Remember to enjoy it!
READ THIS NEXT: Sample Drafts for Your 2023 Fantasy Gym Team
Article by Emily Minehart
Like what you see? Consider donating to support our efforts throughout the year! [wpedon id=”13158″]
