With the 2023 NFL season officially wrapped and the new league year around the corner, it’s time to start talking about next year’s fantasy season.
Nearly 30 million Americans play fantasy football, and that number is increasing with each passing year. Most of these people are casual players who don’t take it too seriously, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t prepare for your draft.
The more you know about players, positions, and stats, the better you’ll draft and the better your team will do. There’s still an element of luck, however, which is why doing an NFL 2024 mock draft is always a great idea.
Mock drafts prepare you by telling you which players are most valued and where they might fall in your draft. You can do as many drafts as needed before your official fantasy draft, but keep reading and we’ll help you get the most out of your mock with some tips and examples.
Why Do an NFL 2024 Mock Draft?
The biggest benefit of doing a fantasy football mock draft is to gain a better understanding of the draft process. It’s the best way to practice for your draft by learning how your draft client works, but more importantly, where each NFL player might fall when your draft officially begins.
When you go into a fantasy draft blind, you’ll end up taking the top players on the list. Not only is this boring, but you won’t be able to construct a team that can compete in your league – you may as well auto-draft at that point.
Doing a mock will give you the lay of the land. Doing multiple mock drafts will help you get a real sense of what every player’s value is with a wide variety of people. Ultimately, they’ll help you succeed in your league.
Know Your League Rules
When you go to do your first mock draft, you’ll notice many different choices for draft styles. You’ll have to choose the type of league you want to mock draft in – PPR, standard, IDP, etc. You’ll also have to choose the number of other users you want to draft with.
This is where it helps to understand the rules that your league is using. The different league types will give different positions and players more or less value. For example, a points-per-reception (PPR) league places high value on wide receivers and running backs who catch a lot of passes.
If you’re in a standard league, you’ll take the most neutral approach to building a fantasy team. Individual defensive player (IDP) leagues require you to draft defensive players rather than whole defensive squads.
So, when you’re only in one league, the best thing to do is understand the rules and make sure your mock drafts always align with those rules.
Auction Drafts
Another thing to consider is whether your league does a standard snake draft or an auction draft. Snake drafts start by going through the draft order, then going back through in reverse order to maintain fairness. Auction drafts involve bidding fake money (usually a budget of $200) on players to build out your team.
Auction drafts are usually for more advanced fantasy football players, but they give you more control. Mock auction drafts can help you understand how much you should be valuing different players, but it’s never fully indicative of what the competitors in your league will do.
Do Several Drafts
Doing as many mock drafts as possible leading up to your real draft is important. You’ll never know what your draft position will be until you log into your draft client for the real thing. By doing multiple drafts, you can build several different teams at different draft positions.
Mock drafting often will also give you the chance to try out different player combinations and see what you like the most. You might decide to take an RB in the first round of one draft, then a WR in the first round of another one, and see how your teams shake out after that.
Timing Your Mock Drafts
Every seasoned fantasy football player knows that the best time for a fantasy draft is during the week between the last preseason and the first regular season game. Similarly, it’s important to space out your mock drafts as news breaks, players get injured, and teams trade players.
You should do one last mock draft in the days before your real draft. This will prepare you for anything you missed during the offseason.
Make Notes While You Draft
Anytime you’re preparing for football betting, whether it’s fantasy football or NFL best bets, you should take notes. With each passing mock draft, you may discover something that could help you in the real draft.
Depending on the platform you’re using, you’ll get your mock results in an email. You can go even further than that, however, and make notes while you’re drafting. Track the biggest names and players you’re interested in so you can see where they’re moving over time.
The last thing you want is for a player you really wanted to go a few picks ahead of where you thought they’d go. Notes will show you how they’re moving up the draft board and tell you when you should pull the trigger.
Use Mocks in Conjunction with Research
Mock drafts are an essential resource for anyone building a virtual team, but they’re not the only form of research you can do. There’s a real cottage industry around fantasy football these days, so there’s a lot of information available.
A lot of this information is just noise, but some of it is valuable. Figure out who the most reputable fantasy draft experts are and go through the pre-draft process with their help.
Build the Best Fake NFL Team in 2024
These NFL 2024 mock draft tips should help you navigate your way through the pre-draft process. As we said, the more mock drafts you do, the more prepared you’ll be for the real thing.
Champions don’t auto-draft, they spend a lot of time developing a strategy before they build the perfect team. It’s never too early to start mock drafting, so choose a platform and draft a team today.
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