Fantasy Football: Wait As Long As Possible To Conduct Your Draft

I realize that many of you have completed your Fantasy Football drafts, but I’m not sure why. Yes, it’s "safe" to run your fantasy draft after Week 3 of the preseason, but I believe waiting to the last minute is ideal. My home league draft with my Montauk friends is usually the Tuesday after Labor Day, two days before kickoff of the NFL regular season. The more time you wait, the more clarity you gain. Think about some of the big storylines right now.

Will Ezekiel Elliott win his appeal? How many games? WHEN DO YOU DRAFT HIM?!?!

Is Andrew Luck destined for the PUP list? Or maybe the Colts are sandbagging and he’s a draft day bargain?

Does Odell Beckham Jr. play week one in Dallas? Is his ankle healed?

We had our office draft on Thursday, and apparently about an hour too soon. Since it is a 10-person league, I gambled and drafted Zeke in Round 2. I grabbed Darren MacFadden late, and knew I’d have RB depth in a 10-man, so I pulled the trigger. An hour into our draft, the news broke that lead NFL Investigator recommended zero suspension after interviewing the victim. Who knows what that means for the final appeal verdict, but my guess is Zeke now misses 0-3 games max. If true, he’s worth a first-round pick. And last-minute drafters should have clarity after Monday.

Luck had his labrum repaired in January. I’ve had this exact surgery, and it’s no fun. My arm actually never felt the same after, but I’m not Andrew Luck. He is a lock top-10 QB if he plays all 16 games, but he hasn’t even practiced with the team yet. I paired Luck with Big Ben in an auction draft last week, and at discounted costs, I think they could combine to be QB1 if I ham’n’egg them properly throughout the weekly matchups. But again, the later the draft, the more information.

My outlook on Beckham is paranoid, which worries me as a Giants fan. It also gives me pause if I have the four-six pick in a draft. Beckham can absolutely unseat Antonio Brown as Fantasy WR1, but heading into the season hobbled makes it tough to pick him over the likes of Julio Jones, Mike Evans, or A.J. Green. I’ve discussed here before, and with Giants players and fantasy, you must be able to separate business and pleasure.

Every year there are examples of last-minute pertinent fantasy information, so be sure to bug your commissioner to save the draft for the last minute!