|
|
Screen Shot from Draft Advisor Software
|
Draft Advisor Help
Get the most from the Draft Advisor!
We want to make sure each and everyone of
you maximize the Draft Advisor (DA) for your fantasy football draft.
It is a handy little tool that can really help. What we personally
love about the Draft Advisor is its ability to give immediate feedback for
relative value at each position in each unique league scoring system.
We use it every time we are in a new system to give us a feel for how to
draft. Depending on league scoring setup, you do not want to use the same
draft strategy in each league. Standard overall rankings are pretty
useless beyond standard performance leagues. The Draft Advisor provides
a means by which you can accelerate your knowledge and timescale required
to be competitive in a variety of fantasy football scoring leagues.
It will show you what positions are valuable for each system and help with
a draft strategy for each unique scoring system. With that in mind,
we wanted to make sure "help" for the Draft Advisor could be easily found
and readily available. Here are a few things to keep in mind
when using the Draft Advisor:
INSTALLING ON YOUR CPU:
First, be sure to remove any previous versions of the Draft Advisor from
your computer prior to installing any new or updated versions. Otherwise,
the player rankings from older versions will be used even though the operating
environment may appear to be that of the newer version. Simply follow
the instructions for uninstalling the Draft Advisor given below. As
for installing the new version, the Draft Advisor Download is a zip file
that contains the Draft Advisor program. Be sure to "extract" all zip
files prior to attempting to run the setup file. For those with Windows,
Windows already has a zip extraction tool included with it. Simply
"double mouse click" the Draft Advisor zip file. A window will appear
with the file contents inside. RESIST the urge to click
on any of those file contents. Rather, in the left-hand menu is a link
labeled "Extract all files". Click on that link and follow the step-by-step
instructions in the Extraction Wizard. At the conclusion of the Wizard,
all files will be extracted. At that point, just double click on the
"Setup" file in the unzipped Draft Advisor folder and follow the onscreen
instructions. The Draft Advisor will automatically be installed as
an item in your "Start Menu" under "All Programs".
ATTENTION FOR THOSE WITH WINDOWS 7:
Windows 7 includes a security feature that when a new file comes from another computer, it's
blocked. Once the zip file is extracted, right click on each file and choose properties. In the
bottom of the General Tab, there is a section labeled Security (this is NOT the
Security tab). Next to the section title is the following information: "This file came from another
computer and might be blocked to help protect the computer." Next to the
information there is an Unblock button. Click Unblock and then click OK. Do this for
each file in the deployment (the setup.exe, the .application, and all the files in the
folder below FootballDocsDA). Once this is done on each file, the security area goes away and cannot be viewed
again by choosing properties on the file unless it is re-downloaded. You may need to
perform this sequence of events each time you download the updated version of the
Draft Advisor. Once all the files have been unblocked, setup runs normally. Click here for a screen shot to further illustrate.
UNINSTALLING THE DRAFT ADVISOR:
Prior to installing any newer versions of the Draft Advisor, the older version
must be uninstalled from your computer. It is a very quick, simple
process and involves doing the exact same thing you would for any program
you wish to remove from your computer. For Windows users, click START
>> Control Panel >> Add or Remove Programs. Then find the
"FootballDocs" entry, highlight it with a single mouse click, and select
the "Change / Remove" button. Follow on-screen instructions and viola!
It's gone. You are now ready to install the updated version.
SINGLE MOUSE CLICK FOR MORE INFORMATION:
A single mouse click directly on a player's name will access the in-depth
write-up for that player (if available for that player). The write-up
will appear in the lower right-hand corner of the Draft Advisor in the "Player
Profile" Box. Note the write-up will NOT appear if you click on other
values listed in the same row as the player (i.e. "RB", "ATL", etc), so be
sure to click on the player's name to access the Player Profiles.
DOUBLE MOUSE CLICK TO MOVE PLAYERS AND SORT COLUMNS:
A simple "double-click" on a player will move them to and from the "Available
Box" and the "Taken Box". A "double click" on a menu title such as
"Value", "Pos" (Position), or "Point" will sort all players in that box by that menu
item.
RIGHT CLICK TO PULL UP TEAM ASSIGNMENT OPTION:
Right click and you can add players to up to 20 different teams. Players will then be shown on that team's page and in the general "Taken" tab. If you add a player you didn't mean to add, you can easily place them back in the available pool list. To move that player back to the available list, just double click on the player's name and they will be returned to the top of the available players list. You can move a player back from the general taken list or from a team page. It doesn't matter which one you choose.
SCROLL BARS:
The Draft Advisor is packed with loads of statistical information for each
player. Note the scroll bars associated next to each box in the Draft
Advisor window. They can be used to access more statistical information.
COLOR TIERS:
The color tiers are designed to provide an easy, visual reference to indicate
players of comparable fantasy football value for the scoring system entered.
You can select whether or not you would like to see the color tiers by simply
checking or unchecking the "Color Tier" box at the top of the Draft Advisor
window. Note that the tiers are generated using a special, complicated
mathematical algorithm. This algorithm has proven to be very robust
in a variety of fantasy football scoring systems; however, it is impossible
to test every possible scoring system out there. If you get unusual
results, send us an email and we will review
the results to make sure they are appropriate for your system.
ENTERING SYSTEMS WITH FLEX POSITIONS:
We tried to account for just about any flex position based system out there.
Please read all the FLEX entries carefully when entering the required starts
for your fantasy scoring system under "Customized Scoring". The most
important thing is to be sure to only enter what specifically applies and
do not account for a required starting position twice (i.e., if you have
a single RB/WR flex position, denote it as "1" in the "RB/WR" flex category.
Do not count for it twice by adding "+1" in the RB category, "+1" in the
WR category, AND "+1" in the RB/WR flex category. By doing that, you
have entered a system that requires a RB, WR, and RB/WR flex start!).
Just to make sure things are perfectly clear, here's an example:
Suppose you are in a fantasy scoring system that has the following setup:
QB, RB, WR, RB/WR flex, RB/WR flex, RB/WR flex, TE, K, and D.
You would enter the following in the Custom Scoring of the Draft Advisor:
• Number of Starting QB's per team = 1
• Number of Starting RB's per team = 1
• Number of Starting WR's per team = 1
• Number of Starting TE's per team = 1
• Number of Starting K's per team = 1
• Number of Starting D's per team = 1
• Number of Starting FLEX (WR/TE) per team = 0
• Number of Starting Flex (RB/WR) per team = 3
• (All other entries = 0)
SAVING:
You can save your Draft Advisor rankings by simply clicking the Save button
(disk icon) at the top of the menu bar. Name your rankings anything
you wish. Just click the file folder icon when you want to reopen a
saved file to pick-up where you left off prior to your last save.
OPENING A SAVED SESSION:
To open a saved session, start the Draft Advisor in the "Default Mode". Then click the
open file icon from the main Draft Advisor window. Don't try to use this option from one
update to the next because player values will have changed and your saved session will have
the player values of the previous update that you saved.
GENERATING NEW RANKINGS:
We encourage all subscribers to "experiment" with the Draft Advisor using
different scoring formats to see what unique ranking lists it provides.
When iterating with different scoring systems, please note you simply have
to close the program, reopen, and enter new scoring information as prompted.
Also note to close any help windows that may have been open; otherwise, when
attempting to restart the Draft Advisor nothing will happen as it associates
the execute command with an already open help window (Note this help window
can be "hidden" behind other windows on your screen and does not appear as
a menu item in your start menu. Minimize all other windows to find
the open help window and close it prior to restarting the Draft Advisor).
While not as convenient as on-the-fly revisions, it is four mouse clicks
of an inconvenience (close window, double click to open, and then click to
"I agree"). We have been working on trying to make this more convenient
in future releases, but at no risk to the accuracy or functionality of the
computed results of the program.
PRINTING:
There are three options to print:
• The quickest and easiest way to print is to
click the "PrintTop200" button on the menu bar at the top of the Draft Advisor
Program window. This will immediately send a print of your unique rankings
list to your printer (make sure it is on). Naturally, the list will be restricted
to your Top 200 rankings in an effort to save paper. Color Tiers will be denoted by
text showing a break in player value.
• Similar to the "PrintTop200" button, there is the
"PrintTop400" button to the right of it. This is intended for those folks that need a longer list
due to playing in larger fantasy leagues.
• The last option is the "PrintToTextFile" button on the
menu bar. This generates a text file of the rankings by clicking the button and choosing the
location and name for the text file (**VERY IMPORTANT**
Note the location where you saved the text file). The text file can
be opened in Excel for printing (if you do not have Excel, the text file
itself can be printed using a Text Editor). Here are
step-by-step printing instructions using Excel:
1. Open Microsoft Excel
2. Click File -> Open -> choose the text file you just created "YourFileNameHere.txt"
3. Select "Delimited" and click "Finish"
4. Click File --> Print
DRAFT ADVISOR "DO'S" and "DON'TS":
• Do be patient when waiting for the Draft Advisor
to compile your unique rankings. It can take up to 30 seconds to complete.
• Do take the time to read the in-depth write-ups.
They provide key pieces of information to help in critical moments of your
draft.
• Don't overwrite or erase the "newDAinput.dat"
file. Without this file, the Draft Advisor cannot run.
• Don't run more than one version of the Draft
Advisor at the same time.
• Do experiment with the Draft Advisor.
It provides a powerful means to expose players and positions of value in
a variety of systems.
GETTING THE MOST FROM YOUR DRAFT ADVISOR!
First off, any time we are asked to participate in either an expert
or highly competitive league with a scoring system we aren't quite familiar
with, we immediately go to the Draft Advisor as our first mode of operation.
The Draft Advisor does a great job of exposing players of value in a load
of different scoring formats. It gives immediate feedback for what
positions are valuable, what positions can slide, and what type of players
you need to target for a particular scoring system. It is a great starting
point and ultimate ending point on your draft day.
The above is no small contribution. Make no mistake, there is no replacement
for experience in a particular scoring system. However, the problem
with experience is that it takes YEARS to develop and refine. After all, there
is only one NFL (Fantasy Football) season each year, so you only get the
opportunity to learn the "do's" and "dont's" for a particular league scoring
system once per year. Learning takes iterations to nail down.
Need three iterations? It will take three years. The Draft Advisor
will bring you up to speed quickly and help you field a competitive team
in an unfamiliar scoring format immediately out of the gates. It will
also point to positions of value, which you can target for free agent pick-ups
during the year as well as for trades. Suddenly, you have reduced the
time it takes to develop expertise in each unique fantasy football scoring
system.
Let us give a "for instance". For instance, say you dominate each year
in a standard performance scoring system (1 pt. / 10 yards rush & receive,
1 pt / 20 yards pass, 4 pts per Pass TD, 6 pts per rush & receive TD,
etc). Try playing in a league that has the same system but adds a full
point per each reception (PPR). After trying to apply your "proven"
draft strategy, you learn real quick it doesn't quite hold in that format.
In fact, you learn WRs behave much like RBs in that format, and the value
of pass catching RBs. It can get much worse.... say you are in a new
PPR league that also makes you start 2 QBs... ouch... you now also learn
the QB value lesson for those particular leagues real quick, but it will
take you a year or two (in standard performance formats QBs are one of the
ideal positions to let slide in your draft while grabbing other high demand
positions such as RB and WR -- refer to our Quarterback Free Fall article in our
Fantasy Football Article Archive. Suddenly most rankings online and available in fantasy
magazines are frankly pretty worthless. They are based on a standard
performance system and cannot account for your system. They can lead
you to make poor, misinformed decisions for your particular scoring format.
The point is, if you had the Draft Advisor (which you do), it would red flag
those positions for you. In the aforementioned example, the Draft Advisor
will generate a ranking list that is much more heavy in WRs and QBs than
traditional overall rankings lists. The Draft Advisor is trying to
show you what positions you need to pay attention to in your draft relative
to your particular scoring system. If you put in a more extreme scoring
system and the DA lists 25 QBs for the first 25 picks (i.e. say 3 QB required
for the start and equal fantasy points awarded for passing, rushing, and
receiving.... i.e. 1 pt per 10 yards pass/rush/receive), clearly don't take
QBs with your first 10 picks, but the Draft Advisor is telling you that QBs
had better be in your draft plans early or you could suffer the consequences.
You can back-fill with other positions later after nailing a top flight QB.
This is where the "a little discretion can go a long way" comment on the
download page is worth its weight in gold. Folks familiar with the
Draft Advisor know this and use it all the time to their advantage.
The Draft Advisor will show you a custom rankings list and also show relative
value between players of different positions (as well as color bands now).
Again, it is great for showing you a draft strategy for your scoring system.
It immediately targets a draft plan for you, while giving you a load of flexibility
to show you the most valuable players at each position relative to other
positions. This helps you draft based on team need. If the Draft
Advisor shows the top 25 positions are completely dominated by QBs... grab
a QB in round one (assuming only 1 required for start) and then grab the
next best available position for round 2 (RB, WR, whatever is listed).
Given the extreme weight of QBs in the above, aforementioned format in the
previous paragraph, you may consider grabbing another top flight QB in either
round 3 or 4 to make sure you are covered. Again, the Draft Advisor
is just trying to tell you that you can ill-afford to let the QB position
slide in that particular system. In other systems, it may be RB, WR,
or even TE. (We can assure you, there are ALL kinds of systems out
there)! In other systems where QB, RB, and WR are more equal in value,
the DA will show you the best value pick based on what is still available.
DOUBLE CHECK
If the Draft Advisor generates a ranking list that appears very odd, just
drop us a note and let us give it a look
for you as a double check.. After all, it is impossible to cover every
possible system out there, and we have no direct control over what rankings
list is generated by the Draft Advisor. Remarkably, in our experience,
the Draft Advisor typically does a very good job on the first cut in almost
any system, but again, drop us a note if unsure. We are happy to help.
Thanks for taking the time to read and enjoy the Draft Advisor!
Return to Draft Advisor Free Trial Download Page
|
|
