7. Punish the Loser
We're not talking about going full tattoo league, though that is an option.
Punishing the loser of your fantasy league can be something small, or significant, your call. Punishing the loser of your fantasy league will bring added pressure to the toilet bowl, a once forgotten fantasy matchup. Not only will this make your toilet bowl more exciting, but in some leagues, the fantasy loser bowl is a more highly anticipated matchup than the championship!
The old saying, if you ain't first, you're last, doesn't apply here.
If you ain't first, you better hope you don't finish last! Otherwise, you'll suffer the wrath of your league loser!
6. Change to an Auction Draft
Changing your fantasy football league from a traditional Snake-Style draft to an Auction draft may be a tough sell for some. The thought of nominating a player and having to bid on them can not only be a bit tedious, but it will also extend the time of your fantasy draft by at least 2 hours (no joke).
The "Going Once, Going Twice, SOLD" loop will also be stuck in your head for at least two days.
With that said, upgrading to an auction league is worth it. Your league draft will be filled with over-spenders, epic shootouts for studs, and bargain-bin dollar bids to finish the draft.
This is, without question, the most fun you will have drafting a fantasy football team.
5. Allow (more) Keepers
You don't need to go full dynasty to enjoy the benefits of a great draft. If your league doesn't currently allow for Keepers, you can always start with just one. Or two. Ease into it.
If you're in a league where you can already keep 2 or three, what about changing this to 5 or 6?
This doesn't necessarily mean that all of the studs are taken out of the draft. In fact, you can set up rules where players can only keep ONE player drafted in round 1-4, ONE player drafted in rounds 5-8, etc.
It's your league, make it what you want.
4. Allow Offseason / Future Pick Trading
To piggyback on the concept of allowing for more Keepers, allowing offseason trading and future pick trading will create a far more engaged and active league, year round.
Did you draft both LeVeon Bell and Odell Beckham in 2018, but can only keep One of them? Why not trade Odell to your buddy in return for a 2020 first round pick? WIN-WIN.
Allowing your league to trade draft picks, and be active in shopping players during the off-season will only make your league better. Give it a try, and see how much more engaged your league is.
3. Host an Offline Draft
No list is complete without talking about offline drafts. You knew this was coming.
For starters, there is nothing like an offline draft party. Just ask ANYBODY who has done one of these. If you haven't done it, you're missing out. It's really as simple as that. Find someone who doesn't like offline drafts. I'll wait.
Sure, drafting on ESPN or Yahoo is fine, but drafting with a real fantasy football draft board and player labels IS the ultimate experience. We sell tons of popular draft boards, such as the Hall of Fame Backside Beauty, in addition to MASSIVE draft boards like the P.E.D Draft Board, and cheap draft boards like the Rookie of the Year.
If you can't find a draft board that you like here, no sweat. Read our reviews of the top rated fantasy football draft boards on Amazon, in addition to the top rated draft boards on eBay. We want you to host the most epic draft party regardless if you shop here or not.
Of course, if you decide to shop on Amazon or eBay, we'd love to know why. Shoot us a message. We're always looking to improve.
2 Double Down with DFS Leagues
It's estimated that over 50 Million people participate in DFS leagues. That number will only grow as fantasy sports and sports gambling become legalized in all 50 states.
In most DFS apps, like DraftKings, you can set up an H2H challenge with another member. If you're playing your buddy Tom in your season-long league, why not send him a $5 DFS challenge?!
Put your money where your mouth is and draft as many players on your starting roster as possible. Or go rogue and pick up a player or two on your opponent's roster.
Either way, have fun with it. that's what fantasy sports is all about.
1. Give the Winner What he Deserves!
There are no shortage of fantasy football trophies out there.
In just the last 5 years we've seen the fantasy football champion trophy industry take off. From fantasy football champion belts to rings, to 5-foot trophies, there are many ways you can celebrate the champion of your league.
Every single fantasy football league should have a trophy. It doesn't matter if you play in a cash league, you NEED to have a trophy! If you're the commish, you need to get everyone to chip in $5 - $20 and buy a champion trophy.
You don't need to go crazy, although we suggest that you do, to give the winner what he deserves.