Fantasy Football Draft Order - Prepare or Be Surprised

With fantasy football draft season underway, I thought I would look into the two different ways league commissioners set up their draft orders in preparation for the draft. Some commissioners pull names out of a hat or go by reverse order based on the previous year's standings and distribute the draft order ahead of time. This method gives all teams ample time to prepare, rank players, do mock drafts, and get a sense of what will really take place at the draft. Other commissioners prefer to do the draft order ON draft day. This makes everyone somewhat unprepared but also gives an added spice of tension and excitement to the draft. So which is better?

I suppose it depends on your preferences. But if you are a passionate fantasy football participant, then you are likely going to want to know ahead of time what draft position you have. You want to know who is drafting before and after you. You want to rank your players and know how you can expect to build your team. The element of surprise is fun, but in the end it is all about winning. Those who invest the necessary time and effort into draft preparation are usually rewarded (barring catastrophic injuries - i.e., Tom Brady in 2008).

This issue of draft order distribution should be broached by your league commissioner and each league member should have a say in the final decision. It all depends on what type of league you have. If you are serious fantasy football gurus, then there is no greater advantage or skill than knowledge - knowledge of your draft position and setting the blueprint for a championship team.