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The Draft Dominator has been a useful tool and draft resource for many years and now that same technology is available in a new format that supports both desktops (Windows, Mac, Linux), as well as IOS and Android mobile devices and tablets. Footballguys is committed to providing you with this resource in a format that works with your daily lifestyle and device preferences.
A section of our Footballguys community has grown accustomed to the Classic Draft Dominator and have expressed interest in a guide that can assist them in identifying key features and functions in the new Draft Dominator '16. In other words - I know how to do "X" in the Classic Dominator, how do I do that in the new Draft Dominator '16?
I'll cover many of those common questions below as well as share some other features found in the new Draft Dominator '16 that was not present in the Classic version. There are some features that the Classic version supports that the '16 version does not - I'll explain those as well and provide alternatives solutions.
How do I import custom projections?
Answer: The Draft Dominator '16 does not support custom projections. If you have your own projections and you want to enter them into the Draft Dominator, you can do so via the Classic version, but the Draft Dominator '16 does not support it. The '17 version will support this. The '17 version will also allow custom ADP entries.
You can adjust projection numbers for various players. Let's say you want to increase or decrease the projections from a given player. This will move them up or down the draft list.
How do I do that?
- click on the wrench/Rankings
- click on Edit Players
- Select which player you want to adjust, put the cursor on the projection line and slide left (to increase) or right (to decrease) the player's projection totals.
- click done and you'll see the player has moved up or down the draft list. This can be a good tool if you have differing opinions on a particular player or players and want your draft list to reflect your rationale.
How do I determine which projections are used in the Draft Dominator '16?
You can determine the percentage or weight that you want from specific staff members' projections.
- click on the wrench/Rankings
- click on projections used
- Use the sliders to set the balance of each staff member in the projections used in your draft. For example: If you want your projections to be 100% based on David Dodds, move the slider all the way to the right and the other staff members all the way to the left. For balanced projections, set each member at 25% (all sliders in the middle). You can change this for other positions at the top - for example TD (team defense) or IDP.
- click done (upper right in green of the projections box) and you will see the players adjusted in rank according to your projection settings.
How do I adjust the draft board to show me players who have a higher projection for any given week?
- click on the wrench/Rankings
- click on Weekly Weights
- Pick the week(s) you want to adjust. Hit the PLUS to increase the weight for that week. Hit the MINUS to decrease the weight for that week.
- Click Done. For example: If you assign zeros for Weeks 1, 2, 3, and 4, then click done, you'll see LeVeon Bell and Tom Brady jump up in the ranks, because the Dominator will not count the first four weeks of the season when detemining projections. You can also target and increase for Weeks 14, 15 and 16 to have a higher weight on playoff weeks. This will give more weight to players who's projections for those weeks are higher.
On the players list, there are "last chance" target icons next to the players the dominator thinks will be drafted before you pick again. If you scrolled down to say, the first quarterback without one of those icons, and compared him to the top quarterback on the list, you’d get the quarterback drop off.
The slider compares the priority of those drop offs against VBD and positional need of the team you drafted so far. If you move the slider all the way to the left, the ranks in the dominator are not based on next pick position drop offs at all. If the sliders are moved all the way to the right, they are 100% based on that.
Where are the Depth Charts?
Click on the Asterisk (left of the wrench) and then click Depth Charts. The position that is selected (to the left of the search bar) will determine what position is shown in the depth chart. A player will have a strikethrough line through his name if he has already been selected in the draft. The depth charts are listed alphabetically by team. To see other teams, scroll down. To add positions or change positions for the depth chart, click on the position (left of the search bar) and select one of the choices - All, QB, RB, WR, TE, Flex, PK, Def.
Note the different icons on the depth chart - handcuff, upside, rookie and the last chance icon.
What is the Complementary Players tool and how do I use it?
Once you draft a few players, the Complementary Players section will show you which players are best suited to provide more production in the worst weeks of players you already drafted. For example, let's say you draft Devonta Freeman in round two of your draft and you want to know which other running backs are projected for highest points in his worst weeks. This feature will show you that. You can do the same for other positions. This is a great tool for determining which backup quarterback to target after you've already selected your starting quarterback.
- click on the asterisk (left of the wrench) and select Complementary Players
- Select which position you want to find complementary players for (left of search bar)
- You'll see the top players at that position that are projected to have the highest points in your weakest weeks.
- click on the wrench/Rankings icon
- In the Projection Optimism area, move the slider to the right to give more weight to player upside.
- Players with the highest upside can be moved up in the rankings. When auto is selected, player upside will automatically increase to 100% as you get closer to the end of the draft.
- Fully split out all IDP positions in DE/DT, ILB/OLB and CB/S.
- Dynamically generate tiers
- Upside projections for later in the draft
- VBD (value based drafting) changes: Can project which positions will fill a flex. There's a big difference between a set up with 2RB/3WR non PPR and 2 RB/2WR full PPR. This also helps for combined leagues with wide receiver and tight end, where you just have spots to start “receivers” - ie, either WRs or TEs; in which case Rob Gronkowski’s value is massively deflated and only really him, Jordan Reed and Greg Olsen should even be drafted.
- Import fully custom projections
- Import fully custom ADP lists
- Import from myfantasyleague.com as well as other hosting providers.
- Edit VBD baselines using text entry
- color blindness mode
- Basic league & team settings, setup
- Scoring setting setup
- Keeper setup
- Mock draft & real draft setup
- Auction setup
- Configuring strategies for your draft
- Navigating though the player sheets
- How to get a Rate My Team report
Video 2 - Draft Dominator 2016 Advanced Features Demo
- Advanced mode - modifying draft order, entering draft trades
- Advanced Keeper setup
- Customization settings
- Setting up draft profiles
- Utilizing the Player Shortlist
- Using the positional need feature
- Using the next pick dropoff feature
- Using positional tiers
- Understanding complemenatary players tool
- Utilizing the player upside feature
- Examining your roster mid-draft. Understand where your strengths are - By Pos feature
- Understanding which lineups are preferred for each week of the season.
- Using the Weekly Weights feature
- Why you should use the Rate My Team analysis feature at the end of the draft
- Understanding auction values and mid-draft adjustments
- Using the studs and duds feature in auction drafts
Our development team spent countless hours creating, testing and customizing this app to appeal to the most hardcore fans we have at Footballguys.com. For many people, it some time and several draft repetitions to feel confident with the available features of the Classic version of the Draft Dominator. We think you'll feel the same way about the new version, especially after you fully understand how to customize it to your liking. You may not want or need to use all of the functions, features and tools available to you, but understanding how each one can be a benefit, will elevate your game and help you draft a better team.
Questions, suggestions and comments are always welcome to haseley@footballguys.com