No one has a perfect fantasy football team, and no one has the perfect draft. We all make mistakes. The trick is making as few as possible, and there is one — a BIG one — managers continue to make… every year… in every draft.

You are wasting your bench!

It’s one of the biggest mistakes you can make on draft day — outside of calling a player’s name who was already drafted, mispronouncing a name so leaguemates laugh at you, or worst of all… drafting a kicker. How do you stop wasting your bench? I’m glad you asked. Here are the three main ways managers waste their bench.

Mistake No. 1Drafting a second defense, or (*shudders*)… a second… kic… I can’t even say the word.

First, #BanKickers. With that out of the way, stop drafting multiple defenses unless you’re in Best Ball. In fact, unless you are required to fill out a full roster, don’t draft a defense at all — if you draft before Labor Day weekend. Take another running back or wide receiver flier instead. Injuries happen in the preseason, too, and players will impress and disappoint (looking at you, Ollie Gordon and Jaylen Wright). Defenses are unpredictable even during the season, and often the best real-life defenses aren’t all that good in fantasy.

If you need to fill your roster, take one and be done with it. Yes, I know I acknowledged defenses are unpredictable, but you’re not going to discover anything new in the preseason that affects your opinion like a flier at RB or WR will. Oh, and if it wasn’t clear, even if you have to take a defense and want one of the “sure things” (again, no such thing), don’t draft one until the final three rounds. It’s OK to jump the line, but mid-rounds? Heck no! Of course, I know at least one person with a bonkers DST scoring setup who will argue taking one in Round 8, and I’m mainly talking to the 99% here, Mr. “Not in My League!”

Mistake No. 2Drafting a second quarterback or tight end, when…

If you don’t know my quarterback and tight end draft strategy, just ask Ricky Bobby. That’s right; it’s either first or last, and by that, I mean taking an elite quarterback or tight end (one or the other, rarely both) or waiting until the end game. If I don’t take an early QB or TE — and I’m much more inclined to take the QB — I’ll wait until the double-digit rounds for my tight end flier or to double up on quarterback gambles.

One of the most egregious picks managers make is taking a second quarterback or tight end when they’ve already drafted an elite option (Top 3, maybe Top 4 player). Why? Because you are never sitting the elite pick. You don’t draft Josh Allen to ever put him on the bench, even against the most fearsome defense in the league. The same goes for Brock Bowers and the other elites at QB and TE. If you think about benching them, then 1) You give up your draft value and even hurt your team more because of the cost associated with what you passed on, as well, and 2) You shouldn’t have drafted them in the first place.

And, yes, I hear the arguments for it. So let’s address each.

But… what if my elite pick is a bust? It might happen, but you are drafting an elite player who shouldn’t bust, and even if he did, you’re playing catch-up anyway, given the cost we discussed above.

But… the other manager shouldn’t be gifted a good pick! So what? Your job isn’t to play keep-away. It’s building your best contender. Your team won’t be better because you have a wasted pick sitting on the bench — a player you’ll probably drop when you need bye week or injury help anyway.

But… what if the player breaks out, and I have a trade chip? This question has the most validity, but it still has failed logic. Lottery tickets/fliers are still that. The odds of hitting on a late pick aren’t as high as perception seems. And let’s assume you hit on that second player. It’s hard enough to make trades, even more so when teams know you need/want to move someone.

I was in a home league where a team drafted Drew Brees and fell into the Matt Ryan bonanza season of 2016 with a late pick. Not only was he unable to offload either quarterback because no one wanted to pay decent value, but he spent most of the season agonizing over who to start, often getting bitten by watching the bench option score more than his choice.

Mistake No. 3Drafting low-ceiling, replacement-level wide receivers and/or running backs

Let’s look at a few names drafted after Round 9 last year: Gabe Davis, Brandin Cooks, Tyler Lockett, Curtis Samuel, Ezekiel Elliott, Ty Chandler, plus a myriad of quarterbacks and tight ends, such as Matthew Stafford, Kirk Cousins, Aaron Rodgers, Luke Musgrave, Dalton Schultz and more. I threw in some QBs and TEs to reiterate point No. 2, but this last point is about wasting your bench with waiver-level options.

Upside is your only concern after your first two bench players (single-digit-round picks/Top 100 players). Ask yourself, “Is there a path to this player becoming an every-week fantasy starter?” Whether that’s a Top 10 QB, Top 30 RB, etc., the exact Top “XX” number isn’t as important as them being worthy of a spot in your weekly lineup. If the answer is “No,” then don’t draft them. Backup running backs who are one injury away from RB2+ value are way more important than an RB4/5 or a WR5/6, who might get in your lineup during a bye. Is there a young wideout whose improved play or impressive start to the season turns into a top-two role over the vet hanging on to his final days? Draft him! The replacement-level players are exactly that… replaceable. A breakout Top 50-100 player is not.

Once you maximize your bench’s potential, you will immediately be a significantly better fantasy football manager.

(Photo of Josh Hines-Allen: Thomas Shea / Imagn Images)