Satisfaction: Homing and Hearts

I hear a lot of people say things in drafts such as "Draft with your brain, not with your heart". I have to ask though, Why? I'm not about to lecture about how fantasy sports are just games, but what I will state is that people play fantasy sports for entertainment, and it is from this principle that we must economically analyze drafting with one's "heart".

Let's look at two of the main reasons players will overpay for someone, and earn that aforementioned accusation: They are either homing (drafting players from their home town or favorite teams too high) or simply putting too much faith in a player that they like. Fellow author here Pete Abbate, if given the opportunity to do so without ridicule, would have taken Guerrero about a round too soon. I myself have drafted teams with a first four picks including Soriano, Ramirez, and Lee (though I can't see why this is bad... but that might just be my cubbie blindness).

Still, if you think about it, how much satisfaction does homing give you? I live in Pittsburgh, so of course I don't home for Pirates, but as a Cubs fan grab up the Chicagoans faster than you can say Kosuke Fukudome. Still, I'd say that when the Cubs come to town, attending the games is about twice as enjoyable. I stand to lose about 20 dollars in the barely competitive leagues where I do home, and tickets are about 15 bucks but are worth $25 to me if I get to see my fantasy team win. I imagine this is the same for everyone.

Also, ignoring that player you "know" is going to have a 35 HR season no one is expecting can be devastating if he does. While performing a round or two beneath this projection (a.k.a. defining your pick as a reach) may hurt your team, it is nothing you can't make up, and having those players you like makes it more enjoyable to play the game and play catch up. Compare this to the scenario when you passed on him and he did exactly what you thought he would. The disappointment will likely affect your game play, and you will likely lament for most of the season. 

So if you were unfortunate enough not to be born in Boston where every player is worth drafting, trade for those Tom Gorzelanny's, Adam Jones's, Jeremy Hermida's, and Zack Greinke's a bit too aggressively (sorry Athletics fans, I can't professionally suggest drafting Jack Cust or Bobby Crosby. Next year though you should have plenty of former-Diamondbacks that are today only in the rough).