Fantasy Football: Sweet Frustration

So... Not to abruptly change the subject or anything...

I'm playing in my first Fantasy Football league this NFL season. [Sorry, Deca, it was a last minute decision, and I jumped into a league with my brothers, otherwise I would have joined your league. Perhaps next season we can all play together.]

In any case, I was last in the draft position, therefore getting two picks in a row (last pick of the first round and first pick of the second round). Running backs seem to be the hot ticket position this year (as my brothers told me) so I was planning to pick up a couple RBs. I didn't expect to get amazing picks, but I was hoping that I could pick up some solid anchors for my team. Unfortunately, my internet connection died just as my pick came up. I thought I might be ok, since there was a 1.5 minute timer for each pick. I got my connection back within a few seconds (30 or so) only to find that the online draft program had put me on "auto-pilot" and made picks for me automatically without waiting the 1.5 minutes for each pick. Instead of two stud RBs, I ended up with a QB and a defensive squad. Granted, I got the Patriots defense (arguably one of the best in the league), and I got Peyton Manning at QB (again, one of the better picks), but my agency in the draft was completely destroyed. I spent the rest of the draft playing catch-up. Everyone else got their two (and even three) RBs and WRs before I had my first two.

It was still fun, but that one frustrating moment got me thinking... Is there a way to maintain that sense of immediacy and fun over the internet while avoiding issues of connection problems? Is it as simple as a more robust draft system? How important is the sense of agency involved in a fantasy draft?