I've only played fantasy football for six years. In those six years, I have won three championships, finished twice in the top two of my league and one injury riddled season second to last. I've made the playoffs 83% of the time in all leagues I have cared about, never lost in the first round of the playoffs and always got some amount of my money back if not made a profit.
All this is irrelevant. I'm sure I could find thousands of people boasting similar fantasy numbers or stories and they would all be more impressive than me. However, this is my blog, my tips and you will read them while finding them actually useful. So here we go:
1) YOU LIVE AND DIE IN THE DRAFT
This one seems like a no brainer and really it is. Fantasy football seasons are made and broken in the draft. Very rarely will any kind of top talent be available on the waiver wire. The preparation for the draft should be more than just printing up ESPN's list of top 150 NFL players and picking up who is best available. Once you learn your drafting order, use ESPN's mock draft lobbies to get a feel for who will be available when it comes your time to make a selection. Once you get a feel for what you will be picking, think about what kind of strategy you want to adopt. Always remember that no two drafts are alike and at any moment any preparation you could have made could quickly be out the window. The draft is easily the most important part of any fantasy football league. Treat it as such.
2) AVOID BAD TEAMS
This is my own personal preference. I typically tend to avoid players on bad teams. Last year, I just felt like I should avoid Larry Fitzgerald like the plague. It worked. With the abysmal Kevin Kolb under center and the worst offensive line in the league blocking for Kolb, I knew Fitz wouldn't get to many down field looks as Kolb was running for his life. This is exactly what happened. Bad teams tend to stay bad and do bad things that end up costing your players touches.
Sure, there are some exceptions. Adrian Peterson was one, but if you meet anyone that says they knew AP would be able to do what he did last year coming off a torn ACL, quickly label this person a liar and ignore all things they have to say. In the liars defense, running backs tend to be the exception to this rule as they can find a way to make their own plays and sometimes have touchdowns just fall in to their laps. Even then, a poor offensive line can be the Achilles heel of any running back. My own personal rule, if players on bad teams can be avoided, then do it.
3) ALWAYS LOOK FOR STARTERS
Obviously, fantasy football is about your players scoring the most possible points. For this to happen players need to have their hands on the ball, correct? So, you want the guys who get the most touches. Sometimes it is better to take a first option on a middle of the pack team then go for a second or third option on one of the top teams in the league. Football may be an ultimate team game, but in the end the best players on the team will get the most looks because of their talent and play making abilities. Once the top talent on the top teams is gone, look for the top talents on some of the more mediocre teams to fill those late roster spots.
4) KNOW TEAM SCHEMES
Actual football knowledge is required for this one. If you aren't a typical football watcher then this one might need to just be jumped over for the moment. For those of you who do watch every game, this one will be clear as soon as you read it.
Most teams have a certain style. Pass heavy, run first etc. You know what teams do to win games. For example, the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers have the players to rely on a pass heavy style of play. Due to this, their quarterback and receivers are much more valuable than their running backs. So taking a second receiver on one of these teams may be more valuable than their starting running back. I know this seems to totally contradict tip number three in a way, but it really doesn't since we are talking about players on the same team and the amount of offensive possessions would be the same either way.
5) REMEMBER, IT'S A LOT OF LUCK. SO DON'T GET UPSET
The main thing I have learned about fantasy football is to not get to upset about it because it is luck. Anyone can find out the best players in the NFL by doing a simple google search. The surprises come when your top five running back goes down with a shredded knee in the third week of the season, or your quarterbacks shoulder ends up looking like smashed donuts, or you draft a top wide out who can never seem to find the end zone yet somehow finds a way to break the single season record for receiving yards. Yea, you know that feeling Calvin Johnson owners. So, you can't get to worked up about anything. Just play your best players with their best match ups and hope for the best.
There it is. Five simple facts to help you get your fantasy season going. Training camp kicks off in just a few weeks. So, get to mock drafting, reading articles from people who claim to know a lot and good luck.
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