No, the problem isn't that I'm currently in six fantasy leagues (four of which are for money). No. The fantasy football problem is that I'm not the defending champion in any of them. Granted, two of the leagues are new. But still - it's my fault for not winning them before being in the leagues or before they were actually created.
Anywho, since I'm in leagues with many of you, I'll give you my thoughts on how I approach these leagues. Perhaps they will help you, or perhaps they will turn you into a (bigger) loser. I can't tell you who to pick, or even any of my sleepers. Perhaps if Yahoo or NFL.com paid me to give a fantasy opinion, I would. But since neither of them do, all I can give you is my approach to each draft.
7. Don't over-study - There's numerous sites that offer their fantasy football opinions. Some opinions cancel each other out. Other opinions are based on group-think ("hey, this publication says this guy is gonna be a rising star, better have him ranked high). The truth is, a lot of it is guess work. You can study stats, fantasy magazines and rankings all day long, but all of the information you consume could overwhelm you - if you're studying up on these players too hard. Just use your best judgment when it comes to players and their situations. It doesn't hurt to do a mock draft or two, but you probably don't need to do 9 or 10 of them.
6. Don't stress about bye weeks - That's not to say it should be completely ignored, but if you're the type to draft a guy based solely on his bye week (say a backup QB for your Brady or Rodgers), you're going about it wrong. Think about how much turnover you have from the time you draft until the very end of the season. Odds are, about half of your team will be different. No use in picking a guy because he's not on Bye Week 8 when your top guy is playing when you're likely to drop the guy anyways for an emerging free agent.
5. Handcuffed RBs: a dying breed - For those of you who have been in leagues for a while, you have probably heard of the idea that you need to make sure you draft the backup running back of your star RB (i.e. a handcuff). If you're still practicing this trend, you should probably stop (unless you have one of the handful of guys who have a well-known talented backup). The investment in these guys isn't worth a high pick, although perhaps one of your last two or three picks could be spent on them. I wouldn't reach for many of the backups though strictly because you own a starter.
4. Look at Team Schedules for Fantasy Playoffs - Are you stuck between two players - and do you believe you have a legitimate shot at making the fantasy playoffs? If you need a tie-breaker between two guys in the mid-to-late rounds, take a look at each team's opponents for when the fantasy playoffs would be. If your assessment of your team being playoff-worthy is correct, then you can capitalize on the matchups that will take place during the playoffs. Granted, you can't always project how certain teams will do (last year, over half of the league had a shift in wins of 3 or more). But if you have a general idea of how a team will do, then you may have a leg up when the fantasy playoffs roll around and you have great matchups ahead of you.3. Kicker in the Last Rounds - Unless you're in a league that heavily emphasizes kickers (and if you are, you probably shouldn't be in the league), then you should really save your kicker pick for one of the last two rounds. If you're the type to draft a backup kicker, then I don't know what to say for you, other than "Thank you for being in my league, you moron". No one should ever have two kickers on their roster before the first week of the year. I may argue that you should never have two kickers ever, but some kickers on high volume scoring teams may be worth holding onto.
2. Promising rookie over aging veteran - As the late rounds of a league approach, you'll see people scrambling through their draft magazines or scanning their computers, looking for all the information they can gather on a couple of guys they are targeting. If you ask me (and of course you're asking me, since you're reading this crappy list), I'll almost always choose a promising rookie (or young guy with upside) over a veteran whose stats are fairly predictable. The thing with a promising rookie that works in your favor is that there really is no known ceiling for them, whereas guys who have been in the league 10 years who maxed out at about 1000 yards many years ago have a very limited ceiling when it comes to point production. Give me the rookie in those late rounds. In fantasy football, the unknown is the way to go.
1. Know your league settings - Does your league give you points for every reception (and how much?) Does your league give bonuses for certain levels of performance, like 300+ yards passing or 150+ yards rushing? Knowing these settings can go a long way in determining your draft strategy. If for some reason you're in a league that de-emphasizes passing touchdowns, you may be less likely to draft Drew Brees or Tom Brady with your first pick and instead go for a wide receiver. Before you draft, make sure you know how the point system works so you don't end up drafting a position that ends up being less valuable based on league settings.
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