The first part of any successful fantasy football season is the draft. You spend all offseason and training camp constructing the perfect draft strategy. You still have a long way to go get that elusive fantasy championship.
You might feel great about the results of the draft, but how you continue to strengthen your roster throughout the season is just as important.
Let’s go over some tips and tricks you want to keep in mind so that you have bragging rights entering your fantasy playoffs.
Keep Up On The Latest News
I cannot stress this enough. We live in a day and age where information comes at us in a hurry. You want to beat everyone to the waiver wire in the event of breaking news.
I am a big advocate of stashing as many running backs as possible, but roster limitations make it impossible for all NFL running backs to be on a team in your league. Use that to your advantage. Did a star running back get hurt in practice? Traded to another team? Get suspended for some off-the-field issue? Grab his backup. If he’s already taken, grab the No. 3 back, especially in deeper leagues. An example of this last season was D’Ernest Johnson, who excelled when Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt were both forced to miss time.
The best way to get to the waiver wire first is turning on Twitter alerts for the top NFL insiders and beat writers. Your first instinct when you get the alert should be to check if you can strengthen your roster in some way.
Be Patient … But Not Too Patient
It’s easy to get upset when a starting receiver begins the season with four receptions for 60 yards and zero touchdowns in Week 1. Week 2 comes and goes, and it’s another measly output with three catches for 55 yards and no scores.
Look deeper at the numbers. Was the receiver targeted 10 times in each game? Had three or four red-zone targets? His opportunity to shine is coming. Same goes for running backs who start slow out the gate. If your back is getting all the goal-line carries but just hasn’t found paydirt yet, be confident that it will balance itself out during the course of the season.
At the same time, don’t be too loyal if a player is underperforming. It’s easy to get caught up in the past, but once you see a trend of a lack of targets, carries or pass attempts, don’t be afraid to move on.
Allen Robinson was drafted highly last year after a couple of terrific seasons with subpar quarterback play, but it did not translate into a successful fantasy campaign in 2021. As hard as it is to give up on a fifth- or sixth-round pick, don’t keep inserting him in your lineup until he’s consistently posting numbers. If the trend continues, feel free to send him to the waiver wire and make him someone else’s problem.
Keep Tabs On The Other Teams In Your League
It’s important to not only know what’s going on with your team, but also to keep an eye on and get to know your leaguemates. If you know someone is a fan of a particular NFL team, use that to your benefit in negotiations as they likely have a bias for players who play for that team.
Is there a team in your league with an abundance of high-quality receivers but lacking at the running back position? Did another team lose its star running back and you’re holding onto the handcuff? Maybe you decided to draft two quarterbacks and are struggling to decide because both are fantasy starters, while someone else is working the waiver wire every week. Gauge their interest in a potential trade. A counterproposal is likely, so active conversation goes a long way in getting a deal done.
Plan Ahead For Bye Weeks
You should have plenty of backs and receivers for the bye weeks, but if you have just one quarterback and one tight end on the roster, look at the matchups for that particular week and have a game plan. Target quarterbacks who have matchups against weaker opponents and pick them up a week earlier. The field of tight ends gets murky after the first 10-12 players, so don’t be afraid to pick up Logan Thomas, David Njoku or Evan Engram a week early if you like their upcoming matchup.
With that said, don’t feel the need to pick up a defense or kicker in advance. Those spots should be filled on your bye week. Defense is such a crapshoot because even a great performance on the field can amount to few fantasy points if there weren’t any defensive touchdowns scored.
I’ve used a strategy for years where my kicker comes from the same team as my opponent’s quarterback or best player. If that player scores a touchdown, you’re getting one point back on the extra point. Weather should also be considered when choosing a kicker each week. Unless you have Justin Tucker, don’t stay loyal to a kicker.
Most Important Of All … Have Fun!
The occasional trash talk is acceptable, but don’t be the person who tries to bring everyone down (yes, I’m talking to you, Tommy Pham) after a bad week or season. Crack jokes and laugh, and never take it too seriously. This is a game that has brought millions of people together over the joy of football.
Photo Credits: Kenya Allen/PressBox