The first part of any successful fantasy football season is the draft. You might be thinking to yourself, “This is a championship-caliber team.”
Not even close. The fun has just started.
Maybe you are on the other end of the spectrum and think you didn’t draft the team you want. There are plenty of ways to strengthen your team regardless of how the draft played out. How you navigate the rest of the season to beef up your roster is just as important.
Let’s go over some tips and tricks you will want to keep in mind so you have bragging rights entering the fantasy playoffs.
Keep Up On The Latest News
I cannot stress this enough. We live in a day and age when information comes at us in a hurry. You want to beat everyone to the waiver wire in the event of breaking news. The best way to get to the waiver wire first is to turn on social media alerts for the top NFL insiders and beat writers. Your first instinct when you get the alert should be to check if you can better your team in some way.
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? Losing touches to his backup? Get suspended for some off-the-field issue? Grab his backup.
If the backup is already taken, grab the No. 3 back, especially in deeper leagues. Kyren Williams was a prime example of this. Williams was undrafted in most redraft leagues but finished as RB6 in half-PPR leagues. Zack Moss was a reliable starter with Jonathan Taylor out. Jerome Ford finished as top-20 fantasy running back.
Be Patient … But Not Too Patient
It’s easy to get mad when your WR2 or FLEX begins the season with five receptions for 59 yards and zero touchdowns in Week 1. Week 2 comes and goes, and it’s another measly output with three catches for 80 yards and no scores.
Look deeper at the numbers. How often was the receiver targeted in each game? Did he have three or four red-zone looks? His opportunity to shine is coming. The same goes for running backs who start slow out the gate. If your back is getting all the goal-line carries but hasn’t found the end zone 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. Those of us in Baltimore want Rashod Bateman to succeed, but he failed to score in double figures in any week last season despite being a top-100 pick. Bateman finished as WR87 and was a wasted roster spot if you held onto him after the first three weeks.
Keep Tabs On Other Teams In Your League
It’s important to not only know what’s going on with your team but what is going on around the league as well. If you know someone is a fan of a particular NFL team, use that to your benefit in negotiations. They likely have a bias for players who play for that team.
Did another team lose its star running back and you are holding on to the handcuff? Have too many good receivers on your team but not enough running backs? Find a team that is in the opposite situation. Maybe you drafted 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, but active conversation goes a long way in getting a deal done.
Plan Ahead For Bye Weeks
You should have plenty of backs and receivers when bye weeks kick in, but if you have just one quarterback and one tight end on the roster, look at the matchups for their bye weeks and develop a game plan. Target quarterbacks who have matchups against weaker opponents and pick them up a week or two earlier. Fortunately for fantasy teams, this year is the deepest we’ve seen for both quarterbacks and tight ends.
Having said that, don’t feel the need to pick up a defense or kicker a week or two in advance. Defense is such a crapshoot because even a great performance on the field can amount to few fantasy points.
Being active ahead of time is the key to any successful fantasy team. A jump on the competition gives you a better chance of fielding the possible team.
Photo Credits: Kenya Allen/PressBox
Issue 288: August/September 2024
Originally published Aug. 14, 2024