The fantasy football season is a grind. Regardless of whether you are undefeated or winless, there is still plenty of season to go. How you approach the coming weeks could go a long way in determining whether you can put together a playoff-caliber roster.
There are different ways to approach the rest of the season, depending on where you stand. If you’re at the top of the league, enjoy it. But if you’re at the bottom, you might need to make some drastic moves. Let’s dive into some tips to continue building the best roster possible.
Work The Waiver Wire
This goes without saying, but we’ve all been in a league where someone drafts a solid team but does little once the madness starts. You should be actively adjusting your roster throughout the season, no matter how deep your team is. Even if you have three high-caliber players at one position to fill out that position and the FLEX, you want all the talent in the world. You might not need Jamaal Williams or Khalil Herbert right now, but who’s to say that in November one or two of your current starters aren’t injured?
Be cognizant of your waiver rules. Wednesday is typically the day that waiver claims get processed, but some leagues do a waiver system every day. Some leagues determine the waiver order based on standings. Others move to the back of the order after a claim. If you’re in a league where a salary cap is involved for waivers, you realistically have a shot at every player available. It’s important because the decision-making process is different based on those settings.
Certain players require a waiver claim. Others only merit being picked up as a free agent or even on Sunday morning. I’ve seen way too many times a scenario in which a claim was used on a kicker or defense. I could maybe understand wanting the best matchup for a defense, but there’s no excuse for ever using a waiver claim on a kicker.
Make That Trade
Have an abundance of running backs on your roster but not crazy about your receivers? Find a team in your league that’s the opposite and work out a deal. Do you have two starting-caliber quarterbacks while another team is picking up streaming options each week? Shoot them an offer. You’re more likely to get an offer accepted when it fills a need for both parties.
Where you currently rank in the standings does become a factor when finding a trade partner. If you’re near the top, you don’t necessarily have to make a move. You’re looking to strengthen your roster, but you don’t want to do anything rash, either. You’ve built a solid foundation and want to keep it intact while continuing to build through waivers.
If last place is looming, don’t be afraid to do something drastic. You might not necessarily want to trade away your first- or second-round pick, but if you can get two players who upgrade your team the rest of the way, you need to consider it to salvage your season.
For those in dynasty leagues, it’s a completely different ballgame. If you don’t like your chances of making the playoffs, don’t be afraid to sell off assets now for the future. If you’re on the other end of the spectrum, try to go all-in and gather as much talent as possible.
Other than winning, coming up with trade offers might be my favorite thing about fantasy sports. It’s a fun way to communicate with others in your league while trying to improve your team. And what might be even more fun is when a trade does go through the rest of the league will react some way.
Look Ahead For Favorable Matchups
This factors into everything I mentioned above. We have reached that time of year when bye weeks become an issue. I mentioned in our previous edition that you want to find replacements for bye-week players a week in advance. Week 9 has six teams on a bye. You’re not the only one who’s going to be missing players. That’s especially the case if you only have one quarterback and one tight end on your roster.
It’s also not too early to start looking at the playoff schedule. At this point of the season, we know which defenses are good and which are really bad. You want to target players who play bad defenses during the fantasy playoffs, and it’s not always the top teams. Teams that have favorable matchups in Weeks 16 and 17 include the Jaguars and Lions, in addition to powerhouse offenses such as the Buccaneers and Bills.
Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox