Yesterday Jon posted his three fantasy football strategy tips everyone should abide by. As he noted, we will be working together on a weekly, free challenge brought to you by FanDuel where you can compete against us and others for prizes.
Here are my three quick fantasy football strategy tips for your draft to go along with Jon’s as we try to do everything we can to help you win your league.
1. Stick to your guns
If there is a guy you like, go get him. Simple as that.
I’m not saying take Plaxico Burress in the 4th round (which happened in one of my leagues the other night), but don’t be afraid to take a guy like Sam Bradford a round or two early. I myself took Bradford in the 7th round. Was it a reach? Probably, but he’s my guy this year. I will live or die by this pick, and I’m fine with that.
Don’t pay too much attention to “expert rankings” as they are all based on projections. I draft on my gut and who I think will have a good year. Don’t feel you have to draft Chris Johnson if he’s the best left available. Take Shady McCoy or Mike Vick if you like them better.
Taking the obvious choice is boring, and no one wants a boring team. Having Eli Manning and Joseph Addai is boring. Having Mike Vick and Jamaal Charles isn’t. The biggest part of fantasy is liking your team.
2. Don’t shortchange yourself
Last year I played in a league with 2 RB slots, 3 WRs, and 2 flex positions. That means I needed at least 7 RB or WR available on a weekly basis. As everyone knows, running backs are the most important players in fantasy football.
If you find yourself in a league with massive amounts of players starting each week, stock up on running backs. Force your opponents to start five receivers, or at the very least have them come crawling to you in Week 8 when half their team has a bye and they need a running back.
Instead of taking the Raiders D/ST as a backup on your bench, or wasting a late round pick on Greg Olsen, take a flyer on a guy like Thomas Jones or Montario Hardesty. Don’t be the guy trading away your best player for a backup running back. Be the guy who has the power. You’ll benefit from it later.
3. Know your leagues rules
Look to see if you are in a points-per-catch league, because if you are, everything changes. Guys like Wes Welker and Jason Witten get drafted higher than you would expect.
It also makes the running back position even more critical. Shady McCoy had almost 80 catches last year. Combine that with 1,300 yards and 10 touchdowns, and he could be this year’s top dog in a PPC format.
About Drew Lange
Great Post!!