I've been playing fantasy football for several years now. For a sports nerd like me, it's the perfect way to socialize with friends while also keeping up with my second favorite sport (baseball wins, always). I love looking at the box score of every game, even the ones where my beloved Giants aren't playing. I can talk to you about the career of any given NFL player, and a lot of the time I can go into detail.
Keeping up with sports statistics is something I'm really good at, yet despite all the hours I've poured into drafting, watching the waiver wire and adding/dropping players each year, I've never come particularly close to winning my league. So, here are some of five of the best ways to lose at fantasy football.
1. Always draft a quarterback in the first round.
Drafting a QB in the first round is a surefire way to lose your league. Sure, there are some amazing quarterbacks out there (Rodgers, Eli Manning, Roethlisberger, Brady, etc.), but the type of quarterback you have is not going to make or break your season. There are enough above average starting quarterbacks out there that you can get someone consistent in later rounds.
2. Draft an injury-prone running back in the early rounds.
Sure, Jamaal Charles and Arian Foster are going to look great in those first few games. They might rush for 100 ypg with at least one rushing touchdown, and maybe some receiving points as well. But guys like these are just disaster waiting to strike. They are going to tear their ACLs at some point along the road, screwing over our team in the process.
3. Start any Browns player
Seriously, this a surefire way to make sure you lose. Not only are the Browns a terrible team, but they always have been and probably always will. There's a reason they will always be last in the AFC North. They don't know to run a team. That means they will always mismanage their players and make sure their careers are ruined.
4. Trust a Patriots running back
Don't get me wrong, the Patriots are a model organization with a great coach (albeit a cheater). But if you play one of their running backs, Bill Belichick will make it his life's goal to make sure he never plays. The Patriots usually run a running back by committee system, which means that a player can rush for 200 yards and four touchdowns one week then get two carries the next week. There is simply no way to know. Thanks Belichick.
5. Go for name recognition, not recent performance.
As in all sports, players are extraordinarily hyped-up by the media. This means that they often live on past performances, even though they are not making huge contributions anymore. So don't draft your team based only on the players you've heard of. Do your research. It will pay off.
