Fantasy football is a game based partially on luck, but which has a huge basis in skill and research. As the 2016 fantasy season draws to a close, let me part a few key ideas of wisdom that I gained from my first season. So take a quick ride with me as we look over the main tips and ideas that you can use to become a great fantasy football player.
The first key to playing is the draft. This year, in the first round I managed to snag David Johnson, who has been extremely consistent and reliable as a fantasy running back. Now going into the 2017 season it’ll be harder to pick him up because many teams will reason how successful he has been. But I digress. With fantasy football drafting the key is the first three rounds. Usually picking up two running backs and a receiver, or a running back and two receivers is the way to go. I took David Johnson, Jordy Nelson, and Demaryius Thomas with my first three picks and have found moderate success with these selections The rest of the draft is about picking up players who are either huge needs for your teams, such as a quarterback or kicker, and then when the starting places on the roster have been decided, start picking up the best available skill players. I got a huge pick up in the 11th round and managed to get Melvin Gordon, and the person before me took LeGarrette Blount, who was eventually dropped and picked up by me. So the later rounds can be a gold mine for players who may turn up during the season.
Next, during the season, playing the waiver wire is extremely important. If you use the NFL Fantasy Football app, then you can find a set of articles released every week which highlights good waiver wire pickups, start and sit advice, and polls that you can post on which players to pick up and start. By using these tools you can usually identify good pickups for weekly uses. In week 3, though not in need of a running back, I picked up Jordan Howard, the Bears running back, who managed to put up 10.80 points, and then 22.50 points the next week, points that gave me advantages when LeGarrette Blount wasn’t a prime choice for a starter. And also that week I acquired Martellus Bennett, whose 3 touchdown performance garnered some 24 points, which wouldn’t have been for my team had it not been for the waiver wire.
Fantasy football can be daunting for many people. For me this year was my second every year playing, my first being in 2010, and I have found moderate success. So hopefully with these tips, you can find yourselves succeeding as well.
