You are ready for fantasy football.
But now that the season’s started, what’s next?
Fortunately, there are five easy things you, the fantasy football owner, can do to virtually ensure your squad a spot in the post-season, and all but lock up the championship trophy.
1. Watch as many games as you can
There are at least four games on every week, plus highlights. Later in the season, they add a Thursday game and eventually some Saturday games. All told, you should be spending a minimum of 15 hours, highlights included, engrossed in NFL action per week.
Quick disclaimer before we continue: some of these suggestions may make you think, “How can I expect to live my life and still win my fantasy football league?” Just to clear up any confusion – you can’t have both. So if you want to win, start telling the people around you that you’re essentially unavailable from now until February. And if this is a problem for you, well then… perhaps you should rethink your priorities.
Watching NFL games is key from a fantasy perspective because it gives you information that your opponents may not get. If you’re watching the Chargers and you notice that Philip Rivers is looking in Malcolm Floyd’s direction in the red zone, then you might consider picking Floyd up and seeing what happens. If you’re watching the Seahawks and start seeing Edgerrin James in the backfield more and more, he might be worth a waiver claim.
Watching the games to see who’s on the field means you’re going to know who has the best possibility to score points. And scoring points is what wins match-ups, and winning match-ups is what gets you the trophy.
2. Don’t fall for the fluke
Every season, especially in the first few weeks, there are some big days from guys nobody’s ever heard of. Last year, there was a rush to pick up Carolina tight end Dante Rosario after he hauled in seven catches for 96 yards and an exciting, game-winning touchdown. Sadly, for the owner who “won” the right to pick him up, he was a disappointment for the rest of the season, and currently is average at best.
Already this season we’ve seen big days from the likes of Robert Meachem, Louis Murphy, Laurent Robinson, and Reggie Barrington. And just so you know, I totally made up one of those names, and if you can’t tell which one is fake… Well then you’re not alone, because, by the end of the season, it’s almost entirely certain that these names will all sound made up.
The point is, the guys you want on your roster are the guys who are going to be consistent. Don’t fall for the fluke of the big week from a no-name player. That’s why you’re watching all those games in the first place, to see who gets the ball consistently, and who is just lucky for one week.
3. Don’t be afraid to talk a little smack
Fantasy football can be tough on the psyche. You can plan, you can project, you can devour everything the “experts” say, and your team can still put up a collective stinker. It’s happened to every one of us.
And there is no better time to get in somebody’s head than when they’re questioning everything they do.
Now, I’m not a proponent of kicking somebody when they’re down, at least not in real life, so please pay attention to the specifics of how this is done.
Whether you know the other owners in your league or not, I feel like there should always be a degree of decorum displayed in the essential area of talking smack. Nobody likes that guy (or girl) who posts threads littered with f-bombs and references to everyone else’s mothers. So please, don’t be that guy (or girl).
Instead, be clever with your smack talk. It’s OK to get a little personal, but always keep it within the context of the league. For example, making fun of another owner for starting Jake Delhomme against the Eagles is perfectly acceptable. Making fun of this owner’s personal life in any way is not. A subtle difference, but crucial. A handy tip to remember is to address the owner using the name of his or her team, not their actual name. For example, it’s good to say, “Boy, the Sudan Sandstorm better not be counting on David Garrard to carry his team this year – ouch!” But it’s not really acceptable to say, “Nate Kidder sucks for starting David Garrard! What a pathetic loser!” I hope this example helps.
Another thing to remember is to always project a sense of superiority, whether you feel it or not. Don’t be crass or obnoxious, but feel free to casually mention how well your players are doing when they have a big week. Or if you picked up a sleeper late in the draft, make remarks about all the players drafted ahead of this guy and how he’s outscoring them all.
The smack talk is a great part of the game, so use it, be clever with it, have fun, and make the most of any advantage you can get. If you do it right, you’ll see some other owners making panic decisions, like dropping Clinton Portis after a down week, or uttering the phrase, “I really think this is going to be a big year for Mike Furrey!”
4. Don’t give up!
It’s really, really easy to get four or five weeks into the season, look at your 2-3 record, and think, “This is stupid, I quit.” But the fantasy season is typically 13 weeks long, and, depending on how your league is set up, most of the teams make the playoffs. You can post a so-so 7-6 record and wind up in the middle of the post-season madness. If you’re patient with your waiver-wire pickups and make a point of hanging on to consistent players through their injuries, your team can go from average to spectacular in no time at all.
All you have to do in the regular season is stay in the playoff hunt. Once the post-season starts, it’s anybody’s trophy to win.
5. Get lucky
Buy a rabbit’s foot. Find a four-leaf clover. Rub a bald guy’s head. Whatever you think is going to bring fortune your way, keep it handy.
Because you can play fantasy football for years and still never expect Ronnie Brown to score five touchdowns against the Patriots in Foxboro Stadium, or Peyton Manning to throw six interceptions against the Chargers, or backup quarterback Tyler Thigpen to catch a 31-yard touchdown reception against the Buccaneers. Sometimes, fantasy football is just blind, stupid, random, cross-eyed luck. Just go with the flow, and hope you get to be on the receiving end of one of those crazy days.
And whatever you do, have fun with your fantasy team. It’s so much fun to be in a league with other owners who give it just the right amount of seriousness. If you’re having fun, it’ll be worth your while. And if it’s worth your while, then winning that trophy will be that much more special.
No comments:
Post a Comment