Strategy for Winning Fantasy Football
by JV of RotoPicks.com
We all play fantasy football for different reasons, some of us for fun, some for money, and others for camaraderie or maybe just to fit in but let's be honest - we all want to win! I am going to lay out some ideas to consider before the draft (we will look at actual draft strategy later) so that hopefully you will be prepared when draft day comes.
Find a GOOD League
This is not as simple as it sounds. You want to make sure that the Commissioner runs the league properly and fairly. If there is a league fee you want to know what the payout structure is and that you actually will get paid if you win. You want to find a league that has team owners that actually pay attention and make changes. It is very frustrating to see teams get easy wins because another team owner (out of the money) is not making changes at the end of the season.
Know Your League Rules
This is very important because there are so many different types of leagues and scoring formats that it will totally change the way you draft. Here is a checklist of things to make sure you know before entering the draft:
- How many teams? This will help you know how deep your knowledge of players needs to be.
- When is the draft? Make sure you know the draft date will work before you commit to entering the league.
- Type of draft - Auction or Snake.
- Draft order - how is it determined and who does it?
- Scoring system - how are points accrued?
- League website - Go to the league website and make sure you can access before draft day. If possible run a test to make sure you will not have problems on draft day. If possible run a mock draft so you know how the draft process works. Have a backup plan in case there is a conflict on draft day. This means that either you can pre rank your players if the website allows or you can have someone that is able to draft for you if a conflict arises.
Roster limitations - how many players needed at each position? Do you need a tight end? Does your league use individual defensive players?
- Lineup deadlines - When do lineups need to be set?
- Acquiring players - Are players free agents or is there a waiver system?
- Trades: Are trades allowed? Is there a review system for trades? What is the trade deadline?
Know your Competition
This can be an important component to winning both at the draft and when trying to make a trade. For example, if you live in Pittsburgh and most of the team owners are from that area you can probably assume that all Steeler players will be higher valued then other players. Conversely, you may be able to buy low on Browns and Bengals because there may be some owners who do not want players from those teams. When trading, it helps to know if a team owner is impatient, if so, you can offer him a trade for his struggling player who you feel may be ready to break out. Other owners may always want the popular rookies so you can "sell high" if you have one of those types of players. Of course it is difficult to get in the head of each of the owners in your league but any advantage that you can find may be helpful in your quest for the title.
Cheatsheets
Once you have determined that the league will satisfy your needs you can begin to formulate your draft strategy. There are many resources that you can choose to help you create your cheatsheets. I do not recommend printed magazines because these will have outdated information because of the early printing date. My suggestion is to find a website; there are many good ones out there that will allow you to customize your cheatsheet with your league's scoring format. Of course these cheatsheets are only as good as the projections that the website is predicting. I strongly suggest going through the cheatsheet and moving up players that you think may be better than their projections and moving down players that have injury concerns, playing time concerns or that you just don't like.
Consider Last Year's Results
This can be very helpful if you're entering a new league. There are several reasons this can be helpful. It can help you identify which owners are sharp and which are not so sharp for trading purposes. It can also help to see how the scoring system affected total in real life scenario. For instance if the QB scoring is higher than normal it may mean you need to focus on grabbing a QB early but make sure you look to see if there is a reason for this scoring advantage.Have Fun
No matter what your reason for playing, remember that the idea is to have fun and enjoy the process.
Have a specific question? Feel free to drop us an email at rotopicks@hotmail.com and we'll be happy to answer any questions you may have so you can win your league! Good luck!
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