5 Tips to Help You Win at Fantasy Football

5 Tips to Help You Win at Fantasy Football
By Christopher Marshall

Fantasy football. There’s simply nothing like it. It’s as American as the hot dog or apple pie. No one wants to lose, however. Having to endure week after week of losing at fantasy football is no fun at all. Not only do you lose game after game, but you have to endure the laughing, the kidding, the sheer agony of losing is almost unbearable. Even the most low-key football fan can turn into the Charles Dickens of smack talk when he sees one of his friend’s running backs put up a big fat goose egg on Sunday.

So how do you avoid this type of embarrassment? Here is some advice that will help you make the most of your fantasy football season and help you win the whole enchilada.

1. Do Your Homework

The first step in developing a fantastic fantasy football team is getting to know who is available. Who are you going to pick on Draft Day? Start reading some football magazines or grab ahold of some cheat sheets. This is one of the tried and true methods of gauging what players are at your disposal and what the experts predict they will do. You may also want to begin reviewing so called “mock drafts” to see where players are expected to fall.

Every single year, a hero turns into a goat. Don’t let this happen to you.

There are truly hundreds of ways to get the advantage. Review factors like a team’s strength of schedule, a running back’s number of carries, and a quarterback’s stats against 3-4 defenses versus the 4-3 defense. Secret tactics like this will help you avoid selecting this year’s goat and help you find this year’s hero

2. Develop Your Draft Strategy

So now that you’ve done you’re homework and figured out who you would like to select, it’s time to develop a draft strategy. Make sure you set up some tiers (ie: Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3). It would be best to have your your starters in your top three tiers with at least one or two super picks. This may not always be possible, but it would be a good start.

Next up, check to see what position in which you’ll be picking. If you happen to be in the top three, you’ll probably want to select a RB. Eli Manning and Tony Romo might grab your attention, but there aren’t many elite running backs in the NFL. Take one now before it’s too late.

If you will end up choosing in the middle of the round, choose one of the top 3 wide receivers or even quarterbacks. You might be tempted to go after an average running back, but once your turn comes back around, all the best receivers and quarterbacks will be gone.

If you wind up near the bottom, go after value. If no one has snatched up a receiver, snatch up a Tier One receiver. If, however, there are no Tier 1 receivers left, take a Tier 2 back ASAP.

3. Mind Your Pick-Ups

You can find some tremendous value on the waiver wire, however, if you find yourself consistently picking up and letting go various kickers and TE’s every week, you’ll consistently be in the cellar. You never know when an elite RB is going to get injured, therefore, it’s better to wait to make a big impact.

4. Don’t Give Up On Players Too Early

This happens year in and year out. A marquis player like Tory Holt has trouble getting out of the gate and the owner ditches him prior to week four. Don’t let that be you. Be like Axl Rose and have a little patience. Some players simply go up against stellar defenses at the beginning of the year. Patience is a important, especially when it comes to football.

5. Avoid Bad Trades By Looking Ahead

No one can see the future. You never know how a trade is going to work out weeks down the road, but you can get an idea. If you’re thinking of making a big trade, take a look at what the player you’re getting back may bring to the table in the future. If he’s facing a lot of the NFL’s top defenses, steer clear of the trade.

There are never any guaranteed in fantasy football. By doing a little homework, developing a bulletproof draft day strategy and keeping your eye on your goal, you have a much better chance at banking some coin at the end of the season.

Chris Marshall is an expert on fantasy football and NFL odds. He is one of the industry’s leading sports handicappers at ATS Consultants.

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