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Hello football fans Matty Ice is back! It is officially Fantasy Football Season! Time to get out the cheat sheets and research the best strategies and sleeper picks to gain some bragging rights for the whole year. Everyone thinks that they have the secret formula or have some inside information on who will have a break out year, but sometimes it just comes down to flat out luck. You don’t know who will go down with a season ending injury, or who will just not live up to their hype even though everything fell into place for them. I am not saying that this article will make you win your fantasy football league, but it will definitely give you an edge over some of your competition! Let’s dive right into it.
- Take a look at Bye Weeks!
I know if you’re a fantasy football veteran this sounds like an obvious tip, but some people just end up forgetting about this, or they will go to the extreme and not have 2 players on their team with the same bye week and that could end up costing you as well. My main focus would be to not draft 2 running backs or 2 wide receivers with the same bye week so you don’t have to throw your whole bench in that week. Having a wide receiver and a running back with the same bye week isn’t too bad as you can still have a starter at each position. Finding the balance is the key and if you don’t have any bye week problems good for you! Just don’t let that fully scare you away from drafting the overall better player at that position.
- Draft a QB late!
A lot of people think that the QB is the most talked about position so it must be the most important for Fantasy and that is just flat out wrong. Taking a Running Back in the 1st round is almost second nature to the better Fantasy Football Players, and I would make sure to pounce on Running Backs and Wide Receivers early and wait till the later rounds for the QB. We are in an era where there are definitely 12 or more solid Quarterbacks to take and I would capitalize on the positions that have the biggest jump off from the top tiers to the middle and bottom tiers and that would be the Running Backs or Wide Receivers. This is becoming a very popular strategy and for good reason.
- Please Draft a Kicker and a Defense last!
Yes, I know that there are only a few known kickers out there to the average fan, but they are all pretty much replaceable depending on the week and you can easily waiver wire shop throughout the season and not waste 2 picks that don’t really mean much in the long run. Please do this.
- Be Safe Early, Take Risks Late
I would stay within the guidelines and projections for the top 40 or so. After that, take risks and “reach” for players you think will have a breakout year. This doesn’t mean draft a guy in the 5th round who you can get in the 9th round, but if you see a guy 6 or 7 spots down on the list and you like him more, then take him! However, I wouldn’t do that in the beginning as its best to make sure to grab your first 3-4 guys and be as safe as possible.
- If you can Handcuff, please do!
“Handcuffing” basically means if you have a star player at a position, draft his backup in the later rounds as well. This worked out perfectly for those who drafted Le’veon Bell and James Conner last year. Bell ended up not playing and they got a starting running back in the later rounds because he took Bell’s spot. This works out for injuries as well in case your franchise player goes down for the season. For example, if you Draft Kenyan Drake and then Kalen Ballage later in the draft, if Drake is hurt then you have the starter! The only time this is a problem is on bye weeks, but it is definitely worth it to double down if you can.
These are just some beginner tips and I hope you liked them! I wish you the best of luck in your fantasy football drafts and I hope you guys gain some bragging rights for the whole year. Thank you for reading and I will see you guys soon. Matty Ice out.
