The time has finally come to where we have shown our proud, but not proven, fantasy rosters to the World and are now tasked with finalizing our starting lineups week in and week out in hopes of beginning another NFL season that will end with a fantasy Championship when all is said and done.
Much of this is common knowledge to an experienced owner of a fantasy team but even so it is worth a refresher before the start of a new fantasy football season as it never hurts to hit rewind once again before you start a new endeavor chasing after that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
Therefore, a quick checklist to make sure we have all of our I’s dotted and T’s crossed as we enter the start of a new fantasy football year is never a bad idea.
I have an Uncle who I used to have some fun debates with as he was a true and true Raiders fan who named his son Bocephus after the legendary Hank Williams, Jr. so I thought I’d keep it a family tradition……..Are You Ready For Some Football???
Bye Weeks – Do I have any bye week conflicts at specific positions? This should be covered during the off-season in dynasty leagues and during your drafts in re-draft leagues but stuff happens and you must be proactive and plan ahead.
I recall a year (2012) where I made what I refer to as a rookie mistake and drafted Joe Flacco in the 9th round and Dalton in the 11th round in a 16 team re-draft league only to realize immediately that they both have the same bye weeks so I ended up taking Christian Ponder in the 13th round to accommodate the bye week which led to me streaming my QB’s. Re-markedly, this resulted in winning my division and finishing with high points due to having the first overall pick (Arian Foster) that year and drafting a few other gems only to being overtaken in the playoffs.
It happens, I am the owner of more second-best teams than any other fantasy owner but that’s ok as I have a Championship or two as well.
If you are in a league which
Match-ups – I am not a big match-up guy but as mentioned above, it is beneficial to pay attention especially when you are streaming a specific position no matter if it is a defense, kicker or quarterback as was the case in the example I gave.
Tell me if any of those QB’s I listed stand out today as one you could win high points with and have a legitimate chance at winning it all. Trust me, this is not a bunch of seasonal fans I was playing against either. Granted this example took place quite a few years ago but I hope you get the point that there are certain scenarios where match-ups do matter. If you are paying attention to what is happening in the league and your roster, then you will know when match-ups matter.
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Injury Reports – Do I have a player that I plan on starting that is listed as out, questionable or even probable? If so, do I have a quality backup plan? Does that backup player have a game scheduled before the player I hope to start? Is there a better option on my roster or the waiver wire? Will I have access to make that change if necessary? These are all questions that need to be asked prior to game-day.
Homer Decisions – This may be one of, if not the most difficult things I have to deal with when it comes to managing my roster. I am a fan of the Denver Broncos and have been since before they went to their 1st Super Bowl against Dallas back in the 70’s.
Yes, I am aging myself a bit but to my defense I was like in the 2nd grade or something like that…..does it really matter? Well yeah it does, because my cousin from Broomfield, Colorado got this South Dakota kid hooked on the Broncos just before they went to their first Super Bowl and I’ve been all in ever since and now I have to take a step back and contemplate whether I am making a fantasy decision based on my loyalty to my team as a fan of an NFL team or whether I am making the best decision for my fantasy team.
A good example is in a dynasty league I am in. I have had the Broncos kicker and defense for several years now which has worked out well but this year I decided I was going to part ways with one or the other. Well, we all know how kickers are becoming more and more extinct and unimportant because no one cares about the extra point right?
That made my decision easy……Brandon McManus is no longer on my roster because I was tired of Denver’s bye week coming around and having to drop two players if I didn’t already have another kicker and/or defense on my roster or a couple players on my roster that I wouldn’t miss which seldom was the case.
Denver’s defense is just too good to drop and I have Jason Myers ready to kick that 55-yard field goal to win my match-up that will not make my opponent happy. I’m ok with that. Point being……don’t be a homer like I have been guilty of being.
It’s not worth it in a case like this but at the same time……it’s supposed to be fun so do what you need to do to make it fun. We all have a different definition of fun so let it be fun!
Weather – Paying attention to the weather reports for games played outside and becomes increasingly important as the season progresses especially when it comes to snow and cold. One website that I found to be extremely useful is http://www.nflweather.com/. This link will provide just about every weather condition that exists for each quarter of the game. Paying attention to temperature, wind and precipitation are some of the key weather conditions that can affect a player or teams performance.
Avoiding Mr. Obvious Choices – We all think we are smarter than the next guy and want to prove that on game day by starting some sleeper pick we have instead of starting the obvious choice we’ve been counting on all year.
This has happened to me as recent as last year when I got caught trying to sneak in a Marquez Valdes-Scantling or an Allen Robinson start into my lineup after they were getting some attention in the fantasy world when I didn’t need to as I had more consistent options at a flex position.
I’m not saying I won’t try this again but I am saying you better be in a position to where you can afford to be cute with more than one out if your sun doesn’t shine on that decision.
With that said I send you off with my best of luck and hope you have an incredible finish to your fantasy season that results with you hoisting a trophy above your head, a belt across your waste or a ring around your finger. Good luck my fellow fantasy football fanatics and please share any of your fantasy football experiences with not only me but the rest of the fantasy football community! Cheers and…….ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?????
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