The 10 Commandments of Fantasy Football

Written by John Battaglino of the FTLS Podcast

We live by a few rules in the FTLS, or Fantasy Football in general, and I mean like very very few. Brian and I go over them all the time on the show so I wanted to get them all down in writing to make it nice and easy for everyone. This way you have them all in one spot, you can print it out and put it in the fridge so you never forget them. You can be like the winner of last year’s “owner of the year” Dan Hurley and keep it in your very special draft day binder. Even better just get blown up and made into a FatHead and just plaster them all over your walls in true FTLS style! Follow these commandments and watch your fantasy football life improve in amazing ways! 

FIRST COMMANDMENT 

“Don’t blindly trust coach speak”

 This one is hard because I do love listening to interviews with coaches to see if I can get any inkling of what their ideas for a player is. Over the years more often than not that strategy ends up burning me. Coach talks a guy up and the world falls in love with him for a week then next thing you know he is out of a job.

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The most recent example I can think of is Thomas Rawls. Remember Pete talking him up like beast mode 2.0? I do too. Some coaches are honest with the media and honest about players or their game plan, but more often than not they are lying. Hate to be the one to break it to you. So take everything a coach says with a grain of salt.

Best advice, a coach talks a player up go back, check the facts, and see if you can see what the coach brings up. Then make the decision yourself to believe him or not. Don’t blindly trust coach-speak as gospel.  

SECOND COMMANDMENT 

“Don’t tilt trade after Week 1”

This one sucks and is the hardest one on this list for me. I am the WORST at tilt trading ha-ha. I let my emotions get the best of me and I used to let week 1 performances creep into my head. I get it, you spent months getting ready for this draft, feel like you crushed it, only to come in week 1 and get waxed 165-87.

Does it suck?

Absolutely, but its just 1 week NBD homie. Your team isn’t trash, your players are all still the same so don’t sweat 1 week. On the flip side of this, once you practice being level headed and looking long haul for fantasy, you can really take advantage of the guys in the league that do tilt trade after a loss. 

THIRD COMMANDMENT 

“Pay up or Shut up” 

This one is easy. Fantasy Football is fun. We all play this as a game to talk trash and try and win a little money. That’s what this rule is all about; pay your league fees before the season starts. This is just a good rule in life, don’t gamble with IOUs.

You want to make a bet and play in a league then you pay up first. Then once you pay up, then be as active in the league as you want. Tell people their team has no chance, tell them their teams are dog food, trade all your players for new players, do whatever you want. You’re paid up at this point! Now you can just sit back and manage your team and try to win your league to get that ever elusive fantasy trophy, belt, or medal from your league’s favorite medals supplier. You don’t want to be the guy that on the side all the other owners are complaining about because you still haven’t paid your entrance.

As an owner I hate the feeling of drafting guys and making moves knowing not all the owners are paid up, doesn’t seem like a big deal but I’ve seen money destroy leagues that should be fun. 

Fourth Commandment 

“Don’t take trades (or lack of trade) personal” 

People don’t all view players as the same value as you do, that’s just a fact. It’s why trades even have sides and people can “win” a trade. People have different values on guys and there are a million factors on why they might not view a trade you proposed as fair.

Don’t take it personal, don’t get mad and start saying they are dumb and don’t know how to trade. Just let it go, see if you can get them to counter and see at least where their head is at. Then based off of that make another counter trade, hopefully it gets the ball rolling.

If it doesn’t, no sweat, don’t take it personal. Let the other owner run their team and value players as they see fit, other people have a method to their madness just like you do. 

FIFTH COMMANDMENT 

“Start your studs”

This one is straight out of the BJ Strait book. I’ll gives you a perfect example of what I mean. Last year I had a line up decision and I was between Sammy Watkins and Richard Higgins for my flex. Sammy was playing like trash; it was a Thursday night game so he was coming off a short week. I didn’t trust him.

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On the flip side Higgins has just strung two half decent games together and had a cakewalk matchup against a bad Bengals D. I asked Brian what he thought I should do, he replied, “Start your studs”. Obviously I didn’t listen to that moron because I never listen to Brian and played Higgins. Sammy had 32 points and Higgins had 3 and that season ended with a Fathead on my wall. Moral of the story, sometimes don’t overthink situations and matchups and just play your studs.

Talent tends to win out in fantasy football at the end of the day.

SIXTH COMMANDMENT 

“Never draft handcuffs” 

Don’t do it, I don’t care if your worried about a players health, don’t draft his “handcuff” come draft day. Why not? Because you don’t really even know what a backfield is going to look like even if said player does go out early in the season with an injury.

You might think is the next guy on the depth chart then all of a sudden some rookie who had a great camp is getting all the goal line touches and your “handcuff” really is just a change of pace back in a bad committee. Use that roster spot for a player who you want to see develop over training camp and the first few weeks. The upside that person carries is way higher early in the season than any handcuff might be to you.

I believe in handcuffs don’t get me wrong; just don’t worry about it at the draft. Make your playoffs then worry about handcuffing. 

SEVENTH COMMANDMENT 

“Don’t fall in love with last years stats” 

This one seems basic but I see a lot of young fantasy players make this mistake. They look at stat lines from past years on a player and value them based off that. The stat lines and box scores are great for a snapshot on a player but not the most effective way to try and predict repeat success. Look at the situation the player was in.

Who was around him? Who was the play caller? Did he switch teams? These are just some of the many factors that I look at when trying to see if (for example) someone like a Juju can have repeat success. You cant just look and say “well he did X and now he is a year older and a year more experienced so I expect X+”.

Football sadly doesn’t work that way. My job would be a lot easier if it did 

EIGTH COMMANDMENT 

“Always check Dropped Players” 

After waivers run the FIRST thing I do even before I see whom everyone else in the FTLS picked up, I see whom they dropped. Again this goes back to 4^th commandment in that people value guys differently.

Someone might drop a guy who you think has deeper potential; Kamara was buried on the depth chart before he broke out. I heard horror stories of guys who drafted him thinking he could fight for touches right out of the gate and when there were a couple weeks of the AP experiment they dropped him or traded him for peanuts. I also know that situation is a one in a million but here is a more common one.

Its bye weeks and guys have to make tough decisions on some guys who are on bye. You have a roster spot to burn because you’re smart and listen to the FTLS Podcast and you can afford to sit on said player through the bye week. Go get him! That’s what I mean. Also its fun when some guys drop someone, then you pick them up and they break out haha. It’s extra sweet 

NINETH COMMANDMENT 

“Have your Championship on Week 16” 

Stop it right now if you have a week 17 championships. Don’t be dumb. Fantasy football is hard enough. Don’t make a team have to make decisions because coach is resting their superstars. So this one is easy, if you have a week 17 championships in your league, cut the crap. 

TENTH COMMANDMENT 

“Always have fun” 

I know we all take Fantasy Football seriously. I’m here writing a Ten Commandments article in the middle of the offseason, I’d say I take it seriously too. Lets remember it is a game, it is gambling, it should be fun, and leagues don’t have to be competitive or fun. 

Leagues could and SHOULD be competitive and fun. The easiest way to do that, is have a live draft! They are next level type fun and get all the owners together, committed, and excited for the start of the season. If you cant live draft then at least start a group chat with your league mates. Communication is key to a fun league. Owners should talk trash and crack jokes about each other’s fantasy teams. Its all part of the fun, don’t take it personal.

I mean for Gods sake I had a fathead of two of my buddies on my apartment wall for the whole first year of my marriage. Did it cause marital issues; of course it did, but was it hilarious and fun for the league? You bet your ass it was. So just remember in Fantasy Football, just like in life, its all about having fun. If your not having fun your doing it wrong. Start at commandment 1 and try again. 

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