You think you’ve got everything to know about winning in daily fantasy football? Well, think again. Here are more essential tips to help you be on top of your daily fantasy football league.
• Don’t draft a backup tight end
The more tight ends are glorified as wide receivers, the more the remaining tight ends on the waiver list are easily put into your starting lineup during a bye or after an injury. This is also why I think we might start seeing more two tight end leagues in the future.
• Always fill an RB/WR/TE spot with a running back
There will be times during the season that you’ll have to throw a receiver or a tight end in there, but don’t draft them and set them as your goal. A running back that has made 15 touches will often have more points than that of a receiver with 5-10 targets. And if you follow the backup RB suggestion, you should have a decent back to fill that spot even on bye weeks.
• Don’t draft according to bye weeks
Byes are always the easiest thing to forget while you are in the middle of the draft and that’s not the end of the world. Football hasn’t quite caught up with baseball, so we are stuck with head to head leagues so you do need to win as many weeks as possible, but if the value is there, draft the best guys and sort the rest out later.
• Know ADP
I’m talking about Average Draft Position. You may have the inside scoop that Maurice Jones-Drew‘s knee is actually now the consistency of oatmeal mush and you are going to jump on Rashad Jennings, but when? Make sure you check out the ADP, and especially the ADP from the site you are using if that’s possible.
• Use a cheat sheet
This can be one you can make or one from a site or expert you like, but whatever the source is, be prepared. There’s nothing worse than having that draft clock ticking down and you have absolutely no idea who to pick. I made up this tier sheet that I use for myself and keep updated. Be a boy scout and be prepared, but don’t be the last boy scout, that movie was just so-so.
• Don’t draft a D or K until the last 2 rounds
But you can draft a dork. This is really a no brainer, but there are always those managers who reach for defense and sometimes even kickers. Fantasy defenses and kickers change so much from year to year that wasting a pick, even a round or two earlier is a for real waste! I sometimes don’t even take a kicker and sometimes even a defense, especially if the draft is before or during preseason games. If you can take a late round flier on a player that could win a position battle and be worth more than someone you picked earlier, you can be ahead of your league mates. Streaming kickers and defenses is entirely feasible.
• Mock draft as much as you can
Many of your run of the mill fantasy leagues have very few bench spots because people have to mow their lawn or take the dog out to poop, and it is often difficult to make up for bad draft picks with late upside bench players. So you need to feel comfortable drafting from different positions. There are tons of places to find mock drafts, but don’t waste your time on these mocks that don’t fill with real people. We play fake football, but not with fake people.
• Don’t buy a fantasy football magazine
Yes, they have glossy pictures and your plane was delayed and you don’t want to read about the debt ceiling, but really, fantasy football magazines are out of date before they are printed. The Internet is instantaneous.
• And one more time; be flexible
If you have done enough research in daily fantasy football in general, you should have a good idea of the players you want, so don’t be too rigid and don’t follow some dumb rules that some idiot puts on the Internet! I mean really. The more you know, the easier it is to be flexible, so check out our articles here and just soak in as much as you can.
• Don’t draft a backup tight end
The more tight ends are glorified as wide receivers, the more the remaining tight ends on the waiver list are easily put into your starting lineup during a bye or after an injury. This is also why I think we might start seeing more two tight end leagues in the future.
• Always fill an RB/WR/TE spot with a running back
There will be times during the season that you’ll have to throw a receiver or a tight end in there, but don’t draft them and set them as your goal. A running back that has made 15 touches will often have more points than that of a receiver with 5-10 targets. And if you follow the backup RB suggestion, you should have a decent back to fill that spot even on bye weeks.
• Don’t draft according to bye weeks
Byes are always the easiest thing to forget while you are in the middle of the draft and that’s not the end of the world. Football hasn’t quite caught up with baseball, so we are stuck with head to head leagues so you do need to win as many weeks as possible, but if the value is there, draft the best guys and sort the rest out later.
• Know ADP
I’m talking about Average Draft Position. You may have the inside scoop that Maurice Jones-Drew‘s knee is actually now the consistency of oatmeal mush and you are going to jump on Rashad Jennings, but when? Make sure you check out the ADP, and especially the ADP from the site you are using if that’s possible.
• Use a cheat sheet
This can be one you can make or one from a site or expert you like, but whatever the source is, be prepared. There’s nothing worse than having that draft clock ticking down and you have absolutely no idea who to pick. I made up this tier sheet that I use for myself and keep updated. Be a boy scout and be prepared, but don’t be the last boy scout, that movie was just so-so.
• Don’t draft a D or K until the last 2 rounds
But you can draft a dork. This is really a no brainer, but there are always those managers who reach for defense and sometimes even kickers. Fantasy defenses and kickers change so much from year to year that wasting a pick, even a round or two earlier is a for real waste! I sometimes don’t even take a kicker and sometimes even a defense, especially if the draft is before or during preseason games. If you can take a late round flier on a player that could win a position battle and be worth more than someone you picked earlier, you can be ahead of your league mates. Streaming kickers and defenses is entirely feasible.
• Mock draft as much as you can
Many of your run of the mill fantasy leagues have very few bench spots because people have to mow their lawn or take the dog out to poop, and it is often difficult to make up for bad draft picks with late upside bench players. So you need to feel comfortable drafting from different positions. There are tons of places to find mock drafts, but don’t waste your time on these mocks that don’t fill with real people. We play fake football, but not with fake people.
• Don’t buy a fantasy football magazine
Yes, they have glossy pictures and your plane was delayed and you don’t want to read about the debt ceiling, but really, fantasy football magazines are out of date before they are printed. The Internet is instantaneous.
• And one more time; be flexible
If you have done enough research in daily fantasy football in general, you should have a good idea of the players you want, so don’t be too rigid and don’t follow some dumb rules that some idiot puts on the Internet! I mean really. The more you know, the easier it is to be flexible, so check out our articles here and just soak in as much as you can.
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