Rookie Training Camp part 3: The Regular Season

Now that the draft has ended, you will be able to do the following things:

•      Add and drop players
•      Set your weekly lineup
•      View the schedule of your opponents
•      View the league’s standings

First of all, let’s discuss adding and dropping players. As stated above, this can be done in a couple of different ways. The fairest and most common method is what is called waivers. This a method of allowing everyone in the league a chance to make a claim for a player, and after a certain amount of time, the player with the highest waiver priority that made a claim gets the player. This is where it gets a little tricky; waiver priority is decided (primarily) in one of two ways. The first way is after each week, the player last in the overall league standings has the highest priority, and the player first in the standings has the lowest waiver priority. The other way to handle waivers is to start the beginning of the season in reverse draft order, and then when someone makes a claim off waivers they become the lowest priority. (Note, this is how it works throughout the course of the week for the first waivers system however with this method the priority would not reset from week to week.) You should be adding players to improve your team wherever possible. Many people think that if their team is winning or doing ok they shouldn’t try to fix what is not broken, however that truism does not apply here. Making smart and responsible waiver claims on a weekly basis can help you make the playoffs, or can help you win in the playoffs. Have any of you heard of Miles Austin?

The next thing to worry about is setting your lineup. This and making roster moves go hand in hand, when a starting player is on bye week or injured you do not always have a capable backup ready to go. While the core of your lineup may not change on a week to week basis, this does not mean that the 2nd or 3rd players at running back or wide receiver should not be changing. If you have done a good job drafting and managing your roster then you should have multiple options each week for some positions. The following is a breakdown of what you are looking for and should expect from each position on your team:

QB: The quarterback position is important, but not crucial. Unlike real football, you can have a weak player at QB and still be successful. A typical game for a QB is 200 yards or so and 2 touchdowns. For this position look for consistency rather than potential for a big game.

RB: The running back position is the most important by far. Just about every team in the league strives for a consistent and effective running game, and a good portion of teams have one feature back that will touch the ball 20-30 times each week. Because of the large number of touches that a feature back will see, they are a threat to score large points every week. In addition if they are the primary short yardage running back, they will see the goal line touches as well.

WR: The ranking of wide receivers varies significantly from week to week. This is not typically the case for most elite receivers, but for most all of them it is. The position is not known for its consistency, and the rankings are often heavily impacted by the quality of the opposing defense. The wide receiver position is one of the most difficult to predict, however with the nature of the passing game big game potential is a big factor when choosing who to start.

TE: The tight end position is very difficult to predict, when considering matchup your primary concern is the opposing defense’s linebackers and to a lesser extent safeties. With that said Tight Ends are a relief valve for their QB and adept and creating mismatches in the passing game. Play the most talented guy you have at the position and do not over think it.

K: Kickers are realistically not all that important. When deciding which kicker to draft, try to pick one that is on a team with a good offense. This will ensure that there are more opportunities to get opportunities for your kicker.

D/ST: The Defense and Special Teams unit is a pretty important spot on your team. Consistency is essential at this position. The Steelers, Vikings, and Ravens are very possibly the best three fantasy defenses of the decade because of their ability to stop the run and rush the passer. Each of these teams has had a LONG streak of games without allowing a 100 yard rusher.

Preparing for the Playoffs

As the end of the season rolls around, you are in one of three scenarios. The first of which is that you have done pretty poorly this year, and have no mathematical chance to make the playoffs. In this scenario the wrong thing to do is to ignore your team and stop setting your lineup. This will destroy the integrity of the league, you need to remain active in free agency and embrace the role of spoiler. No one should make the playoffs because you started an injured quarterback while you weren’t paying attention and gave someone a free win.

The second scenario is that you are still in the running but have not secured your spot yet. This is the most common scenario and whether you are on the outside looking in or clinging to the one of the last spots available, your strategy will not change. Every game is a must win. Each week you do whatever is necessary to win the next game. You can’t win in the playoffs if you do not make it there, pick up any backups that are starting for one week if need be. If your opponent has a high scoring team you need to take some chances with sleepers.

The third scenario is that you have secured your spot in the playoffs, and you have the chance to use the waiver wire to improve your chances in the playoffs. At the end of the season a new term gets used in fantasy football, it’s the word “handcuff”. A handcuff is a backup at a position with a stud player. By picking up backups to your own best players you ensure productivity even in the event of an injury. Also, be on the lookout for backups that are very talented that may not be able to see the carries from the number two spot to be super productive. This past season the handcuffs that paid off due to injury were Ricky Williams and Jonathan Stewart. Another great example was Chester Taylor as a handcuff to Adrian Peterson. Taylor is a very skilled back capable of handling a feature back’s workload.

That’s all for the regular season, just the playoffs left!