FANTASY FOOTBALL: Lessons Learned
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Jan 7 2010, 12:01 PM
I've been playing fantasy football for 15 years and run a new fantasy sports site, http://thefantasygeek.com . But I'm still learning. And I want to pass on a few things that I observed in this year's playoffs. My head was on a swivel, and I think the "7" button on my DIRECTV remote is shot. (NFL SUNDAY TICKET™ games are on channels 704-716.) See, I was fortunate enough to have four teams playing for something. A couple won, a couple didn’t. But I gained some very valuable insight that may help me, and you, for years to come. Here are three little stories from the trenches that might learn ya something:
1) Lineup deadlines aren't all at 1 pm ET.
Most leagues only freeze active players once their game has started, leaving you with the option to start and reserve players in later games. In my keeper league, I saw that my opponent (who had higher waiver priority than me) grabbed Jerome Harrison. "Dammit," I thought. "He'll plug in Harrison for Hightower and strengthen his lineup." Well, not only did he leave Harrison on the bench, but he also had Steven Jackson active, even though he was questionable and ultimately inactive for the Rams. This guy should have benched Hightower, started Harrison and kept a close eye on Jackson's status. Not just because Harrison was a better play than Hightower, but also because it provided an "out" if Jackson didn't play...he could've just swapped in Hightower. Well, my opponent fell asleep at the wheel and I lucked out. I ended up winning by 13. But I would've lost by 5 against Harrison and Hightower.
The moral of the story: Don't forget to check the late-game inactives. And if you have a key player who is questionable, have a reserve ready to plug in if you hear that the injured guy's a no-go.
2) Good player vs. good match up.
Most of the time, I'm all for starting a good player over a good match up in the playoffs. Of course, there are exceptions...like when Reggie Wayne (or anyone) goes up against Darrelle Revis. But how loyal should you be to your defense? In my most important league, I was a lock for the playoffs early on. So I grabbed some defenses that had good match ups during our playoffs, like Kansas City and San Francisco. I already had a top DST in Philly, but I didn't love their match up vs. Denver in Week 16. Well, because "Long Gone" DeSean Jackson returns kicks for the Eagles, I rolled with them. But what I should've done was keep and start San Fran at home against Detroit, who mailed it in a month ago. That would've been the difference in my championship game. Instead, I was runner-up by a single-digit deficit. Grrrrr.
The moral of the story: When it comes to defenses in the fantasy playoffs, match ups may very well be more important than track record.
3) The key to victory is good blocking.
In my work league, my starting lineup was rock solid, so I had 5 bench spots to play with. I had the right idea when I made some free-agent acquisitions, solely for the purpose of preventing other teams from starting hot players against me. I just played it wrong. I gobbled up Quinton Ganther and Arian Foster, not sizing up my opponent's roster. He already had Adrian Peterson and Ricky Williams. Where he was hurting was at WR and TE. Those positions should've been my focus. My semi-finals opponent picked up Fred Davis and started him over Witten, a move that netted him 8 points. I lost by 9, so it didn't end up costing me a win. But it easily could have.
The moral of the story: If you’re allowed to add players during the playoffs, make sure you take a close look at what your opponent needs.
These little nuances can be the difference between hoisting a league trophy and inventing new curse words, so do yourself a favor and make the most of every advantage you can.
For more fantasy sports advice, observations and absurdity, check out http://thefantasygeek.com and follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/thefantasygeek
I've been playing fantasy football for 15 years and run a new fantasy sports site, http://thefantasygeek.com . But I'm still learning. And I want to pass on a few things that I observed in this year's playoffs. My head was on a swivel, and I think the "7" button on my DIRECTV remote is shot. (NFL SUNDAY TICKET™ games are on channels 704-716.) See, I was fortunate enough to have four teams playing for something. A couple won, a couple didn’t. But I gained some very valuable insight that may help me, and you, for years to come. Here are three little stories from the trenches that might learn ya something:
1) Lineup deadlines aren't all at 1 pm ET.
Most leagues only freeze active players once their game has started, leaving you with the option to start and reserve players in later games. In my keeper league, I saw that my opponent (who had higher waiver priority than me) grabbed Jerome Harrison. "Dammit," I thought. "He'll plug in Harrison for Hightower and strengthen his lineup." Well, not only did he leave Harrison on the bench, but he also had Steven Jackson active, even though he was questionable and ultimately inactive for the Rams. This guy should have benched Hightower, started Harrison and kept a close eye on Jackson's status. Not just because Harrison was a better play than Hightower, but also because it provided an "out" if Jackson didn't play...he could've just swapped in Hightower. Well, my opponent fell asleep at the wheel and I lucked out. I ended up winning by 13. But I would've lost by 5 against Harrison and Hightower.
The moral of the story: Don't forget to check the late-game inactives. And if you have a key player who is questionable, have a reserve ready to plug in if you hear that the injured guy's a no-go.
2) Good player vs. good match up.
Most of the time, I'm all for starting a good player over a good match up in the playoffs. Of course, there are exceptions...like when Reggie Wayne (or anyone) goes up against Darrelle Revis. But how loyal should you be to your defense? In my most important league, I was a lock for the playoffs early on. So I grabbed some defenses that had good match ups during our playoffs, like Kansas City and San Francisco. I already had a top DST in Philly, but I didn't love their match up vs. Denver in Week 16. Well, because "Long Gone" DeSean Jackson returns kicks for the Eagles, I rolled with them. But what I should've done was keep and start San Fran at home against Detroit, who mailed it in a month ago. That would've been the difference in my championship game. Instead, I was runner-up by a single-digit deficit. Grrrrr.
The moral of the story: When it comes to defenses in the fantasy playoffs, match ups may very well be more important than track record.
3) The key to victory is good blocking.
In my work league, my starting lineup was rock solid, so I had 5 bench spots to play with. I had the right idea when I made some free-agent acquisitions, solely for the purpose of preventing other teams from starting hot players against me. I just played it wrong. I gobbled up Quinton Ganther and Arian Foster, not sizing up my opponent's roster. He already had Adrian Peterson and Ricky Williams. Where he was hurting was at WR and TE. Those positions should've been my focus. My semi-finals opponent picked up Fred Davis and started him over Witten, a move that netted him 8 points. I lost by 9, so it didn't end up costing me a win. But it easily could have.
The moral of the story: If you’re allowed to add players during the playoffs, make sure you take a close look at what your opponent needs.
These little nuances can be the difference between hoisting a league trophy and inventing new curse words, so do yourself a favor and make the most of every advantage you can.
For more fantasy sports advice, observations and absurdity, check out http://thefantasygeek.com and follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/thefantasygeek
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