I’ve been playing fantasy football since 1998. In 1999, we held our draft as part of my bachelor party. Needless to say, I’m a big fan especially since I don’t have to buy a USA Today every Monday to type all the stats into an Excel spreadsheet to figure out the points anymore. I’ve had some great years and some terrible years. I’ve been in good leagues where everyone was committed and terrible leagues where the rules were changed weekly. Over the years, I’ve accumulated a lot of trial and error knowledge about how to build a winning team. There are certain things that will spell defeat for you no matter who you are. Here are the 3 things that will ruin your fantasy football season.
- Stupidity
There’s no need to buy 3 Fantasy Football Preview magazines every year, but you need to do some sort of research. Drafting Peyton Manning in the first round last year because you didn’t know he had 4(!) neck surgeries is inexcusable. There is no bigger fan of Warrick Dunn than me having in on my teams for 7 straight years, but even I knew not to take him 4th overall his rookie season. (Sidenote: never pick a rookie in the first round. Peyton Manning went UNDRAFTED his rookie season in our league before being picked up as a Free Agent and leading Yo Mama to the title.) You know what kind of teams draft 3 Defenses/Special teams? The kind that finish 4-10. You want to draft a kicker in the 6th round? Be prepared to get laughed at via live draft chat and ridiculed when you cut him in week 2. Smarter men than men write great draft strategies. Go read one of them….no really.
2. Injury
The year after I picked up rookie Peyton Manning I decided to keep Super Bowl MVP Kurt Warner as my QB(we kept 2 players every year.) Kurt was oft-injured in season 2 while Peyton Manning became…Peyton Manning. One year I followed the popular “draft Running Backs with your first 2 picks strategy.” I got Larry Johnson and Duece McCalister in Rounds 1 and 2. Yeah, that was the year Duece tore up his knee early in the season and Johnson soon followed. Last year, Jamaal Charles and Kenny Britt were 2 of my top 5 picks. I was undefeated while they were healthy, but neither of them lasted 3 weeks. The Stud Stable never recovered from those injuries. Some injuries you can’t explain, but you should never say,”I thought Darren McFadden was much more durable than this.”
3. Apathy
This is my biggest pet peeve in fantasy sports. I think people should be arrested for not filling out their lineups weekly. People are all hyped up in August and September, but by week 6(and bye weeks have started) people stop caring and watching. Maybe their team is lousy. Maybe they’ve been bitten by the injury bug. Maybe they don’t even watch football. I’m not saying you need to be checking the waiver wire at midnight on Sunday and Monday, but at least sit your guys on their bye weeks. Fill out a lineup weekly. Cut Kevin Kolb. DO SOMETHING!
What do you think? Do you play Fantasy Football? What am I missing? Does your league make videos like this?