With the NFL season in full-swing, many people are participating in fantasy football leagues. Some are experiencing success. More are probably cursing at underperforming players and wondering what they were thinking on draft night.
If you’ve already given up and have decided to wait until next September to draft a new team, think again. There are some simple steps you can take to bolster your current fantasy roster.
Improve your team now.
Most of these strategies simply require you to check your fantasy app once a week. First, know when your players have bye weeks. Then substitute them for players on your bench, ensuring that you still earn points at that position.
When you see the “IR” icon next to your player, for the love of Hail Marys, swap them out of the rotation. They aren’t going to play, and using a bench player will at least get you some points.
Some sights allow you to “optimize” your lineup every week. If given the option, click this button and much of the work above will be done for you.
Finally, don’t be afraid to make trades with players in your leagues. The worst they can say is no, but you may come out with a stronger team.
If your current team still won’t get you past the playoffs, there’s always next season to look forward to. Here’s a list of helpful tips to make your future drafts successful.
1. Know the drafting site.
When your online draft begins, you have a limited time to make your player selections. This makes it easy to get overwhelmed by the drafting program and mess up your picks.
Some common questions include: how do I add players to my queue? How are the players ranked and organized? How many of each position do I need?
Login to the drafting site your league is using several days before your set draft. Play around with the features and gain confidence navigating the program. Then come draft day, you won’t have to worry about technical slip-ups and can focus solely on football.
2. Use your browser.
I’m not a professional football expert. I follow my favorite team and some standout players, but that’s it. So when every player in the NFL is up for grabs on draft day, I struggle to make picks.
Fantasy football drafts take place online, but you aren’t restricted to one device or tab. Use simple resources like Google to ground yourself in key information. Have articles pulled up ranking the best wide receivers, running backs, quarterbacks, tight ends and more.
Nobody is expected to know the rankings or projections of every NFL player, so give yourself some grace and use a search engine.
3. Make a list.
Drafts require quick decision making, so being prepared can come in handy. First, decide who your top pick is.
Do you want to draft a quarterback first, or maybe a wide receiver? The choice is yours, but having a list ready on draft day relieves some stress and allows you to make more informed choices.
4. Go with the “gut selection.”
You can rely on statistics and analysts all you want, but nobody can really predict what is going to happen in a NFL season. Because football is so unpredictable, I suggest being a little unpredictable while drafting.
Pick at least one player, in any position, not based on rankings but on how you believe they will perform. I’m not saying to draft a quarterback who didn’t throw a touchdown pass last year, but take some chances.
The best way to use this strategy is to choose an underdog player from a team you have an emotional connection to. Sometimes the act of putting your faith into someone you believe in is what sets you apart from other fantasy football players.
5. Watch the injury reports.
Most drafting sites will tell you the injury status of players, but they don’t go into much detail. Keep an eye on the NFL injury reports before your draft. That way, you’ll know whether to be concerned about a player.
If you see the “Questionable” icon next to a player, don’t panic. Do your research and find out what’s wrong with them. Most likely they had a mild injury and will be projected to play as normal, but screening out a more serious injury could end up saving your fantasy football season.
