It’s that time of year again. The NFL is back in full force and so is fantasy football. For the last month, you’ve probably noticed that just about every page you turn, another journalist is providing insight as to how to draft your team. But, what these articles don’t account for, is that a championship team is never built in week one. A fantasy football team is not like a teenager where you can provide the basic necessities and go about your life. It is rather an infant requiring constant, round the clock care. Setting your lineup on Tuesday and forgetting about it for the rest of the week, or forgetting a week all together can be fatal to your team. So many of you may wonder “what exactly can I do to be an effective fantasy owner?” Well, here are some tips to help make sure that you’re hoisting that trophy, or posting the embarrassing video of a friend at the end of the season:
1. Stay involved.
The first key to being an effective fantasy owner is to stay involved. If you’re truly serious about winning your championship, you might have to ditch your Netflix habit and replace it with ESPN and NFL Network. For those of you who are unaware, these networks spend hours everyday talking about fantasy football. The experts on these networks will not only update you on injuries, but also give you useful tips on which players to sit out a certain week, or which players to start. There is a plethora of information available to help you make the best decisions for your team.
2. Pay close attention to free agency / waiver wire in your league.
For example, many fantasy owners have been shying away from Ezekiel Elliot due to his pending six week suspension. After playing week one, if his suspension is upheld, he will be dropped in many leagues. It would be very helpful to pick up Elliot and stash him on your bench until week eight, when he is scheduled to return. This will serve almost like a huge trade mid-season and bolster the lineup to make a great run down the stretch as you march toward the postseason. Stay aware of available players weekly so that it is possible to make key pickups that could put your team over the top.
3. Communicate with fellow league members.
This is difficult for those who are in leagues with random owners, but for those who play with friends it is important to maintain relationships with everyone in the league. This will come in handy when negotiating trades and is mostly effective when teams who have slim shots of winning have players that could boost your team’s performance. If you’re not in communication with these players, they could potentially stop playing all together and leave valuable players on hopeless teams instead of helping your team on to the championship.
These three tips may be simple, but forgetting any of these things could leave you in the dust at the end of the season. More engagement and effort will ultimately improve your outlook and performance and lead to a better chance at winning the championship at the end of the season.
