FF is something I've always thought would be interesting but I don't really know how it works. There's also a rule of thumb where I could never draft a player on teams we'd have to face because there's not a snowballs chance in hell that I could root for person x to get points just because I need them in a FF league and have it possibly screw up a W in the real world. With that being said.. it's still intriguing to me. I feel like I could enjoy it if I drafted players who we didn't have to worry about playing. Anyone care to enlighten me on FF and how the draft/game works?
Loyalty will kill you. As much as it may pain you to pick up Randy Moss or Wes Welker, if you're worried about rooting for them you have no business playing. Rules of thumb are pretty simple. 1. Running Backs are the key to any good Fantasy team. 2. Draft a QB high, but not your first pick. Second pick may be acceptable depending on league settings and roster setup 3. Dont draft a kicker... evar. 4. Dont go crazy in Free Agency or trades. Be patient. 5. Always have backups. Injuries have ruined many a good fantasy teams. Thats the jist of it.
Putting aside loyalty may even help the team. It did last year. Some things I've followed through on all my championship teams: 1. RB's are still key but a good WR crew can put your team from 4th to 1st. 2. If there's a homer in your league, exploit, exploit, exploit. 3. I never draft a QB higher than the 6th round. What did that yield for me this year? Aaron Rodgers, Jay Cutler, Eli Manning, Philip Rivers. Who did other managers take? Jason Campbell, Vince Young, and David Garrard. If your ability to judge QB talent isn't so good, then maybe a bit higher but go with sure things. WR, OL, RB strength of team helps. 4. My draft order is usually as follows RB, WR, WR, RB, WR/RB, WR, TE, QB, TE, QB, DEF, Anything non-K, Anything non-K, etc. 5. Go with your gut. Nobody liked anything Falcons but I thought Ryan would do fine and they'd pound the ball with Turner and White did well with Harrington/Leftwich anyways. 6. Sometimes your favorite football philosophy works. I like tall WR's, which is why I get a big boost from WR TD's. 7. Never do trades or FA unless you have to (injured player), have the flexibility (i.e. perennial crappy player who'd never get off the bench), or there's a total no-brainer (Boldin, really?). A player who has to rely on trades is one that has bad luck or bad drafting. 8. Don't make trades just to make trades. Let the offers come to you or if you're evil, harass other managers with so many trades that they get pissed or careless, can't control themselves, and accidentally hit accept when they meant to hit reject. If you do trade. Buy low, sell high. 9. Keep an eye on matchups (especially byes and schedule for playoffs) and whether you thing X player is good enough to overcome it. 10. If there's a guy on a hotstreak in FA, you can pick him up only if your bench is really putrid (i.e. you drafted Ted Ginn and want to pick up Antonio Bryant or Vincent Jackson). Never discard a proven veteran who's in a temporary slump or you get Marques Colston and Andre Johnson on the waiver wire for someone else to get.
