10 tips for avoiding the last-place punishment for new fantasy football players.
So, your fantasy football league has a punishment. Maybe you know nothing about the National Football League, but your friends needed one more member. Maybe you are a fantasy veteran, but this year your commissioner is raising the stakes. Perhaps you have had to dye your hair neon green because your first three picks last season were Ashton Jeanty, Brian Thomas and Lamar Jackson. Whatever the case may be, you have one goal: do not finish last.
Well today is your lucky day, because the Mike Tomlin of fantasy sports is here to save your season. Six leagues, 11 combined seasons, 11 playoff appearances and zero humiliating punishments. Here are 10 tips for keeping your squad out of the cellar:
1. Pay attention
Fantasy veterans know that this goes without saying, but if you are new, understand that the best thing you can do for your team is actually check on it weekly. You should never be starting an injured player. That point swing can easily be the difference between a win and a loss — last place vs. sixth. When Alvin Kamara is a game-time decision in an 8 a.m. London game, you need to wake up on time to check his status. When your first round pick tears his ACL, you have to let him go and free up the roster spot instead of having him linger on your bench. If you are in a casual league, there is a good chance someone forgets about the punishment and gives up on their team. Do not let that be you.
2. Stick to a “cheat sheet”
Just about every sports outlet on the internet publishes fantasy player rankings. Are most of them any good? Of course not, but unless you have done extensive research into playcalling tendencies, target distributions and free agent movements along the offensive line, they are probably better than your intuition. Remember, we are not trying to win it all — we are trying to avoid disaster. And, I cannot emphasize this enough, do not just draft players from your favorite team.
3. Churn the waivers
Every year, the teams at the bottom of the table have benches full of, well, benchwarmers. You should not be loyal to that wide receiver averaging four points per game just because you picked him in the 11th round. If you have players that are not producing, take some swings at free agents that are. Be especially active early in the season, since it is usually when the most valuable waiver pickups are found.
4. Start your studs
Look, nobody is saying you should just use ESPN’s auto-lineup feature, but unless you put in the time assessing positional matchups and considering game-script, that is definitely what you need to do. Do not outsmart yourself and leave points on your bench. Key in on season-wide trends, not just who dropped the most points last week.
5. Don’t trade (until you know the ropes)
Since all fantasy managers are ruthless cutthroats, it is easy to be taken advantage of as a newbie. You can stay out of last place without making a trade 99 times out of 100. The risk simply is not worth it.
6. Easy points with special teams and kickers
Every season, hundreds of fantasy footballers seem to forget these positions exist. And every year, the ones that remember them end up in the top three in both categories. You can often find improvements just sitting around on the waiver wire; take advantage. Just remember that for defenses, weekly matchups really matter.
7. Build up your depth
If you are trying to win a championship, package your good backups in trades for big-time players, and stay light on the depth to bring in high-upside lottery tickets. You do not need to win a championship, you just need to avoid last place. Having decent backups insulates you from injuries, and injuries get you last place.
8. Avoid rookies
Not only do rookies tend to lean over-valued (think about Ashton Jeanty last season), they also bust at a higher rate than veteran players. There is a reason why the teams that pick high are picking high, and it is usually that they do not have a quarterback, an offensive line or a decent playcaller. You do not want to deal with that.
9. Load up on running backs
Now this is some real fantasy strategy. In 12-man leagues and under, there tend to be plenty of decent wide receivers available on the waiver wire; guys that are productive enough to keep you out of last place. But if you get caught without any real running backs, there is rarely a player there to save you. And one more word of advice — talent is king at RB. If a guy is not any good, it does not matter that he is the listed week-one starter. His job is eventually going to a rookie.
10. Draft Josh Allen or Trey McBride
Self-explanatory, but in a broader sense, prioritize proven commodities over speculative, upside-driven players. And if you take a QB or tight end early, you better be sure that you are drafting a dude and not just a guy.
If you follow these rules and still finish last place, let me know and I will share the punishment. You can usually find me on the upper-floor of the Student Union watching tape on draft prospects.
