Fantasy Football Cafe Forum

Baseballer02 · by **Baseballer02** » Sat Jul 10, 2004 8:57 pm

After doing fantasy baseball for 4 years, I've decided to take a shot at football. I plan on joining just a couple leagues, both live drafts. Are there any strategies I should follow, as in not taking a certain position before a particular round? Any help is appreciated.

by **KingGhidra** » Sat Jul 10, 2004 9:15 pm

Don't listen to what coaches say.
You'll constantly hear coaches make all sorts of claims about the upcoming season, players and games. Go by what they do, not what they say.

Don't listen to scouting reports.
You'll hear tons of reports about how xyz is looking fantastic in camp and is gonna challenge someone for the starting role. You'll hear about how players are gonna be given a second chance with a new offensive scheme/coaches/team/etc etc. If that guy previously sucked, he probably will continue to do so.

Don't believe the hype.
Every year proven performers get passed up for the next big thing. Many of those next big things turn out to be one-hit wonders. If you think two guys are equal, side with the proven vet. Justify to yourself in no uncertain terms why you think the rising star is better.

Be flexible
Stay away from strategies that advocate you never or always should do something unless they have very very very solid reasons for doing so. Even when you agree with the solid reasons, get second and third opinions from opposing viewpoints.

Stay on top of the rosters
Everyone takes this to a different degree. At least make sure a guy you're drafting to start for your team is listed as the starter on the depth chart. That may sound obvious but...

Here's a nice primer for draft day strategies. It's more general than specific, but that's where I like to start.

http://www.footballguys.com/04ffbt_grant_7a.htm

That's a good website btw, tons of good articles. The Cafe has some articles too I hear.

:-b

by **Bennett4prez** » Sat Jul 10, 2004 10:40 pm

Most people will say get two running backs early. To see what four of our Cafe "experts" had to say, visit this thread.

http://www.fantasyfootballcafe.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=62855

by **oostan** » Sat Jul 10, 2004 11:08 pm

Read, read, read. Don't stop thru-out the season. Check out web-sites and forums like this. Eat lots of M&M's drink lots of Mnt Dew. Don't let it own you. Like anything, if you get to caught up in it you will start to secound guess yourself. Have fun.

by **pttwo** » Sun Jul 11, 2004 12:47 am

First off, check out what your league roster and scoring is like. For example, Peyton Manning is going to be much more valuable in a league that gives points to completions (which is fairly rare) compared to one that doesn't. QBs in general will be more valuable in leagues that start 2 QB compared to leagues which only start one.

Assuming your league has a fairly common setup, the best advice I can give is steer clear of big name QBs in the early rounds and focus on getting RBs. Top RBs like Holmes and Tomlinson are scoring machines, while WR and QB tend to be much deeper positions. TE are shallow but don't put up the numbers QB, RB or WR do. Kickers and team defenses are somewhat hard to predict and fairly deep, so wait until the last couple rounds to pick those positions.

by **deftdelivery** » Sun Jul 11, 2004 12:56 am

Be confident but wary. Don't be afraid to roll the dice on a player YOU think will perform well. But don't do anything too confident, such as drafting a team's 3rd WR as your #1.

Another big piece: consult the Cafe for any trades you are thinking about doing. We'll help you out in telling you if the deal is fair or not ;-D

by **Kensat30** » Sun Jul 11, 2004 5:57 pm

Don't pick a quarterback in the first 2 rounds. The quickest way to doom your fantasy season is to pick Tom Brady in the second round. Get the RBs and WRs early and worry about the QB later.

Oddly, this is exactly what a fantasy writer at NFL.com did last year. I just read an article over there about keeper leagues where the writer went on to say that he kept Tom Brady as a 2nd round pick. Needless to say, at the end of the article he mentioned that he took last place in the league that year....