The first week of the NFL season is always one of the most exciting parts of the season. There have been months of seeming inaction and quiet, and the casual fan is always very ready for the excitement to come back. The more dedicated fan is just relieved that their preparation time is over and that they can start implementing their plans. It doesn’t matter if you are playing in a season long league, a daily fantasy sports league, or a combination of the two, having football to once again look forward to every weekend takes a load off when it comes to studying up.
If you haven’t drafted a team yet, there are some things to consider. First, look at what the experts are saying. Pretty much everyone is in agreement that Andrew Luck of the Indianapolis Colts is going to be the best QB in the NFL this season. Rob Gronkowski, the tight end for the New England Patriots, is the top slot at his position. At wide receiver, Antonio Brown of the Pittsburgh Steelers is getting the most hype. And finally, at running back, most critics agree that Le’Veon Bell is the best choice.
You won’t get all of these players on your team, especially if you play in a salary cap league. It will just be far too expensive to get everyone at a price that doesn’t push you over the limit.
Instead of shooting for the moon and then being disappointed when you miss, be more realistic. This is much easier if you are playing in a daily fantasy football league where there can be player sharing. Focus on getting the players that will bring you the most amount of points. Look to the scoring rules of the site that you are on–remember that DraftKings and FanDuel have different methods of evaluating a performance–and then point your resources in a direction that allows you to capitalize on this. If you are in a league that puts an emphasis on the quarterback, for example, this should be where your attention goes. It might mean you will spend a little more on a QB than you intended to, but if this is what it takes to give yourself an advantage in your league, then that’s what you should do. Expert drafting in other areas will reveal other opportunities.
Break down your salary cap in a way that makes sense. If you’re in a league where you need to draft one QB on a roster with nine slots, but that one QB will be contributing more than 1/9th of your fantasy points, then more than 1/9th of your salary should go to that position. This is not an easy thing to get started if you’ve never looked at the math behind a fantasy roster before, but it will be much clearer if you draft a few practice teams in a free league first. Once you have this concept mastered, you will find that these are only loose guidelines, rather than binding rules.
Most leagues have nine to ten roster spots to fill. Make sure that you have adjusted your strategy to fit the format of your league. This will give you an automatic advantage over those you are competing against that never think to look at how points are scored and tailor their strategy to that. It’s so simple, and it will win you a lot of money as the season progresses. Instead of looking for the best at each position, look to underpriced athletes that will score you lots of points, saving your money for the high profile players that will score you even more points.
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