Fantasy football season is here. Every year, millions of people across the world play the online game, with the total this year being close to 40 million.
Everyone aims to win, claiming they have every “undercover” tip to win their league.
Truthfully, however, winning a league is no secret. It takes a combination of good drafting, smart waiver wire decisions and clutch trades. Winning is never guaranteed, and that is why so many people love fantasy football.
First and foremost, players must know the rules of their league. Whether it is a points per reception (PPR) league, non-PPR, draft league, or another type, players must know who to prioritize on their rosters. Knowing what positions to value are extremely important. In a PPR league, which most leagues are nowadays, wide receivers and running backs are greatly valued, whereas quarterbacks matter more in a non-PPR league. The website follows by emphasizing checking League Settings to make sure the commissioner hasn’t made any shady rule changes or point differences.
As the season drags along, players will have to deal with injured players or players on bye, so making the correct moves on the waiver wire can be the difference between a win and a loss. The waiver wire is defined as “a system that allows managers to claim free-agent players not on a roster by submitting claims, often in a specific priority order, to add them to their team after a game week” and the order changes each week, with a different team at the top spot each week.
Transactions go through on Wednesdays, and if multiple teams claim the same player, the team higher up on the waiver order will receive the player. Waiver pick-ups are usually not long-term solutions, so a match up–for example, a running back facing a bad run defense–could lead to higher outputs. Consult the waiver wire each week, as many players are added and dropped daily in more competitive leagues.
Next, making positive trades is essential. Once again, trades should deal with positional needs and benefit both teams. Rosters can only have a certain amount of players, so trading one better player for four worse players does not benefit a team. Players should try to receive the same amount of players they are giving up, with needy positions and players that will help out. Use communication skills and reasoning to convince another player to trade, as just popping in a trade with no context will not be successful. If in a group chat or group setting, suggest players to trade with league mates in order to have more options to trade with.
Again, there is no concrete formula to win every year, but there are tips that will help. Make sure to update rosters every week, utilize the waiver wire, and be creative with roster moves. Teams that do the best are usually the teams that are the most active and most willing to take risks. fantasy football is supposed to be fun, so enjoy it and good luck this season.
