WAIVER WIRE AND AVAILABLE PLAYERS
Most fantasy football leagues require you to claim available players off of waivers. This means you must put in a waiver claim to add a player to your roster. Dependent upon your spot in the waiver order you may or may not get the player you desire. Using the waiver wire correctly is critical to your team’s success. If your league does not require you to claim players off of waivers and all available players can be added at any time, it is your responsibility to act fast and add players before your opponents beat you to it. Every year there are surprise players that come out of nowhere to put up big fantasy numbers. Nothing is more frustrating than finding out that your league nemesis had the foresight to put that player on his roster a week before anybody had heard of him. Wouldn’t you like to look like a fantasy football genius every once and awhile? There is no reason this can’t be you if you are managing your roster wisely.
STANDARD ROSTER BREAKDOWN
In standard fantasy league formats you start (1) QB – (2/3) RB’s – (2/3) WR’s – (1) TE – (1) D/ST – (1) K. The standard bench consists of (6) players and it is crucial that you have a plan for all (15) roster spots. How should you construct your roster and use the available player pool to maximize your team’s chances of being successful week in and week out?
1. Quarterbacks:
You play (1) quarterback each week, so why would you waste a spot on your bench for another one. If you are confident in the starting quarterback you drafted you will only need to find a replacement for that player during his bye week. When you get to the bye week it is easy to find a serviceable quarterback in the available player pool that can adequately fill in for one week. The only time you need two quarterbacks on your roster is when your starter is on a bye. Safely place your starting quarterback on the bench and drop one of your running backs or wide receivers that are just providing depth to your roster. As soon as the replacement quarterback has fulfilled their week of replacement duty they can be dropped and you can add another running back or wide receiver. You do not need to have players, like Jay Cutler or Carson Palmer taking up valuable bench space for an entire season.
2. Tight Ends:
Just like the quarterback position you only start one tight end each week. The only time you need two tight ends on your roster is when your starter is on a bye. Do not waste a roster spot on a backup tight end.
3. Defenses:
Unless you have one of the top three defenses you should never have more than one defense on your roster at any point in the season. I strongly encourage you to review the available defenses on a weekly basis. Look for a good matchup and plug that defense into the starting lineup. I used the same defense in consecutive weeks maybe once last year. I look for teams playing at home against an offense that ranks in the bottom half of the league. A defense that meets this criteria is available every week. I scored more fantasy points using the defense by committee approach than anybody else in my league last year, who was using the conventional draft a defense and stick with that defense approach.
4. Kickers:
Kickers are like defenses; look at matchups. Don’t be hesitant to pick up a new kicker every week unless you have one that gets on a roll and receives a ton of field goal opportunities. You should never have more than one kicker on your roster at any point in the season.
5. Running Backs:
By far the most important and volatile position on your team. You are required to start (2) running backs each week and you have the option to start a third if your league has a flex position. Contrary to my thoughts on quarterbacks, tight ends, defenses and kickers, I think it is vital to stock pile your roster with running backs. I recommend that you carry (6) running backs on your roster throughout the season. Chances are you have two, maybe three running backs that are worthy of starting on a weekly basis. Your other running backs serve as replacements during bye weeks because you will not be able to find a decent player available when a bye rolls around. The available running back pool is very shallow and filled with guys that are low on their team’s depth charts. When you get down to the 5th and 6th running back on your roster you need to take chances. You should constantly be trying to find rookie running backs and second/third string backs that may only be one injury away from getting the bulk of their team’s carries. Nobody drafted Alfred Morris of the Redskins last year, but when the starter got hurt he had a breakthrough season and became a top 5 back. Don’t you wish he would have been on your roster instead of a backup quarterback or tight end? Something like this happens every year and you can look like a genius if you use your roster space effectively.
6. Wide Receivers:
Like the running back position you are required to start (2) each week and have the option to start a third. Most NFL teams have at least (3) wide receivers on the field at all times, so the pool of serviceable players is much deeper than the running back position. However I still recommend that you carry (5) wide receivers on your roster and you should constantly be trying to catch lightning in a bottle with that 4th and 5th roster spot. Names like Victor Cruz and Miles Austin come to mind in recent years. Nobody had heard of these guys until they exploded onto the fantasy football scene.
7. Injured and Suspended Players:
I am not opposed to stashing an injured or suspended player on your bench for an extended period of time. This may hamper your roster flexibility, but could provide huge dividends if that player returns healthy and puts up huge numbers. This year Percy Harvin comes to mind if the reports of him coming back before the end of the season are accurate. I only suggest doing this for players of Percy Harvin’s caliber, which are top 10 type players at their position.
TRADES
Trades are an extremely effective way to upgrade your roster throughout the season, especially if you are in a league where people are willing to trade. Most leagues I have been in are filled with people who are hesitant to pull the trigger on a big deal or unwilling to ever entertain trade offers. As a result executing a trade is near impossible, which places further importance on your ability to use the available player pool effectively. If you are in a league with people that are open to making trades I suggest that you look to make trades with people who have roster strength in areas where you are weak. It is even better if you have roster strength in an area that they are weak. That allows both parties to fill an area of need and the trade is more likely to go through and be a success for both teams.
“Fantasy Football owners that are successful year in and year out do not always have the best draft, but they are the most effective at managing and upgrading their roster throughout the season.” – Chris Poskin
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