With the highly anticipated first week of the NFL season behind us, it’s time to finally get down to business — fantasy football.
Those mouthwatering picks you thought you had during your draft have turned your “dream team” into a nightmare. And even if your roster hasn’t gone completely up in smoke, it’s still good to keep moving forward. After all, any good player or coach will say they’re already focused on next week after a win.
That being said, I’m here to give you some tip on how to (hopefully) gain bragging rights with a successful 2013 fantasy season.
Disclaimer: In order to maintain my competitive edge in my leagues, I will not necessarily naming specific players per say. Instead, I will give you things to consider and examine when looking to add to your team.
No. 1. It’s all about touchdowns
It may seem like common sense that touchdowns are important. After all, the team that scores the most points normally wins the game. (Thank you for that, John Madden.) However, touchdowns are equally important in fantasy.
Scoring for touchdowns is pretty much uniform across the board — four points for a passing touchdown and six points for a rushing or receiving touchdown. When it comes to finding receivers, tight ends or running backs, look for guys who find themselves in the end zone. A lot. Those six points from a touchdown count just as much as 60 yards receiving, rushing, or a combination of the two.
For example, I started Giants wide out Hakeem Nicks who had a very good game with 114 yards receiving (for 11.4 points). However, he failed to get into the end zone. Whereas my tight end on the bench, Martellus Bennet of the Chicago Bears, had just 49 receiving yards, but yielded almost as many points as Nicks. The reason: Bennett caught an eight-yard touchdown from Jay Cutler to open the scoring in the game.
Every time you watch a game, the announcers will mention how the quarterback has his favorite targets in the red zone. If they aren’t the obvious No. 1 receiver (Andre Johnson, Julio Jones, Calvin Johnson, etc.) they’re typically the biggest receiver the team has. In the red zone, where windows are tight, quarterbacks look to their big targets to bail them out. Tight Ends normally fit this profile, so when looking for a solid tight ends, look for a guy who gets the ball near the goal line.
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With running backs, it’s normally a little different. Almost every team runs some sort of a multi-back system. Teams are using two, three, or even four different backs depending on their specialty. Most teams have some sort of “goal line” back who specializes in third in short, or more importantly, in goal line situations. These rushes may have few yards over the course of the game, but they get the chance to punch it in on the goal line and get you an easy six points. This may seem as a gamble, but it’s really not. Especially considering when certain “star” running backs get taken off the field in goal line situations because they are too small and do not fit the running style needed to be successful in the trenches.
No. 2: More categories, more points
With leagues becoming more complex and other statistics becoming more mainstream, fantasy leagues are including more statistics for players to earn points. One of the most common statistics that falls into this category is punt and kick return yards.
Ever since the NFL moved the kickoff up to the 35 yard line, there have been significantly more touchbacks that have eliminated many chances for kick return yards, but there are still points to be earned in the punting game. The more your fantasy players are on the field, the more opportunities they have to give you points.
The other way to look at this suggestion is to look for players who rack up yards in both rushing and receiving categories. Look for running backs that are receiving targets coming out of the backfield. Look for wide outs that also get the ball on the ground. Granted, there aren’t always players like Percy Harvin, who in his college days at Florida could go for 100 on the ground and receiving in the same, but there are guys out there who can rack up well over 100 all-purpose yards.
Quarterbacks can also be fantasy legends with their ability to run the ball. Cam Newton is a fantasy monster despite having little success in actual football in Carolina. Newton racks up yards on the ground almost every game and will even rush for a handful of touchdowns. Quarterbacks who can do damage on the ground are often more valuable than you think. This is because of the way quarterback scoring works in most leagues.
As opposed to rushing or receiving touchdowns, passing touchdown often receiving only four points. Passing yards are also scored differently. Rushing and receiving yards operate on a 10-1 ratio (10 yards equals one yard). However, passing yards are typically scored based on a 30-1 or 25-1 ratio. Having a duel-threat quarterback not only provides you with the possibility of gaining additional point, but a better ratio of points-to-yards and an additional two points for a rushing touchdown.
No. 3: More chances, more points
In case my overall theme for my advice wasn’t clear, it’s all about having players who have the opportunities to score points for your team. Whether it’s on the goal line or in the middle of the field, you want guys who are on the field making positive plays.
I have just a few more points to add to this fantasy philosophy. The first has to do with wide receivers. Find guys who play in air raid offenses, and/or play for bad teams. Guys like Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, and Peyton Manning can make anyone look good. These guys just dish the ball out all over the yard and they have guys catching their passes. With the exception of Brady, all of these quarterbacks have top-notch receivers who are off limit unless you were fortunate enough to draft them. However, not all of the balls are going to these receivers.
Second, third, and fourth receivers on these teams get the ball thrown to them plenty. Those slot receivers can have big games since they don’t get much attention as the No. 1 target. During his time with the Colts, Pierre Garcon was a staple on my fantasy teams for this reason; he gets chances to catch the ball.
My second point regarding receivers is look for wide outs on bad teams. This is more of an inexact science. The theory is to look for guys on bad teams because their team will normally be down in a game — often times down big — so their teams will be forced to throw the ball a lot. In essence, you’re looking for guys who can throw up big numbers in garbage time.
My final piece of advice has to go to kickers. This position is often overlooked and typically the only managing you have to do is find a replacement for when your starter is on their bye week. However, if you’re in desperate need of boosting your team, a kicker could be a much needed sparkplug.
When it comes to kickers, look for guys who kick indoors. The ball tends to travel better indoor, especially late in the year when the weather is bad in most places. Having a kicker who is removed from the elements is always a bonus. Also, kickers who are on teams with strong offenses are a bonus. If their team is moving the ball, they’ll have plenty of opportunities for extra points and field goals. As I’ve been saying all along, you want guys who will have opportunities to score points.
I’m certainly no Mattew Berry, but I hope this advice helps you through your fantasy endeavors. I hope this different way of looking at players puts you in a position to look like a genius and gives you the all-important bragging rights over friends, family, and co-workers.
My last reminder is that fantasy football is fun and no one likes that guy who gets overly invested in his team. So if you can’t resist, be quiet about it. After all, let’s just be happy that football is finally back.