Fantasy Football Preseason checklist

We are approaching the start of the 2014 NFL Fantasy Football season (fantasy
starts long before the NFL) so it is time to start your preparation work !ure" you
coul# take the easy way out an# let your auto#raft engine pick your team for you
an# hope that you will be competiti$e %owe$er" $ery few leagues are won this
way &ou nee# to gain the a#$antage at #raft time by picking the !leepers ahea#
of the other managers an# being positione# to pick the wai$er wire clean at the
appropriate times #uring the season !o" here is a basic checklist to start with
1. 'etermine what fantasy sports website you want to play on ($en if you
are not the )ommissioner" you want to in$estigate the $ariety of sites
a$ailable an# #etermine who has the best features an# appears to be the
easiest to use 'o not be afrai# to use a site that you ha$e not seen on
national tele$ision *n$estments in inno$ation will help you play in a more
en+oyable league
2 !tart buil#ing the pool of players that will one #ay make up your player
rankings ,any sites ha$e players ranke# at #raft time" but e$eryone in
your league will ha$e access to that information &ou want your list of
players ranke# by your e-pectation of how they will perform this season
*f you #o your homework before the #raft" you shoul# be in position to take
home the crown at the en# of the season *f it looks iffy" you can always
bribe a few other managers to #ump players your way
. Now" that player pool is not as easy to pour as a col# beer !tart by going
o$er the free agent mo$ement since the !uper /owl en#e# !ince the
0a$ens won the title" it seems like a 1uarter of the league has change#
teams &ou also want to flag position battles for the number 1 an# number
2 slots in your money positions No reason to worry about who the number
1 running back is in )hicago" but you may be concerne# about who will
win the number 2 slot &ou want to focus on news in$ol$ing these players
4 2f course" you better factor rookies into the mi- 3here was a time when
$ery few ma#e an impact in their first year" but those #ays are o$er with *
woul# ha$e ne$er recommen#e# a rookie 4/ in #ays gone by" but the
success of )am" 05*** an# 6n#rew Luck has change# all of that !o" grab
the #raft results from ,ay ($eryone knows that !ammy Watkins will be a
rookie W0 to #raft" but what about 7osh %uff8 &ou want to be the team
that #rafts him first 2f course" he9ll be known by #raft time" so go through
all picks an# try to imagine where they will factor into the #epth chart" e$en
if they will not be the ob$ious number 2 back For e-ample" get to know
3yler 5affney Wow" * coul# +ust hear a #eafening :Who8;< With )arolina
struggling to fin# a =1 0/ since 200>" 5affney coul# be the feature back
on a $ery goo# team in no time
? !tart #igesting news an# in+ury reports" making sure to focus on the teams
where you see the best position battles an# greatest opportunity for
upsi#e *f you keep a comprehensi$e #iary of these happenings" you can
trust this more than ran#om articles foun# before the #raft@e-cept mine"
of course * won9t be publishing a mock #raft for a few months" though
3oo many unknowns *t is a bit foolhar#y to rank players right now" though
it #oesn9t stop e$ery 3om" 'ick an# ,atthew from #oing it *t still surprises
me that some leagues will #raft before 7uly 4
th
5oo# luck with that" folks;
Aut yourself in the best position to win