With NFL teams gearing up and preparing for the 2017-2018 season, thousands of Americans around the country are also preparing by strategizing and crunching numbers in the hopes of creating a championship fantasy football team. Whether your draft is for money, or for fun, here are four tips that have led to fantasy football success in the past.
- Pick running backs with caution
Just because a running back had a lot of touches last season, does not mean that he will have the same success this season. Since 2007, only 17 running backs have had over 370 touches in one NFL season. Of those 17, nine missed time the following season due to injuries and 10 had a drop in point percentage by a minimum of 20%. The most devastating statistic…none of the running backs who reached 370 touches in one season improved their statistics the following fall. With that being said, make sure your running back is healthy and playing for a team with a strong offensive line to protect them.
- Don’t waste your top pick on a quarterback
Statistics show that the difference between the #1 ranked quarterback and the #12 ranked quarterback is only four fantasy points (per ESPN Fantasy Preview), whereas the difference in points between the #1 ranked wide receiver and the #12 ranked wide receiver is seven fantasy points. For running backs, the difference is about 12 fantasy points. So even though quarterbacks may seem like a great first round pick, you may want to reconsider and chose your running back first.
- Do your research
Like anything else you care about, it’s important to conduct research before showing up to your fantasy draft. Be sure to check out the NFL schedule. If you have a certain running back in mind, you want them to play against teams who are poor at running defense. It’s similar for the wide receivers you may want to snag, except you want your wide receivers to play against teams who are poor at secondary defense.
- Time your tight end pick carefully
New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski; Photo Courtesy Washington Times
Statistics show that even the best tight ends do not generate half as many fantasy points as some of the more mediocre wide receivers or running backs. So do not use your first couple of rounds to pick up a tight end, wait on it. The best time to draft a tight end is in one of the middle rounds, once you have your primary positions taken care of. Then, if you can pick a top tier tight end, go for it! But with that being said, if all of the top 4-5 tight ends are already drafted, don’t stress about it. Other than the top five, most tight ends generate a similar amount of points anyway.
Although these tips may seem quite obvious to some, many people get caught up in the excitement and positive statistics of individual players, that they neglect to think about the many factors that go into a player’s success, along with the scoring that goes into fantasy leagues. I advise anyone entering a fantasy draft to read over these hints. For more tips, visit http://scout.com/fantasy/Article/10-Tips-For-New-Fantasy-Football-Owners-105219266.
Good luck, and may the best team win.
