Dos and Don'ts of Fantasy Football

By:  Zach Jacobson

Fantasy football is all about managing your team correctly.  You can't hope to win your league if you don't do your research before the draft, or stay active during the season.  Hopefully this list of what to do--or more importantly, what not to do--will give you a fighting chance against your opponents.

Do...

• ...study!  Do your homework.  Nothing is worse than the guy that shows up half-drunk with a 3-month old fantasy magazine in hand.  You need to know what your doing--bring cheat sheets, rankings, everything.  It's the difference between drafting sleeper Jacoby Ford in the mid-to-late rounds, or drafting retired Randy Moss.  
• ...try to build your team around running backs.  Usually running backs give the most value in fantasy football, along with the most potential to put up big fantasy points.  You'll want at least one stud running back, preferably more.
• ...know your league rules.  This helps if your commissioner lays out a "constitution" of sorts, just something to show your league's specific rule variations.  I've gone into what I thought was a standard draft before, only to discover coming out that it was a PPR league (Point Per Reception).  Knowing the rules will lead you to draft differently.
• ...work the waiver wire.  During the season search for free agents, it's where championships are generally won.  Unless you have one helluva draft, you're going to need to seek out quality replacements eventually.
• ...go to others for advice.  You're going to want objective opinions before you pull the trigger on a trade, or before you make a move that would seriously impact your team.  This could be something as easy as asking a friend to glance at your team.  Me?  I like to go visit TFFG forums for input.  It's a great community that's overflowing with members ready to help out.

Don't...

• ...share your rankings with other drafters.  Especially rankings that contain your list of sleepers.  You don't want a league-mate grabbing your breakout running back in round 11.
• ...overdraft players.  What I mean by this is, if you have a favorite sleeper, and you know that he'll be there in round 12, don't go out of your way earlier in the draft to get him...unless for some reason you know that another member will pick him.
• ...base transactions off the first weeks of the season.  It means nothing if Andre Johnson has a bad week 1 and 2, he'll work it out.  You never want to trade or drop a stud because of a rough game or two.  You also never want to look too much into a quality performance by a low-ranked player, it could only last a week.
• ...ever run away or abandon your team.  Don't be a poor sport just because you have a losing record.  This game we love is meant to be fun, don't take it too seriously.  You also affect other teams' records if you don't give your best week in and week out.

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Or feel free to email me at msuhoopz62@att.net

 

2011 Sleeper Alert - Jacoby Ford

By:  Zach Jacobson

The past few years, Oakland has been full of wide receivers that were supposed to break out and perform.  But guess what?  I don't see Chaz Schilens or Louis Murphy racking up 1,000 yards anytime soon.  Hopefully Jacoby Ford doesn't fall into the category of mediocre Raider's receivers.  He hardly played the first half of 2010, and I first really took notice of him in week 9 vs. the Chiefs.  Ford finally became a blip on the fantasy football radar when he had a solid second part to the season.  

You could watch him for one play and know that Jacoby Ford is fast...really, really fast.  This guy makes even the fastest defensive backs in the league look slow.  With a sub-4.3 40-yard dash time, Ford is one of the speediest receivers in the leagues.  Quality route running can be learned, but no matter how hard someone trains, that kind of speed is natural...it's genetics, man.  Ford's explosiveness makes him not only a receiving threat, but also a small rushing threat as well, which translates into fantasy gold.  It's not often you see a wide receiver that only played half the season produce 155 rushing yards and 2 TDs.  He also had three 94+ yard return TDs last year, so it's an added plus if your fantasy football league rewards return yards, because he'll be worthy of starting every week.

 

From what I've heard, Jacoby has come back with a drive to get better this preseason.  Ford's been working hard with quarterback Jason Campbell this off-season to improve his receiving game, and his coach has nothing but high praise for him.  Here's Oakland Raider's head coach Hue Jackson on Jacoby Ford: 

  

“Obviously Jacoby is going to become a household name because he has some very special ability.  He’s very good with the ball in his hands – he’s very good without the ball in his hands because he draws a lot of attention.  He’s just scratching the surface of what he can truly be.”

Jacoby is definitely not a possession receiver.  He'll never catch a large number of passes, but hopefully his pure speed allows him to transform into a quality deep threat...similar to Percy Harvin, DeSean Jackson, or the Carolina Steve Smith in his prime.  If you're looking for week-to-week production, Ford will probably be extremely inconsistent (that's what angers DeSean owners so much).  However, with his rushing and return ability there's a decent chance he'll get you a non-receiving touchdown multiple weeks.  I could easily see 1,000+ total yards (rushing and receiving) this year, and in the upcoming seasons I'd look for him to build on that number.

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter!  @Zatchj62