Fantasy Football Advice: How to Handle the Second Half

At this point in the season, you’re inevitably one of three types of managers: The acclaimed mastermind who is sitting high atop his league basking in his glory, the proverbial middle-child who isn’t out of the race yet, but has already had enough stress to raise his/her blood pressure a couple of notches, or you’re these guys.

But for those of you struggling to remain competitive, or those of you ready to call it quits, there are plenty of options for you to discover.

Let’s take a look:

The Middle Child Syndrome

Tell me if this sounds familiar: Your start the season in surprisingly successful fashion, you trash the competition in your first three games, and you head into week four as confident as can be—then reality rears its ugly head.

You start losing games out of nowhere—and I’m not talking about losing because the other guy’s team was much more talented. I’m talking about the types of games where you do all the research, you pick the best player matchups, you study the competition, but in the end the game you were absolutely supposed to win turns out to be an embarrassing loss to some guy named CaptainAwesome26. And he was winless before beating you by one point!

Then it begins.

Another loss, and then another, before you wake up one morning and realize your all-impressive 3-0 start has just been relegated to mediocrity as you occupy fifth place at 3-4.

For the newbies out there, the next predictable move is to start hitting the panic button.

You stew over your team’s recent sub-par performance, and decide to devise a diabolical plan to do a complete overhaul of your team.

Don’t be that guy.

One of the biggest mistakes a manager makes is going into rebuild-mode just because of a couple of losses without ever evaluating his team first, or analyzing the missed trends he should’ve been following.

There will always be one or two of those befuddling losses in any given season, but a total overhaul with a team built heavily on waiver guys will give you nothing more than a team that is only half as good as your original. After all, most guys who are still left are there for a reason.

Following trends is one of the biggest keys to success. If you notice that one of your star running backs has been declining in total touches, yards, and receptions in an anemic offense—Marshawn Lynch anyone?—you make sure to keep him on the bench until a better, more consistent option comes your way. Consistency wins games.

Another fine way to consider breaking the shackles of mediocrity is to have as many facts as possible.

Injury reports after Friday. Sunday morning updates. Knowing your competition’s lineup as good as your own. These all go towards helping you find the best possible player matchups—the name of the game.

If you read on a Thursday, that player-X feels fine and is ready to go, make sure you check back the next day after 4 p.m. when the official injury list comes out; A lot can happen in 24 hours.

But what if you’re already out of the game, or facing certain elimination? Is it reason enough to quit and wait until next year?

To be honest, no!

Being out of the race doesn’t give you any reason to quit whatsoever if you really want to compete in Fantasy Football every year, and eventually rise to the top.

Just like an NFL team who is already done for the year, being the guy in last place gives you a golden opportunity to study a bit more and take notes on players, which is solid ammunition for the next year.

Some of the most successful Fantasy Football managers all have a couple of things in common:

1. Good managers read blurbs on Fantasy sites; Great managers have a secret hidden room filled with more notebooks than the stationary isle at Target

Inside those notebooks are pages upon pages of notes, stats, and other useful tidbits that keep them one step ahead very year.

Now, I am not saying to run out and dedicate your entire paycheck to the Mead corporation. What I am saying is if you’re not competing, you can use that time to track players and gather notes for next year. The more you know, the better off you are.  

2. Good managers will play it safe; Great managers know the importance of rolling the dice

How many of you turned out to be that guy who missed the bus on Mike Sims-Walker, Mike Bell, or Jeremy Maclin, and now have a waiver wire that has been picked clean.

Sims-Walker, Bell, and Maclin were all high-risk investments that wound up being diamonds in the rough. There were only a few select managers out there with a discerning eye who took a chance early; They’ve been reaping the benefits ever since.

Guys who took a chance on keeping Hakeem Nicks, after numerous sites strongly suggested dropping him earlier this season, are enjoying the payouts of a risky decision.

The point is, throughout a season there are going to be times where you have to make a gutsy call.

Whether it’s deciding to drop some dead weight, taking a chance on a rookie sensation, or considering a risky trade, always playing it safe will never amount to greatness.

Here’s one to try: If you’re having trouble getting points out of your TE, go to your waiver wire and pick up Fred Davis of the Washington Redskins, or Joel Dreessen of the Houston Texans; two teams that love the TE. For more Fantasy information on Fred Davis click here.

Putting It All Together

Riding the wave of success, utilizing consistent players, following trends, and taking advantage of a losing season to gain quality research, all go together like Bing and Christmas. But for those of you in your first year, putting all of this together may seem a bit overwhelming.

Just remember to refrain from hitting the panic button if you suddenly fall from grace, rather, make sure you’re starting the hottest players who have been the most consistent.

Wave of Success + Consistency = Victory.

Also, make sure to remember to remember! There are a ton of players that get spotty starts due to injury—mostly—as well as other factors. Some of these players come up big for a very short period of time, then get put back on the shelf for some other schlep that doesn’t do squat, and here’s a great example.

Last year, Miles Austin had a limited role in the Cowboys’ offense, and was eventually relegated back to the bench and kick returns in favor of Patrick Crayton and Sam Hurd. His numbers for last year were 13 catches for 278 yards, and three TDs in seven games; This year he did that in one game against the Chiefs.

The point is, when Austin did play, he garnered some attention, and should’ve been stashed away in one of your notes cause if it was—and if you’re like me—you grabbed him early, and have been enjoying more of what you saw last year.

Following Trends + Quality Research = Victory.

Who knows, next year Austin Collie of the Colts may be the hottest trending WR just like Miles Austin…will you remember?