Interview with NFL Fantasy Expert Sean Baligian: Tips For A Winning Year

I had the pleasure of speaking with NFL fantasy expert Sean Baligian and asked him questions that I thought some of you might like to know the answers to. 

For those of you that don’t know Sean, he hosts the morning show on WDFN, AM 1130 in Detroit. He also hosts the afternoon show on ESPN 96.1 in Grand Rapids. His website, fantasysportsgeekly.com, was just recognized by SI.com as being one of the Top Five fantasy websites. If you are looking for a great place to get fantasy information check it out. 

What Position Should a Team Owner Target in Each Round?

"I always tell people, do what works for you. If you draft a receiver early and that works for you, than you should stick with it. For me personally, I like to go running back heavy early.  I will usually draft in this order RB RB WR WR.  Now if there is a good running back in the 4th round still available I will take him and come back and take a receiver in the 5th round. 

I don’t like to draft quarterbacks high. I will wait until the seventh or eighth round before I go QB.  Some like to draft a QB high but the difference between the top QBs and one available in the later rounds is not as great as some think.

For example, last year I felt Matt Schaub was going to have a good year, and I waited and took him late and it paid off for me.

Rounds one through seven I usually only draft RBs and WRs.

Some might ask why I would take another running back in the fourth just to have him sit on the bench, but it protects me against injuries, and running backs get injured a lot. Also I can trade him to someone who needs a starter for a high value receiver that can start on my team.

If you are drafting late in the first round and all the top running backs are coming off the board as expected, would you consider drafting a wide receiver instead of a running back in the first round?

I have only done that once and that was 10 years ago. I was picking tenth and I took Cris Carter. I came back and took a running back with the 11th pick. Now Cris Carter had a good year for me but my running back depth wasn’t what I would have liked it to be. I would have to say that I recommend against doing it and just take the best running back still on the board." 

At What Point Do You Start to Consider Making Trades?

"I like to avoid making trades too early. Usually around week three or four I will start looking at other guys rosters. I like to call it being a vulture. I will look at the guy who is maybe 0-3 or 1-2 and is in panic mode and get an idea where he is weak and will offer a one sided trade for someone like a good receiver. By doing this I am not going to get Andre Johnson, but someone like Ochocinco can be had."

Do You at Any Point Package Your Backups in a Deal for a Starter?

"Yes, I call it trimming the fat. Trade deadline in my league is around Week 11, so I will try to package a couple of guys for an upgrade to my starters. There is no point to having a guy on the bench to collect dust. Now if you get an injury that is the chance you took and then you are out of luck.

That said, a couple of years ago I had someone at the radio station offer a deal I couldn’t turn down before the season started. If you get that kind of offer, where you can’t believe what someone is willing to give up, you should take it."

A Lot of Guys Last Year Drafted Matt Forte or Brian Westbrook Early and Got Burned. How Do You Balance What a Guy Did Last Year with What He Will Do This Year?

"It’s really tough. Running backs especially are prone to have the bottom drop out, this is why I say you can’t have enough running backs."

Do You Put Any Value in What a Player Does in the Preseason?

"Not at all, I don’t put any value in the preseason. I always tell the story of Doug Gabriel. A few years back Gabriel had a monster preseason game for the Oakland Raiders and I had a guy I know call me to ask if he should draft him in the third or fourth round. I told him he can go ahead and draft him if he wants but I wouldn’t. Gabriel didn’t end up doing much of anything. Of course if a guy does well in the preseason and you draft and it works out than more power to you but I don’t put any stock in it."

If You Are in a League with a WR/RB Flex Position, Does It Change How You Draft?

"You know I played in one of those leagues a few years back and I didn’t like it.  But if you are in a league that has a WR/RB spot, it just puts more emphasis on drafting running backs. I would much rather have a running back who touches the ball 20-25 times a game, than a receiver who might see six or seven balls a game."

Some Leagues Use a Defensive Player, What Position Do You Recommend Drafting to Fill That Spot?

"I like to go linebacker on a bad team. You know that team is likely to be behind and the other team will want to run out the clock and will run the ball a lot, so you end up with a lot of tackles. Now some guys like Ed Reed, you know are going to make plays, but in general I would go linebacker."

Are You Comfortable with Having a Quarterback and Wide receiver on the Same Team?

"If they are really good, sure. If I had Andre Johnson and Matt Schaub I am not going to lose sleep over it. I am reminded of Peyton Manning in 2004 when he was setting all the records before Tom Brady broke them. Guys that had him, Reggie Wayne, or Marvin Harrison on their team were riding high. 

That was until the Colts played the Ravens and got completely shut out. It was the first week of fantasy playoffs in most leagues and those guys were out. This is why if you are going to have a couple of guys on the same team you need to make sure you have a solid team around them to protect against them getting shut out."

What is the Most Common Mistake You See Guys Do When Drafting?

"I can’t tell you how many times we would be drafting in the late rounds and a guy will realize five or six players on his team have the same bye week. Be prepared and part of that is you should know when players will have a bye week."

How Would You Rate the Following Lions Players?

Calvin Johnson: "I would have no problems having him as my number one wide receiver. Now I probably won’t get a shot at him because I won’t draft that position until the third round but if he was there I would not hesitate to take him."

Matthew Stafford: "I would be comfortable with him as my No. 2 quarterback, but I have the feeling he is going to be a low end number one quarterback this year. If you were stuck taking him it might not be all that bad."

Jahvid Best: "I stay away from rookies, I don’t really trust them. I wouldn’t mind having him on my team but I wouldn’t draft him high."

Kevin Smith: "Nothing there, move on."

Nate Burleson: "If I had a team with five receivers he would be No. 5."

The Tight Ends: "I don’t draft tight ends. I play in leagues where the WR/TE is a flex position so I just mess with them. Between Brandon Pettigrew and Tony Scheffler, I think Scheffler will have a better year."