If you are new to fantasy football here are the basics to success in fantasy football.
Rankings Make sure to do your homework. If you do not read up on players you will not have a competitive fantasy team. Do plenty of mock drafts and print or write out your own rankings.
No matter how many expert opinions you may read, the bottom line is that it is your team and nobody can make the picks for you. Take the time to evaluate the players and select your targets before your draft starts.
Strategy Depending on where you are picking in the first round, decide who you will target. Is it an elite QB,WR or RB?
With so much debth at wr and Tight End do you want to draft an elite one or wait and select your RB's and QB early or do you want Jimmy Graham or Gronk? All of these are important questions that you must take into account when drafting.
Some feel you must get the running backs early and some owners always have the mentality that you must take the highest scoring consistent player, which is a qb early as so many teams have inconsistent running backs or have more than one option at running back.
Draft: Taking risks in the early rounds could result in trouble and taking them in the late rounds is a recipe for success. Drafting veteran players in the late rounds is not doing your team any favors, because they usually don't have any upside. Take your chances on rookies, and other young players with upside is the way to win.
Ther are no bad sleeper players in the late rounds because if they don't pan out, it's off to the waiver wire. Don't be afraid to take chances late in the draft.
Training camp and Pre Season: Always watch for holdouts, injuries, players on new teams. Fantasy owners should not read too much into pre season stats. Most of the huge performances in the pre season come from second and third string defenses.
Waivers and bye weeks: Make sure you are aware of your players bye weeks. Don't just look to draft anyone, look at your players bye weeks, look at the matchups and make sure your not drafting your backup and bye week players with the same bye week. There are always plenty of players on waiver, not of high caliber but loaded with hiddem gems if you know where to look. Keep tabs on the top performers of the previous week or someone coming off a bye week; if they are worth of a pickup don't be afraid to go after them.
Final notes: Don't let your heart get in the way of your head. Don't pick based on who you like and who you don't like. Don't pass up a player just because you hate a team.
Always know your league scoring system. Many leagues use different scoring systems and bonuses. If a passing TD is 6 points instead of 4 in your league, you may value a QB higher. If there are bonuses for rushing or receiving yards thats another thing to take into account.
Buy low and sell high. When is the right time to buy when you are talking about fantasy players? The right time is when you see a player is being undervalued. If the player is better than his current value, his stock will eventually rise and show his true value.
Every year we have players that can hurt your team with injuries and bad play. I'll be covering the 2011 busts that will bounce back in 2012 and be producers for your fantasy team. These players either have new lineman or added rb and wr's to help them succeed in 2012
Quarterback Philip Rivers (SD): Rivers lost Vincent Jackson to Tampa but the Chargers but have replaced Jackson with Robert Meacham. Meacham may not be Jackson but will be a nice fill in. 2nd year player Vincent Brown, Malcom floyd, Antonio Gates gives Rivers plenty of weapons. His Wr's maybe inconsistent from week to week but Rivers, who has averaged 4,150 yards, 28 TD, and 13 interceptions per year should bounce back and have a great season in 2012, especially where he is being drafted this season. You can get Rivers in the early mid rounds while you take your rb's and wr's early. (Note) 9 of Rivers career high 20 interceptions were intended for Vincent Jackson while only 4 were intended for Gates. VJ was lazy at times and would give up on the ball.
Matt Schaub (HOU): Schaub who is returning for a Lisfranc sprain in his foot is now ready to go. There are so many other QB's on people's radars that Schaub will be a good bargain come draft day. Schaub lost A.Foster for 2 and a half weeks to start the season as well as Andre Johnson for 9 weeks with injuries. Schaub will fall in drafts and has the potential for 4200 yards and 33-36 touchdowns which is great value for someone that may not even be one of the top 12 QB's taken. He'll also be playing twice against Indy,Jacksonville and the Titans whom need work on defense. As long as Schaub is healthy he will produce for your team in 2012. Just make sure to draft a good backup.
Michael Vick(PHI): Vick did not produce last year like his owners had hoped for. The Eagles had offensive line troubles for most of the season and was knocked down a whopping 99 times over the first six weeks of the season. He's still a high risk- high reward player, even though he only had 1 game with more than 2td and that was week 17. Maclin was recovering from illness, Celek from early injuries and D Jackson was at times a lazy runner but now has a contract. They have upgraded their offensive line and McCoy has worked hard this off season to improve his strength and blocking. Vick is also a threat on the ground and may get a few rushing touchdowns. Look for vick in late round 4 or early round 5 of your drafts. Don't overpay for Vick, only draft him if he falls to you in the right spot. You will be getting possible round 2 production from a round 5 quarterback..
Josh Freeman (TB): The Bucs have added V.Jackson and have upgraded their offensive line. The Bucs drafted RB Doug Martin with the 31st pick out of Boise State. Martin has great hands and will receive a few short passes from Freeman. Except Martin and Blount to share carries in 2012. A solid running game will take some pressure off Freeman and with the addition of V.Jackson, Mike Williams will no longer be double teamed and could have a descent bounceback season himself. They also added TE Dallas Clark as Kellen Winslow has moved on to Seatle. I would confidently draft Freeman as my backup QB for a bye week replacement that has potential to start for you in the right situation.
Ryan Fitzpatrick(BUF): Fitz led the NFL in 2011 with 23 Int's and was tied with Rivers with 8 games with 2+ Int's. Alot of those interceptions came late in games where they were trying to comeback from huge deficits and those numbers should come down. Fitz has the potential for 4000 yards and 25 touchdowns which is great for a QB you can get very late in your draft. With S.Johnson, CJ Spiller and Fred Jackson expect Fitz to have a solid season. The Bills also play play at home during week 13,14 and 15 against Jacksonville, St Louis and Seatle and if you make the fantasy championship will be playing at Miami in week 16. I would draft Fitz very late in the draft as a great bye week and possibly starting QB especially if your league doesn't punish for interceptions.
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