By the fantasy managers, for the fantasy managers.
1. Is not always about the players, but the matchups.
Nowadays most league managers think that because they have really good players in their starting lineups they should never turn to their benches and consider starting a player who may not be as good but has a better match up. This specific mistake is one of the most common amongst fantasy managers. Instead of always starting one of the better players in their team, managers should look at their match ups first because that could potentially avoid having a unexpectedly horrible fantasy week.
2. Look out for schedule toughness before picking.
This one is tricky and it goes hand in hand with the previous tip. Nevertheless, it is very much worth noting that if you pick good players who play in really weak conferences, you will most likely win more due to better matchups. You should also consider trading a good player in the case he has a very tough schedule. For example, in the case you pick a really good player who has a really weak schedule at the beginning of the season and then the schedule gets really tough at the end, you should consider trading him, because that player's risk of injuries will increase and given that this player will have good stats, it will make him a valuable trading tool. Thus, you could get one or even two really good players in return right before your original player loses some of its value.
3. Running-backs should be your priority.
Ok, most people do not really believe this should be a given; however, based on stats and simple logic, the best teams in most of 8-12 team leagues will have at least 3 really good running backs. The reason why backs are so valuable is not only because they are the position that produces the most points on average, but also because they are very prone to injury. I know, this may sound contradicting but injuries are quite common in football and due to their relevance they definitely increase the value of good backs. As a fantasy football manager you should always look out for them because they can happen at the worst of times. So make sure, you always aim at picking at least 4 running backs when drafting your team that way you have something to work with in the case you get injuries.
4. Do not keep too many inactive players in your roster.
Sometimes there may be a case in which some of the best players in the league will be injured at the start of the season. While unfortunate to some, this may seem like your perfect opportunity to snag some of them up, so when these players come back they'll go off. However, do not let this fool you because if you have too many players who are out for some time, you will face the risk of wasting spots in your bench. These bench spots in your roster can be critically valuable because injuries and byes can pile up and it will give you much less flexibility during the time these ruled-out players are unable to play. So I would advise to not pick more than 1 or 2 players of this kind.
5. Do not make trades early on.
The reason why you should not make trades early in the season is because players do not really hit their stride or give you an idea of how they'll play until week 7 ish. On top of that some temporarily unobservable variables might be affecting a players production like a personal problem with the team/coaches/managers, or maybe trade talks could be going on. Therefore, if you do not wait out a little bit for all those things to settle, you could miss out in what it could potentially be a really valuable fantasy player in the case you give him away too early.
6. Do not roster too many players from the same team.
This is a principle when it comes to money stock acquisition, and you should look at fantasy players in the same exact way. The reason why you should avoid having too many players from one team though, is because you will reduce the risk of getting really bad weeks if their team plays bad, and on top of that you will have to deal with more players out for bye weeks. And that sir/ma'am is "no bueno."
7. Always go for reliability rather than explosiveness.
Sometimes, managers think that because a player has a really high point ceiling, you should pick them up. This, however, should not be the deciding factor when picking a player. Instead, you should look at a players "bust" stat or minimum amount of projected points. Drafting players following this statistic will guarantee you more consistent outcomes or payoffs, and it will help you predict more accurately how your players will perform week in and week out. That way in the case one of your players has a bad matchup, you will be able to sub him out for someone who has a better matchup and may keep their "bust" stat low, while also having an increased ceiling for that week.
