The Delicate Art of Swapping

Dear Yardmark,

In my last letter I warned you not to get too excited this early in the season and doom your team with unnecessary player swaps.  To be clear, when I say “swap”, I mean dropping a player and picking one up on the wavier wire or as a free agent, as opposed to trading with another player.

Spinning Wheels

Team owners start getting excited about new hot players they see touted in fantasy chat rooms, blogs, and on television.  While these are good sources to get your info, they tend to over hype players.  If you buy into this “get the hot player of the week” strategy, you will end up spinning your wheels down the road of mediocrity.

In a few weeks, look for two to three week trends to pick up really worthwhile players (I’ll explain this down the road).  In the meantime, let the other teams spin their wheels.  They’ll pick up some good players here and there, but it will become part of their weekly routine and they’ll end of with a team of so-so players.  Every hot pick of the week doesn’t always pan out.

When you should swap early in the season

Sometimes it is beneficial to grab a player you need for the week.  For example, a kicker or a defense which is playing against a poor offense.   Also, when there is a major injury to a QB or RB, it is sometimes a good idea to pick up their backup if they are going to be out for a while (like Mike Vick and Brandon Jackson) this year.

It’s a long season.  Let it shake out a little before making major moves.

Regards,

Your Uncle Gridiron

Free Agents, Waivers, and the Waiver Wire

Dear Yardmark,

Let us discuss free agents, players on waivers, and the waiver wire.  It’s a simple concept and you need to know how to use it to your advantage when swapping players.

Waiver Wire vs. Free Agents

When a player is a free agent you can pick them up without claiming them on waivers.  This means once you pick them up they’re yours and whoever you drop is placed on waivers.  Check your league rules to find out how long players are placed on waivers after you drop them and make a note of it.

From the time the first game occurs all players that were free agents are now on waivers until all of the games are complete.  During this time, to pick up a player you’ll have to submit who you are going to drop and who you’d like to pick up.  Every week there is a waiver order.  The person highest up in order has first dibs on a player on waivers and on down the line.  Because of this the player you want may be snagged by someone higher up in the order.  Have a backup plan if you really need to fill a position because of bye weeks or injuries because you may not get what you want.

How does this help?

Use this knowledge to decide when to pick up players.  If you have a high waiver order it may be beneficial to wait until you really need a player without someone grabbing him in front of you.  So put some more thought when claiming players off of waivers and think more liberally when picking up free agents.

Yardmark, one last thing: limit your moves the first few weeks of the season to avoid emotionally picking up a player because of his initial performance.  We’ll discuss this concept in future letters but for now use caution and check out what the experts are saying.

Warmly,

Your Uncle Gridiron

The Gridiron Letters

Dear Yardmark,

Congratulations  on your first week as a team owner in the the NVFFL.  I’m sure you’ve raised some eyebrows in the league based on the management of your first week’s roster.

That being said, you must not get comfortable because of this first week’s victory.   There are many things you need to know that the other teams may not know yet which will give you an advantage when coming up with a weekly strategy.

Every week is a battle.  You must structure time for family, homework, sports & play, football research, and of course – football viewing.  Get your priorities in order,  read my letters, follow my advice, and earn the respect and awe of the other owners in whatever league(s) your are in.

The following letters will guide your way through fantasy leagues for years to come.  We won’t focus on flash in the pan players or talk about team power rankings.  You will read fundamental advice that will be applicable to any fantasy league you are in.

Sincerely,

Your Uncle Gridiron