In each of us exists two different fantasy football players, the one we’ve BEEN and the one we ARE. By that I mean we aren’t the same players today as we were when we began playing. We’ve memorized more statistics, studied more trends, learned more about our competitors and generally speaking grown into more sophisticated players as the years have gone by.
However, like it or not we are often times our own worst enemy.
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Personal Case Study of How Not to Win in Fantasy Football
Take for example my ridiculous drop of Jonathan Stewart in about week 8 of the 2009 fantasy season. I needed to add another player to cover up for a weak WR group and since Mr. Stewart hadn’t cracked my lineup all year I felt comfortable kicking him to the curb. Well, he singlehandily cost me the championship. Or, more accurately my stupidity cost me the championship. My arch-enemy and finals opponent had picked him up and played him against me in week 15. I couldn’t overcome his 109 rushing yards, 14 receiving yards and 2 TDs and lost by about a dozen points – embarrassing (especially for a guy in the fantasy business don’t you think?).
We all make mistakes that come back to haunt us and it’s impossible to make all the right calls. But, and this is a BIG BUT, many of us make the SAME mistakes over and over which significantly impact our performance. I’m talking about things like:
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- drafting that rookie QB even though you told yourself you wouldn’t every do it ever again
- dropping a solid RB because he hasn’t produced through the first month of the season
- pick up the “hot” player because everyone seems to be talking about him (even though in your heart you know it doesn’t make sense)
- continuing to start “your guy” regardless of his terrible production because you drafted him high and feel he’s going to break out
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One-off mistakes are tolerable. Recurring mistakes are not.
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From Genius to Bonehead in Less Than 2 Weeks
Here’s a note I jotted down on 8/28/10:
“Josh McDaniels is a pass-first guy and when he was the offensive coordinator in New England the team set single season scoring records. Now that he’s in his 2nd year in Denver his “system” should be in good shape and he could make Kyle Orton a stud.”
Following my own thoughts and advice I picked up Kyle Orton prior to week 1 (he went undrafted). Pretty smart decision – at least through week 4, right?
Well, I would love to sit here and pat myself on the back but I followed up that intelligent thought with a dumb one, a real dumb one…I dropped Kyle Orton on 9/9/10. Since then he’s only gone on to be one of the top 3 fantasy producing QBs. Just awesome.
I should have learned from past mistakes…but didn’t.
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How to be a Better Fantasy Player…Right Now
“Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it” - George Santayana
To be a better fantasy player do one simple thing…keep track of your moves and thoughts. Trust me on this, it will give you perspective into your team management skills that will make a big difference. Take notes…the more the better. Write down the moves you make but also your thoughts and observations as each week passes. Have a gut feeling about a guy? Have someone on your radar? Write them down and review them from time to time to see if those ideas worked out. You’ll be amazed at what you can learn from your own fantasy football diary – good and bad.
Another thought, what about keeping track of players you drafted from year to year and look back after the season to see what worked and what bombed. Could be amazingly helpful in next years draft.
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Note-Taking Made Easy
PlayThisGuy.com provides a super simple way to take fantasy football specific notes so check it out. It could just be the one trick that helps you win more often this season.
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