The preseason games are out of the way, the regular season has begun and its time to look at your team after the draft. Maybe you tore it up and have your dream team or panicked and everything fell apart, but no matter which players you drafted they are yours and you are going to have to make the most of them. The draft is only a small part of what determines the seasons out come. Fantasy football isn’t a set and forget game, how you manage your team will determine if you take it all or crash and burn.
The Waver Wire
It doesn’t matter if your like your team after the draft or not. Either way, you will be looking to the waver wire to improve your team and your chances of a championship.
All of the undrafted fantasy players will be placed in a pool of free agents that you can add to your roster. This will be the first place you look when you have an injured or under performing player, but even if you aren’t looking for replacement players it is still a key to a successful season.
Every year there are players who don’t get drafted and go on to dominate the league. Players break out for a plethora of reasons. A backup takes over the lead role, a good player comes back from injury. Maybe a trade happens that puts a player on a more favorable team. No matter what the case, it will happen. If you can find and acquire these players before your opponents you gain a distinct disadvantage during the season.
To do so you are going to need to do research and focus your attention on future weeks. Research includes reading articles like the ones found on the TheFantasyGridiron, watching your favorite sports news station and checking NFL Injury reports. If you hear word about a second stringer getting more reps at practice or a lead running backs hamstring acting up, it could be time to drop your weakest player and pick up a potential diamond in the rough.
Some example of 2015 gems were the Justin Forsette in the Ravens back field. After Ray Rice was removed from the team due to off field conduct it became a Running back by committee in Baltimore. There were three players that could have stepped up to take the lead role and it was weeks until Forsett showed that it would be him. If you waited until he was the obvious front runner you would have to fight with the rest of the league for him, but if you scooped him up early you got a top 10 running back for free.
The same goes for Odell Beckham Jr. he was a rookie injured for half the season and went undrafted in most leagues. Victor Cruz was injured and when OBJ came back he was immediately the Giants WR1. Many people scooped him up a week or two before he was expected to return and they rode him all the way to the championship.
You are looking for changes in a teams starting role. When getting to start players will get much more play time and their fantasy production will increase. Not every player that gets a starting job will become a breakout success, but that’s ok. All it cost you is a bench space for a week or two. The opportunity cost for a missed swing is nothing compared to a hitting a homer out of the park. This is especially true in auction leagues where grabbing a player a week earlier could be the difference of costing $1 and a small fortune.
Whatever your teams situation is make sure to check the waiver every week. It will be your go to for bye week, injury replacements, and that break out star.