Gunther Spore ’16

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Many of us at Strake Jesuit play fantasy football with friends and family–sometimes even for money, just to make things interesting. For whenever you get around to playing fantasy football, here is some advice:

Know your league. This could be one of the most important factors in drafting. Different positions values increase and decrease dramatically. For example, in a Point Per Reception (PPR) league the value of Antonio Brown is hugely increased making him a top three pick versus his value in a standard scoring league.

Always utilize the waiver wire. Let’s face it. Not every player you draft is going to be a fantasy stud. Every year a player breaks out and has a huge season. If you take the opportunity to nab that player, you are going to be successful.

Research and draft a strong bench. Inevitably you will lose players to injuries. It happens to everyone; Having a decent bench makes the impact of losing players easier. Do not be the guy who leaves the draft after the third round because he thinks the rest of the draft isn’t important.

Don’t believe the hype. While some players turn out to become fantasy power houses, a lot fail. For example, Doug Martin, Demarco Murray, and I hate to say it, Arian Foster have all had high fantasy hopes that have been dashed by either injuries or poor showings on the field.

The offensive line is one of the most important parts of a team. Think about Demarco Murray’s disastrous season so far in Philadelphia compared to his record-setting season in Dallas the year before. If you asked yourself how could that happen, it’s simple: the offensive line. Dallas has one of the premier offensive lines in the league, so any running back from there (no matter how bad) will have decent to great value.

That’s my advice. Let me know if you have any questions. I would be happy to help