The NFL season is finally here, and that means the start of fantasy football. With the season right around the corner, it’s important to be aware of a few general guidelines to help your season go as smooth as possible. Whether this is Year 1 or Year 25 playing fantasy football, these do’s and don’ts can teach you something new or be a good refresher.
Fantasy Football 2024: Do’s and Dont’s
Do: Ignore Injury Reports Until Friday for All Sunday and Monday Games
When a player shows up on the injury report Wednesday and your fantasy platform of choice sends you a notification that they’re listed as questionable, ignore it the way you would a work email on Saturday night. More often than not, it’s a formality the team has to go through when trying to manage player’s workloads. For example, if Derrick Henry gets listed as questionable three days after carrying the ball 30 times and didn’t leave the game injured, there’s a strong chance it’s just soreness. Don’t let that questionable tag cause you to worry.
Don’t: Start Players in Flex Spots Who Play Before the Weekend
This is one a lot of people don’t know about, which is why it’s important to cover. Save the flex spots for those playing on Sunday or Monday especially later in the season when injuries become more prevalent. It’s important to get into this habit even in Week 1 ahead of the Ravens vs Chiefs matchup.
Players like Zay Flowers, Rashee Rice or Xavier Worthy should either be in WR2 or WR3 slots (depending on roster construction) or on the bench. By using them in the flex, it limits your options come Sunday morning when those game-time decisions are released.
Do: Give Your Team Two Weeks Before Making Major Roster Changes
Fantasy owners aren’t the most patient people, but patience is everything here. Slow starts happen to individual players and teams. It’s important to trust your gut and draft strategy to give players a chance to shake off the rust especially when some stars rarely play in the preseason.
There’s always a few players who fall into this trap every year. Trust your process and at least keep them on the bench until Week 3 before you make any moves. You don’t want to be the person who gave up on a player too soon and gifted someone else a championship.
Don’t: Use Projected Points or Draft Position to Determine Starts/Sits
Starts and sits come down to trusting your gut and looking at matchups. First-round players like Breece Hall and CeeDee Lamb play every week except their bye. However, those flex players are the ones you have to make a decision on every week and projected points or draft position can’t be in the equation.
Which player is going against the worst defense? Who always finds a way to produce? Those are the questions you should be asking yourself. Don’t play the game of picking lineups based on when you drafted them. Projected points are another trap so many people fall in, and there should be a way to hide them when setting your lineup.
Main Photo Courtesy of Denny Medley – USA Today Sports
