It’s week 10 of the 2014 season and a lot of fantasy football teams look pretty similar to draft day. That is simply not giving yourself the best chance to win.
You have to think of fantasy football like a stock market.
Not only am I consistently trying to trade players that I believe have hit their plateau and always trying to buy talent low, but I routinely check the waiver wire for potential.
If the WR that hasn’t done much for you all year has a couple of good weeks on your bench, see if you can move him for a startable player. If a RB you like has a few down weeks see if that owner is willing to trade him, and always make sure there aren’t more talented players on the waiver wire than on your team.
As I’ve written about previously, I always like doing 2 for 1 trades; not only are you getting the best player in the deal, you open up another spot on your roster. Waiver wire additions can be hit or miss, but if you get a hit you can make another 2 for 1.
Basically, the idea is to constantly try to upgrade your team.
If you have a high waiver and the opportunity to pick up a good player but don’t because you don’t need him, that’s just not smart. Even if you’re not obsessed with fantasy football, all it takes is half an hour on Tuesday night to work the wire and look through your opponent’s teams.
I’m always looking at teams to see if they have a glaring need because that’s when they’re most susceptible to make an uneven trade in your favor.
Say you see a team’s top 2 RBs go down and you have a nice one as your RB3, but your WRs aren’t so hot, you can likely make that owner an enticing offer for your RB3 and a bench player in exchange for one of his starting WRs.
If you have a hot commodity that you don’t necessarily need, I always like group texting – It’s a way to start a bidding war, which is something you always want. For example, I picked up Ronnie Hillman in a league that I already have Jamaal Charles and Eddie Lacy. Now, of course, I can still start Hillman so I don’t need to trade him, but if I can group him and my WR2/3 for a stud WR1, I’m certainly going to do it.
You want to create the best starting lineup you can since having a great player on your bench won’t do you any good come championship week.
I have Julio Jones, Randall Cobb, and Kelvin Benjamin, so if I can flip Hillman and Cobb/Benjamin for Antonio Brown or Calvin Johnson, that would be ideal. I’ll send a few owners a message and hopefully one bites. If you have more time to spend on fantasy football and have a record that looks like you’ll be making playoffs, you can even start looking at what players have great matchups in those weeks to give you an advantage.
Those that plan ahead and are always trying to get better are usually the ones winning the championship at the end of the season.
