The concept is simple.

Midseason bye weeks and injuries leave holes in every roster at some point in the season. Most owners worry so much about their own roster holes they don’t think to look at their opponents roster, or what players they’ll need to be successful.

Here’s the trick. If there is a clear need on your opponent’s roster, go to the waiver and stash away the player your opponent wants.

Defensive is always the most obvious. Bad matchups and bye weeks will force teams to make moves. Be aware of what matchups your opposing teams defense is facing and be prepared to swoop if there is a clear defense on the waiver they would want.

Injuries are game changers as well.

Sometimes with our busy lives it is hard to keep track of them all every week. My suggestion is to find a fantasy football app that will give you alerts to your phone. They may be pesky but being the first to know big news is a big advantage.

Look, this isn’t always going to work. Sometimes you won’t want to drop anybody on your roster, sometimes your opponent will have a better waiver priority than you. There are a variety of scenarios where this strategy will not work, but there are some that do.

The point is that every fantasy football owner needs to be aware of the waiver block strategy.

This strategy may only work one or, if you’re lucky two times a season but that may be enough to propel you in to the playoffs, after that, all bets are off.

This isn’t our grandpa’s NFL. The game is changing. The days of dominating-defenses running the league have come to an end. Points per game in 2018 are the highest in NFL history. As a result, Fantasy Football players are left with a load of garbage to pick from at the defense position. Let us decipher some strategies on how to play the best defenses for your team.
 
Don’t be afraid to make a switch.

The league’s best defenses are clearly the Ravens and the Bears, but even they will have tough matchups coming up against teams like the Steelers, the Saints and the Patriots. It’s likely these normally dominate defenses will leave let you down.
  
Matchups are the most important variable when deciding what defense to add.

The most obvious answer is to look at what teams are facing the Bills, the 49ers, the Giants, the Raiders and the Cardinals that week. These teams are so bad your defense won’t have to force any turnovers, those offenses will just give them to you.
 
Speaking of turnovers, its good practice to know what defenses force the most, and what offenses commit the most.

Believe or not the Cleveland Browns have forced the most takeaways this season with 22 and they are only owned in 19 percent of Yahoo! Leagues. The team with the most committed turnovers? The Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
 
Use these tips to help decide what defense you want to roll with for the week and always keep in mind the variables of weather and injuries.
 
Good Luck on your matchups!
 
 
 

If you play fantasy football you are an investor. You invest in players and their production is your R.O.I. (return on investment). Logical thinking tells you the best players will have the best R.O.I. and you will win games. There is a small problem with this. Football is the ultimate team sport and a player’s production is directly influenced by the production of their team.
 
Does anybody believe Sammy Watkins is a better wide receiver than OBJ?
 
So how did Watkins double OBJ’s production in Week 2?
 
The answer is simple. The Chiefs have an explosive offense, arguably the best in the league. They move the ball and score a ton of points. The Giants on the other hand are 31 of 32 in points scored this season and Eli’s pass protection is so bad it looks like he might be the next player to retire at halftime.

What am I saying? Sometimes the best player isn’t the best play for fantasy. Look for players on high powered offenses with good matchups to find value.

For an example look at player like James White. On the consistently great offensive of the New England Patriots it is likely he will outperform a player like David Johnson most Sundays. Johnson is a top-3 running back but plays with a very mediocre Arizona Cardinal offense.

An above average player on a good team will often outperform a great player on a bad team.
 
To sum it up remember that when you invest in a player, you also invest in their team. If the team can’t score a lot of points, it is unlikely that player will be able to either. As the saying goes, when you marry a girl, you marry her family. That same concept applies to fantasy football.

Pure panic rushes up your spine. The worst-case scenario is now your reality.

You’ve drafted the league’s best running back, your bell cow for the season, and he’s holding out until… Week 10? Don’t worry, you’re going to be fine. If you weren’t able to swoop up James Conner and are now left in running back woes, there are other options. While you may not be able to find another player who can match Le’von Bell’s production, you may be able to find a formidable replacement on the waiver.
 
Here are some targets to consider.
 
Check out San Francisco’s Matt Breida.

After Jerick McKinnon’s season ending injury many Fantasy owners rushed to get Alfred Morris, but after his inability to covert goal line touches into touchdowns and committing a costly fumble at the two-yard line in Sunday’s game, Breida took the feature back role for the 49ers. With Kyle Shanahan’s offense, he will be sure to see lots of production, especially in the passing game with a tasty matchup against Detroit this week. Look for a solid performance from this young running back for the rest of the season.

Breida is owned in 57% of Yahoo leagues.
 
Another player to consider is Corey Clement.

I know he’s a third string running back but consider this; he played more snaps and out touched starter Jay Ajayi in Week 1. With Darren Sproles out with a hamstring injury I expect Clement to have big game against the atrocious defense of the Tampa Bay Bucs this week.

Clement is owned in only 20% of Yahoo leagues.
 
I know these players didn’t have great games in Week 1 but consider that both these guys faced elite defenses and in Fantasy Football, it’s all about matchups.
 
 
 

Been playing this awesome game for over eight years and thought I could share my insights and observations about the game with the world. I’ve won a few times, placed second and third a few as well. Made my fair share of mistakes but I’ve had fun the whole way through.

Hope some of my tips help you in your league. Good luck and remember to always have fun.

“My team is garbage.” – 90% of Fantasy Football Team Owners