Fantasy Football Podcast 2016 - 10 Tips and Tricks to Win Your Fantasy Football League

Summary

Fantasy Footballers Podcast 2016 - 10 Tips and Tricks to Win Your Fantasy Football League

Release Date: August 19, 2016

Introduction

In this engaging episode of the Fantasy Footballers Podcast, hosts Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, and Mike "The Fantasy Hitman" Wright delve deep into their top 10 tips and tricks designed to help fantasy football enthusiasts dominate their leagues. Packed with expert analysis, strategic advice, and entertaining banter, this episode serves as a comprehensive guide for both seasoned players and newcomers aiming to enhance their fantasy football prowess.

---

Tip 10: Keep an Eye on the Injured Reserve (IR)

Overview: The hosts emphasize the strategic advantage of utilizing the IR spot effectively. By drafting players eligible for IR or promptly moving injured players to this slot, managers can free up valuable roster spots to bolster their teams.

Key Points:

• Proactive Management: Instead of reacting to injuries as they occur, prepare preemptively during drafts and before the season starts.
• Example: Mike Wright cites Dion Lewis, suggesting that drafting an IR-eligible player allows managers to replace him without losing a roster spot.

Notable Quote:

Jason Moore (07:52): "If you've drafted Dion Lewis is marked as an O, you might think, and maybe, maybe because of that he drops down your draft, you get a value on Dion Lewis."

---

Tip 9: Tier-Based Drafting

Overview: Tier-based drafting is presented as a superior method over traditional ranking lists. By categorizing players into tiers based on their projected performance, managers can make more informed decisions during drafts.

Key Points:

• Value Identification: Helps determine when to draft from a particular position by comparing tiers.
• Strategic Flexibility: Allows managers to pivot between positions based on remaining player tiers.

Notable Quote:

Mike Wright (10:53): "What you need to do is you need to actually have every single position with tier breaks and you can make them yourself or look at ours on Ultimate Draft Kit."

---

Tip 8: Running Back Strategy

Overview: Contrary to some community beliefs, the hosts argue that running backs remain a crucial component of a successful fantasy team despite recent trends questioning their reliability.

Key Points:

• Positional Scarcity: Running backs are harder to replace compared to wide receivers.
• Value in Depth: Possessing multiple running backs increases the likelihood of having a reliable starter each week.

Notable Quote:

Jason Moore (16:05): "They are more valuable because they are harder to get. And when you're drafting, you should always have more."

---

Tip 7: Know Your Surroundings During Drafts

Overview: Understanding the dynamics of the draft environment is essential. This includes monitoring other teams' selections and adjusting strategies accordingly.

Key Points:

• Track Draft Progress: Keep an eye on which positions other teams are filling to identify potential value picks.
• Trade Opportunities: Recognize moments to trade up based on draft trends.

Notable Quote:

Mike Wright (17:59): "Look, everyone in the league, in your league, loves their own players. That's the reality."

---

Tip 6: Master of Trades

Overview: Effective trading can significantly enhance a team's performance. The hosts advocate for strategic multi-player trades to maximize value and roster flexibility.

Key Points:

• Two-for-One Trades: Trading multiple players for one high-impact player while considering future waiver wire pickups.
• Strategic Advantage: Gaining top-tier players provides a competitive edge over league opponents.

Notable Quote:

Jason Moore (20:15): "I love two for one and three for one trades. Because what you realize is that you are sending two players away and receiving one player plus a roster spot."

---

Tip 5: Harness the Information Superhighway

Overview: Leveraging online resources and social media platforms, especially Twitter, is crucial for staying ahead with real-time updates and insider information.

Key Points:

• Real-Time Updates: Follow beat reporters and fantasy football experts on Twitter for the latest news.
• Draft Resources: Utilize tools like DraftWizard.com and the Fantasy Footballers' Ultimate Draft Kit for mock drafts and tiered rankings.

Notable Quote:

Jason Moore (23:06): "If you are not on Twitter, please make an account. You can do that. I'm not saying you need to participate in conversations, just be there for information."

---

Tip 4: Maintain Composure During the Season Start

Overview: The initial weeks of the fantasy season can be turbulent, but maintaining a calm and strategic approach is vital for long-term success.

Key Points:

• Avoid Overreactions: Don't panic over a single bad week or rave over an unexpectedly good performance.
• Focus on the Long Game: Stick to your draft strategy and make informed decisions based on overall season performance rather than short-term outcomes.

Notable Quote:

Jason Moore (26:27): "Take deep breaths. Don't panic. Stay calm. You'll be okay."

---

Tip 3: Go Deep on Quarterbacks

Overview: While quarterbacks are essential, the hosts recommend waiting until the later rounds to draft them, allowing managers to allocate early picks to more scarce positions like running backs and wide receivers.

Key Points:

• Streaming Strategy: By drafting quarterbacks late, managers can utilize the waiver wire to replace underperforming QBs week-to-week.
• Value Maximization: Drafting high-performing QBs late can yield significant points without sacrificing early draft picks on position scarcity.

Notable Quote:

Mike Wright (30:15): "Because you can get quarterback production nearly anywhere. You can get it out of the dumpster."

---

Tip 2: Embrace the Grind of the Champion

Overview: Winning a fantasy league extends beyond the draft; it requires continuous management throughout the season, including active waiver wire pickups and savvy trade decisions.

Key Points:

• Ongoing Effort: Success is built through consistent weekly management rather than relying solely on draft performance.
• Adaptability: Being responsive to player performances and injuries can make the difference between winning and losing.

Notable Quote:

Mike Wright (34:33): "You can't just put in a little bit of work right before your draft and then say my job is done. You have to do that from week one through sixteen."

---

Tip 1: Focus on Fun and Traditions

Overview: Fantasy football isn't just a competition; it's a social and entertaining endeavor. Building traditions and enjoying the camaraderie with league mates enhances the overall experience.

Key Points:

• Engagement: Establishing unique league traditions, such as fun bets or thematic drafts, fosters a more enjoyable environment.
• Community: Interacting with friends and rivals in creative ways adds depth to the fantasy football experience.

Notable Quote:

Jason Moore (37:23): "Fantasy football is also about the traditions that you build in your league. That's what addicts us to fantasy football."

---

Conclusion

This episode of the Fantasy Footballers Podcast encapsulates a wealth of knowledge aimed at elevating listeners' fantasy football strategies. From draft day tactics like tier-based drafting and IR management to in-season strategies such as maintaining composure and active team management, the hosts provide actionable insights backed by their extensive experience. Additionally, the emphasis on enjoying the game and building league traditions underscores the holistic approach the Fantasy Footballers advocate for a fulfilling fantasy football experience.

Whether you're gearing up for your draft or navigating the complexities of the season, these 10 tips serve as a valuable roadmap to achieving fantasy football success.

Transcript

[Mike Wright]

Foreign.

[Andy Holloway]

Welcome to the Fantasy Footballers Podcast coming to you from the fantasyjocks.com studios with your hosts, Andy Holloway, Jason Moore and Mike Wright.

[Jason Moore]

How's everybody doing?

[Mike Wright]

Very, very, very well.

[Jason Moore]

You are.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, my goodness.

[Jason Moore]

Welcome back.

[Mike Wright]

Today is the show of shows.

[Jason Moore]

It is. Welcome to the Fantasy Footballers Podcast. Andy Holloway, Mike the Fantasy Hitman Wright and Jason Moore. Back again where your year round independent fantasy football podcast bringing you everything you need to know to win your league.

[Unknown]

And have some fun.

[Jason Moore]

And have some fun doing it. That's right.

[Mike Wright]

Foot Clan titles.

[Jason Moore]

That's right. We are five days a week from now until the end of the season. So if you need anything in regards to fantasy football, all the news, the notes, the updates, everything, strategies and all of our rankings, that type of stuff, keep it right here, subscribe to the podcast, listen to the show and we will bring it each and every day, I promise you that. So we're gonna start the show like we always do with a quick question. Today's quick question comes from Twitter at promarkdrums. So we got a drummer.

[Unknown]

All right.

[Jason Moore]

He asks who the biggest early round. So rounds one or two, who's the biggest early round risk not named Le'Veon Bell. Well, the biggest early round risk not named le'Veon Bell.

[Mike Wright]

I'm going to go ahead and throw out a name that will shame both of you. I love this player. I think he will have a great season. I am not saying that I expect him to bust, but I think that the biggest risk has to be David Johnson in those first two rounds because the capital that you're investing in him with that early first round pick says he, he hits, he hits 100%. And that requires that he gets a lion's share of work that he is truly that, you know, first, second and third down back, that just gets spelled, you know, when he needs to be by Chris Johnson. But we have a small sample size. You know, this, this is somewhat reminiscent of where CJ Anderson was going last year. You had the second half, he was amazing. It's just a small sample size. Again, on the record, I expect David Johnson to have a great year, but I do think it's a risky pick. And so you guys know me personally in those first and second rounds, that's where I go risk averse. And I have not been drafting David Johnson because I would rather have everyone in those rounds is great. I'd rather just have a guy. I feel more confident in his baseline, in his floor, not necessarily his ceiling.

[Jason Moore]

For me, the biggest risk in the first two rounds. Not name Le'Veon Bell, possibly with Le'Veon Bell included, is Rob Gronkowski.

[Unknown]

You took mine, Rob.

[Jason Moore]

That's why I got it out there, man. Rob Gronkowski. You mix the injury, concerns, risks, things built into Rob Gronkowski with the fact you are selecting a tight end in lieu of a wide receiver or running back. And he makes a very high upside, very risky pick for fantasy owners in the first two rounds.

[Unknown]

Yeah. And for me, what I was going to throw in on, on Gronk is that, look, it looks like the window is closing it. Maybe that was just a last year thing, but what I say by the window is his stranglehold of being the dominant of the position. Look, Rob Gronkowski was the best in 15 games in PPR, 255 points. The number five tight end was Greg Olson with 227. That's only 30 points.

[Jason Moore]

And every tight end, Antonio Gates went through this too. He was the alpha. And then others came along and there is a point when that happens.

[Unknown]

Just saying that you only have to play one tight end and perhaps, perhaps that, like I said, his dominance of being the guy is closing. I would say it pains me to say it a little bit, but you can keep.

[Jason Moore]

You can do Gronk.

[Mike Wright]

I think I know who he's going to say.

[Jason Moore]

I don't have to pick a different name.

[Mike Wright]

I want another one. Andy. I want another name.

[Jason Moore]

Okay, so what's the next name if you don't get a pick? Gronk.

[Unknown]

My next name would be Jordy Nelson.

[Mike Wright]

I knew it. I knew because you said it would pain you. And I think he's in the list. It's appropriate that he's there.

[Unknown]

And here's the only reason. Jordan Nelson, because he's a bit older and coming off an ACL injury, which, you know what, I'm normally I'd be perfectly fine with that, but he's sandwiched right in these guys of. You're probably picking either Jordy or Alan Robinson, Brandon Marshall, Mike Evans, these guys that are also looking in that elite top tier, but they don't have an ACL that they're coming off of.

[Jason Moore]

Jason alluded to it earlier. Today is a big show. We have the top 10 tips and tricks for your fantasy football team. You don't want to miss this episode. This is one of those episodes that you want to, you know, print out and hang on your wall.

[Mike Wright]

Can you do that?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. Yeah, you can. You should get it put on a big.

[Unknown]

How do you print out a golden.

[Jason Moore]

Record, put it on a golden record, Hang it up on the wall. Yeah, that's what they do. They print right to the records. You don't know anything, Mike. Look, if you want to, questions are coming in all the time right now. Everybody's got their drafts going on. If you want to connect with us on the website, it's thefantasyfootballers.com you can follow us on Twitter heffballers. We love interacting with you. That's what we do on this show is we try to interact with as many of your questions, no matter what they are. And so definitely try to connect with us on social media. We're on YouTube as well, so you can check out the show on YouTube. And don't forget our fantasy football community, JoinTheFoot.com is where you want to go for that. This is our home, alright? This is where we hang out. This is where we provide exclusive content giveaways every month, insider tips, that type of thing. It's the insider access to the fantasy footballers.

[Mike Wright]

Our fans live on jointhefoot.com and we interact with them there more than anywhere else.

[Jason Moore]

And what I get a lot of messages on Join the Foot about is they say, you know what, I've listened to you for about a year, love all of the advice, had had success in my league. I'm jumping on board. I don't know why I didn't do this sooner. I'm jumping on board with you guys and getting involved with the community. We got some really cool people in the foot clan. So check that [e-mail] so as far as news, we're going to. We're going to hold off on news. We want to get right into the tips and tricks. We're going to hold off on news until Monday. We're going to watch all the preseason games. We're going to drop all the news, everything we saw. You're going to get that on Monday with the preseason review. So we're going to hold back, you know, Mike's willing desire to talk all about the Browns and how much he loves them. We're going to hold off Kristen. Michael. He's actually trying to break the door down right now.

[Unknown]

He's breaking down the door of my heart.

[Jason Moore]

So instead we're going to jump right in right now. Top 10 tips and tricks.

[Andy Holloway]

Tips and tricks.

[Jason Moore]

This is exciting. This is good. You want to file these ones away. They're very, very helpful for you.

[Andy Holloway]

Number 10.

[Jason Moore]

All right, number 10. I'm going to start this one off and we're going to title it. Keep an eye on the ir. Okay, here's what I'm talking about. If you are in a league that has an injured reserve spot, so a position on your bench that you can only put players who are out right.

[Unknown]

Or on IR and know the rules of how it works for your particular.

[Jason Moore]

League, you should be thinking about this not just when a player eventually gets hurt on your roster and then you get to slide them into that spot. You should be thinking about this during your draft and after your draft, before the season. Here's why it's a free roster spot. Let me give you an example right now, today, Dion Lewis in espn. If you've drafted Dion Lewis is marked as an O, you might think, and maybe, maybe because of that he drops down your draft, you get a value on Dion Lewis. Picking him means you get to slide him right into the IR spot and drop and grab another flyer for your bench. That's, that's the built in gift of an IR eligible player. And there are other players like that right now that you can put in there. There are also guys that at the beginning of the season be monitoring that in your league. If you have no one in your IR a week or two goes by, look on the waiver wire, click on the IR eligible button. If you're playing on like espn, it's different on the other formats. Just see who's there. Because some players, if they miss a week, slide them in there. You won't be able to make other roster moves if they become activated. Like you'll have to make a decision, but you get the opportunity to snag somebody. We've done this for years. I can remember grabbing Andre Brown of the New York Giants years ago, putting him in the IR spot, leaving him there, activating him in week, week eight.

[Mike Wright]

And the nice thing is this is both a pre and post draft maneuver. If you've already had your draft, you might not think about this. Just go check your team. And the thing is is if you've got nobody that's marked as out and tomorrow you realize like, oh, he got pulled from practice or whatever or he's going to miss. You know, they're just, they're going to take him out of this game. They're not going to play him this week. They will be designated as an O and if you catch it in the right time, right, because come practice next week they will be active again. You can move them to the O and just pick up another player. It's a great, it's a pro Tip.

[Unknown]

I love, I love the picking up the PUP guys. Like, if Deion Lewis, there's rumors maybe he ends up on the PUP list. You know what? In the draft, everyone is going to write him off. A guy who was going in the fifth or the sixth round because he has that kind of an upside. Well, in the 11th round, instead of picking up a flyer who may or may not grab a guy that you know can do it and just put him in your aisle for six weeks. And no loss. There is no loss to this move.

[Jason Moore]

So. So keep an eye on the IR number nine.

[Mike Wright]

All right. With the number nine, I'm going to go a little emotional here, really. I'm going to start tearing up. Tearing up. And the reason we call it tearing up is because you've heard us talk about this. But tier based drafting is the way that we draft. If you've listened to our mock drafts, you've heard us talk about it. It is the way we recommend all the foot clan who are listening. This is how you should draft. And let me just call ourselves out here because we are a little bit dummies. Our Ultimate Draft.

[Jason Moore]

That's good grammar again.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, well, we're a little bit dummies. Our Ultimate Draft Kit, you know, we, of course we had tiers in there. Our personal tiers are in there for every position. But our principal cheat sheets, we didn't put our tiers on that for a while. Rectified. So now, you know, the principal cheat sheets have the tiers on there. But what you need to do is you need to actually have every single position with tier breaks and you can make them yourself or look at ours on Ultimate Draft Kit. For years, you know, I've always made my own tiers and you mark where the gaps are. You know, the eighth receiver might be way, way, way better than the ninth receiver. And that's going to happen at every position. So as you go in your draft, it helps you decide, should I take a running back here or a wide receiver. You look at your tiers and you go, well, I got a tier 2 wide receiver still on the board. Even though you know the best running back here is so and so, I've got a way better value in the other position. Or another way you can use it is by going, okay, I might have a better tiered player in another position, but there's only like one guy left in a certain tier in a position I need. That's when you take a guy, you want those last guys in the upper tiers because you group Players who are similar together and you get the most value. It's. It's extremely helpful for knowing on the clock which position to take. I always draft tears, and I recommend it highly.

[Jason Moore]

I wish we could have made you tear up this past season and kept you in the losing column in our league of record, but it didn't happen because, come on, we drank your tears for years.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, well, I drink.

[Jason Moore]

I do. We do have a lot of people who write us and say, you know, they asked for the top 200 on. On the ultimate draft kit and things like that. And look, we have the top 200 in there, but the way to draft is tears. The way we recommend it every single time is. Is to do the extra bit of work. That's why we have the tiers in the. In the printable cheat sheets now, is so that. That is easier for you to do and you will draft better. Better that way, right?

[Mike Wright]

Absolutely. Way better than a top 200 list. We put out the top 200 list because people want them, don't use them.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. I mean, it can be useful if you want, like an overview, but don't let that be the only thing you draft off. Right. So that is it. We have. Keep an eye on the IR at number 10. We got tearing up for number nine.

[Andy Holloway]

Number eight.

[Unknown]

Number eight here. And we got. I'm thinking Arby's.

[Mike Wright]

Whoo.

[Unknown]

Running back.

[Jason Moore]

Running backs. I was thinking Arby's.

[Unknown]

You know, and here's the thing. Look, the fantasy community is freaked out. We have jumped the shark.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

So to speak. On the running back. And we think they are trash. They're garbage. All they do is bust. Wide receivers, they're so safe. That's why. That's all I'm taking is wide receivers, because I know that running backs are going to let me down. And look, yes, running backs bust at a higher percentage than wide receivers normally, but last year was an abomination. Was an outlier for the running back position. Okay, so of the top 12 running backs drafted last year, six of them were busts.

[Mike Wright]

No good.

[Unknown]

And by a bust, I'm also including an injury just because of. Sure, Lev Bell wasn't really a bust, but he got hurt. So you're considering him a bust. And you compare that to only three wide receivers busted last year, and you think, well, this is the way. This is the way of the future. However, go back to 2014. Only three running backs busted in the top 12. That includes Adrian Peterson, who got suspended for an entire year.

[Mike Wright]

Right.

[Unknown]

I'm pretty sure he would not have busted. And you compare that to oh, how many wide receivers busted? Three. The exact same amount. Go back another year. Six running back busts in the top 12. 50%. But four of the top 12 wide receivers busted. And then you go back one one more year even it was four and four.

[Jason Moore]

So look, did your numbers last year include Jordy. I'm just curious.

[Unknown]

The injury for Jordy D. Now Jordy Nelson was. Let's see where I'm looking at that. So here's the top 12 ADP. No, because he wasn't.

[Jason Moore]

It was by the time. Yeah, he was still was somebody. He should be an example of another guy that don't draft early. There's a free pro tip, there's a bonus.

[Unknown]

But so my point is yes, the running backs bust slightly more. However, they are more valuable because they are harder to get. And when you're drafting, you should always have more. If you either have an even balance of running backs or wide receivers or I skew to running backs because in let's, let's say my wide receiver four come week six if somebody gets hurt all of a sudden that Wide Receiver 4 does not elevate to a Wide Receiver 1. It's just not going to happen. However, my running back 5 if given the right opportunity in front of that of that player, all of a sudden he shoots to a running back one, they can gain value over time where a wide receiver just is not going to do that over the course of the season.

[Mike Wright]

And I would throw in on that. Another reason why running backs on your roster are more valuable than wide receivers on your roster at the end of your draft is because wide receivers are way, way, way deeper. When if you need to go pick a guy up off of waivers to play this week for one of those two spots, you're going to be just fine. If you need to pick a waiver wide receiver up and start him any week of the season, you can find that guy. You want to do that with running backs. It's just not going to happen on most weeks.

[Unknown]

I feel like I sounded angry during that segment.

[Jason Moore]

No, no, I think, I think what you did was you sounded cautionary for everybody out there who's overreacting. And look, there can be an argument made that because of that overreaction, because of the way your league mates will draft running backs are at an all time value mixed with the fact that they are more important. That argument that we've made forever about position scarcity is true. It doesn't mean that we aren't Extremely excited and confident to draft an Odell Beckham Jr. A Julio Jones and Antonio Brown and A.J. green. Those guys are great and they're extremely reliable, but you cannot overreact to those numbers. Mike broke down the past few years. Last year was a bit of an outlier and you always see that pendulum swing, so I like it. Number eight. I'm thinking rbs. All right, let's move on.

[Andy Holloway]

Number seven.

[Mike Wright]

All right, number seven here is. Know your surroundings. This is a draft day tip. When you draft now, there's a lot of different ways you draft, right. You sometimes use a draft software. You're just in an online draft. Sometimes you're at a place where you're using paper in person. In person. And there's no. There's just.

[Unknown]

You've got to try hologram.

[Mike Wright]

Yes. Maybe you're living in the future and you're drafting by hologram.

[Jason Moore]

Any of those situations, any possibility, you.

[Mike Wright]

Need to know your surroundings of what the other teams are doing. Okay. I'm not talking about, like, you've got to know the tendencies of other guys. That's helpful.

[Jason Moore]

Or what shirt they're wearing.

[Mike Wright]

I am specifically.

[Unknown]

Or their underpants.

[Mike Wright]

I am specifically talking about a very easy to do tip that helps you big time in drafts, which is track who other teams have drafted specifically what positions. So I'll give you a great example of something that happens every single draft that I'm in. Unless I'm on the turn. If I take a pick and I go, I'm six or seven picks, you know, away from my next pick and I look at my tiers, right? My other tip, and I say, there's only two quarterbacks in this tier that I really like. I start to think to myself, well, that's a good time. Now if I need to get a quarterback by that tier, I go, okay, it's time to pull the trigger. But you know what I'm going to do before I pull the trigger? I'm going to look at those seven picks in between me and my next pick and I'm going to go, oh, wait, everyone but one team already has a quarterback on their roster. So I'm not going to take that. That I'm going to take the. The quarterback that's left at my next pick and grab a better value at this pick. And the thing is about this is it seems really straightforward. It seems a little duh. But so many people don't do it when you're on the clock. And I would encourage you do it before you get on the clock. Because sometimes if you're on like that two minute timer, you just feel like, oh, I got to make my pick. And you're not prepared to know what's coming on in between your picks.

[Jason Moore]

I'm going to add to that another example of why that is so important to do. Oftentimes you are in a draft and you see the opportunity to trade up, Right? If you're in doing trades inside of a draft, you see the opportunity, oh, my gosh, I got to trade up and grab this guy that's still on the board. Sometimes you don't have to trade up to, let's say number 21, because nobody from 21 to 25 is going to draft that guy. So you trade up. You trade up to number 25 and you have to pay less to get up to that point because you know the other players ahead of you aren't drafting that position.

[Unknown]

So you got to know when to hold them, Got no one to fold them.

[Jason Moore]

Yes, Mike, you invented that line just now. That's very, very good.

[Mike Wright]

That's really good, Mike.

[Jason Moore]

Very good.

[Unknown]

Very poetic, huh?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, W, you should start a chicken place. All right, let's move on.

[Andy Holloway]

Number six.

[Jason Moore]

Number six. We're gonna call this one master of trades. And of course, I'm gonna go ahead and take this one.

[Mike Wright]

Of course, I'll interrupt and just say the reason Andy's taking this is because he is truly the master of. I will compliment you. Nobody trades as much as Andy, and I think I will. You win most trades, not all.

[Jason Moore]

I have done this so well that this year, it seems the world is banning me in our league of record. I have been in arguments with people who are just disparaging all of my offers now. So I think that there is an effort to stop. But look.

[Unknown]

Yeah, yeah, that's another pro tip disparage everybody.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, that's another. Yeah, exactly. So, all right, so let's talk about this master of trades. And what I want to talk about is in particular is the two for one trade. If you are getting the best player in return, I love overpaying. Now you might say, wait, what? You need exact value. No, you don't. You do not need exact value in a trade. I love two for one and three for one trades. Because what you realize, and you need to realize about those trades is that it is not a two for one trade. You are sending two players away. You are receiving one player, then you are receiving a roster spot to utilize on a waiver wire pickup. A lot of times you don't think about it that way. You need to think about who you would want off a waiver wire and include him mentally into the trade you're doing to decide if that value is there. Because that is the thing that pushes these trades. Where, look, everybody in the league, in your league, loves their own players. That's. That's the reality. Some way, way too much. Right? But you look at your own players through rose colored, colored glasses, which means to get rid of them, a lot of the time you need to be temporarily mesmerized by the trade offer. And so a lot of the time that I've had success doing trades, it is by sending an offer, not sitting there in back and forth and back. Look, I'm going to send you two.

[Unknown]

Guys shock and awe, baby.

[Jason Moore]

Shock and awe. That's a great way to put it. Because I'm going to get a roster spot to open up and I'm going to end up with the best overall player in the trade. And then I'm going to move on down the line. And you know what? I'm going to listen to the fantasy footballers. I'm going to have smart waiver, smart waiver wire pickups that I can then move those guys or they can step into my roster. So look at your trades with the waiver wire pickup with the extra roster spots in mind and, you know, go out and get your guy. That's what I say.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, well, those top, the top end guys that you normally need to trade two or three guys to go get, they are. They score a different level of points. That gives you a positional advantage. So when you plug in, you know, okay, maybe I lost a point or two here or there on those waiver pickups versus those other guys. You're gaining, you know, the four or five points per game. It ends up, you know, giving you a much better chance to win.

[Jason Moore]

All right, moving on.

[Andy Holloway]

Number five.

[Unknown]

Number five here. We're going with the information superhighway.

[Jason Moore]

Look, I've heard about this.

[Unknown]

I don't know if you have. People have heard about this. There's this new thing called the Internet.

[Jason Moore]

And it is full. I think those are on those big three and a half inch floppies.

[Unknown]

Well, the Internet's where you go and you get your gold records printed.

[Jason Moore]

I think it's good.

[Mike Wright]

I'm just going on record. I think it's gonna be big, right?

[Unknown]

It looks very positive for the Internet. I think it's here to stay. Look, there is so much information out there, and if you are the master of information, you are the master of your league. And there are several great places to do this. Twitter. If you are not on Twitter, please make an account. I'm not saying you need to participate in conversations, just be there for information.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, we don't need you to tweet every like meal you eat or anything like that.

[Unknown]

You can do that. I do that. But if you don't want to do that, that's okay. And we're talking about beat reporters are on Twitter giving you instant information.

[Jason Moore]

Fantasy footballers are on Twitter.

[Unknown]

I was getting there. We're on Twitter. We're giving you instant information. It's just, it keeps you at least two to three steps ahead of people. And especially on a game day situation, you want to know if somebody's gonna be out, go to Twitter because it's. The information is going to be on there first. Then there's other great tools like Rotoworld they have, they put up information and give you a nice blurb about it. But you know where they get their information? Twitter.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, no, they really do.

[Unknown]

So get on Twitter and follow these people. And if you want, here's a beginners tip for Twitter. Follow me, Jason or Andy. Look at who we follow, look at who these other news reporters follow. That gives you a good starting place of the people who are giving you.

[Mike Wright]

That's a great tip for, for anybody not currently on Twitter. Because you get on Twitter, you go, okay, no, I don't know who to follow to get that info. If you look at our profiles, almost, I know for me, I don't really use it as a personal resource. I use this as a fantasy football resource. So if you go look at the people that I follow, you can pretty much just click every single one of them and you'll have pretty much what my feed is. And all the people that I follow are exclusively fantasy football.

[Jason Moore]

I would also add that now that we're in the pre draft stage, there are tools and resources out there that help equip you for your draft. We talk about the ultimate draft kit.

[Unknown]

Yes.

[Jason Moore]

You've also got fancy draftwizard.com if you want to mock draft instantly against different average draft position lists, against experts. There are tools and resources on the information superhighway that you can utilize to be better in your league. And you know what it's like anything, right? Like elite athletes. Yeah. Because that's what fantasy football players are. It's identical to an elite.

[Unknown]

I know where you're at.

[Jason Moore]

I've been watching the Olympics a lot and. But it's one or Two small things you do. You don't have to be us eight to, you know, eight to 10 hours a day. In fantasy football, if you do one or two things to improve your information flow, you will beat most of your league because you will get there first. You will have the opportunity. You will be like me many years ago when I quickly signed Kurt Warner, moments before Jason could sign him. Oh, that was in the offseason. So number five, stay connected is really the message there.

[Andy Holloway]

Number four.

[Jason Moore]

All right.

[Unknown]

Namaste.

[Jason Moore]

Deep breaths. Take deep breaths. Number four is all right. Now that you've overloaded your brain with all the information in the world and you've drafted your team, the season has begun. Here's my message to you. Take a deep breath and don't freak out. Don't panic. Don't tilt when your paper team doesn't look as good during week one. And what this comes down to is a lot of constructive advice. Don't sell a player that you drafted at 25% of his value on week one one. Don't buy a player who looks really good on week one at 175% of his value.

[Unknown]

Talking to you, Kevin Ogletree.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, Kevin Ogletree from a couple of years ago. Or look, even Carlos Hyde last year. Carlos Hyde had an incredible Week one. Eddie Lacy had a really bad beginning of the year. Different players on week one, they blow up and they kind of, you know, I think because of the mental investment of the month before, all the preseason, all the hype, all the things that go into looking at your team, I'm going to be great. I'm going to be amazing. When you don't get that performance, it's deflating now. Jason, you're a great example of this.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, this last year was absurd. Just so everybody knows again and again and again. All right, I won the championship this last year in our league of record. However, week one. Going into the year, let me tell you, some of the guys who were, I mean, at the end of week one, oh, man, they sucked. And everybody thought, if I drafted this guy, I made a huge mistake. Allen Robinson bad Week one. Lamar Miller sucked. Sammy Watkins got a nice zero for you. I mean, my whole team, even Guskowski and I think he scored four points. My team scored nothing in week one. And it was like, oh, great. All of the guys I drafted, you want to know what I didn't do? I didn't trade those guys. I ended keep.

[Jason Moore]

You had those guys at the end of the year.

[Mike Wright]

I had those guys at the end of the year. They helped me win the championship. I took a breath and I said, you know, I didn't draft them for week one. I drafted them for the season. This will be a tip I get to later, but you do not win the championship on draft day. So that's.

[Jason Moore]

And I guess the black hat side effect sub tip of deep breaths is take advantage of the people who do if they're freaking out and you can buy at 25% of the value on week one. Just do it there.

[Mike Wright]

There is definitely, you know, people in leagues that I play in where I know, I know for sure, if a player on that guy's team has a bad week, I am going to trade for that guy right then because, you.

[Jason Moore]

Know, the personality of that player, that owner.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, they're just like, they hate their guys now. And if they had a good week.

[Jason Moore]

Do you have no chance of getting them?

[Mike Wright]

Forget about it.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, yeah. So take deep breaths. Don't panic. You know, stay, stay calm. You'll be okay.

[Andy Holloway]

Number three, Number three.

[Unknown]

We're talking about going deep, going deep, going deep. And this is my favorite because when someone asked me, hey, what is your number one piece of advice for a new player? And I grow a beard. Well, okay, so this is my number two piece of advice for fantasy football players. You can wait on quarterback. Let me give you some, some names here and we'll see if. Hold on, hold on. A public opinion. I want to. I want to give you some names and we'll see if we can figure out what's the common thread with these players. Kellen Moore, Brandon Whedon, Johnny Football, Matt Castle, Geno Smith and E.J. manuel. Do you know, do you know what all those players did?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, they all work at Walmart.

[Mike Wright]

They all stink.

[Unknown]

They all put up a top 12 quarterback week.

[Jason Moore]

Come on.

[Unknown]

Because you can get quarterback production nearly anywhere. You can get it out of the dumpster. You can get it out of the attic because it is a passing league and all the ships have risen on this water. They're all throwing a ton with high volume because that's what the league has turned into. 40 players, 40 quarterbacks last season put up a quarterback one week at least one. Two years ago, I believe the number was 44. This is not a fluke. This is a trend because that's the way that the league is going. You can take your quarterback extremely late because the replacement value of the points is there. If you're paying up a fourth round pick for Aaron Rodgers, he better give you a season for the ages. And look, outliers certainly happen like the Cam Newton and the Peyton Manning. Those things happen. But generally speaking, all the quarterbacks you get late will help you win because the rest of your team will be so stacked. You play one quarterback a week.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, Cam Newton was on my roster last year when I won the championship. He helped me. You want to know where I got Cam Newton on the waiver wire? He was not the guy that you had to spend huge capital.

[Jason Moore]

Neither was Carson Palmer, Andy Dalton, Derek Carr. These were all late round or undrafted.

[Mike Wright]

And now you're spending way too much draft capital for him. And that's assuming he's going to replicate what he did last year or any quarterback for that matter, who is an upper echelon guy. When you sink that kind of first, second, third round pick into them, you are taking away a stud at a position that you need multiple guys at. You only need to find one quarterback a week. Now this advice does not, is not always the same. In a two quarterback league, we're not at all. But yeah, you know, but in a one quarterback league, Mike, I think this is the most important advice to take. You know, a player from fun, average, casual, new to, oh, I've got one tip that if I do this and draft a valuable quarterback late, you know, you still get someone good like a Philip Rivers, Carson Palmer, Eli Manning, Eli Manning, those guys, you know, in the 8th, 9th, 10th round, your team will be better statistically, you're going to put up more points.

[Jason Moore]

And I think because we're focused on explaining this, which we talk about it a lot on the show, the disclaimer is important, which is just because you wait on a quarterback does not mean you will be streaming a quarterback.

[Unknown]

Good point.

[Jason Moore]

In the sense that you will be starting a different one every week. It simply means you are trying to find a great value at quarterback because you only play one and there's only 10 to 12 teams in your league. And so that means a third of the quarterbacks that play every single week in football are starting for your teams in your fantasy league. So you have the ability to pick and choose a ton of value late in the draft.

[Unknown]

And to piggyback on that, you have the safety net that is streaming.

[Jason Moore]

Sure.

[Unknown]

Look, every week we are going to give you three guys that are on your waiver wire in a high percentage or high percentage available in leagues around there. And you know, a bonus for you if you're in a casual league and you've never done this, once the league figures out what you're doing they're going to freak out and they're going to.

[Jason Moore]

Be like, make fun of you.

[Unknown]

You got to get a quarterback, man. And it's, it's a very fun process to watch as you remain completely calm, knowing that you could. You're like, I'm just going to draft Jameis Winston in the 13th round and watch these hooligans over here, they might.

[Jason Moore]

Draft to burn their quarterbacks before you draft.

[Unknown]

And you know what? Even if that happens, don't freak out because you're still fine.

[Jason Moore]

Yes, you are. All right, so that is number three. That is going deep.

[Andy Holloway]

We're moving on number two.

[Mike Wright]

Number two is, of course, the grind of the champion. It's like the mind of the champion.

[Unknown]

Grind of the champion.

[Mike Wright]

The grind of the champion. So of course I will go ahead and share this tip. Here's. I've said this so many times in my life. Couldn't count it if I had a nickel.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, is the next line. I'm a first time champion in our league of record.

[Mike Wright]

The next line is you don't win your championship at the draft.

[Unknown]

You set your foundation.

[Mike Wright]

Yes, you do. The draft is very, very important. I think, you know, if you go back seven, eight years, you did win the championship at the draft. Right. Because there weren't that many transactions going on. The waiver wire wasn't used as much. Trades weren't, you know, you rosters were smaller. Yeah. And so now, now you've got more people with more resources. You know, the information superhighway tip is.

[Jason Moore]

Out there, but that's going to be big Internet.

[Mike Wright]

Here's the most important part of. On the fantasy footballers, we want hashtag Foot clan titles. We want to entertain you. We want to have fun through the season. We want to do those things. But we want you guys to win championships. And if we want that, we know that you can't just, you know, put in a little bit of work right before your draft. Get the, get the ultimate draft kit, get whatever. Sign up for Twitter, look at the information and then you do all this work and then you draft and maybe you ended up with a baller team. You did a great job.

[Jason Moore]

Sit back in your chair and you just.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, and then. Yeah, and then you say, my job is done.

[Jason Moore]

My job is done.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I'm done. You can't do that. You have to. You're going to win a championship. More on the waiver wire than in the draft, I think more on your starting and sitting decisions than in your drafting decisions. Because when you draft a guy Maybe you didn't draft the perfect guy here, but you got someone else. Right? I mean, you've got value there. It's who you pick up and who you start. And so my advice to everyone, listening, if you are the type of person as I used to be, where you put in all that work, you're listening to this podcast right now because you're preparing for your draft, which is what.

[Jason Moore]

You have to do.

[Mike Wright]

That's great. Congratulations on finding such a great podcast.

[Unknown]

Come on.

[Mike Wright]

I know, sorry. That's my role here. But you need to keep doing whatever you do. If it's Twitter, if it's this podcast, if it's, you know, if you got a product, get an in season product. Get something that's going to help you week after week, make good decisions and be up to date on the news. Pick up good guys, start the right guys, all of those type of things. You need to do that from week one through 16, not just in preseason.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. And you know what? The grind of the champion ends with? A trophy.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

So ring and belt.

[Jason Moore]

All right. Banners and braggarts. All right, we're going to move on. Here we go.

[Andy Holloway]

Number one.

[Jason Moore]

All right, Number one, look, we talk about streaming quarterbacks, we talk about all these strategic tips. Number one, is this more than a game, more than a title. Fantasy football is also about the traditions that you build in your league. That's what addicts us to fantasy football. It is not just Excel spreadsheets. In fact, I would argue it's not that at all.

[Mike Wright]

It's.

[Jason Moore]

It is how engaging the game is when you have players in the NFL and you're competing with your league mates in ridiculous ways. That's what we do on the show all the time. In fact, this past week, Jason and I made yet another ridiculous bet.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, let's. We said we were going to share the. What's the word I'm looking for?

[Unknown]

The dirty cake.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. So we made a Jeremy Macklin bet. And. And basically we make bets all the time. And what we do a lot of the time is we make water bets. So if you hear us on the show say, do you want to water bet that? That's because we're betting whoever wins the bet, the other person has to spin the wheel of water and be shamed and be. And have it poured on them in a different hilarious fashion while also being videotaped. And then we post that online and then you laugh at them and they are shamed. And we had lots of listeners do that last year and send us their videos. Many that were like outside in winter.

[Unknown]

It is the best.

[Mike Wright]

But this, this bet is extra special because we like to have fun. Fantasy football for us is fun first and everything else second. And so what we have decided our official bet here because Andy said that Jeremy Macklin is very consistent.

[Unknown]

He said he's the best.

[Jason Moore]

I said he was a very consistent wide receiver.

[Mike Wright]

And I think, I think he's more inconsistent. But last year happened to luck into consistency.

[Jason Moore]

Oh my gosh.

[Mike Wright]

Here's what the bet we made believable in our scoring format, which is half point PPR with a couple other nuances. Andy is betting that Jeremy Macklin will have more than nine games with so.

[Jason Moore]

10 with double digit fantasy.

[Mike Wright]

Double digit fantasy points. I am, you know, less than nine if it lands on nine. Both Andy and I have decided to lose. And, and here's the bet loser because of course this is Jeremy Macklin, the dirty cake. The loser will eat cake off the ground off of Andy's backyard.

[Jason Moore]

Happy birthday to the ground right off the lawn.

[Mike Wright]

But that's the type of stuff that is fun. Our league of record that is, you know, a decade long and is giant. I mean, we, we do so much. We've got waiting lists, all of this fun stuff, we have never had a dollar on the line. And that's not to disparage leagues where you got, we got our money leads and that's great. I love those. But you don't need it. The fun is in the game itself. And you should enjoy. You know, I say the grind of the champion, like keep keeping up with it. But you're not going to do that if you're not enjoying it. You know, if your resource is work, you're just not going to keep putting it in. Have fun with this.

[Jason Moore]

And this comes down. I mean, one of the things that we love and we've seen by interacting with so many of you with this show is the traditions you've built in your leagues. Whether it is the commissioner that goes the extra mile and makes team logos for all 12 teams in the league or the guy who heard us talk about the fact we used to have a podcast that was just for our league to talk trash and to review the last week's games. Look, you're playing fantasy football. It is meant to be taken to the limit and a little bit beyond. Mike has shown up at the draft with banners with his team logo on them. Mike is the worst winner of all time and that's just what he's known for in our league. I appreciate that much like, you know, Jason's known for disparaging all of my players on Facebook before I can trade them. It is just the reason this is number one is because it is more than a game and traditions are extremely fun. And, and when you have a league that's engaging and fun and you find the right people to do it, that's what makes it a year round sport really. I mean something that's why we do this year round is because it's so fun. It's not just because we're stat addicts, it's because we are addicted to the entertainment part of it as well. So that is more than a game. Number one there. That is our top 10 tips and tricks for Fantasy Football. Thanks for tuning in. Look, we've got an incredible slate of shows next week. We really do. We've got breakouts, we've got values, we've got sleepers, we've got busts, we're going to finish up on tight ends, we've got the review of the preseason games and everything we've seen, what to react to, what not to overreact to. Keep it here all season long. Subscribe To Us we we like listening to your feedback about the show and just trying to improve and make the show the best it can possibly be. And if you want to connect with us, head over to join the Foot.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, absolutely. We're very grateful for our fans. You guys are awesome. As an independent podcast, it means a lot to have your support and your listenership.

[Jason Moore]

So hope you enjoyed the episode. Make sure that you check out Our Studio Sponsor, fantasyjocks.com if you need trophies, rings, all those things that the which you will that the champion needs and we'll catch you next week.

[Andy Holloway]

Thank you for listening to another episode of the Fantasy Footballers Podcast. Join our fantasy football community on jointhefoot.com and follow us on Twitter F Ballers.