I’ve considered writing an article like this for quite some time, but there has always been a reason that has kept me from doing it. But, now is finally the time. There are a lot of things that go into winning a fantasy football league, and I won’t be able to get into all of it in a single article, so I am going to break it up into a few separate articles that focus on a few key aspects each. In this first article of the series, I am going to start with the basics. This series is designed to help both novice players, as well, experienced ones. I will touch on advanced topics, but my goal is to make them as accessible as possible for players of all skill levels. Now that we have set the table, let’s jump right into it!

Winning a fantasy football league is actually very simple. The idea is the same for everyone. All you need to do is draft the players that score more points than the players drafted by your opponents! Simple, right???

Okay, I understand that there is a lot more to it than that, but I had to start there. The reason is this, no one can tell you exactly how to win your league. All we can do is provide advice, and give you the tools. It is up to YOU to use the tools correctly. Think of it like this. You and I both have access to all the tools needed to build a house, but I know that I will be far less effective at it than someone who has the training and experience of doing it.

So, what are the tools? This article is going to start at the beginning and we will build from there as the series continues.

The first step to winning any league is to understand the league that you are in. To me, this is like second nature, but I know that many people play in leagues and skip this step. Whether you have been in a league for years, or you have just joined one, make sure that you pay attention to the rules and scoring settings of your league. Not all leagues are created equal, and understanding the type of league you are in can give you an advantage over the less prepared managers in your league. The tools I am going to give you are going to be useful for all league types, but for the purposes of this series, I am going to focus on Redraft Leagues. If you are in a Keeper League, or Dynasty League, I will discuss some unique tips for those in a future article.

Once you know what kind of league you are in, the next step is to fill your toolbox with tools that can help you succeed. The first tool that I am going to discuss is ADP. ADP is an acronym that means Average Draft Position. (I know, you probably knew that, but not everyone might). ADP is a tool, not a script. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT draft your team solely by focusing on ADP. Many have asked how ADP is determined so early in the fantasy season. The answer is simple, many of the “experts” have been drafting for months. There are fantasy leagues that start even before the NFL Draft occurs, but definitely once the NFL Draft is over, fantasy draft season truly begins. Expert Leagues, and High Stakes Leagues are what truly drive the early ADP’s. Recently we, the masses, have gotten access to another great ADP tool. This tool is Best Ball Leagues. Best Ball leagues are a different type of league where you are not required to set a lineup every week. The computer automatically selects your best lineup for you. Now, leagues like this are going to be different from your home leagues, so keep that in mind when you use this ADP data.

So, how is ADP data useful to us as a tool? When used correctly, ADP can give you an advantage by telling you how valuable a player is. Some guys, we know, are an elite talent, and they are going to be drafted highly no matter what. But some guys are more ambiguous. These are the players that ADP can tell you if they are a value in the 4th round, or if they should be drafted closer to the 8th round. In a future article I will discuss a more advanced topic that I call Value Based Drafting. This is the strategy that I employ in almost all of my drafts to help me be successful. But, I didn’t get there overnight. I started building my strategy from the ground up, much like how I am attempting to help you with this series.

So, now we have added ADP to our toolbox, what’s next? The next tool that I want to use is the understanding of NFL Coaching. What do I mean by this? Every year the NFL undergoes a facelift. Many coaches are hired, fired, or change teams. These changes require us, as fantasy players, to pay attention and draft accordingly to the new landscape. Without getting into specifics, there are teams this season that made wholesale changes to their coaching staff, and are going to be completely different, from a fantasy perspective, than they were last year. I will get into some more specific strategies in a future article. I can assure you, not many managers pay attention to all of these coaching changes and understanding them can give you a huge advantage over your opponents. 

A third tool, and one that I think should be fairly obvious, is to understand player changes from year to year. Much like coaches, NFL players change teams from year to year, and their situation changes with them. Just because a player was a high performer last year, doesn’t mean they will be able to produce the same way in a different offense. We have seen MANY examples of this over the years. For the Running Back position, a player may go from a team that has one of the best Offensive Lines in the NFL to a team that has one of the worst Lines. This is bound to impact their performance for your team. A Wide Receiver may go from an elite Quarterback, to a Rookie Quarterback or an average(or even below average) Quarterback. This also is going to change the way we have to view them for fantasy.

Another thing to focus on regarding players is age and injury. Age and injury need to be considered when you are looking to draft players. A younger player coming back from injury is likely to return to form sooner than an older player coming back from the same injury. Even taking injury out of the equation…Father Time is undefeated. Eventually, a player’s age causes their performance to decline. Now, this isn’t the same for everyone, and modern advances in medical science and technology are extending player careers, but no one can avoid it forever. Keep this in mind when you are drafting older players.

The fourth, and final tool that we are going to discuss in this back to basics article is an important one. Do not let your fandom impact your draft strategy. I know you have a favorite team, we all do! But, far too often, I see fantasy players overvalue players from their favorite, or local, team. Just because they are your favorite player on your favorite team, doesn’t mean they are the best player to draft at that position. When you get into the heat of the draft, take a step back, breathe, and then use the other tools in your toolbox to keep you from making a pick on a player that could cost you a championship.

I will use myself as an example. I am a Bears fan who lives in Indianapolis. As a fan and resident of these two teams, I know and hear a lot about them. The reporters for every team do a great job in building excitement for the team going into the seasons. Does this mean that I am going to believe every hype and puff piece that comes out of practice? No, but I do pay attention to what I hear and add it to the toolbox. I would rather win my fantasy league, and not have any players from the teams that I follow, than have too many players from my favorite team and lose.

I know this is a hard one. We all loved the NFL first, and many of us were fans of teams before we even knew what Fantasy Football was. But, once you remove yourself from the fan mindset, you will find that you become a much better fantasy football player. Being able to draft your team without the emotion of the fandom, will help you build better rosters. Now, I am not advocating that you never draft players from your favorite teams, just do it when it makes sense. Don’t get overexcited and draft them in a spot that costs you value. There I go again…talking about Value Based Drafting. Don’t worry…we’ll get there.

There you go. The basic tools you need to have in your toolbox to help you win your fantasy league. As this series continues, we will use these basics to build into more advanced tips and tricks. But, as they say, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither is a championship mindset. As always, you can find me on X (Twitter) @2fatguysff . I am also active on The Sports Affiliation Discord server, so you can ask more advanced questions there.

Until next time!