MANIFESTO

 

How Do I Get Started?
Getting started in fantasy football is very easy but get started as early as possible.  Start by picking up a couple of fantasy football magazines from you nearest bookstore and scanning the internet for fantasy football websites.  Concentrate on the offseason changes that will directly affect NFL offenses and defenses.  Have they picked up any free agents of note?  Any impressive draft picks?  Has the offensive or defensive philosophy changed?  Have there been coaching changes?  All of these questions will lead you down the path to determining which teams have players that you should be paying attention to during the preseason. 

Look at several cheat sheets.  Getting multiple opinions on how player rankings shake out is a good idea.  By looking over a bunch of different cheatsheets, you can get a good grasp on the players that are highly valued

What is Fantasy Football?
How Do I Get Started?
Free Cheat Sheets
Draft Strategy
Who Should I Pick?
Surviving FF-Girlfriends Guide
Early Days of Fantasy Football 
Fantasy Football Dictionary
 

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and those that you should stay away from.  Understand that by the time fantasy magazines are printed and on the shelves, they are filled with information that is weeks or even months old.  Injuries may have occurred and players may have been cut or traded since their publication.  Fantasy magazines are a good reference, but they should be just a spring board into a deeper dive in your fantasy football research plan.  Internet cheat sheets, fantasy football articles on the web, and live television and radio programming can be very helpful resources to round out you predraft preparation.

Become an adept Fantasy football scout.  Some coaching staffs emphasize the running game as part of their offensive philosophy like Norv Turner.  Some prefer a high flying aerial attack like Mike Martz.  Take note of the tendencies of each coaching staff.  It will allow you to determine if you should be picking rushing or passing offensive starters from that team.  Teams with strong offensive lines or a record of a strong rushing philosophy like Denver’s zone blocking scheme are strong candidates for running back selection because they are consistent performers.  Teams with a pass friendly philosophy or strong passing personnel like Indianapolis, New England, and Dallas are solid candidates for quarterback and wide receiver picks.  The backups for these teams can also become very valuable in the later rounds because if the starter goes down, the offensive philosophy will not change and their backup will become the primary beneficiary of a strong system.  Some teams invest their offseason money into high priced free agents or talented rookies to improve pass protection or run blocking.  By examining where teams spend their free agent money, one can infer as to which aspect of their offensive philosophy they might be looking to emphasize over the coming NFL season.  This can also give fantasy owners a clue and to where NFL players should be ranked when approaching the draft.  Be observant, make inferences, use your instinct ... it's a sure path to fantasy stardom or the fantasy cellar - beware!
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