A new season in the NFL sets the stage for a world of opportunity to line your pockets when it comes to all the Daily Fantasy Leagues that are now available with any number of the fantasy sports sites that have popped up on the internet over the past few years.
The popularity of playing Daily Fantasy Leagues for each week in the NFL continues to growth through the roof, but winning money in these leagues is a whole other story if you do not have a solid strategy for drafting you team. The following is the final edition of a three-part series covering some insider tips for cashing-in on these one-day contests.
Just because you have to ability to draft a quality skill player for the upcoming week’s games does not mean you should until you have analyzed the matchup they will face. Too many times fantasy players jump at a name without taking into account the matchup. You may not want to draft the top-valued running back on the board if his team facing the top defense against the run.
This is where it really pays to do your homework studying matchups. Most DFL’s do not take into account matchups as much as they should when adjusting a player’s salary for that particular week. Many times you can find a highly under-valued player that is set-up to have a big game given the matchup they will face.
There are always bargains on the board given the way that DFL’s set player salaries. Since they are not always adjusted in a timely fashion, you can really stretch your budget if you know where look. Some easy ways to take advantage of bargains is to look for players coming back from injuries. They are often overlooked and thus undervalued.
Another good place to uncover a few bargains is to look for players stepping-up to replace someone due to injuries. This is a bit more risky given the unknowns, but that week’s start could be a player’s only shot at making an impression on the head coach so you know they will be highly motivated to go out and have a big day.
Your overall draft strategy should always try and include a few of these bargain players to free up some extra money for the top-valued players that are already known for performing at a high level each and every week.
It is no secret that most successful NFL quarterbacks owe a great deal of their success to their favorite target in the passing game and when the two are clicking it can translate to a huge day for a DFL player. While these quarterback-wide receiver pairings have the ability to tip the scales in your favor when it comes to winning a DFL, they also come with a high risk if the duo happens to be off that day.
None the less, it is still a viable DFL strategy to look for these potentially lucrative pairings when putting together your draft especially if they matchup against an opponent that is weak at defending against the pass.
Chances are that if you are serious about daily fantasy football that you participate in more than one DFL. If this is the case then you will want to mix things up with your lineups from league to league to minimize your overall exposure. You can have a go-for-broke mentality in the short term when it comes to trying to win a bundle in a particular week, but variance in your different lineups is an important strategy to balance things out over the long haul.