Fantasy Scrambler: What We Learned From a Wild Week One
This is what we’ve all been waiting for: Monstrous performances, fantastic finishes, sleepers awakened and stars shut down.
Week one has proven again why we all play fantasy football and why the NFL is America’s game.
You have multiple options to get game recaps so I want to concentrate on some of the hidden truths and bald faced lies that have become apparent from this first week of action.
First of all, I want to enlighten you owners who are a bit more level-headed than your overreacting counterparts in your leagues. There are going to be owners who look at their player’s lack of production in the first game and will want to prematurely deal him based on one poor performance.
One example of this is WR Eric Decker. Decker had one of the worst games of his career on Thursday in a game where every other pass catcher for the Broncos went off. Don’t be fooled into thinking that this is what you can expect from Decker every week. Instead, you have to chalk this one up to a usually reliable receiver having an off night. With Peyton Manning willing to hit any receiver that is open, you have to believe that Decker will continue to get open and will make the catches that we have all come to expect him to make. If there is a Decker owner in your league that you can convince to trade then I would go after him with someone in your lineup who had a good game this week but who may not be poised to put up the same numbers as Decker week after week. Joique Bell, Jordan Cameron, Jared Cook, Anquan Boldin, and Reggie Wayne are all players I would use to dupe those impatient owners into trading Eric Decker.
Pay attention to schedules and match-ups when you are trying to wrest players away from less savvy owners. Try to get guys who may be poised to break out as soon as they stop playing the defenses in the NFC west or when they have a string of games against teams like the Raiders or the Bills, even though both of these defenses played above expectations in week one.
Cam Newton is one such player who suffered in the first game due to Seattle’s elite defense. If you can prey on an unsuspecting owner and you already have a steady starter at QB, Cam would be a fine addition for a team that has playoff aspirations. Carolina plays the Bills next, so lay the groundwork for a trade this week before he has a chance to rebound. If you can snag him, Newton will have the Saints twice in the last three weeks of the fantasy season with the Jets sandwiched in between, a nice way to go into the fantasy playoffs with some much needed depth.
Some other factors to be considered after week one are injuries and free agent signings. Pay attention to injury prone players who got nicked up in the first game; Jamaal Charles, Danny Amendola, Zach Sudfeld, and Dez Bryant to name a few. These players may be easier to trade for if their owners are nervous about their players’ durability. Also keep an eye out for players who weren’t on rosters to begin the year, like Jonathan Dwyer. The Steelers were terrible against the Titans, partly because of the sloppy play of Isaac Redman. I actually liked Dwyer before he was cut and really didn’t understand why he didn’t make the roster initially. I’m not saying to spend a huge amount of your free agency cap money on sleepers like Dwyer, but if you have room on your roster to stash a potential number one RB on a proficient offense, then I say snatch him up.
If you are a seasoned fantasy owner then you already have these techniques in your repertoire. I’m just reminding you to think outside the box on some of these players and always stay active on the waiver wire.
Good luck to all my fellow Scramblers in week two, which, hopefully will be even better than the superb start to the season we all witnessed last weekend. Also, hit me up on Twitter @MaahsScrambler with any fantasy questions you have.
