Don't get mad. Get better. Part 2: Stopping the Bleeding.
So you drafted Dez Bryant late in the first round and DJax in the fourth. Or you picked up Hilton in the late second round and Andre Ellington in the fifth. Or maybe you have all four guys (if so, go take the day off).
This isn't a time to mope or to curse fate. It happened. To be a Dirk and not a Jo-Jo (FF4W book reference), you need to act fast and act smart.
(1) Take stock of your team. Who performed better than expected Week 1? These are the guys you need to consider trading, depending on their outlook for the coming year. For example, as many of you know, I pushed hard on three very underrated TEs all summer, telling you that if drafted two of these three, you'd likely be set for the season. It's still early, but two of these three--Tyler Eifert and Austin Seferian-Jenkins--had monster games yesterday. They won't continue to have monster games. Historically, it's statistically impossible. If you can trade one of them to a TE-needy opponent for a top 15 RB or top 15 WR or top 8 QB (depending on your needs), you'll likely come out ahead.
(2) Take stock of opponents' teams. Who performed worse than expected? Seize on your friends' insecurities. Call them (don't simply propose a trade--it rarely works) and talk it through. "I lost Dez and am looking for some WR help . . ." Eventually, steer the conversation to their underperformer. Maybe you'll need to wait one more week to see if they underperform again. The point is to grab guys on the way up, not on the way down. I've remade several teams this way.
(3) Going one step further, consider trading your injured player(s). If Dez misses four games, what is he worth? If you have a small bench and don't want to risk dropping talented players on bye in a few weeks, it might make sense to offer Dez and a top 25 RB for a top 20 WR and a top 20 RB. See who bites. Some people want to upgrade their long-term prospects. If you can't afford to wait, get something decent for him and a slight upgrade elsewhere and move on.
(4) Research your best waiver option(s). In my 20-team league where 350 players were drafted, the six highest ranked free agent WRs are (no joke) Josh Gordon, Mohammed Sanu, Reggie Wayne, Andre Holmes, Wes Welker, and Miles Austin. if your waivers look any better than this, use it to your advantage. WR Cole Beasley might be a capable WR3/4 stop-gap if you have Dez. Same goes for Ryan Grant if you have DJax, or Chris Johnson if you have Ellington.
(5) Take a breath. It's okay. You might start the season 3-4. It's not the end of the world. Nine years ago I started 3-4 and didn't lose another on the way to the title. Two years ago I started 4-4 and lost only one more game on the way to the title. It's often not how you start, but how you finish. It's now how your roster looks now, but how it'll look starting Week 13. 4-5 losses usually can get you into the playoffs. You have a small cushion--time--to make your team right. . . .
So you drafted Dez Bryant late in the first round and DJax in the fourth. Or you picked up Hilton in the late second round and Andre Ellington in the fifth. Or maybe you have all four guys (if so, go take the day off).
This isn't a time to mope or to curse fate. It happened. To be a Dirk and not a Jo-Jo (FF4W book reference), you need to act fast and act smart.
(1) Take stock of your team. Who performed better than expected Week 1? These are the guys you need to consider trading, depending on their outlook for the coming year. For example, as many of you know, I pushed hard on three very underrated TEs all summer, telling you that if drafted two of these three, you'd likely be set for the season. It's still early, but two of these three--Tyler Eifert and Austin Seferian-Jenkins--had monster games yesterday. They won't continue to have monster games. Historically, it's statistically impossible. If you can trade one of them to a TE-needy opponent for a top 15 RB or top 15 WR or top 8 QB (depending on your needs), you'll likely come out ahead.
(2) Take stock of opponents' teams. Who performed worse than expected? Seize on your friends' insecurities. Call them (don't simply propose a trade--it rarely works) and talk it through. "I lost Dez and am looking for some WR help . . ." Eventually, steer the conversation to their underperformer. Maybe you'll need to wait one more week to see if they underperform again. The point is to grab guys on the way up, not on the way down. I've remade several teams this way.
(3) Going one step further, consider trading your injured player(s). If Dez misses four games, what is he worth? If you have a small bench and don't want to risk dropping talented players on bye in a few weeks, it might make sense to offer Dez and a top 25 RB for a top 20 WR and a top 20 RB. See who bites. Some people want to upgrade their long-term prospects. If you can't afford to wait, get something decent for him and a slight upgrade elsewhere and move on.
(4) Research your best waiver option(s). In my 20-team league where 350 players were drafted, the six highest ranked free agent WRs are (no joke) Josh Gordon, Mohammed Sanu, Reggie Wayne, Andre Holmes, Wes Welker, and Miles Austin. if your waivers look any better than this, use it to your advantage. WR Cole Beasley might be a capable WR3/4 stop-gap if you have Dez. Same goes for Ryan Grant if you have DJax, or Chris Johnson if you have Ellington.
(5) Take a breath. It's okay. You might start the season 3-4. It's not the end of the world. Nine years ago I started 3-4 and didn't lose another on the way to the title. Two years ago I started 4-4 and lost only one more game on the way to the title. It's often not how you start, but how you finish. It's now how your roster looks now, but how it'll look starting Week 13. 4-5 losses usually can get you into the playoffs. You have a small cushion--time--to make your team right. . . .