It may sound like a cliché, but the guys who are hoisting fantasy football championship trophies today are doing so because of their work on the waiver wire, not because of the work they did on draft day. be.
Yes, it's important to do your research and have a strong draft, but given the number of injuries and position battles won and lost over the course of a season, hard work and dedication to acquiring free agents is what wins the league. . And it's not just one player.
The tenacity of fighting for different players throughout the season brings titles.
The season opened with a number of waiver players who were instant game-changers. A team that lost Christian McCaffrey in the opening game of the year never missed a beat with the addition of Jordan Mason.
His three 100-yard efforts in the first four weeks helped erase the loss of the No. 1 overall pick this season, and for those who added Mason and didn't lose McCaffrey, the start to the season was It probably would have been even more powerful.
But the treasure of early abandonment didn't stop with Mason. Tuba Hubbard and Bucky Irving gradually became strong running back options, and Darnell Mooney and Rashid Shahid quickly drew attention to players who needed help at wide receiver. No one likes to lose a season-opening matchup, and these players helped prevent just that.
Midway through the season, they lost players like Nico Collins, Chris Godwin, Cooper Kupp, Stefon Diggs, Brandon Aiyuk, and Jonathan Taylor. While fantasy owners were panicking over the loss of such marquee talent, we were quickly introduced to players like Jauan Jennings, Andre Iosivas, and Nick Westbrook-Ikin. I did.
Retro names like Kareem Hunt, Jonnu Smith and Marquez Valdes-Scantling were also reintroduced. But the biggest one may have been when Bengals running back Chase Brown took over in Cincinnati. He was replaced by Zack Moss around Week 8 and never looked back.
There were various exemption saviors late in the season as well. With Zach Charbonnet replacing the injured Kenneth Walker and Tyjay Spears replacing Tony Pollard, the Dallas Cowboys are finally relying more on Rico Doodle. Jerry Jeudy clashed with Jameis Winston for several weeks, Adam Thielen returned from injury, and Jalen McMillan was set to fill the role vacated by Godwin's injury. His five touchdowns in four games to end the season helped many to win the league.
Every year, fantasy football managers struggle with who to pick in the first round, but all they really need is a little elbow grease during the season. '
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As your championship challenge begins next year, remember that your first pick is just the first step in a 17-week process. It takes a commitment to strong waiver wire work during the season to put you in the winner's circle.
Howard Bender is responsible for the following content. fantasyalarm.com. X Follow him at @rotobuzzguy Catch him on the award-winning “Fantasy Alarm Radio Show” weekdays from 6-8pm on the SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Channel. Visit FantasyAlarm.com We bring you all the fantasy football news and advice you need.
