The free agent pool can be used for more than just improving your team. Bye weeks offer a number of challenges, but also an equal number of opportunities. Everyone, including your weekly opponents and those ahead of you in the standings, has to endure the bye weeks. Here’s where the waiver wire comes in.
Last week, one of my NFFC teams faced a team that had only three running backs on their roster, and two of those three were on bye week. The only serviceable running backs on the waiver wire were Trenton Cannon, Jacquizz Rogers and Jordan Wilkins. I really didn’t need anyone, and had some FAAB left to spend. I spent a good portion of my FAAB on Cannon, thus leaving only Rogers and Wilkins for the rest of the league, including the team I was playing. I never considered starting Cannon — I just wanted to keep him away from my opponent. In a perfect world, another team would have grabbed Rogers and a third would have grabbed Wilkins, but I don’t live in that world.
My opponent ended up with Rogers and his 3.0 fantasy points. I would have been basking in glory if Cannon had a huge day (he didn’t). Cannon only earned 2.5 points, so my plan really didn’t pan out. Yet, you get the idea. Oh, I won that week, putting my record at 7-2 in a four-way tie for first.
This week, there is yet another opportunity to damage an opponent in the free agent pool. In my $250 NFFC League, I am in a three-way tie for second with a record of 6-3. One team stands alone in first with a 7-2 record. But that team has an issue.
The first place team is playing one of the lower teams in the league. Under normal circumstances, the first place team would be projected to win. However, this is anything but normal. The first place team has only one quarterback on its roster, Kirk Cousins. Cousins, as you know, is on a bye. Thus, tonight that team is going to have to find a quarterback. Here’s what’s left as free agents:
- Case Keenum (bye)
- Blake Bortles
- Sam Darnold (injured)
- Brock Osweiler
- Josh Rosen
- Nick Mullens
- Derek Anderson/Nathan Peterman
This presents an excellent opportunity for the teams fighting for first. None of us need quarterbacks, but each of us has ample FAAB. I’m putting in a significant bid on Mullens, with a conditional bid on Bortles if I don’t get Mullens. If the other three teams fighting for first bid on quarterbacks as well, we could either shut out the first place team, or perhaps relegate that team to starting either Anderson or Peterman.
Unfortunately, I doubt that it is going to happen. We fantasy players are egocentric. We are focused on our own team and likely not on others. Admittedly, I am often the same way. However, come bye weeks and trailing first by one game, I become much less interested only in my own team, but instead in the teams I’m fighting, even if I’m not facing one of those teams in the weekly competition.
I’m hopeful that my league mates will see the first place team’s predicament and pounce. While I’m hopeful, I’m expecting that they will instead spend their FAAB on the Keelan Coles’ and Mark Andrews’ of the world, players that will never see the light of day for those teams.
Don’t make the same mistake. It’s crunch time in many leagues. Look not only at your team and your opponent’s team, but also at the teams around you in the standings. You might do more good “blocking” an opponent than you would picking up a fourth backup wide receiver.
Best of luck. Don’t blink.
Buster
