Welcome back to the Fantasy Football Feature! DBN's discussion and open thread about everything fantasy football.
Tip of the Week: Rotating Defense - I can understand the appeal of locking up one of the best defenses in the league for your fantasy team and not having to concern yourself with the position for the rest of the season. There's the old adage, "Defenses win championships." Right? No. It doesn't apply to fantasy football. Your highest scoring players are going to put you in the position to win championships, and that's not your defense. So, if you're picking solid players over top ranked defenses, how do you handle that fantasy position? Rotate. Generally, this is easier done after the first few weeks, where the bottom of the barrel offensive teams have made themselves apparent. That's when the opportunity to play the best available matchup presents itself. I should note, there are occasional factors that can hinder this strategy in some leagues. Rules limiting the total amount of roster moves you can have in a year could make this less feasible. Another issue would be 20+ team leagues, in such a case there simply aren't enough available defensive matchups on the wire to make the strategy practical. However, in most 8-12 team leagues, it is viable and something I've utilized to help me win. There's one last thing that's important remember: if your league simply isn't keen to the value of fantasy defenses, don't hesitate to take advantage of that during the draft because your thinking about trying this. That said, in most leagues I see the top defenses drafted high.
Rookie of the Week: Justin Blackmon - Don't buy high on this rookie receiver. Justin Blackmon is far from an ideal fantasy football situation for potential owners. Drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars fifth overall, the primary issue for Blackmon actually stems from the guy making the throws, second-year QB Blaine Gabbert. If Blackmon were to suddenly put up great fantasy numbers, he's the kind of WR that you then try to nab off the waiver wire. Buy low if you see some kind of sleeper potential during your fantasy draft.
Brown of the Week: Brandon Weeden - Again, I'm hesitant. I'm not into high risk/low reward moves in fantasy football. Like Blackmon, Brandon Weeden is not in the sort of situation you want for your fantasy quarterback. He's the kind of QB that you'd only look to draft in 20+ team leagues. Even if he were to have a solid first few weeks, you'd have to ask yourself if he's putting up more fantasy points than your current starter and is he likely to continue to do so? The Browns have a brutal schedule this season.
Just as with the regular season editions of the Fantasy Football Feature, feel free to treat this as an open thread on the topic of fantasy football. Talk about the players mentioned above or any of your own sleepers, strategies, ect...