We are less than two weeks away from actually watching professional football again! Albeit, it’s the Hall of Fame game, but, nonetheless, a pro-football game. The dark period of the NFL off-season is over and now it’s time to actually start thinking about fantasy football. Here are some tips and tricks for all of you fantasy lovers out there!

The Basics:

There are two types of fantasy players: those who play because everyone else in the office plays, and then there are those of us who make fantasy football part of our everyday lifestyle. Personally, I’ve been thinking about this year’s fantasy football season ever since the end of last fantasy season (mainly due to the fact that I was crushed by my loss to TeenView’s very own Malcolm Eugene in our private TVM league).

The easiest way to lose in your fantasy football league is to think that the draft is what defines your season. While I’m a firm believer that your draft is a key to your success, it doesn’t make-or-break your season. Trades and, most importantly, the waiver wire are what really can take a pretty nicely drafted team and make them into a championship contending team. The draft is the skeleton of your team, whereas your moves outside of the draft are the real meat of your team. For example, people who picked up players like Gary Barnidge, Devonta Freeman, or David Johnson last year were ecstatic when those players put up numbers that were number one for that position.

Another important thing understand is the type of league you’re in. There are standard, PPR, keeper, dynasty, 2-QB, and many more type of leagues. Most of the time, if you’re just randomly joining a league online, you’ll be in a standard or points per reception (PPR) league. But if you’re in a league with people who you’ll be playing with again next year, you might explore one of the more complex league formats.

The final thing you must be aware of is finding the right league for you. I, for example, am in many leagues. In my main league (a standard scoring, 2 keeper league), I play with family and close friends, all of whom are quite knowledgeable in fantasy football. I also play in what some may call an “office league” with my co-workers here at TeenView Magazine. In a league compromised of mostly (I underline the word mostly so that my co-workers won’t have my head!) fantasy noobs, it becomes easy pickings for us hardcore players. Whatever type of league you are in, just make sure to have fun!

Who TO Like in Fantasy Football 2016:

• Y. Hilton (ADP: 3.05; WR #17): Excluding his rookie season, T.Y. Hilton has always been a 1,000 yard receiver. That even includes this past year when star QB Andrew Luck was out for over half the season. In standard and PPR leagues, Hilton has become a consistent, yet somewhat under-the-radar player in drafts. Hilton is a good value in round 3 as a wide receiver one or two, but becomes an incredible value in rounds 4-5. With what will be a pass-happy Colts offense
• Zach Miller (ADP: 13.11; TE #17): Jay Cutler is the quarterback in Chicago. Yes, that sucks for the Bears, but not necessarily for Zach Miller’s fantasy numbers. I am someone who likes to get a late-round QB and TE because both positions generally are very stream-able on the waiver wire, so Zach Miller has become a target of mine. After Martellus Bennett went out last year, Miller proved he could hang as a low TE one or high two. If you want a cheap, late-round guy, then Miller should be a target for you.

Who NOT TO Like in Fantasy Football 2016:

• Ben Roethlisberger (ADP: 5.08; QB #5): As I stated earlier, I don’t like drafting a quarterback early because you can get similar, if not better, numbers from a guy in the 11^th round (AKA Andy Dalton). If you are going to be one of the people who nab a QB early, you shouldn’t be looking at Big Ben. He is a classic “blow up” player. Out of 12 games played last year, Roethlisberger scored over 30 fantasy points 5 times. The other 7 games he player, he scored under 20 points four times (scoring only a combined 35 fantasy points in those games). He has only thrown for 30 touchdowns twice in his career (2007 and 2014), plus he’s always at risk for an injury. All of this combined with a Martavis Bryant-less season means that Ben could be a big bust for his draft position. If you are DYING to pick a QB in the 5^th round, I’d suggest Brees or Wilson over Roethlisberger.
• Matt Forte (ADP: 3.09; RB #14): Every year I hate on Matt Forte. Every year he proves me wrong. Well, once again, I have a bad feeling about the 30 year-old RB. Forte moves from a backfield in Chi-town where he got most of the workload on running and passing downs. He now moves to a team with a loaded backfield (Bilal Powell, who will take away a lot of receptions from Forte, and Khiry Robinson, who will take away many of the goal line touches like he did in New Orleans), a new system, and two great receivers who need their touches. I’d much rather have DeMarco Murray in the mid-fourth round or Frank Gore, who is a steal in the sixth round.

Draft Strategy:

I really don’t like going into a draft and saying “I am drafting these 4 or 5 guys NO MATTER what happens in the rest of the draft.” If I’m picking at the 8^th pick in the draft, I have my eyes set on a guy like A.J. Green in the first round because, to me, he becomes a safe value at that position and I can pick either another WR or a staring RB with my selection before the dreaded waiting period. But if Julio Jones drops to me at pick #8, I’ll take him over Green because the value is an absolute STEAL. The point of this scenario is to show you that you should be more open-minded in your draft and not draft to an exact tee.

It is okay to go into the draft having a strategy of players to target in certain rounds due to their ADP or players to avoid in certain rounds due to their ADP, but it’s NOT OKAY to go into the draft and only pick those players even if a better player has dropped to your pick.

It’s a good idea to have an idea for your team’s skeleton, but fantasy football drafts are all about grabbing value and seeing how your draft turns out.

Final Words of Advice:

The best thing you can do to become a fantasy football powerhouse is to do research. Being on this article is a good step in the right direction! Mock draft a TON! I’d suggest going to Fantasy Pro’s Draft Wizard (draftwizard.fantasypros.com) to have the fastest mock draft possible that includes great analysis after you finish mock drafting. Listen to some fantasy football podcasts or watch some YouTube videos. Some of my personal favorites are The Fantasy Footballers (thefantasyfootballers.com) or The Pat Mayo Hour (fantasysportsnetwork.com).

No matter what you do in fantasy football, just make sure to have fun! Coincidentally, the best way to have fun is to win your league championship and rub it in everyone’s face!

If you have any questions or thoughts on this article, be sure to comment below or tweet us @teenviewmag.