Drafter's remorse: How to fix your fantasy football roster holes
Do you have fantasy buyer's remorse? Don't worry, you're not alone.
Many hard-core fantasy football enthusiasts can't help but get excited about the upcoming season, which often leads to participation in drafts taking place several weeks before players even begin showing up to training camp. While there's certainly nothing wrong with firing up your draft a bit early, it does create some potential issues with regard to roster construction.
Specifically, what do you do when one of your hot early draft picks winds up hurt, or cut, or suspended, or demoted to third-string duties?
The most notable offseason development, at least from a fantasy perspective, surrounds the four-game suspension handed to Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell for a missed drug test. The impending ban has knocked Bell out of the first round in the majority of fantasy drafts - and in some cases, he's going as late as the third round.
If you drafted prior to the news, you're probably kicking yourself. What do you do with a roster which will be without its top draft pick for the first quarter of the season?
Here's how to handle early-season roster absences:
Scour the news
With the preseason in full swing, most beat writers will be providing roster updates on a daily basis. And while there's sure to be plenty of noise (consider the "X is in the best shape of his life" narrative, for example), you will also find troves of valuable information amid the flotsam.
Position battles are one area in which you can gain an upper hand simply by monitoring the daily news. Often, one player outshines another in the preseason and is handed the starting role as a result. As soon as you see separation between players, hit the waiver wire and snag the leader.
You should also be looking for scuttlebutt surrounding unheralded players who impress the coaching staff throughout training camp. A lot can change between mid-July and late August, so the more you know about players off the radar of your league mates, the better positioned you'll be.
Snag players with favorable early skeds
While you won't always know how long you'll need to plug that roster hole you have - particularly where injury is concerned - you should always consider filling the gap with players who have favorable early-season schedules.
This can work out for you in two ways: Not only do you increase the chances of getting adequate production out of the once-vacant roster spot, but the player in question may perform so well during the early-season audition that he becomes a valuable trade chip once your regular starter returns.
You don't necessarily have to rely on one player to fill the spot, either; streaming based on each week's most favorable matchups is an even better tactic, but only if you deftly play the waiver wire.
Pull the trigger on a trade
Sometimes, the loss of a key roster player is simply too much to overcome by streaming. In this case, you need to consider exploring the trade market - no matter how painful it may be to part with players you thought so highly of you made them part of your initial team.
The key to a successful deal in this example is ensuring that you can adequately fill the hole left by suspension/injury/demotion without simply weakening your roster elsewhere. It doesn't make any sense to create another hole you'll have to plug in a similar fashion.
The two most effective ways of accomplishing your goal: executing a 2-for-1 or larger deal in which you receive enough player capital to plug your holes, or trading from an area of strength to address your area of weakness. Finding preseason trade partners can be difficult, but you have to try.