6-0 Strong teams, when to start looking at the end game (1 Viewer)

[rick6668]

Is it too early to start looking at the playoffs already for teams that are 4-0 and just dominating your league?

In particular, in my 16 team league with very short benches (9 starters and only 6 bench spots), how soon do you start to sacrifice your bench RB's and WR's to go after players that will be coming back and are on the WW? In a large league (16 teams) your back ups are not usually very good players and are just bye week fill ins. Injuries to just 1 or 2 main cogs can kill your team usually.

Do you even consider not dropping a bench player for a K or DEF for just one week?

How soon do you consider picking up a guy like Vereen on the WW? Or trading for Harvin or Gronk from a team that needs a player now.

*Updated to title 6-0

 

[rick6668]

For example: ( I hate to post my roster as this is not really a how to manage my team, but it's hard to discuss without an example, Start 1QB, 2RB, 3WR, 1TE, K, DEF)

QBeyton Manning, Andy Dalton

RB: Jamaal Charles, C.J. Spiller, B. Pierce, McGahee

WR: Andre Johnson, Antonio Brown, Miles Austin, Nate Washington, Jeremy Kerley, Percy Harvin

TE: Owen Daniels

K: Hartley

D: Seattle

This was a 3 keeper league and I kept Charles, Spiller and Manning.

I went all in this year and drafted Harvin especially looking at the end game.

 

[tdhartis]

I'm 4-0 in a 14 team league with 6 bench spots, and I've already stashed Harvin. I analyzed my bye weeks and made the decision to pull the trigger as I believe I can get by without the roster spot, and like you said there isn't much upside on the WW. Harvin may be coming back between week 7-10, so it is best to target him soon.

I'd considering picking up Vereen around week 8 if he still happened to be on the wire. Three weeks is a small price to pay for a starting RB come playoffs, and depending on your trade deadline you could use the additional depth to bundle in a trade and upgrade positions while sacrificing depth as the season draws to the end.

In other words, it's never too early to start preparing but the timing of everything depends on your pulse of the league and what it would take to acquire the players.

 

[MattFancy]

I'm looking that way now. Figure at 4-0, I'd prolly need to win at least 3 more games to get into the playoffs. My team is good, but still has a weakness at RB and maybe QB.

QB- RG3, Eli

RB- Charles, Gore, PThomas, Bolden

WR- Bryant, Garcon, White, Edelman, MWilliams, Givens

TE- Cameron

Would love to trade one of my WRs for a decent RB2/RB3 type. Just not sure what to offer. We only start 2 WRs and 1 Flex, so I don't really need all of them.

 

[spodog]

too early IMO.

With the rate of injury at the RB spot, and every NFL team only one really solid QB sack away from turning to their #2 QB, I think it's a big risk to start looking 7 weeks down the road.

4 straight wins to start your FF season is nice, but it's still early enough to get derailed by sacrificing good roster management moves to position for solid performances over the coming weeks, especially as we get into the heavy NFL bye weeks.

 

[rick6668]

too early IMO.

With the rate of injury at the RB spot, and every NFL team only one really solid QB sack away from turning to their #2 QB, I think it's a big risk to start looking 7 weeks down the road.

4 straight wins to start your FF season is nice, but it's still early enough to get derailed by sacrificing good roster management moves to position for solid performances over the coming weeks, especially as we get into the heavy NFL bye weeks.

Thanks, I agree with some of this, but in large (16 team leagues) there's not much difference between my last WR (Kerley) and anyone on the WW.

The top WR's available are guys like Douglas, Cooper, Morgan, Little. All interchangeable with likely scores of 3-4 points. I'm not really sacrificing much.

 

[Chaka]

It is very difficult to predict the NFL landscape next week let alone for week 16. That being said I am strongly considering targeting Bills and Titans because of their matchups with the Jags in weeks 15 & 16.

 

[rick6668]

Now 6-0. Pulling the trigger on Vereen this week and dropping McGahee.

I think it's worth the risk at this point to hold on Harvin and Vereen, if they are productive at the end of the season/playoffs they could propel me to the championship.

 

[meyerj31]

Now 6-0. Pulling the trigger on Vereen this week and dropping McGahee.

I think it's worth the risk at this point to hold on Harvin and Vereen, if they are productive at the end of the season/playoffs they could propel me to the championship.

Same. I picked up Titans/Bills combo already in three leagues and will be starting one of them each week until the playoffs. They are surprisingly both decent this year so I'm not losing much EV through the rest of the season. Then I have them both for the Jags matchups.... which, by the way, isn't looking as juicy with Henne at the helm. Still probably the best play during the playoffs, though.

I dropped some no names to add Crabtree and Vereen in multiple leagues. The upside is absolutely worth it at this point.

 

[Ray]

I'm not even in first place, but I'm already looking to the future / playoffs. In general, I'd much rather stash a high upside player that _definitely_ will get playing time when they come back; than a lowish upside player or a player that needs an injury to be relevant.

This is obviously hindsight, but drafting & stashing guys like Gordon/Blackmon/L.Bell/etc. was better than drafting the average players or backups at their ADP.

Likewise, picking-up & stashing injured guys like Harvin/Vereen/A.Brown?/... / high upside young guys / players with good match-ups in the playoffs have more long term value than lottery ticket backups like Tate/B.Brown/... or players that you'll only start in a week 12 bye.

 

[Leonidas]

If you are 6-0, now is the time to get setting up for the playoffs.

 

[lod01]

eff you.

Signed 3rd highest scorer in dynasty league, 1-5 Legion Of Doom

 

[Raiderfan32904]

Way too early to be thinking playoffs. You can't assume the lineups you have now that are dominating are going to be intact 6 to 8 weeks from now. I have two 6-0 teams and my first loss in another league yesterday. Lost Shorts, Murray, potentially Graham in one day. Ask the Julio owners who started off quick how they feel about their teams now. You can't ignore the luck factor with regard to injuries. This hobby can be very humbling. I know it sounds cliché, but you gotta take it one game at a time. It's a marathon, not a sprint.

 

[Leonidas]

Way too early to be thinking playoffs. You can't assume the lineups you have now that are dominating are going to be intact 6 to 8 weeks from now. I have two 6-0 teams and my first loss in another league yesterday. Lost Shorts, Murray, potentially Graham in one day. Ask the Julio owners who started off quick how they feel about their teams now. You can't ignore the luck factor with regard to injuries. This hobby can be very humbling. I know it sounds cliché, but you gotta take it one game at a time. It's a marathon, not a sprint.

There is a balance between taking it one game at a time, and being mindful of the future. Say Jimmy Graham comes back as having a "lower ankle sprain, out 1-3 weeks", or whatever...you don't drop him to make room for people that help you win this week. If all you did was take it one game at a time, without looking ahead, and without planning for the future, you would probably drop people you know won't be playing next week.

But you don't do that.

Because you have to balance this week vs the rest.

Of course, if it was week 13 or 14 coming up, and Graham was expected to be out until the real life NFL playoffs, and you were in a redraft league...you may very well drop Graham.

 

[southwick]

Way too early to be thinking playoffs. You can't assume the lineups you have now that are dominating are going to be intact 6 to 8 weeks from now. I have two 6-0 teams and my first loss in another league yesterday. Lost Shorts, Murray, potentially Graham in one day. Ask the Julio owners who started off quick how they feel about their teams now. You can't ignore the luck factor with regard to injuries. This hobby can be very humbling. I know it sounds cliché, but you gotta take it one game at a time. It's a marathon, not a sprint.

There is a balance between taking it one game at a time, and being mindful of the future. Say Jimmy Graham comes back as having a "lower ankle sprain, out 1-3 weeks", or whatever...you don't drop him to make room for people that help you win this week. If all you did was take it one game at a time, without looking ahead, and without planning for the future, you would probably drop people you know won't be playing next week.

But you don't do that.

Because you have to balance this week vs the rest.

Of course, if it was week 13 or 14 coming up, and Graham was expected to be out until the real life NFL playoffs, and you were in a redraft league...you may very well drop Graham.

I think he is saying you don't necessarily want to start sacrificing your bench depth now, for potential IR studs (such as Vereen), since at any time you may lose someone like Graham and wish you had that depth.

I will hopefully be 6-0 and am trying to balance the two options. Personally I am going to look for some 2 - 1 upgrades (such as targeting S. Jackson). Unfortunately I have a lot of late season bye weeks to contend with so I might not have room for many stashes.

 

[zftcg]

PLAYOFFS?!?!?!?!

 

[rick6668]

Way too early to be thinking playoffs. You can't assume the lineups you have now that are dominating are going to be intact 6 to 8 weeks from now. I have two 6-0 teams and my first loss in another league yesterday. Lost Shorts, Murray, potentially Graham in one day. Ask the Julio owners who started off quick how they feel about their teams now. You can't ignore the luck factor with regard to injuries. This hobby can be very humbling. I know it sounds cliché, but you gotta take it one game at a time. It's a marathon, not a sprint.

There is a balance between taking it one game at a time, and being mindful of the future. Say Jimmy Graham comes back as having a "lower ankle sprain, out 1-3 weeks", or whatever...you don't drop him to make room for people that help you win this week. If all you did was take it one game at a time, without looking ahead, and without planning for the future, you would probably drop people you know won't be playing next week.

But you don't do that.

Because you have to balance this week vs the rest.

Of course, if it was week 13 or 14 coming up, and Graham was expected to be out until the real life NFL playoffs, and you were in a redraft league...you may very well drop Graham.

I think he is saying you don't necessarily want to start sacrificing your bench depth now, for potential IR studs (such as Vereen), since at any time you may lose someone like Graham and wish you had that depth.

I will hopefully be 6-0 and am trying to balance the two options. Personally I am going to look for some 2 - 1 upgrades (such as targeting S. Jackson). Unfortunately I have a lot of late season bye weeks to contend with so I might not have room for many stashes.

This is true, but when you are in large leagues (16 teams) unless you are extremely lucky, your WR4/5 and RB4 are not very good players and someone on the waiver wire has about the same value (or close to it). Dropping McGahee for Vereen is a no brainer at this point for me. If one of my top RBs or WRs get hurt, then I may have to drop a player like Vereen to get someone off the waiver wire, but what I can get has so little value, I might be better off starting a 0.

RB's Available: Da'Rel Scott, Bryce Brown, Jackie Battle, R. Jennings, M. Bush (lucky to get 1-2 points out of these guys)

WR's Available: Hankerson, Cotchery, Ginn, Britt, etc

These guys are all pretty much interchangeable.