Cardinal Rules of FF (1 Viewer)

[Fingers Freddie]

This past w/e I needed an RB to fill in for LT. I also own Deangelo and Selvin Young. Graham was starting. In my misguided ways I ended up making a cheap deal (no sig players to give up) for FARGAS. I was very happy with this acquisition thinking he'll put up 10 pts and will serve my purpose well. CBS, FBG and others had him ranked somewhere around 19 or 20th RB for the week. Atl is a mediocore run D and McFadden is OUT.

My opponent has FWP (or MM) to play tonight. I lead by a doz (PPR). I may squeeze out a win but then again I may not. FARGAS may cost me the week. Which isn't anything new or speacial but it did get me thinking about some of my cardinal rules of FF whcih I have broken on many occaisions this year. Just wondering if any of you have "rules to live by" in FF.

#1. NEVER own, trade for or start any Den RB's as long as Shany is the coach.

#2. NEVER own, trade for or start any Oak RB's as long as Al Davis is alive.

#3. NEVER own, trade for or start any Det RB's until Barry comes out of retirement.

 

[The Ghost of Common]

You heard it here first, folks.

 

[MarcO]

uh oh. Time to get out of the water...

 

[BobbyLayne]

Nothing as specific as the OP, but in general, setting my lineup on Thursday or earlier usually works best.

Of course GTD or a significant development may force you to make a change, but more often than not over analyzing matchups will lead to failure 50% or more of the time. Got with your gut; your first instinct is usually the correct one.

Saturday and ESPECIALLY Sunday a.m. are bad times to make that last minute adjustment.

ETA: typo

 

[munchkin]

Never play a Jaguar RB until DelRio figures out he needs to run to win.

 

[kremenull]

Seems like an emotional posting.....Cardinal rules?......Not hardly.....So if you would have owned Fargas last year, you would be saying the same thing? Heard of Terrell Davis? Clinton Portis, maybe? Two pretty recent DEN RBs under Shanahan......Please, get a grip my man. You simply made the wrong call, but these absolutes are ridiculous.....

 

[RamMan]

Nothing as specific as the OP, but in general, setting my lineup on Thursday or earlier usually works best.Of course GTD or a significant development may force you to make a change, but more often than not over analyzing matchups will lead to failure 50% or more of the time. Got with your gut; your first instinct is usually the correct one.Saturday and ESPECIALLY Sunday a.m. are bad times to make that last minute adjustment.ETA: typo

Amen brotha. I've broken my own rule on this one so many times it makes me sick. I did the same thing this past week by having CJ3 and Ronnie in my lineup all week until Friday - when, based on some of the rankings here on FBG and elswhere, I subsituted Lynch for CJ3. Ask me how that turned out....

 

[thatguy]

Nothing as specific as the OP, but in general, setting my lineup on Thursday or earlier usually works best.Of course GTD or a significant development may force you to make a change, but more often than not over analyzing matchups will lead to failure 50% or more of the time. Got with your gut; your first instinct is usually the correct one.Saturday and ESPECIALLY Sunday a.m. are bad times to make that last minute adjustment.ETA: typo

I think this point can't be overemphasized. So often those late substitutions that seem genius at the time backfire completely. And it makes watching the games very painful as the guy who you'd had in your lineup all week tears it up and your last minute savior does nothing.

 

[MarcO]

Nothing as specific as the OP, but in general, setting my lineup on Thursday or earlier usually works best.Of course GTD or a significant development may force you to make a change, but more often than not over analyzing matchups will lead to failure 50% or more of the time. Got with your gut; your first instinct is usually the correct one.Saturday and ESPECIALLY Sunday a.m. are bad times to make that last minute adjustment.ETA: typo

Amen brotha. I've broken my own rule on this one so many times it makes me sick. I did the same thing this past week by having CJ3 and Ronnie in my lineup all week until Friday - when, based on some of the rankings here on FBG and elswhere, I subsituted Lynch for CJ3. Ask me how that turned out....

NEVER change your lineup based on what the EXPERTS think - they don't know anything more than you...

 

[Ted Lange as your Bartender]

Agree on not putting yourself at risk to "Shanahanigans" - not against holding a Denver RB on my roster per se, but he better not be higher than RB3/4.

Also:

Set your lineup as early in the week as possible. Use "expert" rankings to confirm your instincts, not to pick your lineup. Research why one of their picks is vastly different than yours and only make a change if a factor you weren't aware of (like defensive injuries) is compelling enough for a switch.

Never, ever, EVER bench Adrian Peterson - worst feeling in the world is when he's on your bench for one of "those games".

Rookie WRs in a redraft aren't worth the risk, even the few that occasionally hit usually end up getting taken higher than they should.

 

[Fingers Freddie]

Seems like an emotional posting.....Cardinal rules?......Not hardly.....So if you would have owned Fargas last year, you would be saying the same thing? Heard of Terrell Davis? Clinton Portis, maybe? Two pretty recent DEN RBs under Shanahan......Please, get a grip my man. You simply made the wrong call, but these absolutes are ridiculous.....

Hardly an emotional post. I've been at this in two competitive leagues for 9 years. I've made plenty of mistakes. This not the first and won't be the last. However, I think there are certain teams, coaches, OC's, DC's whcih from a FF perspective result in more incorrect predictions than correct predictions. I just wanted to see if there were are any other "rules" people had. Maybe "pseudo" cardinal would be a better term.#4. Never draft a QB in the first round.#5. Never draft a D early. The experts are frequently wrong & it is much more efficient to ww a D or trade for one.

 

[maxwelledison]

Nothing as specific as the OP, but in general, setting my lineup on Thursday or earlier usually works best.Of course GTD or a significant development may force you to make a change, but more often than not over analyzing matchups will lead to failure 50% or more of the time. Got with your gut; your first instinct is usually the correct one.Saturday and ESPECIALLY Sunday a.m. are bad times to make that last minute adjustment.ETA: typo

I think this point can't be overemphasized. So often those late substitutions that seem genius at the time backfire completely. And it makes watching the games very painful as the guy who you'd had in your lineup all week tears it up and your last minute savior does nothing.

Yep. Sat Mason for Breaston this week. Made the move Sunday at 10 after Mason was staring me in the face all week at WR3.

 

[Topes]

Nothing as specific as the OP, but in general, setting my lineup on Thursday or earlier usually works best.

Bingo! Outside of gametime decisions, Sunday morning second-guessing is evil. For me, has hurt way, way more than it's helped.

 

[I Am Rick James]

Never get caught in a Bilichick RB committee.

 

[gonzobill5]

Great post. Good timing too - got burned in both of my leagues by breaking the "last minute" rule.

I'll also add that you should never ever drop your kicker in favor of a different kicker for any reason other than bye weeks. I grabbed Longwell this week thinking the Vikes would put up massive points against Houston & considered it a bonus that he was at home in the dome. Well they did - 28 points translating to 4 measly points for Longwell. I dropped Lindell and his 7 points and lost by 2.

Never ever try to make sense of why certain fg kickers are good. Just get one that's performing well and close your eyes.

 

[T Bell]

1. Never say "never".

 

[aquateen]

Talk about fight club

 

[fornov]

Agree - set your lineups early. Probably Wednesday or Thursday, even Monday if you don't have any guys playing in that game. Watch for injuries throughout the week.

Equally important: if you have a guy who might miss a game, HAVE A BACKUP PLAN for that GTD on Sunday morning. For example, if you had SJax in your lineup for week 8, but then found out he wouldn't be playing, have a guy already on your roster who you plan to sub in (A Pittman, or someone from a different team, if you choose) when you hear he isn't playing. If you've already thought it out ahead of time, the news won't make you panic and make a bad substitution while you're not thinking clearly.

 

[bulger2holt]

Never make a trade on Saturday night after you have been drinking. It cost me 3 games and the playoffs.

 

[FantasyTrader]

#1. NEVER own, trade for or start any Den RB's as long as Shany is the coach.#2. NEVER own, trade for or start any Oak RB's as long as Al Davis is alive.#3. NEVER own, trade for or start any Det RB's until Barry comes out of retirement.

Maybe I'm overthinking it, but wouldn't not owning them accomplish the not trading for and/or starting them?Not to mention - in your nine years of playing FF, if you scratched these three teams off of your draft board you missed out on several great fantasy RB's.

 

[Chief]

A re-shuffling of the order is in order here...

#1. Never draft a QB in the first round. (If you do, it could necessitate violation of the rules 4 - 6)

#2. Never draft a WR and RB from the same crummy team. (When the TD gets thrown to the TE and the other WR, you are f'ed as these are the only points scored by the crummy team)

#3. Never draft a D early. The experts are frequently wrong & it is much more efficient to ww a D or trade for one.

#4. Never own, trade for or start any Den RB's as long as Shany is the coach.

#5. Never own, trade for or start any Oak RB's as long as Al Davis is alive.

#6. Never own, trade for or start any Det RB's until Barry comes out of retirement.

Added my own rule #2.

Having CalvinJohnson and Kevin Smith has not worked out as well as Slaton and A.Johnson (but these TDs to D.Anderson and K.Walter are killing me. KILLING ME, I tell ya!

Edit to note that rules 4-6 could easily be changed to

Never own, trade for or start any RB in a RBBC and have any realistic expectations of a big week on a consistent basis.

 

[Jayrod]

A re-shuffling of the order is in order here...#1. Never draft a QB in the first round. (If you do, it could necessitate violation of the rules 4 - 6)#2. Never draft a WR and RB from the same crummy team. (When the TD gets thrown to the TE and the other WR, you are f'ed as these are the only points scored by the crummy team)#3. Never draft a D early. The experts are frequently wrong & it is much more efficient to ww a D or trade for one.#4. Never own, trade for or start any Den RB's as long as Shany is the coach.#5. Never own, trade for or start any Oak RB's as long as Al Davis is alive.#6. Never own, trade for or start any Det RB's until Barry comes out of retirement.Added my own rule #2.Having CalvinJohnson and Kevin Smith has not worked out as well as Slaton and A.Johnson (but these TDs to D.Anderson and K.Walter are killing me. KILLING ME, I tell ya! Edit to note that rules 4-6 could easily be changed toNever own, trade for or start any RB in a RBBC and have any realistic expectations of a big week on a consistent basis.

My entire RB corps in one league is made up of guys that are supposed to be in a RBBC: Bush, MJD, Stewart and Lendale. But the league is receiving heavy and return yards are significant. Bush was #1 overall before the injury and MJD put up 20+ pts last week in a "down" week. We also only have to start 1 RB (can start up to 3).But I highly agree with #1 & #3....and that even applies to IDP leagues. It is 1000x's easier to find a serviceable starting IDP player off the waivers than it is to find a serviceable RB or WR off of the waiver wire.

 

[Mr. Mojo]

This past w/e I needed an RB to fill in for LT. I also own Deangelo and Selvin Young. Graham was starting. In my misguided ways I ended up making a cheap deal (no sig players to give up) for FARGAS. I was very happy with this acquisition thinking he'll put up 10 pts and will serve my purpose well. CBS, FBG and others had him ranked somewhere around 19 or 20th RB for the week. Atl is a mediocore run D and McFadden is OUT.

My opponent has FWP (or MM) to play tonight. I lead by a doz (PPR). I may squeeze out a win but then again I may not. FARGAS may cost me the week. Which isn't anything new or speacial but it did get me thinking about some of my cardinal rules of FF whcih I have broken on many occaisions this year. Just wondering if any of you have "rules to live by" in FF.

#1. NEVER own, trade for or start any Den RB's as long as Shany is the coach.

Probably

#2. NEVER own, trade for or start any Oak RB's as long as Al Davis is alive.

Wrong - 3 different OAK RBs put up GOOD #s in 07

#3. NEVER own, trade for or start any Det RB's until Barry comes out of retirement.

Yes

 

[Sabertooth]

I never start a white running back. Period.

 

[deep vacuum]

Trading is a good thing until you can't stop yourself from continuously offering trades and your 4-2 team is suddenly 4-5.

 

[puckalicious]

Never let your personal opinion of a player due to off-field issues cloud your judgment. An owner in my dynasty league was so disgusted with Marshall this summer that I got him straight up for Kevin Jones.

He now regrets the trade of course but he always has to qualify it with "yeah but he's a jack### and I hope he gets arrested again".

 

[Team Legacy]

NEVER bench your #1 WR no matter how tough the matchup looks.

 

[Hue G]

This past w/e I needed an RB to fill in for LT. I also own Deangelo and Selvin Young. Graham was starting. In my misguided ways I ended up making a cheap deal (no sig players to give up) for FARGAS. I was very happy with this acquisition thinking he'll put up 10 pts and will serve my purpose well. CBS, FBG and others had him ranked somewhere around 19 or 20th RB for the week. Atl is a mediocore run D and McFadden is OUT.My opponent has FWP (or MM) to play tonight. I lead by a doz (PPR). I may squeeze out a win but then again I may not. FARGAS may cost me the week. Which isn't anything new or speacial but it did get me thinking about some of my cardinal rules of FF whcih I have broken on many occaisions this year. Just wondering if any of you have "rules to live by" in FF.#1. NEVER own, trade for or start any Den RB's as long as Shany is the coach.#2. NEVER own, trade for or start any Oak RB's as long as Al Davis is alive.#3. NEVER own, trade for or start any Det RB's until Barry comes out of retirement.

I am also not going to agree with any of these things, as mentioned before Fargas had a decent year last year and LaMont Jordan was a top 10 RB in 05' when he played with Oakland, they're actually a pretty good running team if they can get someone to stay healthy for a full year.We all know Denver's RBs have been frustrating over the past couple of years but they really haven't had a decent talent since Portis, so I don't understand how it's a suprise to anyone that their backfield has been a cluster #### of below average RBs but if they get a talented guy in there look out!Same goes with Detroit they just haven't had any talent back there, I'm not saying it's an ideal spot for an RB but I'm sure if you put someone talented in they would do fine.

 

[Hue G]

NEVER bench your #1 WR no matter how tough the matchup looks.

I would ad you #1 RB and QB as well

 

[Wrigley]

This past w/e I needed an RB to fill in for LT. I also own Deangelo and Selvin Young. Graham was starting. In my misguided ways I ended up making a cheap deal (no sig players to give up) for FARGAS. I was very happy with this acquisition thinking he'll put up 10 pts and will serve my purpose well. CBS, FBG and others had him ranked somewhere around 19 or 20th RB for the week. Atl is a mediocore run D and McFadden is OUT.

My opponent has FWP (or MM) to play tonight. I lead by a doz (PPR). I may squeeze out a win but then again I may not. FARGAS may cost me the week. Which isn't anything new or speacial but it did get me thinking about some of my cardinal rules of FF whcih I have broken on many occaisions this year. Just wondering if any of you have "rules to live by" in FF.



#1. NEVER own, trade for or start any Den RB's as long as Shany is the coach.

#2. NEVER own, trade for or start any Oak RB's as long as Al Davis is alive.

#3. NEVER own, trade for or start any Det RB's until Barry comes out of retirement.

You have played competitively for nine years?Then you must have missed these:

2000: Mike Anderson's 1500yrds and 15TD's

2002: Clinton Portis and his 1500 and 17TD's

2003: CP's 1600 and 14

2004: Ruben Droughns 1240 and 6

2005: RBC-Anderson 1014/12 and Bells 921/8

I'm surprised you missed these great seasons, playing in such a competitive league.

 

[Spike]

Agree on not putting yourself at risk to "Shanahanigans" - not against holding a Denver RB on my roster per se, but he better not be higher than RB3/4.

Also:

Set your lineup as early in the week as possible. Use "expert" rankings to confirm your instincts, not to pick your lineup. Research why one of their picks is vastly different than yours and only make a change if a factor you weren't aware of (like defensive injuries) is compelling enough for a switch.

Never, ever, EVER bench Adrian Peterson - worst feeling in the world is when he's on your bench for one of "those games".

Rookie WRs in a redraft aren't worth the risk, even the few that occasionally hit usually end up getting taken higher than they should.

I figure there are very few "absolutes" but these are pretty close. Good job.

 

[32 Counter Pass]

Strongly agree with the QB rule, but would add NEVER draft a QB before the 8th round. With exception to Bress, those that took QBs early are regretting that decision. Particularly when they could have selected a WR or RB for depth and selected a decent QB like Rivers or Rodgers later in the draft.

Factor in travel mileage when reviewing a team's schedule: performance will be negatively impacted when a team is required to travel across the country, particularly from the west coast to the east coast!

Factor in the offensive line play when making projections.

 

[cheese]

Strongly agree with the QB rule, but would add NEVER draft a QB before the 8th round. With exception to Bress, those that took QBs early are regretting that decision. Particularly when they could have selected a WR or RB for depth and selected a decent QB like Rivers or Rodgers later in the draft.Factor in travel mileage when reviewing a team's schedule: performance will be negatively impacted when a team is required to travel across the country, particularly from the west coast to the east coast!Factor in the offensive line play when making projections.

If you selected the right QB the last 3 years he would have been worth any pick, including your first. 2008 Brees 2007 Brady 2006 Manning. The problem isn't with drafting QB's early, its with drafting QB's early and missing.

 

[munchkin]

NEVER bench your #1 WR no matter how tough the matchup looks.

Unless the QB happens to be Vinny Testeverde; he rendered S Smith useless.