It is the tme of year when beat writers all over the country get several column inches a day out of reporting on their team’s newly released depth chart. Often this comes with surprises...players listed as starters who weren’t expected to be, or players bumped down the chart unexpectedly, or highly drafted rookies left at the bottom of the chart so they “have to earn their way up.”
Every year, fantasy owners and ADP react to these announcements. And every year they actually mean literally nothing.
Always bear in mind that depth charts aren’t put out by the coaching staff, who would have no incentive to be honest with them anyway. The team PR crew releases them as media fodder, and may or may not have any idea what is actually happening on the practice field. They may use the charts to send messages, motivate players, reward veterans, or just divert media attention away from something else.
The best fantasy strategy is to ignore these updates entirely, and maybe capitalize if a depth chart leads to irrational bounces in ADP. But I can’t remember a year when the pre-preseason depth chart revealed anything we didn’t already know or guess about how the upcoming season will play out.
Every year, fantasy owners and ADP react to these announcements. And every year they actually mean literally nothing.
Always bear in mind that depth charts aren’t put out by the coaching staff, who would have no incentive to be honest with them anyway. The team PR crew releases them as media fodder, and may or may not have any idea what is actually happening on the practice field. They may use the charts to send messages, motivate players, reward veterans, or just divert media attention away from something else.
The best fantasy strategy is to ignore these updates entirely, and maybe capitalize if a depth chart leads to irrational bounces in ADP. But I can’t remember a year when the pre-preseason depth chart revealed anything we didn’t already know or guess about how the upcoming season will play out.
