With the NFL’s season underway, millions of people across the U.S. are competing in fantasy football leagues. Of all fantasy sports, football has the highest following, according to the Fantasy Sports and Gaming Association.

There is an art and strategy to a successful fantasy football season. With 16 weeks to go, Matthew Zimmerman, sports media analytics expert at Virginia Tech, offers his top tips for a winning year. 

  • Pay attention to player injuries each week. Be ready to react to an injury by swapping in a backup player, if that player has potential. With a 100 percent injury rate in the NFL, fantasy players need to be ready to take advantage, Zimmerman said. “Also, keep an eye on the injured list that teams release every week.  That’ll often be a good indicator of who to bench,” he said.

  • There’s no room for player sentiment. “Don’t fall in love with a player because he helped you or your real-life team reach the semifinals a couple of years ago,” Zimmerman said. “While baseball and basketball often score on long-term accumulation of points, football is a weekly contest, and every point needs to be maximized.”

  • Rely on more than one defensive scheme. Be ready to switch up the defense you usually run. “It’s a good strategy to look at which defense is playing the worst offenses in the league each week and see if those defenses are available on the waiver wire,” Zimmerman said. “This strategy is solid if you’re in a league where a lot of players don’t keep a second defense around all season.”
  • Know the league’s scoring rules. “This is an especially important point because a lot of people tend to participate in multiple leagues in a single season,” Zimmerman said. “Some leagues may add a point for every catch or points for specific yards gained. There are many different systems and rules that leagues can adopt, and it can be a challenge to keep track of the rules.”
  • Use caution before dropping a player from the roster. “Weigh moves against past performance first,” Zimmerman said. He advised considering some of these questions: “Can this person be expected to find their usual level? Is this a running back coming off an injury? Are there offensive line or quarterback problems that allow defenses to focus on him? Is it a pass-catcher who is the only reliable target for his team? Or is the early schedule full of shutdown defenses? In each case, it’s wisest to take a deep breath and give a full assessment before making a rash roster move. One of the worst things about fantasy football is watching a player you used to have but decided to drop star for a contender,” he said.
  • Focus on your team’s performance, not your weekly matchup. “Their ability to accumulate points will not affect your ability to do the same, and vice versa,” Zimmerman said. 

Sports are the ultimate reality TV, he said. A slot receiver might have an unexpected massive day one week, then get two catches for 14 yards the next. A team from a warm climate might dominate the passing game while playing in freezing temperatures.

“You just never know,” Zimmerman said. “Some of the outcomes might be predictable, but the path to getting there often isn’t.” 

About Zimmerman

Matthew Zimmerman is an assistant professor of sports media analytics in the School of Communication. His research interests include the use of new and social media to facilitate conversations in sport, journalists’ experiences, and the use of advertising and realistic portrayal in sports video games. Before entering academia, Zimmerman spent more than five years in his native Southern California working for two daily newspapers, where he covered sports ranging from high school badminton to international soccer. 

To schedule an interview, contact Jenny Boone at jennykb@vt.edu or 540-314-7207 or Margaret Ashburn at mkashburn@vt.edu or 540-529-0814.

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