Fantasy football 2023: Beware of this rookie RB, which Eagles RB to target, more
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- How many fantasy football teams have you drafted so far? A few down for me, and a few more to go unless I end up joining another league somewhere along the way.
I really wanted to do a guillotine league this year, but that didn't materialize. I ended up with some good teams, but then again, I always think I draft good teams and sometimes I'm very wrong.
Here are a few very basic things to consider going into the season:
Information
A thing I do to keep in the information loop is follow all the beat writers. Maybe you are on Twitter or X or whatever it's called today. Maybe it's Threads.
Whatever your source of information on football, make sure you are following the right people. I don't mean just the "experts" or the people making a living covering and writing about fantasy sports. Follow them, too, of course, but you should be following the beat writers for every team in the NFL. Every. Single. One.
Beatwriters are the single greatest source of information on the NFL that exists. And they all have different takes on the same information, which will help you when deciding if it's important. They have insight into position battles and who the coaches like or don't like.
A few years ago, I was following a beat writer for the New Orleans Saints. He said something along the lines of "Sean Payton is in love with third-round pick Alvin Kamara. He can't stop talking about him. I expect him to get the ball a lot." I picked him in nearly every draft that year and the rest is history.
Hype
Be careful of hype. Many times, there is some accuracy in the hype around a player but then there are plenty of times where it's just flat-out wrong.
The guy getting the most hype this season is Atlanta Falcons rookie running back Bijan Robinson. It's with good reason, the kid is getting a lot of attention, he's good and he appears to be in a great situation. You can read about him in every preview of this season. You can hear all about him if you listen to fantasy radio.
However, I won't be drafting him. If you were to Google Robinson right now, you'd see articles from every fantasy outlet under the sun talking about how he's going to break records, win Offensive Rookie of the Year and be "just like Saquon Barkley in his first year."
Maybe that's true, but I always get nervous when there is this much parity of thought among the fantasy community. A couple of years ago, there was a ton of hype around Kyle Pitts. There was also the year when Clyde Edwards-Helaire was so hyped up, he was going before actual stud players.
Currently, Robinson's average draft position is hovering around No. 8 overall. He's being drafted ahead of Barkley, Nick Chubb and Derrick Henry just to name a few. That's absolute lunacy.
I tell you who I will try to draft super late though – Robinson's backups Tyler Allgeier and Cordarrelle Patterson. Both guys have proven too good to just ignore because Robinson got drafted.
Close to home
Currently, D'Andre Swift is being drafted at 59th overall, Rashaad Penny at 104th and Kenny Gainwell at 177th.
If you end up picking Gainwell that late, you will be thrilled with how it works out for you.
While Swift is a great pass catcher and Penny seems to be a better pure runner than both, Gainwell does everything. In two seasons with the Eagles, he hasn't missed a game and the same can not be said for either Penny or Swift. The guy I want in the Eagles backfield, other than Jalen Hurts, is Gainwell.
You do you
One final thought. Lots of times you'll hear about these rules for fantasy football. Don't do this! You can't do that! These rules always seem to change for the most part as the game of football evolves, but some people are stuck in their ways.
An example of this is drafting a quarterback in the first round. This has started to shift in recent years as clearly some quarterbacks are WAY better than others and formats vary wildly from league to league.
In my two drafts so far, I've taken Hurts 4th and 8th overall. Heresy! How could I? Well, first and foremost I wanted to. It's my team.
In terms of reasoning, Hurts and Patrick Mahomes are the only two quarterbacks I'd consider in the first round but that's just me.
Mahomes is the best quarterback in the game and Hurts with the running dimension to his game makes his value at that same level or slightly higher or lower depending on the format.
Heck, maybe you are a Justin Herbert believer or high on Lamar Jackson or Josh Allen. I wouldn't draft them that high, but it's your team, not mine.
I'll take this "You do you" concept even a step higher. This year in one league I kept a kicker. Justin Tucker was eligible for me to keep in the 8th round and I did. This, of course, was to the absolute delight of everyone in my league who asked, "Who keeps a kicker?."
Me, that's who!
Circumstance dictates what you do. And drafts change so much as you go along you may as well lock in the best kicker in the league if you want to. If you listen closely, you can hear the blood pressure rising of every "expert" and traditionalist.
The argument against is "but you could take a WR or RB or something else there and end up with more value." Yes, maybe that's right, but it also could be wrong. Why is drafting a WR4 or an RB3 more valuable than drafting the best kicker or defense? The short answer is…it's not.
In one league due to rosters having too many bench spots, in protest and out of necessity, I drafted three defenses and two kickers. Earlier than most people would like. To be honest, I was just trying to be a jerk with the two kickers.
I know I'm a lunatic. I'm crazy. I'm stupid. I have heard it all so be creative, please!
However, late last year in the league, I drafted three defenses and two kickers. There were no good defenses when I went looking for good matchups to stream with. Literally, nobody was there. The circumstance dictated that I go get a few good options this year, thus limiting other owners while giving myself plenty of match-up options. I'll roll with the Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Tennessee Titans defenses this year in that league. Eagles and Steelers in another.
The point I'm trying to make is an important one. You do what you want. When it's all said and done, I'm the one who must live with my creations for the next three months.
It's the same for you and your team. I'd much rather get who I want and live with what could be a horrible decision than just do what everyone does and maybe not have the team I want. It's my money and I'll do as I please.
Good luck drafting this weekend everyone!
CBS Philadelphia's Andy Wheeler reported on this story.
