ShadowDog Posted April 4, 2015 Share Posted April 4, 2015 I've never won a fantasy football keeper league title. Never come close. You have. So I'm curious. How did you do it? How did the pieces fall into place for you that year? Did you win via your draft and ride that all the way? Was it combing the waiver wire every week? Was it one big trade or several trades? (I'm aware you build a fantasy team all three ways, I'm asking what worked for you that year?) Was it simply the one year you didn't have major injuries? Tell your story of how you built a champion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Choc Posted April 4, 2015 Share Posted April 4, 2015 I've won my fantasy league 3 times, I very rarely make in season movies. I go with my draft, which if I have a good draft leads to tremendous success but a poor one and I have a terrible year. My first title was mostly due to Terrell Davis and his 2,000 yards My 2nd title I only had an average team but pulled some playoff upsets My third team was totally dominant, had another 2,000 yard rusher in Jamal Lewis and also had Ahman Green. My main advice would be to draft good, safe players. Don't go after flavor of the months or guys who people are excpecting to improve. Just go to old reliable players. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UK Legend Killa Posted April 4, 2015 Share Posted April 4, 2015 Get Irish to trade you his best players for some mediocre crap.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Lohr Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 Well, since you specifically said keeper league, I'll focus on that. I had won three titles in two different (non-keeper) leagues before coming to the NFF, but have only managed to do it once since. It's a slightly different animal, because the road to success really starts in the offseason. Selecting the right four keepers is sometimes a no-brainer, but sometimes it takes careful consideration. Sometimes you have really try and predict who other teams will keep, thus predicting exactly who will be in the draft. Then you have an idea of who you may want/be able to take in the first couple of rounds. Those first couple of picks really need to complement your four keepers, because that's going to theoretically be the core of your starting lineup. Making sure you have a strong core is essential, I think, because then whenever you do find that diamond in the rough as a free agent or that late-round flyer pans out, you already have something to build on. Before you can become great, first you need to be really good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucas1138 Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 50% draft35% luck10% combing waiver wire5% in-season trades I'm probably underselling luck here. I'm definitely underselling luck here, actually. I've done it a variety of ways. Directly blow is "Team Carr" specific. At the bottom are general rules I go by. My first title, and subsequent two title game appearances were built through the draft. I knocked my first 4 picks out of the freaking park. Here was my top 4 (position ranking in 06, 07, and 08) Steven Jackson (3, 14, 14), Peyton Manning (1, 3, 6), Marvin Harrison (1, 104, 32), Larry Fitzgerald (24, 5, 1). Obviously losing MH to injury in 2007 and 2008 hurt, but that first season was magical. I also ended up with Jeremy Shockey, Lavernues Coles, Warrick Dunn, Fred Taylor, and Corey Dillon - all of whom ended up top 20 at their position (starter caliber). I lucked out getting Neil Rackers and the Patriots Defense, and I think both were ranked at the top of their position. In 2007 I ended up with Clinton Portis (4th) as my first round draft pick. That combined with the 2006's haul was enough to keep me at the top. I swung the 2008 title thanks to free agency... but not in my favor. I dropped DeAngelo Williams a few games into the season before he EXPLODED and became the #1 fantasy back that year. He got his revenge by dropping 30+ on me in the championship game for Irish. My first three draft picks that year were Ronnie Brown (17), Anquan Boldin (7) and Michael Turner (2). Then the "dark ages" hit for me. Whereas during that opening stretch every 50/50 move I made worked out in my favor, it all went downhill for a while. I kept an old Marvin Harrison over a young Calvin Johnson (whoops) - which was my biggest flub. Looking at my drafts, it looks like I just missed on guys. I stand by my logic at the time, I just happened to have 0.000 batting average instead of .300. 2011 Peyton Manning didn't play so neither did Team Carr. 2012 was so-so. 2013 was an "all-in" year. I basically scrapped my entire team, made some trades (using the practice squad to my advantage and ended up with 4 picks in the first 13. That's all well and good - but I still had to "hit" on them... and I did. Jimmy Graham (1), Alfred Morris (15), Demaryius Thomas (2), and DeMarco Murray (7). 2014 I basically used the same core, was able to snag Randall Cobb back at the end of the first round which was nice. Murray setting the NFL on fire in 2014 helped too. I grabbed Tony Romo in the 8th round or something.y My general rules (that aren't set in stone and I probably break from time to time) 1) Get lucky - above all, this is the most important thing. Never forget that.2) Draft like hell. Have a strategy and execute it. Don't change things up because something may or may not have gone your way early.2b) You need to nail your first 3-4 picks. Finding diamonds in the rough later is awesome, but much harder. Those first several rounds are (generally) where you're going to find the guys who are prospective keepers. You are drafting for 2015, yes... but also 2016 and 2017.2c) Find the "breakout" guy. I got Murray the year before he blew up. I drafted Michael Turner on a flyer the summer before his first year starting. I didn't get Demaryius when Peyton signed, but I got him the next year.3) Make trades for the future, never the now. I don't think a single season has been swung by an in-season trade in our league.3b) Work on improving your draft capital. More picks equals more opportunities to grab "the" guy. The earlier the pick the better, obviously, but there's ALWAYS tons of guys in later rounds that turn out to be huge contributors.4) Comb the waiver wire every week. Pay attention to injuries, see who might get an opportunity. You want to spot the guy a week before the others.5) Use the Practice Squad. I've carried 4 players through their entire eligibility on the practice squad. Knowshon Moreno (traded for an extra first round draft pick) Randall Cobb (Kept "for free") Trent Richardson (whoops); T.Y. Hilton (keeping or trading). When you use the PS, you get a free keeper spot. Draft rookies and PS eligible guys. Even ones you might not ever play, someone else might be high on them.6) Read stuff. All fantasy writers are just guys who are paid to guess, that's fine. A lot of the stuff is crap, but getting more information isn't a bad thing.7) Pay attention to your gut. There are a couple of guys per year that I just want nothing to do with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Irish Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Get Irish to trade you his best players for some mediocre crap....Truer words have never been spoken. If I remember correctly, my Uber Bowl title can be directly attributed to the pickup of Deangelo Williams Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucas1138 Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 What a good memory you have Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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