Fantasy Football 2015: Week 3 Tips
By Matt Hellens
For the longest time, fantasy football has been a running back’s world, and every other position just lived in it. While quarterbacks would still be able to have higher seasonal scores, the supply of the position would make it relatively easy to fill that slot in your weekly roster. Wide receivers would occasionally be a valuable asset to focus on, but the realistic possibility of them having single digit scoring in a week made the position too volatile to build your team around.
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Running backs, however, had that perfect balance of somewhat limited supply while also being a consistent focal point of their real life NFL team’s offense. In LaDanian Tomlinson’s signature 2006 monster season, 6 of the top 10 scorers (in standard scoring) were RBs, and we were definitely still in the golden age of backs that would carry a team to a championship.
Since that year, there was only one year that had as many as 3 top 10 scoring backs. Not coincidentally, that was around when the rules changed to make it easier for wide receivers to get open beyond five yards, creating a new age where the passing game became the focal point of most offenses.
What does that mean for our fantasy season right now? Well last week in standard scoring, there were only five running backs that scored in the top 50, and three of those were ranked 42, 44, and 46. Which pretty much means if you’ve built your team around the RB position, you had a really good chance at losing last week.
Wide receivers and quarterbacks dominated the scoring in week 2. If you are in a league that starts only one QB, then that is an easy position to fill and still score well. WRs though, have most leagues start 2 as well as a possible 3rd in the flex slot, making that a prime position to really gain an advantage over your opponent.
Going forward, besides starting your obvious top receivers in their main positions, I’d also target your safest WR for the flex spot, since most people will still be going for RBs there. Also, if you have perceived depth at the position, I’d start looking for ways to trade a back if they have a good week.
My Teams
Molson Canadians 1-1
This team was built around DeMarco Murray and C.J. Anderson, it’s a miracle I won the first week.
Horny Monks 1-1
Losing Dez Bryant is starting to hurt. I may not have won if I had him, as they had some fluky D scoring, but it would have been a fight at least.
1.21 Giga Watt 2-0
Odell Beckham Jr. is becoming one of my favorite players, though I still need to get better receivers around him. I did pick up FA Travis Benjamin, but I’m convinced my luck will jynx him and he will not score again until he’s on another team.
Next: Daily Fantasy Picks Week 3