New Year, New Season

It’s the beginning of a new year and everyone is focused on making resolutions and improving themselves. Maybe this is the year you are determined to lose those few extra pounds you’ve been carrying around. Maybe this is the year you land that perfect gig or get promoted into a spot you’ve worked tirelessly for. Whatever the goal may be, here is to you crushing it. For a guy like myself, a new year brings a new opportunity for my fantasy football team.

2019 was an amazing year that saw Christian McCaffrey, Lamar Jackson, and Michael Thomas (amongst others) rewrite the history books. While I was all in on CMAC and MT, I painfully missed on Lamar Jackson this year. This was one of the many lessons I learned this year in this ever changing game of fantasy football, and has inspired me to come up with my own resolutions for 2020s fantasy season. So without further ado here are my 10 Fantasy Football Resolutions for 2020.

Resolution 1:  I will not draft a quarterback in the first 6 rounds

Look no further than the discrepancy between the top 5 QB ADP vs the top 5 QB Finishes

ADP                                                                       Final Rank

Patrick Mahomes                                             Lamar Jackson

Deshaun Watson                                              Dak Prescott

Aaron Rodgers                                                  Jameis WInston

Baker Mayfield                                                  Russell Wilson

Matt Ryan                                                           Deshaun Watson

It’s never paid more to wait to draft your fantasy quarterback and while it may be tempting to grab a quarterback early in 2020, chances are you will find much greater value by grabbing a quarterback in the latter half of your draft.

Resolution 2: I will put more faith in mobile quarterbacks moving forward

The NFL is truly evolving. 6 of the top 7 Qbs for the season were dual threat type qbs. So if you invested stock in Jackson, Prescott, Wilson, Watson, or even Josh Allen and Kyler Murray you were rewarded greatly. Obviously what Jackson did was special, but these other dual threat qbs likely kept their owners in contention the entire way.

Resolution 3: I will work the waiver wire and trade machine even harder in 2020

Leagues are not won on draft day, contrary to popular belief. The managers that are skilled in the art of trading and who have a keen eye for grabbing the right players off of the waivers are usually the guys that hoist their trophy at the end of the season. We all make mistakes, and that includes the draft. I picked up Antonio Brown in several leagues this season. I also was a David Johnson owner. I had a share or two of Todd Gurley. I’ve seen many fantasy owners ride guys like this right to the finish line and right out of the playoffs. The savvy players are the ones who grab a Kenyan Drake or a Devante Parker. Champions are players who can take one of these underperformers and sell them before it’s too late. Don’t die on the hill at the end of the season because you’re too proud to trade that underachieving first or second round pick. 

Resolution 4: I will give Odell Beckham Jr. another shot, but not David Johnson.

Anyone who listens to our podcast knows that I was not a happy OBJ owner this season. I played him week after week and was disappointed pretty much every time. So why give him another shot? It’s simple. Freddie Kitchens is gone. Despite all of the shortcomings of the Browns this year, and how disappointing OBJ was, he is still one of most gifted wide receivers we have ever seen. He has a great second receiver in Jarvis Landry. Kareem Hunt is an absolute stud. Baker should improve. All the signs point to him bouncing back from his rough year. David Johnson not so much. While Johnson was dealing with injuries most of the year, he just doesn’t seem like the same back that set the world on fire back in 2016. Gone are the days of 2,000 all purpose yards and 20 touchdowns. If you ended the season with Kenyan Drake, you were a happy owner. Chase Edmunds also filled in admirably before he got injured and Drake emerged. I’m not sure that David Johnson is a top 3 back on his own team any longer. FADE him unless his draft stock falls to the point of late round lottery ticket.

Resolution 5: In both my personal and fantasy life, there is NO room for Drama

There have been several times in my career I took a chance on a suspended player. Zeke and Leveon both have had fantastic seasons coming off of a suspension.  2019 was a different beast though. If you took Antonio Brown early you probably felt crazier than him by the end of week 3. Owners who took a gamble on Josh Gordon did not see it pay off. While Melvin Gordon eventually came back and did well he took a long time to show up (hopefully you had Ekeler) The point is safety is sexy, and the less drama you have in the early rounds of your draft, the better off you are.

Resolution 6: I will accept that there are things out of my control

So you study all offseason. You watch tape. Read articles. Follow your favorite athletes on twitter. You listen to the Truth Serum Football podcast. You are ready to dominate your draft and your league. OBJ was a steal in the early 3^rd, almost as much as Devante Adams in the 2^nd! You can’t believe your luck. Fast forward to championship week and you’re sitting on your couch while the eventual champion trots out Devante Parker, DJ Chark, and AJ Brown. Nobody in their right mind would have told you to pick Parker and Chark over Adams and Beckham, but that’s how it worked out this year. Some things are beyond your control. Further proof that trades and waiver wire acquisitions are the key to winning it all!

Resolution 7: I will absolutely be drafting 2^nd year WRs in 2020

This rookie class of receivers was loaded and I see several taking leaps in year two. A.J. Brown, D.K. Metcalf, Deebo Samuel and Terry McLaurin all showed out at different times this season. But don’t sleep on improvement from Hollywood Brown, N’keal Harry, Mecole Hardman and others. The future is bright at fantasy WR.

Resolution 8: I will stick to drafting the stud RB when available.

Christian McCaffrey was the best player in fantasy this year. No doubts. Despite injuries and a few not great games, Zeke, Kamara, and Saquon all returned RB 1 numbers and finished in the top 10 at their position. While Derrick Henry and Nick Chubb may disrupt this order next year, I look for all four of these backs to go early in 2020 fantasy redrafts.

Resolution 9: I won’t draft the Tightest Ends early

I know. George Kittle and Travis Kelce are beasts among men, but much like quarterbacks, the smarter play is to draft them later. Picking Kelce or Kittle is likely going to cost you a top 3 round pick next year. I’d rather take my chances on Waller, Andrews, Higbee, or any of the later round tight ends. Hunter Henry was available on most waiver wires at one point this year. Don’t even get me started on Austin Hooper. You can find immense value later in your draft. Get the stud WR and RB instead.

Resolution 10: I will listen to the Truth Serum Football

No, really, we’re good. With so many football stats, articles, podcasts, and tv shows out there now, it’s hard to separate the best from the rest. Truth Serum Football weaves through all the madness that is the fantasy landscape and delivers nothing but the best.