Pick the Right Player

Picking the right starters is key in fantasy football. You can have a million points on your team, but if they're sitting on your bench, they mean nothing! Many things go into picking the right starter. Some people go off of online ranking systems generated by experts that are paid a lot of money to create rankings. Even though these are good to go off of, allow me to share 5 keys to picking the right player.

Key #1 - Trust your instinct!
Your first gut instinct on a player is normally your best choice. Don't overcomplicate things and let others sway your decision on who should start on YOUR team. I can't tell you how many times I've heard of other owners complain about the last second changes they made to their lineup to later regret those changes. The only thing that should change your gut instinct are injuries. Other than that, trust yourself.

Key #2 - Look at previously played games.
There are certain teams and fields that players "get up" for. For example, Michael Vick had one of the greatest games in NFL history on Monday night football in Washington two years ago. If I had Vick on my team (which I do), I would be starting him over virtually every other QB in the league (including Matt Ryan... my other QB). Research previous games and if you see a trend of a certain player, then trust the trend.

Key #3 - Look at match-ups.
If you're debating on who to start, play the player with the better matchup. Most online leagues will show you how each defense ranks against certain positions. For example, New Orleans was the worst passing defense in the league last year; therefore, any QB going against New Orleans should be starting. On the other hand, the Denver Broncos were stellar versus the run and didn't allow many points to opposing RBs last year. In that instance, I would avoid starting an average RB versus the Broncos.
Another matchup to look for is the WR/QB combo (for either your own team or other teams). If you have a QB and WR that are on fire, you can score a lot of points with that combination. If you're debating between two WRs and you're going up against the guy who starting the QB for one of your WRs, go with that WR. This way the points will offset and you may even outscore him with your WR.

Key #4 - Play your stars.
In this key, I'm asking you to completely ignore keys 2 and 3. The starts tend to play well against everyone, no matter the matchup. Even though Ray Rice is playing the Broncos this weekend, you would never want to leave him on your bench because the matchup isn't ideal. He's fantastic and he'll score his points, thus giving you a shot to win. Rule of thumb... if you used one of your top 3 picks in your draft on a player, those players should be playing every week.

Key #5 - Beware of injuries all the way up to game time.
It's so important to be aware of the questionable tag that coaches place on players. When a player is listed as probable, he's playing! If he's listed as questionable, there might be some doubt and you need to have a backup plan just in case (i.e. the players backup or a different player that is either playing in the same time slot or after). If you have someone listed as questionable going into the Monday night game and every other player on your team has played and are locked, you're going to lose out on points if it's determined the player can't play. Always have a backup plan to your starters!

With these five keys, you should be able to make an educated decision on who to start. But... when it boils down to it... go with your gut!!!