Turn of the century bad boys, Bloodhound Gang, once said “Life’s short and hard like a bodybuilding elf.” A strange, albeit humorous, line to remember for sure. It’s a very truthful one.
Staycations are no exception to this rule. Gazing at a few days of time to oneself with the work phone tucked away somewhere to be found on the next Monday morning is always alluring.
There are so many personal activities to be had: lunch with a loved one, kayaking, biking, songwriting, reading a book, a midday nap or two in there somewhere. Hey, maybe there is even time to reflect on how life is really going, beyond the social media highlight reel.
Alas, upon waking up and learning it is Saturday and you have two days before returning from your break from the grind you ask, “What happened to all this time?”
There were those home projects to work on, practices to take someone to, dinners that will not cook themselves, that one day where you didn’t wear your glasses all day and stayed up late doing nothing so that you can have a migraine most of the next day… I know you know where this is going.
The fantasy football season can be this way too at times. Truncated and difficult. Blink and we are over a month into the season and only one more Sunday is left before facing nine — yes, NINE — weeks worth of teams on bye. Yikes!
So what does one do? If you treat it like a staycation that is starting to slip through your fingers, you look at the time you have left part way through and make a plan to maximize the opportunities in front of you.
- Thursday morning: Bike ride.
- Thursday midday: Write that song you’ve been working on.
- Thursday night: Relax and watch some football.
- Friday morning: Take a peaceful kayak trip around the like in the morning.
- Friday midday: Prep dinners, finish those projects and start that book.
- Friday night: Enjoy time with your loved ones and work in that nap by falling asleep in your 4-year-old’s bed while making up a bedtime story. Okay, maybe this last one is just me.
Before your season gets put to sleep, take the time to maximize the opportunities that are still in front of you. Here are my suggestions before Week 5 begins:
Tuesday Morning: Start Talking Trades
Before setting up any waivers, it’s time to see what you can do on the open market. There is a lot out there about trading from different positions in your league. What I suggest is to remember the needs of your league mate as well. If you are stiffing someone, it’s not a good trade. Good trades are mutually beneficial. Always remember that.
Tuesday Evening: Set Waivers
There may be a few duds on your bench, and you had better reload before going into the byes. Take the time to set waivers and reap the dividends.
Kenneth Gainwell is interesting. The Eagles seem committed to working him into the game plan and he is worth a look in any situation where you need depth at running back. He is 24.7 percent rostered in ESPN leagues. While he may not light it up every week, as he did this week, his floor is certainly looking flex worthy.
Sam Darnold is a great player to target now for an upcoming bye. He has plenty of soft defensive matchups and is looking better and better each week. His 18 percent rostership in ESPN leagues is going to change. You may be able to get away with trying to get him in free agency in shallower leagues. If you play in a 12-teamer with a decent bench, the time is now.
In a world where tightend is becoming crazier than ever, Dalton Shultz is emerging as a talent to manage. You will likely have to use a waiver claim or Free Agent Acquisition Budget (FAAB) to pick him up even though he sits at 20.9 percent rostered at the moment.
What I find most interesting about Shultz is his production without TDs is flex-worthy most weeks and yet he is open in the end zone a lot due to the coverage Dallas’s WR corps d emands.
Wednesday Morning: Free Agency Frenzy
It isn’t worth your FAAB or waiver position to pick up some extra talent that is out there, but these folks are longshots that can have that magical merging of talent and opportunity.
While Kadarius Toney and John Ross both had solid games, look to the younger wide receiver for your redraft and dynasty needs. Ross had some flashes in the past and has always proven inconsistent for fantasy owners. Toney is rostered in 3.2 percent of ESPN leagues and is the one to target in free agency.
If the top receivers remain out in Tennessee, Josh Reynolds at wide receiver and Jeremy McNichols at RB are both going to be continued to be used to move the sticks in the passing game. You don’t need to spend a waiver on either, but they could both be fun dart throws at 0.4 percent and 2 percent rostered, respectively.
Make today a great day! And don’t forget to be awesome (DFTBA)!