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The fantasy football season will kickoff in just over a month and that means fantasy drafts are being scheduled all over the country. Before sitting down for your fantasy draft, make sure to go through my 100 facts to remember before drafting.
Let’s get right to it.
100. WR Jeremy Maclin and TE Dennis Pitta are already done for the year. WR Percy Harvin will also be out until at least Thanksgiving.
99. Don’t let the computer draft your team! There is nothing worse than discovering that you have eight tight ends on your team.
98. The draft is just the beginning. Every season there are dozens of superstar free agents that come out of nowhere, so don’t panic if you have a less than stellar draft.
97. Don’t overvalue the free agent pool either.
96. Running quarterbacks are the new trend, but it leaves them more susceptible to getting injured. Need proof, look at Michael Vick’s injury history.
94. Dallas Cowboys WR Terrence Williams led the entire NCAA with 1,832 receiving yards last season.
93. WR Stedman Bailey caught 25 touchdowns last year in West Virginia. He will instantly bolster the red-zone offense of the St. Louis Rams with his dynamic skill set.
92. Kansas City Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles has averaged an impressive 91.9 rushing yards over his last 33 games.
91. He has only scored NINE rushing touchdowns over that stretch.
90. Even Matt Forte (10) has had more rushing touchdowns.
89. Over that same 33-game stretch, Adrian Peterson has scored 29 rushing touchdowns, while Arian Foster has scored 28 rushing touchdowns.
88. The Oakland Raiders still have a football team. They don’t have many big names, but some guys still have fantasy value.
87. One of those guys is RB Darren McFadden. Another one is WR Denarius Moore.
86. South Carolina DE Jadeveon Clowney is worth drafting early in dynasty leagues. HE IS THAT GOOD!
85. New Orleans Saints’ Jimmy Graham is the only elite tight end.
84. Pick players who play during Prime Time games. Nothing is better than watching your guys light it up on Monday Night Football.
83. If it is your first time playing in an IDP league, make sure to load up on linebackers that rack up tackles.
82. LB Clay Matthews had 13 sacks last year, despite his appalling ranking (30th) in the ESPN fantasy magazine.
81. LB Von Miller’s stock will plummet with his looming suspension.
80. Houston Texans DE J.J. Watt should be the number one defensive player off the board in IDP leagues.
79. He led the NFL with 20.5 sacks, but he also tallied 81 tackles with 69 solo tackles.
78. LB Aldon Smith was second in the league with 19.5 sacks.
77. San Francisco 49ers LB NaVorro Bowman has out performed LB Patrick Willis in two consecutive seasons. Bowman had 143 tackles in 2011 and 148 in 2012, while Willis finished with 97 in 2011 and just 120 last year.
76. Buffalo Bills WR Marquise Goodwin had the fastest 40-time at the combine. He ran it in 4.27 seconds.
75. WR Tavon Austin had the second fastest time at 4.34 seconds.
74. Stay Away From New England Patriots RBs: Stevan Ridley, Shane Vereen, Brandon Bolden, Leon Washington, and LeGarrette Blount. Too many mouths to feed because they will all get carries.
73. RB Darren Sproles led all running backs with 5.8 receptions per game. Talk about P.P.R. potential!
72. WR Julio Jones averaged just 4.9 receptions per game.
71. Denver Broncos QB Peyton Manning is a top-five quarterback in every format.
70. Manning averaged 297.5 passing yards and 2.8 passing touchdowns over his final 13 games of the season.
69. Manning had 22 TDs: 3 INTs at home compared to 15 TDs: 8 INTs on the road.
68. Dynasty League Note: Manning is 37 years old.
67. LB James Laurinaitis led the NFL with 117 solo tackles.
66. Chicago Bears QB Jay Cutler was 24th in the league with 3,033 passing yards in 2012.
65. Cutler also had just one 300-yard performance, threw 14 interceptions, and fumbled eight times (four lost) in 15 games.
64. QB Andy Dalton still threw 27 touchdowns last year.
63. WR. A.J. Green hauled in 11 of Dalton’s touchdowns.
62. QB Aaron Rodgers led the NFL in Touchdown Throwing Percentage with 7.1%.
61. QB Russell Wilson was second with 6.6%.
60. QB Matt Cassel was the worst with 2.2%.
59. Quarterbacks Robert Griffin III and Tom Brady had the lowest Interception Percentage. They both were picked off in only 1.3% of their passes.
58. The Highest Interception %: Matt Cassel (4.3%), Mark Sanchez (4.0%), Chad Henne (3.6%), Jake Locker (3.5%), Brandon Weeden (3.3%), Ryan Fitzpatrick (3.2%), Jay Cutler (3.2%), Josh Freeman (3.0%), Andy Dalton (3.0%).
57. In 2010, only five quarterbacks eclipsed 4,000 yards. In 2011, 10 quarterbacks went over 4,000 yards. Last year, 11 quarterbacks accomplished the once-heralded milestone.
56. QB Eli Manning attempted 536 passes last season. His backup, David Carr, attempted just three.
55. Green Bay Packers WR Jordy Nelson has 22 touchdowns catches over the last 28 games.
54. Nelson caught 69.2% (117-of-169) of his passes over that time.
53. Players With Most Hype In 2012: QB Matthew Stafford, RB Ryan Mathews, WR Julio Jones.
52. Players With Most Hype In 2013: QB Colin Kaepernick/Cam Newton, RB C.J. Spiller, WR Dez Bryant.
51. Hype can be good. Hype can also be bad.
50. Detroit Lions QB Matthew Stafford set NFL record with 727 passing attempts.
49. Stafford also threw 4,967 yards.
48. WR Calvin Johnson caught 1,964 of those yards.
47. Johnson bested Jerry Rice’s record for most yards in a season, a record he ironically broke with several broken fingers.
46. Jacksonville Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew is only one year removed from leading the NFL with 1,606 rushing yards.
45. Dynasty League Note: MJD is just 28 years old.
44. The New England Patriots led the NFL with 34.8 points per game last year.
43. The team lost three (Wes Welker, Brandon Lloyd, and Aaron Hernandez) of their top four receiving leaders from 2012, so that number will obviously go down.
42. To make matters worse, TE Rob Gronkowski had two surgeries (forearm/back) this off-season and his availability for Week 1 is in question.
41. RB. C.J. Spiller averaged 6.0 yards per carry, which tied Adrian Peterson for the most among NFL running backs.
40. Spiller was also second in the league with 12 rushes over 20 yards. AP was first with 27.
39. RB Fred Jackson is still on Buffalo’s roster. Spiller may be the more popular fantasy option in WNY, but expect FredEx to have some role in the 2013 season.
38. San Diego Chargers QB Philip Rivers had an erratic 2012 fantasy season.
37. Rivers had 10 games with multiple touchdown passes. However, he was also held without a touchdown in three separate games.
36. He fumbled the ball 15 times, including seven lost.
35. Rivers also averaged just 204.3 yards per game over his final seven contests and failed to go over the 300-yard mark.
34. WR Riley Cooper should not be drafted in any league. Not only because of his most recent comments, but also because he has absolutely no fantasy value.
33. RB Arian Foster has amassed 956 carries over his 45 games (21.4/ game).
32. Foster has averaged 4.5 yards per carry over his four-year career.
31. He has scored 50 total touchdowns (44 rushing and 6 receiving) in his first 51 games in the league.
30. Speaking of the running game, LeSean McCoy and Ray Rice should still be considered elite fantasy running backs.
29. McCoy received 19 carries or more three times in 2012, and each time he racked up over 110 rushing yards.
28. McCoy averaged 113.3 all-purpose yards (45 rushing and 68.3 receiving) over his last three starts.
27. Rice, on the other hand, still amassed 1,621 all-purpose yards last year.
26. He also scored 10 total touchdowns (9 rushing and 1 receiving).
25. Rice has now started in 75 consecutive games.
24. Dynasty League Note: McCoy is only 25 years old. Rice is only 26 years old.
23. WR Dez Bryant caught 10 TOUCHDWONS in his last eight games of 2012.
22. In Week 16 against the New Orleans Saints, Bryant had nine catches for 224 yards and two touchdowns.
21. WR Andre Johnson caught 112 passes for 1,598 yards in 2012.
20. Johnson also had 79 first downs, which was second to only Calvin Johnson’s 92.
19. Andre 3000 averaged 143 yards over his last seven games.
18. Despite all the yards, Johnson only hauled in four touchdowns on the year.
17. With WR Michael Crabtree out, WR Anquan Boldin has become a superstar sleeper.
16. Boldin hauled in 22 balls for 380 yards and four touchdowns in his four playoff games last season.
15. The veteran receiver caught six balls for 104 yards and a touchdown in the Super Bowl against his current team, the 49ers.
14. RB Ahmad Bradshaw’s famous foot is already bothering him in training camp. Don’t sleep on RB Vick Ballard.
13. Don’t fall in love with Seattle Seahawks WR Sidney Rice. There is a reason he was in Switzerland all off-season and it wasn’t for the chocolate.
12. Always load up on running backs. The QB and WR positions are extremely deep this season, so it makes sense to grab as many full-time running backs as possible.
11. Wait to draft a quarterback in one-QB leagues. There are plenty of quality starters after the big names come off the board.
10. Viable Starters In One QB Leagues - Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Matt Ryan, Cam Newton, Russell Wilson, Colin Kaepernick, Tony Romo, Matthew Stafford, Eli Manning, RG3, Andrew Luck, and Matt Schaub. (Not ranked in any particular order.)
9. Drafting a quality defense in leagues with a DEF/ST spot is critical. Don’t wait until the last round.
8. Don’t get caught up drafting only sleepers. Sometimes a veteran can be just as useful.
7. Know your league. If you are in an ESPN/ Yahoo/ CBS league, make sure you know all the particulars.
6. Do as many fantasy drafts as possible. Practice makes perfect!
5. Never reach for a KICKER. Wait until the last round.
4. Watch out for bye weeks.
3. Pay attention to a player’s schedule during the fantasy playoffs (Week 14-16).
2. Don’t be a homer. There is nothing worse than having your fantasy team and your favorite team lose in the same week. TRUST ME!
1. Remember to have fun. After all, it is only a game!
Well, that was my list. If there was one fact that you particularly liked, feel free to let me know in the comment section. Good luck and have a great season!
Adam McGill is the Senior Fantasy Sports Writer at Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @adammcgill83, like him on Facebook, or add him to you networks on Google here or here.
