2013 Fantasy Football: Garbage Time All-star Could Offer Great Returns

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With valid reason, fantasy football owners are quick to scoop up players on high scoring offenses. Their real life teams score bunches of points, meaning there is a solid likelihood that the player has a chance to cash in on some of those points. Conversely, fantasy owners seem to shy away from “bad” or “losing” teams in fear of the opposite, not many points scored must equate to no fantasy value. That is not necessarily true.

Some of the NFL teams that traditionally don’t win many games might not be the best part to start building your team, but they certainly have wide receiver two/three, running back two/three and/or flex possibilities. You may or may not be familiar with the term “garbage time all-star.” If not, this term refers to players who seem to mop up the points in games that are well out of hand. These guys can help you win your weekly game and your league.

For example, it is not unfathomable to estimate that the New England Patriots might open the proverbial can of whoop this Sunday against the Buffalo Bills. No disrespect intended to Buffalo, but it is hard to argue that Tom Brady and company won’t put up some points. Let’s say the Patriots hypothetically score somewhere around 28-35 points. The Bills look like they will be starting E.J. Manuel, a rookie, who could struggle in his debut. Let’s also postulate that the New England defense can get a few stops. Suddenly the game might be out of reach for the Bills.

In fantasy, this scenario is not a bad thing. If you started a New England player, odds are they’ve gotten you points already. If you started a Buffalo player, you are now looking at garbage time stars in the making. The Bills aren’t going to roll over and give up. They will keep playing. Manuel will throw it, and Stevie Johnson could rack up some decent yardage. Scott Chandler is a risky play but traditionally does well against the Patriots.

The players who typically stand to gain the most in garbage time are the quarterbacks and wide receivers. With their team being down, they are forced to pass the ball. Denarius Moore or Malcom Floyd come to mind. Carson Palmer did tons of damage in garbage time last season. These are good players on teams that should be losing, thus forcing said team to air it out.

Running backs can both gain and lose value the as the discrepancy on the scoreboard grows. As games get out of hand the leading team’s starter should get pulled, and that is where a backup like Ben Tate or Bernard Pierce can get some touches and do some damage. This can be useful information when deciding on your second or third running back, wide receiver or flex options, and something the savvy owner will take into consideration.

While you should almost always look to start your players from the higher scoring teams, don’t be afraid to start the guys who are from “bad” or “losing” teams, or the backup on teams that should destroy their opponent. Remember, in fantasy the real life record is irrelevant. I’ll take a guy who posts 100 yards and a touchdown on a team that gets blown out every single week over a guy on a “good” team that might have to compete for targets with a myriad of other weapons.

As always, I welcome your comments. If you think I’m wrong, I’m willing to listen. Just back it up with some facts and solid evidence. Thanks for reading and good luck this season.

Dustin Manko is a contributing writer at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter @DustinManko, ”Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google