Ask the Experts

January 09, 2014

What is your greatest "lesson learned" from the 2013 season?

ASK THE EXPERTS appears weekly from training camp to Super Bowl with answers to a new question being posted Thursday morning. How the guest experts responded when we asked them: What is your greatest "lesson learned" from the 2013 fantasy season?

ALAN SATTERLEE

I think one thing I learned, reinforced really, is how hard work on the waiver wire can overcome a disastrous draft. In one league (total points) I got absolutely nailed by injuries. I started my draft with Trent Richardson (oof), and then my next picks were Julio Jones, Randall Cobb, David Wilson and Shane Vereen - ALL of them suddenly out! However, I didn't give up. Josh Gordon and Julius Thomas hit, and then I added Andre Ellington, Zac Stacy, Mike James for a few weeks, hit on Da'Rick Rogers and Andre Holmes for a few games and also snuck-in Cordarrelle Patterson into the lineup down the stretch. I finished 4th after instantly being out of it and down big early in the season, but did not give up. Keep working the waiver wire!

Satterlee is Co-Owner and Chief Editor/COO of FantasyFootballWarehouse.com. FFW features comprehensive profiles for all the major 2013 skill-position rookies, its Trading Spaces series, the team Deep Dives, the Speed Bump competition plus draft strategies, rankings, projections and more. FFW runs in tandem with its dynasty site DynastyFootballWarehouse.com.

SAM HENDRICKS

2013 confirmed the "Wait on QBs theory". The top 10 QB list is littered with mid round pickups: Andy Dalton (#3), Philip Rivers (#5), Ben Roethlisberger (#8) and Matt Ryan (#10) are some of the non-studs that excelled. Granted the stud QBs dropped in most drafts this year anyway but their demise seems vindicated. The only exception was Peyton Manning who proved to be a great QB addition and is worthy of a first rounder in 2014.

Hendricks is the author of Fantasy Football Guidebook, Fantasy Football Tips and Fantasy Football Basics, all available at ExtraPointPress.com, at all major bookstores, and at Amazon and BN.com. He is a 20-plus year fantasy football veteran who regularly participates in the National Fantasy Football Championship (NFFC) and finished 7th and 16th overall (out of 228 competitors) in the 2008 and 2009 Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC). Follow him at his web site, www.ffguidebook.com.

CORY BONINI

I need to be more reliant on my draft projections ... I participate in a lot of mock and real drafts in the summer months, so I tend to build many similar teams. By the end of August, I'm always feeling the need to diversify my lineups in the event some of my staple picks didn't pan out. A great example would be Jamaal Charles versus Doug Martin. I screamed from mountaintops to anyone who would listen that Charles was in for a huge year and Martin would be a total bust. In nearly every early draft (usually mocks) I snagged Charles -- often well out of conventional position -- and didn't select Martin once. Well, I had the third pick in a personal draft in early September and chose Martin over Charles with the idea that maybe, just maybe, I was wrong about the Bucs back. A 6-7 finish without a playoff appearance can largely be attributed to my second-guessing.

Since 1996, KFFL.com has been combining its award-winning news service with fantasy analysis. KFFL.com offers services including daily news, draft guides and in-season advice. Completely free, KFFL.com is your destination for fantasy baseball, football and NASCAR cheat sheets, tips, sleepers and much more. KFFL.com has won more than a dozen expert championships and was listed as "One of the 10 essential sports-related online destinations for fans, athletes and fantasy owners" by Time.com. KFFL.com is property of USA TODAY Sports Media Group.

IAN ALLAN

I think it’s time we start giving more serious thought to selecting quarterbacks earlier. Passing production is trending upwards, while running backs are more of a hit-or-miss proposition — think Arian Foster, Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson, Doug Martin and Alfred Morris. With the way the game is changing, I think we can now say safely that there will be a couple of quarterbacks going over 40 touchdown passes every year. If, on draft night, you have a strong feeling that you know that a quarterback is going to be one of those super elite guys, then that’s the guy you take in the first round.

Allan is the senior writer for Fantasy Football Index. He's been in that role since 1987, generating most of the player rankings and analysis for that publication. His work can be seen in Fantasy Football Index magazine, and also at www.fantasyindex.com.

ERIC CATURIA

No matter the draft type, no matter the format, no matter the size of a league, depth is at the crux of success, and failure, in a given year. How an owner meanders the pitfalls, namely injuries and role changes, and utilizes the resources at one's disposal, will determine the fate of a squad. Case in point: draft season is rarely a problem for me, as loading up on known entities in the starting lineup, with speculative darts acting as potential sleepers, is typically a recipe for good fortune in the fantasy regular season. As the weeks roll on, and the aforementioned twists and turns take their toll, playoffs are normally in the cards due to (frequently) correct free-agent pickups, via bidding and/or waiver claims, as I plug and play. However, the two most recent campaigns have revealed that a focus on presumably favorable matchups during fantasy playoff weeks should not have been the focal point of my lineup decisions after all, as evidenced by a 2-10 posteason record in my three primary leagues. Bad (and good) luck more often than not decides a championship, as all the expertise in the world can't avoid unforeseen ailments nor coaching calls (i.e Bill Belichick's punishment for fumbling, Tom Brady aside).

Caturia is a writer/editor of NFL, MLB, and NBA content for RotoWire. He can be found on Twitter @etcat30.

ANDY RICHARDSON

I've about had it with starting explosive, talented running backs stuck in committees with plodders on teams run by conservative head coaches. Too many times this season I started Giovani Bernard or Andre Ellington in favorable matchups, only to watch them be sadly underutilized. Give me a less explosive player who I can be confident will get almost all the touches, as both a runner and a receiver, and I'll start that guy over Bernard every time and seldom regret it.

Richardson has been a columnist and contributor to the Fantasy Football Index magazine and web site for 12 years. His responsibilities include team defense and IDP projections and various site features, and he has run the magazine's annual draft and auction leagues since their inception. He previews all the NFL games on Saturdays and writes a wrap-up column on Mondays during the NFL season.

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The magazine is exactly the same as last year, which is perfect. Boys, we have a chance to repeat in the 33rd year of the NWFFL. I am counting on you to help pull it off. FI has been a league staple for decades, one of my guys has every edition. A few years ago, we devised a clever way to use one of your lists to draft a team for an absent owner, the sob won it all. We love you guys. Peace!

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I'm in 3 leagues. All have different formats. I bought one magazine, the same magazine for 30 years. I keep the Fantasy Football Index handy and refer back to your preseason reports throughout the season to help me evaluate roster moves in every format. This week I'm in two championship games and a semifinal. Did I tell you I'm in three leagues? Three playoff teams! Best fantasy season ever. Thank you.

Henry G. Bartlett, Ill.

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Rob D. Wellington, Fla.

Thank you for all you do and what your team does. Been playing since mid 90s and your mag has been there every year. The mailer I get with the questions on the front is what I consider the beginning of the fantasy football season. Get the updates and listen to the podcast. I write a weekly column for the newspaper I work at and always appreciate the work you put in to produce as much as you do. Just a fan saying thanks and will keep up with you and the site through the season.

Jason C. Tulsa, Okla.

A little feedback from a long time customer.

Our fantasy pool is entering its 25^th year and I have used multiple books and on-line tools over the years.

I have locked on to Fantasy Index as my go to for the last 5 years and have won the pool 3 of those years and finished no lower than 4^th.

Interesting to see how much more accurate you were at the end of the year compared to other books my competitors used.

Having it in a format that allows me to work the forecasts to match our scoring system and then receive updates as the season approaches is invaluable. Whoever your sources are for the forecasts are the best. Hang on to them. Thanks for the help!!

Peter M. London, Ontario, Canada

I did receive the updated draft ranking from you guys in plenty of time for my draft that night. My draft report gave me an A+ and predicted me to go 14-0 and win my league! I just want to say thank you for the excellent customer service that your company provided me. When I first started playing fantasy football more than 15 years ago, I used to buy as many fantasy football magazines as I could find. It wasnʼt long before I only purchased Fantasy Football Index each year. It is by far the most comprehensive, well written fantasy football magazine on the market. Also, I almost always rank in the top three in my fantasy football leagues, and won my league last year. Thank you to you and all of your great team. You have a customer for life!

Trey C. Fort Worth, Texas

Thank you for all the updates etc. In the last 14 or 15 years, we have placed in the top three 9 times winning it all 4 times. I have been a customer of yours for many years. Our success is partially due to luck, but I think your magazine with all of the good stuff has been a real contributing factor. Keep up the good work. Will be a customer until the time I can't read anymore.

Richard M. Imperial, Neb.

I just wanted to send everyone at Fantasy Football Index an apology. Since 2003 (Ricky Williams cover), I've protected my source of information and have gone out of my way to hide Fantasy Football Index from my leagues prying eyes. I've won championships in leagues and money playing Daily Fantasy and your Training Camp updates are the highlight of my summer and a recurring order for me every single season. I just wanted to Thank You and everyone there (customer service, the writers, janitors, secretaries and assistants) for your hard work and dedication.

You are appreciated and valued part of my Fantasy Football Operations department even if i never speak your name in fear that others in my league will discover the wondrous bounty of knowledge contained in your pages…

From the bottom of a champion's heart,

Dave M. Elma, N.Y.

I wanted to send a quick note and thank you for your great magazine! The information you provide, has allowed me to win my league 3 years in a row!

The payoff in the league is not bad, six hundred dollars to be exact, but it is those all important bragging rights that really make it fun!

I epically enjoyed this last issue because you included all the covers for the past 30 years, I did not buy 87, and 88, but all the rest I have purchased.

All I have to do is read and then plug and play, thanks again for doing all the work so I don't have to, except for cash the check of course! Lol.

I will be continue to purchase your magazine, and recommend it to others, although I don't like to give away my secret!

I typically don't write emails to magazines, but after 3 wins in a row, and others which I did not list, I felt like you would like to know.

Thanks again to you and your staff,

Darrell W. Holt, Mich.

I wanted to let you know I finished my season going 16-0 winning my league, breaking every record in our 19 year history along the way. A special thank you to FI for the insightful knowledge as it provided me much help along the way.

Ryan M. Lynnwood, Wash.

You guys do a great job. I got laughed at by a few people at the draft but they're not laughing now. I'm leading the league in record (8-1) and PF thus far.

John W. Aylett, Va.

And a side note… we've got a re-draft 16-team, 20 players drafted league (drafting water boys by the 17^th round) that I've won 2 years in a row. Nobody's ever done that in 21 years… using your cheat sheet. it's an old school league that used to draft out of piles of magazines.

Thanks again,

Todd S. Grand Junction, Colo.

This is my ninth year competing with my two very savey adult children and their 11 regulars to make it a 14 team draft with a $200 bid limit. Your SuperFanatic package has put me into the 6 team play- offs 4 out of the 8 years and there is no way I could compete with these guys without my cheat sheets! They still have no idea how I can be so lucky every year :-) Cheaters do prosper!!!!

Robert A.

I wanted to thank you for such an amazing product and your customer service. I ordered the wrong date for my update and called to correct the mistake. Your customer service person was very kind, helpful and took care of the issue immediately.

I have used your product for the past 18 years or so… Every now and then I will be tempted and look at what other magazines have to offer, quickly realizing no one comes close.

In addition to the magazine, I started buying the weekly updates years ago when my dad taught me a lesson. The draft came and dad was sitting in the 12 hole for his pick. He told me he felt very comfortable about who he was going to select but would not tell me who his prized gem was to be. I was doubtful. The pick? Priest Holmes (his first dynamite year). I remember telling my dad, "that is a decent pick but they plan to pull him at the goal line." Ever the teacher, dad explained he had purchased the Fantasy Football Index update and read Holmes would get the goal line carries. "Update?", I asked. That was 2002 and Holmes had 21 rushing TDs and Dad won the title! Lesson learned.

By the way, I have made the title game for the last 5 years in a row. Thanks for the detailed, hard work and an great product!

David R. Queen Creek, Ariz.

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