Week 15 is either a playoff week, or the last week of the fantasy season, depending on how your league handles the 17th game the NFL added. In any case, you might find yourself in a must-win situation, and you’ll need every advantage you can get. You probably won’t find the answer to your prayers on the waiver wire, but you can get some important information before Sunday that you wouldn’t normally get.
You see, this is the time of the year when the league adds Saturday games, and they have some great players in action. Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs, Justin Jefferson, Jonathan Taylor, and Tyreek Hill will all play before the games start on Sunday. Oh, and Christian McCaffrey plays on Thursday. So you might have an early idea if your guys underperformed, or their guys overperformed. Don’t underestimate the value of that information. It’s like getting a sneak peek before you set your final lineups. If you find yourself in a massive hole, you can veer away from the safe option that doesn’t deviate much from week to week, and go for the home run hitter that could net you some major points. You also might find that your main players, the ones you’ve depended on all year, disappointed you. In that case you can also take more risks to compensate. If you have a player on your bench who blows up every few weeks, but does nothing otherwise, go ahead and throw him in. Maybe he comes through. What do you have to lose, except a game you were already trailing?
The reverse is also true. If their players underperformed, or yours overperformed, those results can also alter your thinking. You can afford to go with a solid option that isn’t flashy, but has a high ceiling. Then they’re the ones who have to take more risks. You can head into Sunday knowing you’re in better shape than you expected, and act accordingly. You can’t take anything for granted, but you don’t have to take crazy risks, either. Normally, you have no idea what you’re up against, unless your opponent invested heavily in the Thursday game. But this week, a quarter of the teams will be playing between Thursday and Saturday. And since every piece of information counts, you need to pay attention and use it to your advantage.
Those games also affect your waiver wire. Players from all those contests will be frozen, so you won’t have as many choices on Sunday morning, and everyone from those teams will stay on your roster until the following week. If you have a player you’ve given up on from one of those teams, ditch them before their games, and give yourself some room to pick up a better option. It might not sound like a big deal, but you never know when you’ll need that roster spot. And every decent player on your team is a guy who won’t be on an opponent’s team. Make every spot count.
Finally, don’t get discouraged if you find yourself way down Saturday night, just like you shouldn’t get too cocky if you’re way up. Those games will give you an important piece of information, but it’s only a piece. The rest of the week hasn’t been played yet, so while you need to react, don’t overreact. Use the extra information you have, take calculated risks when necessary, and hope for the best. Good luck this week.
Do you make any lineup decisions based on the early results of games? When would you tend to take more risks, and when would you play it safe? Share your thoughts below.