Fantasy football managers overthink just about everything. They often need a calm, measured voice of reason to remind them of what makes sense.
Take a deep breath. It is fantasy football. Make practical decisions on lineups, trades and foods for the tailgating party and things will work out. Try to enjoy the ride. You wouldn't believe the things fantasy managers overthink. Well, you're (presumably) a fantasy manager. OK, so perhaps you would.
Don't feel bad about leaving top Dolphins in your lineup
It is likely that Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill is one of your top two or three WR options for Week 5, meaning that it doesn't matter how statistically underwhelming he has been, you're leaving him active anyway. It makes sense. It's not Hill's fault, really, but does that matter? Hill was your first-round pick, perhaps the first pick in your league, and even if you lucked out on a few later WR selections (or in free agency), you just can't fathom how you would start the likes of the Giants' Wan'Dale Robinson, the Broncos' Courtland Sutton or the Packers' Dontayvion Wicks over Hill this week. It isn't about loyalty. It's about talent, but in this case, perhaps, a little fear of missing out.
Hill had his typical monster Week 1 with 26 PPR points, back when QB Tua Tagovailoa was confidently and accurately slinging the football and not physically compromised, but since then, Hill has scored 21.8 points over three games. The Dolphins have tried three other quarterbacks but little has gone right, and why would we expect things to change this week against the Patriots? Hill might not be your best lineup option, but there he is again, in more ESPN lineups than all but roughly a dozen other wide receivers. RB De'Von Achane, despite rushing for 45 yards and delivering 14.4 PPR points total in the past two games combined, is active in more than 90% of lineups. At least you're getting it right by sitting WR Jaylen Waddle (26% started).
I get it. You don't want to push someone such as the Rams' Tutu Atwell into your lineup over Hill, because that feels ridiculous. All Hill needs to do is take a short Tyler Huntley pass and turn it into a 75-yard TD scamper and -- voila! -- your fantasy problems are solved. You don't want to sit Hill for Atwell or Sutton, either, nor accept trade offers for hot RBs such as the Bears' D'Andre Swift or the Ravens' Justice Hill, which I totally understand. Ultimately, if you don't have better options and it feels as if your fantasy season is slipping away, you might as well have it slip away with talented players such as Hill and Achane in your lineup, hoping for a turnaround.
Do expect the Jordan Mason experience to continue
The latest intel on injured 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey (Achilles) frustratingly seems to tell us very little, but then again, it kind of tells us so much. We are not likely to see McCaffrey play in October and there are no guarantees for November or beyond, either. McCaffrey recently traveled to Germany to meet with a specialist, and coach Kyle Shanahan says there is plan for getting his star player back onto the field, but there is no timetable. Those rostering McCaffrey, the No. 1 pick in most fantasy leagues, can't be pleased. We have no idea when he plays again, but we know who is playing.
Mason enters Week 5 second in the NFL in rushing yards behind Derrick Henry, averaging 4.9 yards per carry, and there is no sign this production will end soon. Though Mason is up to 97% rostered in ESPN standard leagues (16th among running backs, just ahead of Aaron Jones and Rachaad White), he is active in nearly 95% of lineups, with only five running backs ahead of him. Some might be worried this production will run out soon. OK, when McCaffrey is about to return, sure, go worry. Does this happen in a month? Around Thanksgiving? For your fantasy playoffs? Worry about it then. Win in Week 5. Trade for Mason. We cannot control when/if McCaffrey plays again. We can control investing in the No. 5 RB.
Don't assume real-life trades happen soon -- or at all
Real life rarely mirrors fantasy football. Davante Adams says he wants to be traded from the Raiders to a contender -- preferably to play with his underwhelming QB buddies Aaron Rodgers or Derek Carr -- but such a move isn't so easy. In fantasy football, it is easy. Send a trade offer, through the game or via text, a league mate with an extra running back but short at wide receiver agrees, and everyone wins. In real life, NFL teams tend to wait until the league trade deadline (Nov. 5, this season, which is also a big Tuesday for another reason), aiming to use standings/calendar leverage to extract the most in return, needing to justify each move to its fanbase. The trade deadline in ESPN standard fantasy leagues is more than three weeks later, nearing playoff time (Week 13). Perhaps the Adams news inspires you to trade this week.
A healthy, properly targeted Adams, even at 31 years old, might be one of the top-10 wide receivers in the sport, but even the top receivers need competent QB play. The Raiders are not delivering in that area, and one can debate how much of an upgrade the Jets and Saints would be. Perhaps Rodgers would play better with Adams alongside talented Garrett Wilson. That dream might be the top team pairing of NFL receivers right there, though the Eagles, 49ers, Dolphins, Texans and Buccaneers have an argument. Adams with Chris Olave would be dynamic as well. It seems so easy, on paper, but top wide receivers make large salaries, teams have caps, and these moves are far from simple.
Read the excellent Bill Barnwell for more on potential Adams trades, but fantasy managers should assume nothing happens, and even if it does, we cannot assume top-10 production. Yeah, that isn't much fun, but let's be realistic. First, Adams isn't even playing right now due to some combination of his trade demand and an injured hamstring, greatly lowering his fantasy (but not real life) value. Fantasy managers want immediate help, and they can't get it if Adams sits out. Second, the Raiders don't have to do anything. They can lose without him. Their "deadline" is eight weeks away.
We might want to believe Adams returns to WR1 status playing with Rodgers, but we should never make fantasy moves based on a potential real-life trade, nor assume adjusted production if it does happen. Sure, Adams on another team feels quite appealing, just like a Chuba Hubbard trade to the Cowboys might solve that problem. Still, it's all a guess.
Do get your lineups in by ... Saturday night
Perhaps we all handle setting our weekly lineups differently. What I prefer to do is set an early lineup for all my teams on Wednesday, after the early free agent pickups and with knowledge of the upcoming bye weeks and obvious injury situations. Do this well before the Thursday night game, and then monitor as the week goes on. Most weeks, the Sunday games begin at 1 p.m. ET. You wouldn't believe how many fantasy managers -- in nonpressured family leagues or even in industry expert leagues -- wait until 12:58 p.m. ET to alter lineups, or they complain to the commissioner that the 1 p.m. roster lock is unfair when the actual kickoff came at 1:03. Whatevs.
The Jets and Vikings play this week at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London (you know, all the way in England), and it starts Sunday morning at 9:30 a.m. ET. Well, it might start a minute or two later, but that is when the players on those teams will lock in your fantasy league. If you want to get Jets RB Braelon Allen or Vikings WR Jordan Addison into your lineups, do not wait until Sunday morning. Do it Saturday. Or when you are reading this. You might not have all information about other players until after the Jets/Vikings game starts, but plan anyway. Err on the side of clarity. Remove bye week players now. Put questionable options in the flex spot. Pretend the week begins today. You have been warned.