Weekly Lineup Strategies

Simple guidelines to help you pick your lineup each week. There are several factors to consider when deciding who to play. Among them are talent, injuries and opponent. Refer to the defensive chart every week when matching up the players.

1. Consider your player’s abilities. Play your best available talent every week if the meet the following criteria. Obviously, pay close attention to the bye weeks.

2. Injury Status. Do not consider playing anyone who is listed as doubtful or out on the NFL injury report. A nagging injury concerning the knee or ankle when the player is on artificial turf could also reduce effectiveness.

3. Playing Time. If a player is in danger of losing his job or is injury-prone, start him only as a last resort. On the other hand, if he is poised to win a spot or is the primary player at his position, then his value is enhanced

4. Surrounding Cast. A secondary player on a team with too many weapons can be risky production-wise. And a top talent on a weaker team will be hurt by the lack of talent surrounding him. Also consider running backs in relation to their blockers, quarterbacks and their protection and quarterbacks and the quality of their receivers (and vice versa).

5. Opponent. Defensive match-ups are very important and sometimes make up your mind for you. Make it a habit to refer to our updated defensive chart every week. Match your quarterbacks and receivers against the weaker pass defenses and your running backs against the weaker rushing defenses. You may also consider sitting a quarterback with weak protection versus a team with a good pass rush. When comparing points and yardage allowed, take into consideration the teams they have already played.

Also consider team vs. team match-ups. If both are passing teams with weak defenses then a wide-open game will probably result with both teams scoring a lot of points. If two defensive giants bump heads then do not count on a high scoring game. You can generally expect a wide-open game if both teams have a weak passing defense. However, if two defensive giants bump heads, then touchdown and yardage totals will be reduced. This may be a good time to start a kicker from these teams, as more field goals will likely be attempted.

6. Streaks and Slumps. If a player or his team is home then you might want to ride the streak as long as you can. But most players (and teams) rarely score big three weeks in a row unless they are star players. Conversely, if a solid player (or team) is in a slump and there are no injuries involved, then you can safely assume that they will come out of it soon.

7. Game Site. If you get down this far and still do not know who to play then go with the player at home. When deciding between to equally talented kickers, go with the guy kicking in a dome or on turf, especially in the cold climate cities in November and December.

8. Prime Time. The final tiebreaker is Sunday and Monday Night Football. Players and teams generally rise to the occasion in the national spotlight plus you have the fun of rooting for them when all of the other game results are in.

Bidding Strategy | Bidding Strategy II | Bidding Strategy III | Straight Draft Strategies

Weekly Lineup Strategies | Starting a League | Kellogg's Komments | Positional Strategies
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