The Scott Fish Bowl is an annual event that many of us look forward to. Fantasy football players all over the world get to test their skills against their favorite analysts. Analysts are eager to jockey for bragging rights and make sure they don’t get embarrassed. There are celebrities and all the pomp and circumstance of a legit event. I love it.
As I approach SFBX, there are a few bits of advice I can share with you. None more important than rule number one.
Rule 1 – Don’t overthink it.
Don’t get too cute. I’ve seen people get waaaay too cute during this draft. And it never works. Essentially, you are simply playing in a single, 12 team, 12 week league. And if you do well enough, you’ll enter a 4-week playoff that will require immense luck to win. So, the first order of business is to simply make the playoffs in a single 12 team league. In my division last year, a player drafted 4 straight TEs (it’s TE Premium). I’ve seen guys make huge reaches because they want to have been the smartest guy ever when they finally hoist the trophy. It never works. Stay solid.
Rule 2 – Don’t overreact to the scoring.
Last year there was a bonus for QBs who have over 300 yards in a game. So, I drafted BigBen and Goff. They both went over 300 yards a ton the year before, and I thought I was creating an advantage for myself. I normally target Konami Code QBs, but the 300-yard bonus swayed me. FYI – I passed on Lamar and Dak. And I swear, if I had those two guys I might have had a chance to win it. My team was pretty solid otherwise.
This year, there are huge penalties for bad QB play. And there are points for completion percentage. Anything less than 67% will yield a negative number. Minus 6 total for a pick-6. And even sacks are -1 per sack taken. There will be swarms of people advocating for Brees at 1.01 because of his efficiency. And the truth is, Brees is a great pick and in this Superflex format he should be moved way up the board, but I can’t advocate taking him 1.01. Adjust your rankings, don’t recreate them.
Rule 3 – Secure as many bell cow RBs as possible.
Our definition of bell cow may differ from one another, but either way, there is a finite number of these assets. By any count, there are only about 10-15 stud RBs. If you have 2-3, that should serve you well. The scoring is relatively even in this format, but you must start two RBs every week, so you want to be sure you aren’t taking a zero (near zero) in one of those spots. And with deep rosters, the waiver wire will be devoid of quality backups and handcuffs. They’ll all be rostered.
When drafting RBs later in the draft, swing for maximum upside. Miles Sanders last year was that type of player. JK Dobbins is that type of player this year. Dobbins has huge upside at a relatively reasonable price tag. He isn’t as cheap as Sanders last year, but these are the types of mid-late round RBs to target. Unless I get sniped, I will own Zack Moss.
Rule 4 – Make sure you leave the draft with 3 starting QBs.
Last year was an outlier. There were so many QBs that missed time. The waiver wire had guys like – Gardner Minshew, Teddy Bridgewater, Mason Rudolph, Kyle Allen, Ryan Tannehill, etc … I wouldn’t expect that this year, or any year. That was an outlier. Secure 3 solid starters and make sure you have the flexibility to play the best QB matchups. A QB on the road vs a great defense could yield you a negative number from one of your QB slots. I want to avoid that if I can. Last year, the Sam Darnold “Ghost Game” would have been a -29 point game. NEGATIVE 29! I’d like to have some options with my QBs.
Rule 5 – TE early or TE late.
Kelce. Kittle. Ertz. These guys all should give you an extreme advantage at the TE position. But if I miss out on the top options, I’ll let me leaguemates try and pick the winners from the next group and I’ll take the leftovers. From TE5 through TE20, I don’t think any of us could effectively rank these guys. We are all guessing. TEs get injured and much of their production comes from TDs, which are random. This creates annual and weekly volatility at the position. If you don’t secure a stud, then wait at the position and add value elsewhere.
Rule 6 – Remember the deep starting rosters.
In a more shallow league, you may draft 2 RB and 3 WRs and then start swinging for upside with handcuffs and volatile assets. In this league, you can’t forget that you start 1QB 2RB 3WR 1TE 3 flex and an SF spot. Those 3 flex spots are what win you weeks. Trust me. So when you’re drafting in those middle rounds, you should be seeking WR with definite target shares. You watch, guys like Edelman and Marvin Jones and Jamison Crowder will all be passed on for high-end cuffs and rookie WRs. I’m not saying you should be reaching for the players I just named, in saying don’t be afraid to take the value when it inevitably falls in your lap.
(You’ll be starting Marvin Jones and your opponent will be staring at Mattison on his bench.)
Rule 7 – Be smart, but aggressive with your FAAB.
I was able to acquire both Terry McLaurin and DJ Chark off waivers in my division last year. I think everyone was ‘saving’ their FAAB and I was able to greatly improve my team.
Rule 8 – Be Grateful. Have fun. And be nice.
This is a celebratory, invitational charity event. Treat it as such. Be kind to any and all competitors. Be respectful of the hours of work that has gone in to the event. Promote the event so that we can maximize our charitable reach.
And again… BE GRATEFUL!
Good luck. It’ll be interesting to see which one of you fools comes in second.
