THE WEEKLY ROUTINE

By Drew Sagon, Special To NFL Draft Bible

The casual fantasy owner manages their team on the weekends. They make spot starts on occasion, but usually do not land the top free agents each week. They set their lineup on Saturday, or in the extreme case, on Sunday morning. There is absolutely nothing wrong with assuming the role of the casual fantasy manager--as long you don’t mind sitting at home during the latter portion of the season as the other owners duel for a championship.

If you’re the type of competitor that will never be content with second place, then the chances are that you make for a much better fantasy manager. Fantasy football was made for people like this; people that take risks, people that love the excitement and thrive under the immense pressure of managing a winning team.

In my own, extensive, fantasy experience which dates back to the late 1990s, I have not seen many managers able to undergo a change in philosophy. Few start out as casual managers and later discover that there is more to fantasy than two days a week. Few grasp from the onset the full time job that being a successful fantasy football manager truly is. However, if winning is important to you, and you are interested in becoming more active in your league, I have developed a winning formula. The following is a solid blueprint as to how you should spend each day of the week leading up to Sunday.

Monday:
It is very important every Monday, usually in the morning when the events of the previous day are still fresh in your mind, to critique your performance that week. I understand that many managers are still concerned about the Monday night game, and may have their weekly fate resting upon it, but the Monday night game last’s only three hours- there is twenty-one more in which to work with. So examine your lineup and find out what you did wrong and what you did right. Be reasonable, you can’t fault yourself for starting Steven Jackson during a week where he accumulates 80 total yards, over Fred Taylor who, by chance, just so happens to punch in two scores. At the same time you may have overlooked a match up. For example, LaMont Jordan has historically had tremendous success over the Browns, and if you stuck with Brandon Jacobs against the Bears, you might very well have cost yourself a W. Don’t be too brash on Mondays. Although Laveraneus Coles may have caught one pass for six yards, understand that he is still worthy of a roster spot, but make note of the reason for the poor performance and try to get him out of your lineup before the next disappointment. Finally watch the Monday night game. There’s nothing more exciting in the fantasy universe than watching your team nail down a victory on Monday night.

Tuesday:
With the week officially over, Tuesday is your day to trash talk. Tuesday is a great day to post. You definitely want to play up your team’s performance (if it was a good one), or slam your next week’s opponent. If you made a great pickup and started Anthony Gonzales who happens to explode for 80 yards and a touchdown, let your league know about it. Although I can’t advise you on exactly what to say because I feel it’s important to leave some creativity the imagination of the manager, I’m sure you will be able to think of something.

Wednesday:
Wednesday is the week’s turning point. It’s time to look ahead and set a tentative lineup. Much like last year, this season sports eight Thursday night games. This means that in some cases, you will have to set your lineup by Thursday night. On Wednesday you must take a look at your team and decide where your holes are. Take a look at the available free agents and decide whether or not any of them are capable of helping your team. By the time you go to sleep on Wednesday night, you should be fairly certain of your lineup for the upcoming week. Confidence is very important toward Fantasy success.

Thursday:
Thursday is a day for the future. On Thursday’s you need to look ahead past your current opponent and take a look to see if any players that could potentially help you, down the road, are available. A lot of managers will have made a few waiver moves by Wednesday and in a disappointed rage it is possible that one or two gems were dropped from their teams. You may also want to take a chance on an injured player. If Kevin Jones is returning from PUP in a week and Tatum Bell has not been performing, throw a roster spot Jones’s way. You could potentially hit the jackpot and have a new starting running back or he could become trade bait for the owner of Tatum Bell.

Friday:
Friday is as close to a day off as we have in the business of fantasy. The weekend is upon you and your roster is pretty well set for the current match up. Follow any breaking news in the NFL but enjoy your day off, even the most extreme managers can take a night off on a Friday night.

Saturday:
With one day until game time Saturday is your day to finalize your lineup. You want to beat the Sunday morning rush and be satisfied with who you’re going to put on the field in hopes of a bringing home a win. This also allows for you to make any changes on Sunday morning in case of an emergency. Make sure you are confident; there is no bigger disappointment in fantasy than starting an underachiever. If your gut tells you to go with Matt Leinart against the Bills, rather than Matt Hasselback versus the Patriots, then do it with conviction.

Sunday:
Sunday is obviously game day, and you should be at your computer consistently throughout the day checking scores and stats. However, it is also important to pay attention to injuries. If someone big goes down, you want to be the first one on the waiver wire. Make sure that if Shaun Alexander so much as breaks a finger nail, you know about it, and if necessary, you are the first one to put in your claim for Maurice Morris. Above all else, enjoy your Sunday--it is after all what we play for in this crazy business we call Fantasy Football.

Of course this alone is not enough to make you a successful manager. Make sure to pay attention to any and all NFL news during the week. Also pay attention to what’s happening in your league and check it daily. If another manager has to make a roster spot and throws out a capable starter in a temporary brain lapse, your attentiveness could very well be a big piece of your run at a championship.