The 2024 10 Demandments of Fantasy Football

by: God (as told to his humble servant John Holler)

Editor's Note: Below you will find THREE of the TEN Fantasy Demandments for 2024 (they change every year).  If you'd like to read all ten, please click HERE to order our 2024 Pre-Season Draft Guide.

"In the beginning, He that is God created fantasy football. He looked and said it was good." Genesis 17:52

 

For the past two decades, He has chosen those among us that he sees as the proper vessel to convey His message. A couple thousand years ago in a land far, far away, Moses came down from the mountain with the Ten Commandments - a guide of principles that most, but not all, still live by. For reasons I have yet to fully understand, He has selected me to provide his fantasy football Ten Demandments - the same guiding principles imparted to Moses, except for the kingdom of fantasy football.

If you follow these guidelines, He will be pleased because He sends these Demandments to you because He wants to give you the best opportunity to discover the milk and honey of the Promised Land at the end of the season.

 

The First Demandment

 

Thou Shalt Prepare for Tribal Leaders - When it comes to having a plan prior to fantasy drafts, He can be a stickler. One area that He wants drafters to have in place is a clear-cut plan for drafting quarterbacks. Quarterbacks don't go early in drafts, but, when they do, they tend to go in rapid succession. In the span of one round (10 to 12 picks), once the first QB comes off the board, it sounds the alarm and you will see players like Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, Patrick Mahomes, C.J. Stroud, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow could be off the board before the draft comes around to you. He suggests having two plans in place. One is to get in the fray early and then ignore quarterback until the final round or two for a backup. If you're going to be among the first to make a move at QB, it will be difficult to bench Hurts or Allen or Mahomes if they're healthy. At the end of the draft, you can still land a player like Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford or Deshaun Watson as your QB2. The other proposal is to wait on quarterback and prepare to have a pairing that can work together by using two picks in quick succession to fill your QB roster. Under this plan, you could end up with a pairing like Tua Tagovailoa and Jared Goff while using earlier picks to stock up at other key positions before the talent pool dries up.

 

The Third Demandment

 

Thou Shalt Welcome Those from All Tribes - Few things infuriate him more than a fantasy owner who overloads on players from one, two or three teams. There is something to be said about having talented players from the same team. Anyone willing to invest can land Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes and Isiah Pacheco if they choose to. Many have invested in the most potent offenses in the league with multiple players. That is a strategy to get to the playoffs, not to win a championship. Even the greatest offenses of all-time (the Brady-Moss era in New England and the Peyton Manning era in Denver) provided firepower never previously seen. But both of them had games during the fantasy playoffs where they were stunted. In a one-and-done scenario, overloading too many players from one team is a recipe for disaster. There are 32 teams in the league to choose players from. Putting too many eggs from one or two teams in your basket is a volatile recipe. Teams that win titles have contingency plans in place because the NFL rarely plays out to the script. More options is always better. Diversify your roster because the time when come when that diversity pays off.

 

The Seventh Demandment

 

Thou Shalt Have Knowledge of the Flock - Most fantasy leagues have largely the same players year after year after year. If you've been in a league for five years, there is a high likelihood that most of the others in the league have been there throughout. Being aware of their draft histories can play to your advantage. Some owners tend to take a running back in the first round because the top-end talent dries up at this position first. Some have a favorite team or two that they consistently draft from. Some like to pair up their top receiver with his quarterback to double down on his production. Some are consistently either among the first or the last to draft a quarterback or a tight end. Being armed with the tendencies of those drafting against you can give you and edge of who you pick and where you pick them. For example, if there is an owner in your league that has taken a running back in the first round four straight years and will be picking twice between your first and second pick, it could be enough to move the needle to prompt you to make running back the pick in front of that owner knowing that at least one of the two picks before you select again will take another RB off the board. Knowledge is power.

back to top of page