Hannah Wilkes lends a helping hand as you put your NFL Fantasy team together; watch NFL Overtime with Wilkes and Josh Denzel, as well as guests Kay Adams and Will Blackmon, every Thursday starting from September 16, at 9pm on Sky Sports NFL
Thursday 9 September 2021 09:55, UK
Sky Sports' self-appointed NFL Fantasy Football 'guru' Hannah Wilkes helps you navigate your way through the 2021 season in her new weekly column, starting with her tips to get you prepared for your Fantasy Draft...
Happy week one NFL fans! The long football-less months of spring and summer are over, the nights are drawing in and the 102nd season of the National Football League is upon us.
And what comes hand in hand with kick-off? Fantasy Football.
There's fantasy leagues in almost every sport these days, but no other is quite like the behemoth that Fantasy is in relation to the NFL. Dedicated websites, endless articles, television shows, countless podcasts, books and whole careers have been created to feed the insatiable appetite for Fantasy analysis and advice.
From nailing your draft (arguably the most stressful hours of September, every year) to mastering the waiver wire, navigating injuries, the emotional exhaustion that comes with busts and breakouts, the NFL's all-consuming kid-brother has it all.
And isn't it just a whole lotta' fun!?
We're going big on Fantasy this year on Sky Sports NFL, so welcome along to 'Fumbling Through Fantasy Football'.
A weekly diary of losses will be crushing, and the bad decisions will always make for good stories.*
In the interests of full disclosure, and possibly for legal reasons, I would like to emphasise that, as the name suggests, I am no fantasy expert. While you will find a smattering of moderately useful information** here.
If you want fool-proof fantasy advice, I suggest tuning into Kay Adams on NFL Overtime with myself and Josh Denzel, every Thursday at 9pm on Sky Sports NFL (subtle plug, I know), or follow the excellent work of Adam Rank et al on nfl.com.
Now, before the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense destroy the hopes of everyone who jumped on the 'Hard Knocks' induced Dallas Cowboys hype train and drafted Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, and CeeDee Lamb, with Amari Cooper tucked in cosily on the bench, here are some pre-Week One thoughts that are loosely related to Fantasy Football.
May the match-ups be forever in your favour and may your rosters stay healthy.
There is an unwritten rule of physics that the seconds on the clock in a fantasy draft move at approximately 1563.23 times quicker than usual.
Meticulous prep, ranking lists, sleeper targets, and a fully comprehensive strategy all go flying out the window as soon as you go green and you're 'on the clock'.
We had added drama in the Sky Sports NFL draft earlier this week when Neil Reynolds, a man who has more NFL knowledge in his little fingernail than most people could gather in a lifetime, threw an absolute curveball by selecting Josh Allen first overall.
The traditional rules of Fantasy clearly do not apply to NR, although I can't shake the feeling that his top three picks of Allen, Darren Waller and Tyreek Hill might just work out alright…
"Don't be cute in Week One" was the tip from Kay Adams when I spoke with her on Tuesday. Play your team as you drafted them, see how everyone's looking when they're actually on the field, and you can adjust going forward.
Sage advice if, like me, you frequently think you know better than the 'optimize' function on the NFL Fantasy app.
I mean, you should have done it by now, but the naming of your Fantasy Football team is not something to take lightly.
It should be creative, speak to your fandom or personality and, in my humble opinion, include a ridiculous pun.
It's also part of the laws of Fantasy Football that should you choose to include a player or coach's name in that of your team, and that it will age badly. Case in point; my very own 'Runs Like A Gurley'.
I had my reasons, and they were multiple. And actually, considering how I've limped through the last two seasons ala Todd Gurley, it has held up as a moniker.
There are some great ones about this year so if you're 'Mixon It Up' or looking for a 'Tua Point Conversion' on 'Henry Given Sunday', I salute you. 'Lamar the Merrier!'
'My Kupp Runneth Over' with my love for a pun name.
*this does not just apply to fantasy football
**'some moderately useful information' is literally the M.O for this column; emphasis on the 'some'.
Join Hannah Wilkes and Josh Denzel, with Kay Adams and Will Blackmon, on NFL Overtime, every Thursday from September 16 at 9pm on Sky Sports NFL.
