This might be a bit of an oversimplification here, but you will understand the point being made as you read through the rest of the way. There are a number of fundamental differences between fantasy football and fantasy baseball. In baseball, it’s hitter versus pitcher. Mano y mano. You can analyze a player’s track record and his peripheral stats to understand what kind of hitter or pitcher he is and decide whether or not you want him on your fantasy team. His overall game is independent of his team’s style of play and performance as we’ve witnessed numerous breakout seasons for players on crappy teams. Big home run hitters can still hit a ton of bombs even if their manager has an affinity for small-ball.
In football, it’s not quite so simple. You can have an amazing running back on your hands, but if the offensive coordinator is a pass-happy nut, that running back won’t see as many carries, thus stunting his overall fantasy value. Think about what Andy Reid did to Kareem Hunt throughout the middle of last season. If a quarterback has a great arm, a strong, supportive ground game and limited wide receivers, his coach is likely to push a run-first plan of attack. Think Carolina. You’d like to think a coach is going to try and build his offensive game plan around his personnel’s strong suits, but if the team employs an offensive scheme that doesn’t cater to a particular player’s talent, that player’s fantasy value drops.
Conversely, you can have a running back with mediocre talent, but if he’s in a run-heavy offense with a blocking scheme that caters to his strengths, he can soar like Icarus on wings made of wax and feathers. Case in point: DeAngelo Williams from two seasons ago. He never had the same level of talent as Le’Veon Bell, but with the Steelers’ offensive game plan and the way their blocking scheme was set up, Williams was able to thrive just as much as Bell when afforded the opportunity.
Understanding each team’s system is going to be vital for you in both your drafts and your in-season waiver work. Let’s stick with the running backs to illustrate the point further. While drafting Ezekiel Elliott had its risks last year, given the looming suspension, it wasn’t so far-fetched to believe you could take him early, grab his handcuff and still get rock-solid production. The Cowboys used single-back zone runs most of the time last season, a system in which Zeke thrived. Alfred Morris had also been successful in zone-blocking schemes and while he has never been near the same level of talent as Elliott, he was able to find some success within the system thanks to the strength of the offensive line. Well, ok, so the o-line had its injuries, but you understand the point being made here.
We actually saw it in a few places last year. Latavius Murray fared well in the absence of Dalvin Cook , the Packers running backs all seemed to fare similarly when each had their opportunity and even Austin Ekeler had his moments when replacing Melvin Gordon at times. Again, none of the reserve backs were considered better runners than their predecessors, but within their respective team’s system, they did just fine.
With most casual fantasy football owners not understanding how vital this knowledge is, you can absolutely dominate your competition. A firm knowledge of systems will allow you to make better choices as to which handcuffs to draft, which wide receivers and tight ends will be expected to thrive and even which defenses you want to stream each week. Don’t be dumb enough to just look at player names and depth charts. You should look at the personnel, for sure, but you also need to study the coaches, the coordinators and the style of game they like to run.
In order to better equip you for both your drafts and in-season efforts, this Draft Guide will contain a full breakdown of all 32 teams’ offensive and defensive systems. It will prove to be your one-stop shop for team analysis, so get ready to bookmark it. It should be arriving Tuesday, August 7th, so get ready for greatness.