Small sample sizes can often mask what players are actually capable of doing, for better or worse. If a guy plays over his head for three games, fantasy owners go nuts and start drinking his Kool-Aid. If he struggles for three games, owners cut bait and offer him in trades for 50 cents on the dollar. After nine weeks of the NFL season, season numbers are starting to weed out imposters and exposing players for what they really are.

Just like in baseball, hot streaks don’t change who a player fundamentally is. DeAngelo Williams came out of nowhere to score three touchdowns in Week 5, but does that change a fact that he is undersized and incapable of shouldering a heavy work load? Willie Parker found paydirt three times in Week 1, but does that mean his touchdown-scoring woes are officially behind him? Read more »

“Flux” is a positive term in fantasy football. Positions or situations that remain unsettled leave opportunities for less heralded players to make contributions. Of course, who’s getting chances and what they’ll do with them are two things that will challenge owners on the waiver wire each week.

The modern NFL, with team and league-mandated suspensions being handed down, has even more challenges. Is Chiefs running back Larry Johnson going to be suspended this week? Are either Kolby Smith or Jamaal Charles worth pickups in his place? Read more »

We cannot understate the impact of getting team-specific news from local newspapers. While reading blogs like this one certainly can paint a big picture of what’s happening around the National Football League, questions about players and teams can best be answered by local beat writers. These are true journalists who cover a team all week, have locker room access and get a much better feel for all of the developing storylines - big and small.

There are two difficult things for a fantasy owner in their plight to find this kind of information. First, locating hometown news sites online can be time-consuming and difficult. Second, once you find the news you need, what do you do with it? How do you put it into the perspective of YOUR fantasy team? Read more »

After Week 1 was complete, many NFL teams saw big-name guys go down. Some are gone for the season, altering the 2008 landscape permanently. Others are harboring smaller bumps and bruises affecting their status for only a week or two.
 
Below are the 10 injuries to guys not named Brady or Colston that will have the greatest impact on the fantasy world in Week 2. Obviously a lost season from the NFL’s poster boy and 4-6 weeks without Drew Brees’ No. 1 wideout have clear and lasting impacts. However, there are quite a few more that can affect fantasy owners’ decision-making for Week 2. Read more »