Dont be "That Guy."

You’re sitting at a black jack table and you get dealt two jacks. You have 2 options, double down or hold. Well the first hand the dealer is sitting on a 7, so you choose to hold. The dealer flips his second card and gets a 7. Looking good, until he flips his third card, and it’s an 8! Dang, ok its one hand.

Hand two you get 2 queens. This time you choose to split, double your chances right. On your first flip you get a 3. “Hit me!” Another Jack, ok you still got one split left. Your first draw is a 5. “Hit me!” A 7, another loss!  What’s my point, Fantasy football is like cards. Skill is needed, but not always rewarded.

 But this piece isn’t all about how to change your luck, it’s more about what to do when your unlucky. Let’s be honest all you can do is put yourself in the best situation, like hitting when you have 13, or doubling down on 10’s. Just as important is not turning into the, “if I woulda started Brian Hartline over Julio Jones, I woulda won.” owner. You may be right, but there’s no way you are ever sitting Julio Jones for Brian Hartline.

One of the more painful things to watch is every NFL game. Why? Because you see all the, “if that woulda happened”plays. Let see, last week I watched: Jermicheal Finley have a diving James Jones steal a touchdown. Ray Rice have 3 goalline attempts stuffed by a poor browns defense.

There are positive examples for owners too. Like Steve Smith getting a 30 yard catch, down by 29 with 15 seconds left, in week 2. Or Brandon Marshall’s garbage time TD last night. What does this all mean, Its 60% luck 40% skill! Yes there is skill, but some days, weeks, and years, it’s just not your time.

So what can you do? Continue to put the best players on the field, AND SET YOUR LINEUP. Nothing is worse than an owner who just gives up, it ruins the fun for everyone else. With that in mind, how can you save your season? I have 3 tips!

Trade,Trade,Trade- Trade high, Buy Low. Look at players production, does it match their normal output. If it doesn’t, is it a fluke or an improvement? A Great example is Dez Bryant and Aquan Boldin. Both players exceeded their normal output in week 4. Let’s be honest, Boldin is not a top 5 Receiver, and Bryant has two-100 yard games in his career. If you’re struggling you may fill some holes by trading these overvalued players away.

If you own Ryan Matthews or Demarco Murrey (and you’re losing) it may be time to get the best value you can, to save your season. Only you can tell what the value for your players are, but it’s time to change something if your struggling.

Sign Handcuffs- We went over how there is 50% luck and 50% skill in fantasy football. So what can you do, try to get lucky on a backup. Kendall Hunter, Jacquizz Rodgers, Bilal Powell, Jackie Battle, Brandon Bolden, and Jonathan Stewart all could be starters by week 8. They are unstartable at the moment, but if an injury happens they could save your season.

Take Risk on matchups- If your 1-3 or 0-4, is another loss going to kill you. Maybe or maybe not, but at this point you might have to take some risk. Maybe sitting Steven Jackson for Brian Hartline is a gutsy move, but what do you have to lose. Most importantly if you continue to roll out the same group every week and finish 1-12, did you really try?

Need help with a trade, feel free to comment and I would gladly give you my opinion.