The 8 Biggest Mistakes Fantasy Football Players Make: Kasey's Expert Advice and Analysis (2025)

Kacey Kasem's fantasy football strategy guide and expert tips for 2025. Her top mistakes to avoid in during drafts and the fantasy football season.

What makes fantasy football so much fun is the lessons you learn as you play. Sure, you can do all the research and suffer from carpal tunnel from all the mock drafts you've participated in, but nothing compares to "learning on the job".

Every season, we deal with our fair share of "never again" moments. Remember holding onto Charles Sims because the hype had to be real? The good news here is you don't have to make all the mistakes on your own. Plenty of managers, including your favorite fantasy analysts, have done the dirty work for you.

So before you jump into your next draft or set your lineup for Week 1, let's look at some of the biggest mistakes fantasy players can make and how to avoid them this season.

Not Understanding Settings and Rules

Not knowing the basics of your league happens often, whether because folks assume the settings are basic, haven't had time to look, or think they're boring. Yes, we know that rules are boring, but they're crucial to understand. Every league adds its own wrinkles, and managers need to take note.

I've been in leagues where people didn't realize it was superflex until Round 10. In others, I've witnessed people skip over the yardage bonuses certain players get. Oh, and in season, some will miss out on the top pickup because they didn't realize when waivers ran.

The #1 Fantasy Football rule is know your leagues settings...I can not stress that enough because that changes everything

— Robert Littal BSO (@BSO) August 12, 2012

Do you know when your league's trade deadline is? How about when the playoffs start? Not things you need to know off the top of your head, but you should reference your rules and settings if you have no clue.

Knowing the ins and outs of your league can help you build your roster. Whether your league is PPR, half-PPR, or standard can change everything. I had a conversation with someone the other day who questioned, "But PPR is standard, right?" (a fair question, especially if you're new to fantasy football).

Too long, didn't read: Examine your league settings before you draft. Don't end up with Joe Flacco as your QB1 in a 2QB league.

Bandwagon Syndrome and ADP

It's easy to fall for the hype. Once you hear a name gain buzz and see his ADP rise, panic-drafting can set in. Taking a player like this when it doesn't make sense for your roster can set you up for failure.

In all fantasy football formats, I cannot recommend enough to make your own rankings on who you like and keep that side by side with ADP when drafting.

Get your guy, but also if he's most likely going to be there by your next pick just wait, don't reach.

— Gecko (@GushingGecko) August 16, 2022

Don't just follow what everyone else says (although sometimes the hype is real). Analysts can miss sometimes, but they show their work and explain how they arrived at their conclusion. No one gets it right 100% of the time.

Build your own tiers and use ADP to guide you. ADP isn't gospel, but it can provide hints on how managers in your league could draft. Remember, your opinion matters the most. It's your team, so use the tools provided to help shape your roster.

Disrespecting Position Scarcity

This one sneaks up on the casual fantasy football manager all the time (or the people like me who can't stay focused). They'll snag a quarterback early in a 1QB league while elite WRs and RBs are getting scooped up. Suddenly, their roster looks amazing at QB but is lacking everywhere else.

If you’re not adapting to RB scarcity in fantasy football, you’re behind.

I stacked 2nd and 3rd round picks in dynasty to make sure I swing hard at the RB position and hit one.

— Juju_804 (@JuJu_804) April 30, 2024

Or a positional run will be missed (say, seven wide receivers go in a row), and now they're stuck with Dyami Brown as their WR1. Drafting is about finding the perfect balance.

In a pinch, you can stream QBs and TEs, but not so much with RBs. Having depth is golden, so keep an eye on when positions are drying up.

No Strategic Flexibility

Drafts rarely go the way you planned. You've been doing mock draft after mock draft, but then your actual draft goes off the rails in Round 1.

Biggest mistake people make going into their fantasy drafts is thinking they know EXACTLY how it’s going to play out

So many people write me saying, “I have the 6th pick, I’m going to take CeeDee Lamb, then deciding b/w Drake London/Chase Brown in the 2nd”

Let the board decide!

— Adam Koffler (@AdamKoffler) August 16, 2025

You have to be able to pivot when your strategy needs to change. Managers make surprise picks, and every league has its own draft tendencies. Casual leagues often draft with a different mindset than expert leagues, so understanding your league mates can give you a massive edge.

Don't stick to one strategy like it's gospel. Sometimes you want to go QB early, while other times you wait. Sometimes you load up on RBs, sometimes you pivot to WRs. Being flexible is a big part of winning your league. Don't panic, you've got this.

Overreacting to Week 1

Speaking of panicking, Week 1 can cause mass hysteria. We've all been burned at the beginning of the year. We see someone explode in the season opener, and now they're the hot "must-start" commodity. The problem is, most Week 1 heroes fade just as quickly as they arrive. Think O.J. Howard (2022), John Ross (2019), Will Dissly (2018), or my favorite, Kevin Ogletree (2012).

It was my second season playing fantasy football, and I fell into the trap. Ogletree nabbed eight catches for 114 yards and two touchdowns in that contest, so I was all too eager to have him on my roster for Week 2.

In case you wanted to know Ogletree's stats at the end of 2012: 32 catches for 436 yards and four touchdowns. It was only my second season playing fantasy football, so you live and learn.

Week 2 why you don’t overreact to Week 1 in fantasy football.

— Leith Dunick (@LeithDunick) September 17, 2024

Now, on the flip side, imagine dropping Justin Jefferson in his 2020 rookie campaign. He hauled in just five catches for 70 yards in his first two games, but he was WR6 by season's end.

If you dropped Nick Chubb after a slow start in 2018, you missed out on the RB17. He turned into a workhorse after the trade of Carlos Hyde.

There are moments when reacting is a good idea (for example, there's an obvious depth chart change). But don't panic after one week. It's a long season.

Not Budgeting FAAB

A classic mistake that those unfamiliar with Free Agent Acquisition Budget (FAAB) make is spending most of their budget on a player who had one huge game.

For those who don't know, the FAAB system works by giving each team a budget at the start of the season. Throughout the year, managers will blind bid on players, with the highest bid winning.

Many managers are used to the standard rolling waiver wire system. Waiver priority is given to the team at the bottom of the standings. In that system, if your squad has been doing well, the chances you'll nab that stud QB off the waivers are slim to none.

Blew all my FAAB already and couldn’t get any of the guys I wanted off the wire to replace injured players after hustling and grinding my way into the playoffs pic.twitter.com/GIlMvdGELf

— Punkrocker Garret WATO (@GarretWATO) December 18, 2024

If your league runs on FAAB, you'll need to budget. As stated, don't blow all your FAAB right away. Once it dries up, you won't be able to make any more claims.

When making bids, don't shy away from making sneaky $2 bids on upside players. Those can be the ones who win you weeks, especially when you're looking for bye week replacements.

You'll face a learning curve when switching from rolling waivers to FAAB, but it's easy to overcome with some practice and strategy.

Letting Bench Warmers Take Up Space

Don't be that manager who holds players on the bench "just in case" they finally hit. If they haven't done anything for weeks, why are you still rostering them? Benches are meant for upside, not for roster cloggers.

Every year, a player breaks out on the waiver wire while managers hold out hope for that guy whose breakout is "happening in just one more week".

According to my advanced model, it's actually this year that Kyle Pitts and Anthony Richardson are going to break out. pic.twitter.com/h9BcgdIqaj

— Chuck Bass (@ChuckFBass) June 17, 2025

Don't be afraid to churn your roster until you find the right fits for your team. That WR you swore would be a sleeper has put up three catches in eight weeks.

It's time to let go and make space for the next big waiver find. Some of the best fantasy teams are built by cutting dead weight quickly and swinging for the fences on a breakout candidate.

Starting Players Just Because You Drafted Them Early

Common situation: You draft someone in the second round, he's been trash all season, but you continue to start him because "I can't bench my second-rounder!"

Just because you spent high draft capital to roster the player doesn't mean you owe them a spot in the weekly lineup. You've already drafted them, and you're not going to get that capital back. Are they helping you now? If they aren't, it's time to move on.

Fantasy season is on the line and debating starting Nick Westbrook-Ikhine over Amari Cooper and DeVonta Smith pic.twitter.com/zelNjp8L1S

— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) December 3, 2024

It's not unheard of for someone to lose their season because they were too stubborn to sit a player they paid up for. Winning is about what a player can do for you in the present, not what they cost you on draft day. If you've got a waiver wire stud chilling on your bench, feel comfortable letting the big-name guy ride the pine.

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