What Is “Fading”

If you are new to the daily fantasy sports world (or if you are not new and know what fading means already, skip ahead to “When To Fade”), a few terms that the veterans use are sure to confuse you. “Why would you ever play a cash game in baseball? The variance is too high, which makes it a GPP style sport.” This most likely sounds more like the Klingon language of the Star Trek universe than English, but these terms are really simple to figure out.

The one that I want to talk about today is “fading.” Have you ever heard one of those DFS (if you do not know this term by now, you really need to start doing some homework) veterans say, “nice move fading 'so and so'?” All this basically means is that someone purposefully left a very popular player out of their lineup. For example, let’s use week one of the upcoming NFL season. Pretending that the Green Bay Packers hired someone to fix Jordy Nelson’s leg prior to the game against the Chicago Bears, he is going to be a very heavily targeted player. The Chicago Bears passing defense is atrocious, Aaron Rodgers is arguably the best quarterback in the league, and Jordy Nelson is almost a sure bet to score a ton of fantasy points. To “fade” Jordy Nelson against the Chicago Bears would mean to realize all of this information and neglect to play him anyway. To fade is not accidently missing out on a player. Instead, it is intentionally disregarding a player with a great chance to score a lot of fantasy points in hopes that your replacement player (i.e. the player you played instead of Jordy Nelson) outscores Jordy Nelson.

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When To Fade

So, how do you know when the right time to fade is? First, there are a few rules to follow:

1. Avoid fading QBs
2. Avoid fading high-value RBs
3. Do not get “fade happy”
4. Only use this technique in tournaments (not 50/50s)

Let’s take a look at each one of these rules before moving on. The first rule is simple: do not fade QBs. Why? Well, QBs tend to be a lot more consistent than other position players in the NFL. While it does happen from time to time, how often do you hear that Aaron Rodgers totally flopped? The answer is rarely. For this reason alone, fading QBs really does not make a whole lot of sense.

The next is do not fade “high-value” RBs. What exactly does high-value mean? Let’s look again to week one of the NFL season as an example. On Monday, September 14th, the Philadelphia Eagles take on the Atlanta Falcons. The prices for this contest are already out, so we will use a real-world example. DeMarco Murray is $6,700 and Ryan Matthews is only $3,600. This makes sense, as Murray is going to get a majority of the workload. However, let’s assume, knowing Murray’s injury prone nature, that he slips, falls, and breaks his leg on Sunday. All of a sudden, Ryan Matthews is now starting. He is considered a “high-value” RB. There is absolutely no reason to avoid using him week one, as he is most likely going to skyrocket above value. Fades should be reserved for high-priced players that everyone and their mother are going to have.

The third item on the list is to not get “fade happy.” What this means is do not fade multiple big names on the same roster. If everyone is going to be playing Dez Bryant week one, do not just avoid him because everyone else will be playing him, especially if you already faded Jordy Nelson on that lineup. It is overkill, and you will rarely win that way.

Finally, only fade in tournaments. Do not use this technique in cash games (50/50 contests). In tournaments, you should be looking for a way to separate yourself from the rest of the players in that league. However, in cash games, think like everyone else. Play the same players. This will increase your chances of coming in the top 50%.

Fade Away

If you follow these simple rules of fading, you’ll likely find yourself winning a lot more tournaments in the long run. As strange as it sounds, fading takes practice and time. The more you do it, the more you’ll start to recognize who and when to fade. Before we go our separate ways, test your knowledge of fading with the practice test below:

Week one of the NFL season is approaching quickly. The daily fantasy sports’ Gods granted you insight into how many DFSers will be playing each player. Below are the percentages:

Which of these WRs are “fadeable?”

($9,300) Julio Jones (67%)

($9,100) Demaryius Thomas (53%)

($9,200) Odell Beckham Jr. (4%)

($4,400) Davante Adams – starting for the injured Jordy Nelson (74%)

The answer:

For the best results, fading Julio Jones or Demaryius Thomas in favor of Odell Beckham Jr. makes a lot of sense. Davante Adams is the highest owned, but for good reason. He is easily going to hit value with Jordy Nelson injured. Julio Jones and Demaryius Thomas are highly owned due to their great match-ups, but if Beckham Jr. outscores either, or both, of them, you will already be in the top 40%(ish) of your tournament.

Good luck!

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