If you’re hanging with models and bottles while clocking in and out, you are out of your lane. And if you are holding on to David Johnson with a 2-3 record, yes you too are way out of your lane.

Your roster construction should be reflective of your record throughout the season, period.

To put it simply, winning teams are afforded the opportunity to take more chances while losing teams need to construct their rosters to win NOW. Not tomorrow, not after seeing how your players perform this week. NOW.

Winning Teams (5-0, 4-1, 3-2)

Hey you sexy beasts.  You brilliant GMs that drafted Gurley, Diggs and Hunt.  Your winning record has afforded you some great opportunities. So act on that record and 1) take some speculative chances 2) conserve your FAAB and 3) focus on streaming positions.

1. Take some speculative chances - The first strategy I recommend is following through on some of your speculation. Stick with the players on your team that you believe can breakout and make moves for those that are hanging out on losing teams or the wire. Here are the following player types you should be looking at through trades, waivers and free agency. Sleepers, injured or suspended players, underperforming players and the players attached to all of these categories. Here are some specific examples:

    
   Sleepers to take a chance on:
   Marlon Mack, Elijah McGuire, JD McKissic, D'Onta Foreman, CJ Prosise, Derrick Henry, Samaje Perine, David Njoku, Mitch Trubisky, Kendall Wright, Paul Richardson, Kenny Golladay, Rashard Higgins, Deonte Thompson

   Injured or suspended players worth stashing/monitoring:
   Andrew Luck, Sam Bradford, Derek Carr, Tyler Eifert, Corey Coleman, Danny Woodhead, Corey Davis, John Ross, Josh Gordon

   Early underperformers who can bounce back:
   Andy Dalton, Terrelle Pryor, Sammy Watkins, Amari Cooper, Julio Jones, Doug Baldwin, Jay Ajayi, Isaiah Crowell, DeMarco Murray

And as for who to give up, here are some rules of thumb. Trade with bad teams with losing records and look to trade away players that are performing consistently now but not making your starting lineup.

1. Hold on to your FAAB – For the most part, save that FAAB for later in the season. Waiver pick-ups later in the season inherently have a smaller risk window and offer the opportunity to capitalize on a player that is booming when the stakes are highest. This also holds true for defenses and kickers, who could make the difference in closer matchups. I’m not suggesting that you shouldn’t spend big if the right opportunity arises, but just be a bit more cautious. Don’t get caught up in players that you may not even start. For instance, with a winning record you shouldn’t be spending more than 1-3% of your FAAB on players like Rashard Higgins, Jermaine Kearse or Kendall Wright.
2. Focus on Streaming Positions – When everyone bobs, you weave. If you have a winning record you probably have a strong core. You’re also holding onto players you believe can breakout remember? So while everyone is focusing on flex players, hone in on defenses and kickers. Get those extra wins, at cheaper FAABs, so that you have even more flexibility to implement the strategies I’ve laid forth above.

Losing Teams (0-5, 1-4, 2-3)

You looooove your guys but I’m sorry to say it’s time to part ways. It was time two weeks ago you jebronis! You should be in complete panic mode and making big moves. If you hold one of the above losing records and you have Amari Cooper, Corey Coleman or David Johnson on your team, you deserve to lose. These players are out of your lane, and you need to STAY IN YOUR LANE.

So let’s recap everything written above, but catered to you losers:

1. Trade away or drop underperformers, injured players, suspended players, sleepers who haven’t broken out, and all of the players that are influenced by these types of players. See sample players above. Trade with winning record teams and trade for players that are consistently performing every week. Sure, players that are scoring 9-11 points each week aren’t sexy, but as a collaborative unit they give you a better chance to win than studs who are scoring 1.6 points.
2. Use your FAAB! I can’t help you make good decisions, but you should have conviction with your waiver pick-ups and spend accordingly. Have fun spending your fake money on fake Louis Vuitton scarves and vegan steak later in the season when your chances of making the playoffs go from slim to none. Act now and act big!
3. Every position counts. Make up for some of your deficiencies with kickers and defenses. In fact, look to include these in packaged trade deals.

 
Try something new and make some waves in your league. You may be the punchline of some jokes, but strike out swinging rather than looking.

Sincerely,
Brett Mitchell