We are less than a week away from meaningful football games. 2021 has a couple of differences that should affect the way the waiver wire is approached. The biggest change is the extra game added to the schedule: one extra waiver run, same FAAB budget.
Last year pre-season waiver bids were made based on coach speak and shorter training camps with no mini camps. Pre-season games and longer training camps should increase pre-season bid efficiency. It is highly unlikely that anyone will fly under the radar and have a large week one usage like Myles Gaskin did last year. There will be players with unexpected usage or roles in Week 1 that will be targets in the waiver wire but not to the same extent as last year.
It seems elementary; however, awareness of league settings is the first early edge to gain on the competition. Starting roster requirements and scoring system should alter which players to target more aggressively and how many spots should be allotted to RB stashes. At no point should a fantasy manager have three quarterbacks rostered in a single quarterback league, and if a top-six quarterback is drafted, a second quarterback is not required except for bye weeks. Save roster spots for running backs and wide receivers.
Read the rules, many of the national contests do not require lineups to be set until Sunday morning of week 1 as drafts are still occurring after the Thursday night game. This means that managers will know exactly how many points the Bucs/Cowboys players will have scored before deciding whether to start or sit these players. Use this to your advantage.
FFPC/NFC have weekend waivers for Week 1 in addition to preseason waiver run. Take a flier on Dallas D or Dalton Schultz and drop after the Thursday night game if needed. KNOW THE RULES AND USE THEM TO YOUR ADVANTAGE
Roster % for FPC Championship and 2020 pre-season bid data provided by www.fantasymojo.com
