What Does Fantasy Perfection Look Like?
One of the most frustrating parts of fantasy football is that we’re chasing after weekly perfection in a game that laughs in the face of that idea. But that’s also part of the beauty.
True perfection doesn’t exist anywhere, let alone in a game that uses a lemon-shaped ball and relies on a roster of human beings working in harmony with even more human beings. Players, coaches, refs, even the fans in the stadium—These are all just humans who get sick, muddle through injuries, or just generally have bad days at the office.
But hypothetically, for today and today only, let’s pretend perfection is on the table. What would that look like in fantasy football, if even for one week?
Well, let’s look back. To get off to a perfect start last season, this is what your Week 1 roster would’ve looked like (assuming 0.5-PPR and four-point passing touchdowns):
QB—Josh Allen
RB—Saquon Barkley
RB—Joe Mixon
WR—Jayden Reed
WR—Cooper Kupp
Flex—Allen Lazard
TE—Isaiah Likely
That mostly tracks as a reasonable lineup based on last year’s ADP. But if you started Lazard or Likely in Week 1, then you’re either a witch or you had a horribly imperfect end to your draft day (too many mango habanero wings? Been there, friend).
But hey, in the pursuit of perfection, let’s say you made some key waiver pickups and rolled with that same crew in Week 2. Surely you would’ve been thrilled with the results and started clearing space on the mantle for the league trophy.
… Except that Joe Mixon barely scraped his way into the top 36 RBs that week. And not one of those receivers finished inside the top 40.
And Isaiah Likely completely disappeared, racking up the same amount of fantasy points as someone named Eric Saubert (who has 47 career catches through eight seasons, by the way).
And worst of all—this one even hurts to type—Josh Allen finished as freaking QB28 in Week 2!
Some of those guys obviously bounced back or even DOMINATED the rest of the season. But some never again reached their season debut prowess.
And hey, I’m not trying to dishearten anyone here. Quite the opposite! Because my point is that EVERYONE has bad weeks, and NO ONE is perfect. And all that matters is how you handle the rough weeks and imperfections. That’s as true in fantasy football as it is in life.
So yes, please, by all means, study the rankings. Do some mock drafts (yours truly has already used and abused our poor mock draft simulator, presented by Gopuff). Get yourself as ready for draft day and Week 1 as you possibly can.
But if you don’t leave your draft with all the players you hoped you would, or you don’t get off to that habanero hot start you wanted … take a deep breath and think about Allen Lazard. And smile at the absurdity of it all.
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Fantasy
THE Breakout RB For 2025?
The drumbeat for this running back is reaching Dave Grohl levels of ferocity. And Chris Allen is still banging it. He can’t stop drafting Jordan Mason.
And, in his own words, “the case for him is simple:”
“Minnesota added two offensive linemen during free agency and drafted another in the first round. Their starter, Aaron Jones, is 30 years old. And Jones has spent his past few seasons in committees. So, Mason not only has the path to a weekly floor but a positive offensive environment. Plus, we’ve seen him operate as a team’s RB1, making him one of my favorite targets in the middle rounds. He’s put all of the traits I look for on display.”
What exactly are the three traits that pop off the page to justify being so bullish on the Vikings’ new RB? Chris breaks down exactly why you should be smashing “draft” on Jordan Mason. ⤵️
Last Chance To Take Advantage of Matthew Berry’s FantasyLife+ Flash Sale!
This will be the biggest discount he gives out!
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Fantasy Football Mailbag: Where to Rank Judkins?
Jake Trowbridge took to the Discord and Bluesky streets to ask our Fantasy Life audience for questions they’d like answered. And boy did they deliver. Jake answered questions about the Browns’ RB situation and how to rank Quinshon Judkins, players who may be cooked, are undervalued/overvalued, RB handcuffs, and much more. You’ll even see diehard Packer fan giving a fair and honest assessment of the Bears’ backfield. Enjoy the mailbag!
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Mock Draft: TE-Premium Makes Draft Prices Skyrocket
Tight end premium, the great equalizer. It’s supposed to increase the value of the position, hence making even the most savvy fantasy drafters to sweat a little when they think of taking the elite options in the first round.
That was the goal of Adam Ronis when he jumped into the latest mock draft in our Month of Mock series. Picking out of the 1.08, he zeroed in on one of the top two options in Round 2. Best laid plans. See how his draft strategy worked out in the end to find some nuggets that could help you in your own drafts. ⬇️
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Around the Watercooler
Let’s get to work, people! It’s draft season!!
🫵 Thou shalt pay league fees before the season … and more draft day commandments.
🏆 Fantasy football fallout from every Preseason Week 2 game. Dwain is updating this daily!
😴 Don’t sleep on Chase Young, Jack Campbell, and others in IDP leagues.
🏈 Who’s going to see 120+ targets? Our projections say …
🤔 And which RBs are projected to get the most targets?
👀 When it comes to tight ends, is Theo Johnson going to be a thing?
😇😈 Every drafter has an angel and a devil on their shoulder. Which one will you listen to?
📺 ICYMI: Kick back and replay Dwain and Ian’s Saturday Morning Draft.
😅 Remember to keep telling yourself … it’s only preseason.
✍️ Josh Allen knows the importance of picking the fantasy football draft order.
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