10 tips for building a fantasy football team in 2024, according to analysts

The NFL has an incredible amount of depth, particularly on offense, so Loza recommends using that to your advantage by going for players with high ceilings during the first half of your draft.

One high-ceiling player she said to look out for is Anthony Richardson.

The 22-year-old quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts didn’t play much during his rookie season due to injuries.

“However, his upside, the potential that he could produce, is wild,” Loza said. “So, I often get like, ‘Why would you want to take Anthony Richardson?’ And my answer is like, well, there is a 100% injury rate in the NFL, but not 100% of the players in the NFL present with Richardson’s ceiling.”

She continued, “He averaged 18 fantasy points per game and 49% of those points came via his legs. And in fantasy, rushing, mobile quarterbacks are great because of the numbers they put up.”

So, you can afford to take a risk on a high-ceiling player in the beginning, knowing that the league’s incredible depth will provide you with more tried-and-true, dependable players in the later rounds.

Traditionally, “stacking” refers to taking a quarterback and a pass catcher from the same team, like a Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce duo, so you can maximize your points.

What you want to avoid, though, is stacking two pass catchers from the same team, analysts told BI.

“I don’t like to take two pass catchers from the same team because I think again, the volume is dipped,” Loza said, offering the Houston Texans as an example.

With Nico Collins, Stefon Diggs, Tank Dell, and Joe Mixon all competing for touches, Loza said it’s an offense “you want a piece of,” but if you were to take Tank Dell and Nico Collins, you could miss out “on a receiver who might not be part of as efficient an offense, but would see more targets.”

“The targets don’t always have to be pretty to be productive,” she added.

Starting a positional run is always better than ending one, according to Loza.

“So if quarterbacks start coming off the board, do not panic and say like, ‘Oh my god, if I don’t take a quarterback now, the one I want is gonna be gone,'” she said. “He may be, but also, you want to zig when everyone else is zagging because you want to take full advantage of the value in front of you at every time.”

“Don’t let the weeds of the stats bring you down,” Loza said. “You’re allowed to just root for the players that you’re excited about.”

So if there’s a player that’s amazing strategically, but isn’t someone you feel like rooting for every week, just don’t draft them — that’s the benefit of the league having such depth.

And with all those options, Loza encourages everyone to use the rankings available. “Me and my colleagues do not spend all of this time to make rankings so that you can’t use ’em,” she said.

So, if someone has caught your eye, check the rankings to ensure you draft them at an appropriate time.

“If you are someone who’s like, ‘Oh, I know Player X is a really good player and they’re fun and I’m into them,’ then look where they are on the rankings, like maybe they’re wide receiver 30, and then see who else in that range is going and circle them,” Loza said. “Just be like, ‘OK, when we get to this general part of the draft, I’m going to get that guy.'”

This way, you won’t pass up on valuable talent in an effort to pick them.

Building a fantasy team extends beyond the initial draft, so Zylak advises players not to feel discouraged if they don’t start the season with a winning record.

“Like, really, all you have to do is make the playoffs. It doesn’t really matter what your seeding is,” he said. “And in most leagues, either half or like 40% of people make playoffs, so as long as you can squeak in — even if you start one and four — like look for trades, look for the waiver wire, because you just got to squeak into the playoffs, then anything can happen.”

And as cheesy as it may sound, remember to have fun.

“This is a secondary experience that only enriches the primary experience of watching football on Sundays,” Loza said.