Why preseason action is important in fantasy football

By Luis Tirado Jr. | Aug 17, 2017

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - AUGUST 12: Charone Peake #17 of the New York Jets celebrates his touchdown in the first quarter against the Tennessee Titans during a preseason game at MetLife Stadium on August 12, 2017 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

With the upcoming fantasy football season on the horizon, use the preseason action wisely when finalizing your draft boards.

The fantasy football season will be upon us soon as August is the month that various fantasy drafts will take place. Besides which wide receivers, running backs, and quarterbacks you should put high on your draft board, don’t forget that preseason action is actually important, to a degree.

A lot of times, fantasy owners are always in search of those hidden gems that could bring in a plethora of points on a consistent basis. It’s not about watching an entire preseason game but rather, focusing on checking out the first few offensive drives of each team to take note of those that stand out.

At the end of each preseason game, it’s recommended to check out the final box score to look at statistics. If you’ve noticed over the first few weeks of preseason action that an unfamiliar name keeps getting a good amount of yards, touchdowns, receptions, etc., make sure to add them to your draft board under hidden gems or even on your waiver wire list. If you’re bold and have a knack for predicting which offensive star could break out, consider using a late round draft pick on them.

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You’d be surprised how unknown players or even undrafted free agents tend to play hard on every opportunity they get to make the final roster.

Most don’t make the final cut but if they do, you’ll have an advantage for the upcoming fantasy season. Perfect case would be wide receiver Charone Peake of the New York Jets.

In Week 1 preseason action, Peake scored the only touchdown in the Jets first win over the Tennessee Titans. Heading into his sophomore season with the Jets and considering how bad their wide receiver corps is, Peake might very well enjoy a very productive year. Is he worth drafting? Not at all but in the grand scheme of things, depending on the matchup, Peake might be worth a pickup at some point in the season via the waiver wire.

Try to watch the beginning of as many preseason games as you can and again, take notes of players that stand out when starters begin getting taken out of lineups in favor of backups. That’s where you can literally have a deep waiver wire/hidden gems list that will serve you for a good chunk of the fantasy season. It’s all about being one step ahead of the game.

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