We all have busy lives. Between family, friends, work and "The Simpsons" marathon, it can be hard to find the time to remember everything you need to do. Like that fantasy draft you had that started 90 minutes ago.
Not much compares to the feeling of checking your roster only to discover the automated fantasy gods saw fit to draft a kicker in the ninth round -- and it was Alex Henery. Now you've got some scrambling to do. How do you go about making fantasy lemonade when autodraft has given you lemons? Well, that's what we're here for.
Step 1: Hit the waiver wire - This should be your first result. There are usually plenty of talented players that slip through the cracks in drafts. Maybe it's that deep sleeper you had your eye on or perhaps it's a veteran who could be poised for a big bounce back this season. Either way, just because you're working from behind doesn't mean you can't still build a quality roster through free agency. For example, here's a short list of players who are owned in fewer than 60 percent of NFL.com fantasy leagues.
That's just a sampling of the talent that's available. Depending on your league, there could be even bigger names still out there. Don't be afraid to scroll deep down the list since you never know which diamond in the rough you'll come across.
Step 2: Play the trade market - The waiver wire is a nice place to find talent, but there's only so much ground you can make up with your league's leftovers. That means you'll need to chase some front-line talent through trades.
The first thing to remember when you're proposing deals is that you'll have to give up something good in order to get something good. Unless you have some absolutely clueless league members, no one is going to give you Dez Bryant for Trent Richardson. If you're going to manufacture a winner through the trade market, your best option is to make a lot of offers. Some owners are usually more willing to wheel-and-deal than others. Do your best to negotiate with them in order to get the pieces you need.
Step 3: Crowd-source some help - Once you've done the best you can with waiver pickups and trades you'll likely have some tough start-or-sit decisions to make on a week-to-week basis. Don't think you need to do it alone. Reach out to the Fantasy Genius tool to pose your questions to the fantasy community at large. It takes a village to win a win a fantasy championship and Fantasy Genius enlists the help of a well-heeled assortment of knowledgeable fantasy fanatics. It's a resource worth taking advantage of regardless of how successful your draft was.
Most importantly, don't give up. It's a long fantasy season and you never know which players will surprise and which ones will disappoint. The team that looks underwhelming on draft day could become a juggernaut midway through the season. Stick with it, make a few savvy moves and you could end up with a successful fantasy campaign.
Marcas Grant is a fantasy editor for NFL.com. Follow him on Twitter @MarcasG.
