In fantasy football there is no such thing as too good preparation

In today’s Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Yahoo Fantasy:

It is the last week to build your fantasy football teams, and it's time to dominate. There's no reason not to be prepared with all the tools, rankings, articles, and videos here at Fantasy Life.

It's wise to go into the draft with a plan, but be sure to adapt to the draft board. Wild things can happen in leagues with friends and colleagues. There will be surprise picks and it's important to be flexible.

In high-stakes formats, most people are well-informed and players are pushed well above ADP. Some leagues have weak drafters who make confusing picks. It's important to know the competition.

Familiarize yourself with the league settings and rules. In some formats, the starting lineup consists of two running backs, two wide receivers, and a flex, while others have three wide receivers and two flex spots. There are also superflex leagues where you can start a quarterback as a flex. And if you've never tried a guillotine league, it's highly recommended. The point is: different formats change the way a team is built.

Have a plan in place with quarterbacks and tight ends. If things don't go the way you want, have a backup plan. We've all been in a draft where a team takes a second quarterback or tight end before taking your first. Don't panic, have alternatives ready.

The draft is one piece of the puzzle and the foundation for the season. The waiver list is crucial and trades can be made to compensate for weaknesses in the draft. Be confident, have fun and let us help you on your way to the title.

What else is in today’s newsletter?

• Candidates for the Fantasy Football Comeback
• Do you want to recruit newcomers? We have just the right place.
• Water cooler: Dominate your ESPN draft in three steps.

Rankings, predictions, start/sit and more!

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Bounceback candidates for 2024: The recommendations of the Fantasy Life editorial team

Tea HigginsCincinnati Bengals

As I mentioned in my article about my favorite WR props of the season, Higgins only played 12 games last year and was hampered by rib and hamstring injuries throughout the season. In addition, QB Joe Burrow struggled with a calf strain in the first month of the season and then missed much of the second half due to a wrist injury.

The result for Higgins was a subpar performance marked by career lows in targets (76) and receiving yards (656).

But in the previous three seasons, Higgins was a consistent and productive pass catcher.

• 2020 (16 games): 108 targets | 849 meters
• 2021 (14 games): 110 targets | 1,091 yards
• 2022 (16 games): 109 targets | 949 meters

With Burrow and Higgins both starting the season healthy, the Bengals offense should return to form, and that probably means around 110 targets and 1,000 yards for Higgins with room for upside if teammate WR Ja’Marr Chase decides to sit out some games because he is unhappy with his current contract. – Matthew Freedman

Fantasy Life's 2024 Fantasy Football Draft Kit is LIVE (and free)! Click here to access all the content you need to dominate your designs.

JK DobbinsLos Angeles Chargers

Dobbins' injury history was brutal.

• 2021: Cruciate ligament tear, cruciate ligament tear, thigh tear
• 2023: Achilles' tendon

While this certainly affects my confidence in Dobbins, he is only 25 years old and has been one of the league's most explosive running backs in his first two seasons.

• Attempts over 10 yards: 16% vs. NFL average of 10%
• Missed forced tackles: 20% versus 16%
• Average yards after contact: 3.3 versus 2.7

Reports from the offseason suggest that Dobbins looks excellent. If he can get back to even 70% of his old form, he could take off in fantasy football behind an offensive line full of first-round NFL talent and a coaching staff committed to the running game. If he's at 100%, be cautious.

Dobbins is one of my favorite late picks in fantasy and I prefer him over Gus Edwards. – Dwain McFarland

More bounceback candidates to draft

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Want to win $1 million playing fantasy football?

When you play in a private Yahoo fantasy league, you have the chance to win big.

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The Sweepstakes is one of several new experiences in the redesigned Yahoo Fantasy app, which features a bold new look and easy-to-use features to help you have more fun and build a winning lineup faster.

To register for a private Yahoo Fantasy Football league and enter the competition, click Here. See official rules Here.

First steps

Satisfy your rookie cravings

The rookie craze continues in 2024. When rookies shine in training camp and the preseason, prices rise. If you don’t have players like Marvin Harrison Fr., Malik Nabers, Rome Odunzeor Jayden Daniels in redraft leagues, here is your chance at FastDraft.

One of the competitions featured is the Origins, where the best-ball draft only includes rookies at the quarterback, running back, wide receiver and tight end positions. There are 10 teams per league with six rounds and a 20-second clock.

It is PPR scoring with no position restrictions, reversal in the third round and a maximum number of participants of 150 with a prize pool of $25,000. Entry is $5.

There is a Turbo Mode that allows you to pre-rank players and create mass entries. There are four Captain Boosters at double the maximum and the four highest scorers are chosen as starters for that week.

It helps to pick early to get one of the quarterbacks, but if you get one on the back end, there is a chance to get Odunze with Brito Thomasas I did in one of my designs.

It is fun to draft players who do not play in average leagues like Jalen McMillan, Malik WashingtonAnd Brenden Rice. If you don't play in formats big enough to accommodate the newbies you like, here's your chance. The best part is that most drafts last five minutes.

Additionally, all new users who sign up with the code LIFE will receive a 100% deposit match up to $100.

Draft your rookies today

The latest analysis and insights from our merry crew of football nerds:

🔥 Everything you need to dominate your ESPN drafts. Come prepared.

👀 Design Adonai Mitchell? Dwain has thoughts.

🤣 Prank wars between quarterback and head coach. Drew Brees talks about getting Sean Payton.

📈 Jameson Williams gets the school number deleted. Has high goals for this season.

😬 Who wouldn’t want to play for the Chiefs? Josh Jacobs was not interested.