5 rookie errors to avoid in Fantasy Football Week 1

Fantasy Football is back, and with the arrival of Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season, there are plenty of drafts taking place right now. The rush to secure the best players from the 2021 season is one that is often just too tempting to avoid. There are several pitfalls players fall into on an annual basis.

Fantasy Football brings in new players every single year, some with ample knowledge of the NFL and others who are relative novices. Ahead of your own draft before Week 1, there are numerous rookie errors that you need to avoid if you wish to come out on top.

Here are five errors you should be sure to avoid:

#1 – Don’t pick last season's fantasy surprise package

Fantasy Football players need to be aware teams will plan for Austin Ekeler in 2022

One of the biggest pitfalls that players fall into ahead of Week 1 is picking up the surprise package of the previous season. The assumption is that it will instantly put them ahead of the curve for the current campaign. This is often a mistake.

There is often a reason a player is a surprise package. Sometimes teams don’t expect them to shine and defensive plans aren’t tailored to stop them. 2021 was a shock breakout year for Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler. He has subsequently flown to the top of the draft boards ahead of the 2022 season. This is a classic case of players looking for shortcuts to points rather than making their own analysis of talent.

Teams around the NFL will know what Ekeler is all about now. Teams facing the Los Angeles Chargers will scheme to stop the run and limit Ekeler’s productivity against them. Rarely does a Fantasy Football star follow a breakout year with an even better one. Don’t fall into this trap with Ekeler in the same way people did with DeMarco Murray and Matt Forte.

#2 – Don’t pick Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce together

Having Mahomes and Kelce isn't always a guarantee of Fantasy points

Drafting players in blocks is tempting, because if one has a good game then you’re almost guaranteed that the other will do too. Yet, the reverse is also true. If one has a bad game then the other will likely have a poor return too. You shouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket, and the most popular duo to draft is Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.

Yes, Mahomes does throw a lot at Kelce and they will score points. But he also has plenty of other targets to aim for in JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. It wouldn’t be prudent to take both players ahead of Week 1.

#3 – Don’t ignore your defense

Darius Leonard will be a forced fumble machine again in 2022

Whilst the least fashionable part of Fantasy Football, a defense can provide you with some valuable points. Too many players simply ignore their defense and draft the best group available based on 2021 stats, or who is ranked as the best defensive unit in the game.

This isn’t necessarily a smart way to select a defense, you have to be more pro-active in how you assess a D-Line. You’re looking for playmakers and favorable matchups. You need to look for offenses that are prone to turnovers and a defensive group that has an elite rusher.

Note - TURNOVERS WILL GAIN YOU POINTS. Forcing fumbles and interceptions are decent points from a defensive perspective. Instead of looking at teams that don’t concede a lot of points, look for players who force a lot of fumbles and see if they’re facing a poor offense.

Von Miller is a great playmaker, but he is going up against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 1. Instead, you should look at Darius Leonard, who forced eight fumbles in 2021. The Indianapolis Colts face the Houston Texans in Week 1 and the Texans have a generally awful offense. Leonard is a player who could perhaps help the Colts defense score a lot of fantasy points.

#4 – Don’t assume Tyreek Hill will shine

Fantasy players may be shocked at how much Tyreek Hill's production drops in 2022

Tyreek Hill was a lock selection in previous Fantasy Football drafts with his partnership with Patrick Mahomes verging on the incredible. With Hill traded from the Kansas City Chiefs to the Miami Dolphins, don’t assume he will continue to shine.

The Dolphins have a far-less refined offense and Tua Tagovailoa is not the playmaker that Mahomes is. This will see Hill’s production drop and it could well be a dramatic drop. Don’t rush to bring him into your team when his production levels are too difficult to predict at the moment. Instead, go for a proven, less explosive receiver who is settled in his environment and has a partnership with his quarterback.

#5 – Don’t discriminate against older players

Old Man Rodgers will still get you a bucket-load of Fantasy points

Fantasy Football gives you the opportunity to act as a General Manager. It is natural for when amateurs get the chance to make such decisions and they tend to be unconsciously biased against older players.

You will see this throughout Fantasy Football drafts. You'll see players like Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady left on the shelf for quite a few rounds. Many of the early selections feature Mahomes, Joe Burrow and Josh Allen. Discriminating against older players can be a fatal mistake in Fantasy Football and you can find value in the later rounds of the draft.

Rodgers will be an MVP candidate in the upcoming campaign and Brady will always score points. By building a solid base of running backs and receivers, you can secure a better roster of players with more scope for weekly rotation. So select an older QB further down the draft board.