Redraft Strategy, Managing Waivers

The Re-Draft Roundtables Series

The Footballguys staff looks at various strategies to help you in redraft leagues.

Participating in a redraft league is a process that starts with the draft and hopefully ends with a championship. The Footballguys staff has answered several questions about various strategies to help you achieve your championship dreams. From the beginning to the end and everything in between, we've got you covered to give you the tools and knowledge needed to dominate your redraft league.

Managing the waiver wire throughout the season can greatly improve your team. Are there any specific strategies you use that would be advantageous for others?

JASON WOOD

Roster size is vital. You have to be realistic about the carrying costs for any position. If you have a shallow roster (e.g., 16 spots, but you start nine), you know you'll have to turn over your bench aggressively, dealing with injuries and bye weeks. In that case, you need to target high-upside players and be unapologetic in dumping almost everyone not in your starting lineup. But if you're in a deeper league -- as many experienced managers are -- then you know the available talent on waivers is thin. In those cases, you must be willing to commit a massive amount of free agent bidding currency on two or three shots at greatness.

SAM WAGMAN

Figuring out the waiver wire is possibly the key to winning your league. You have to be active enough to grab the players that will be popular but also have enough restraint to not grab every single player that is worth rostering. Also, knowing the size of your bench is key for knowing how often you need to turn over that bench for new players. Knowing what percentage of your budget to spend on each player is a big deal too.

BEN CUMMINS

Being proactive is the most important strategy. Picking up/rostering a player a week early or before a teammate’s injury can ensure you have the player if dealing with a waiver wire ranking system and can ensure you have the player and save you a ton of budget if dealing with FAAB. Mainly, this is rostering high upside running back handcuffs should you have the bench space to do so.

CRAIG LAKINS

I try to be as active as possible on the waiver wire because it's an immediate separator from the more casual managers in the league. If your league allows open waivers after the initial claim process, staying on top of news as it breaks will be a big help. I keep Twitter alerts on for a few trusted NFL insiders, so I'm ready to act as soon as they break valuable news.