When I took a mythology class in college, I learned that some of the same myths and myth tropes were repeated again and again. Whether it was the Hopi Indians, Norse Mythology, Roman/Greek, African, Asian, or numerous other cultures, you would see the same kinds of characters and explanations for various phenomena appear across them all. Honestly, pretty similar to the 10 myths of Fantasy Football.

Because whether you play in an 8-team traditional league or a 16-team IDP Dynasty league, you see some of the same myths repeated over and over again.

Some are harmless, like “Don’t Take a Kicker Until the Last Round”. Following that is not going to ruin your football season, and it might in fact help your season. We’ll get to that soon enough. However, others can be a little more dangerous like “It’s Only Fun When You Win”. If you subscribe to that, you could be in for a world of heartbreak and frustration.

But I will go through those fit into both camps. Some you might not have heard of, but others you probably have.

Either way, join me as we crack open the ancient book containing the ten myths of Fantasy Football.

10 Myths of Fantasy Football

“Fantasy Football is About Amassing The Most Talent”

No. Absolutely not. This might be the biggest misunderstanding, especially for novice fantasy players. To assemble the best fantasy football team, you need to acquire the most talented players who have the best opportunity…and stay healthy. However, figuring that out might be easier than fighting through a Derrick Henry stiff arm.

But we see players all the time who are incredibly talented, but their situation limits their fantasy output. After dominating at the college level, a RB gets drafted by a team whose coach refuses to give a rookie a majority of the carries. Or a WR is stuck with a lousy quarterback. Or even after proving they are a talented NFL player, they get traded to a team whose playbook does not cater to that player’s strengths.

Have you ever watched a game and said, “Why do they keep forcing the ball to Player X when Player Y is clearly open every time?” That is why fantasy football is not about amassing the most talent in a nutshell. So much depends on the coach, the coach’s system, the other players on the field, the team’s situation, and a gazillion other variables. And we haven’t even discussed injury. Which I won’t. Because I think it’s clear that I’ve already debunked that myth.

“Experts know more than you”

The truth is, “nobody knows anything.” In the clip below, Bogle is talking about the economic markets, but he could easily be talking about fantasy football:

Don’t get me wrong. Us ‘perts are worth reading. And some of us do actually KNOW more than some of you. But we are worth reading because we are better writers than you and can express opinions more coherently than others. Or we’re willing to do more work than you, compiling information and creating spreadsheets for example. Or perhaps we just have access to more resources than you. There are lots of reasons to read “expert columns”, especially here at Fantrax.

But not all of us know more than you. Find the ones you think are good and/or enjoy reading. But to think an expert knows more than you simply because he’s an expert is foolish.

“The Draft Is The Most Important Part of the Fantasy Football Season”

In a best-ball league, it obviously is. But otherwise, I’m not so sure I agree. As the expression goes, you can lose your league with your first pick, but you can’t win it with your first pick. And part of the reason is that in-season management is critical. If you have a heavy trading league, you had better be a part of the market. Some of the owners will make moves to fall behind you. But others will jump ahead of you. But even in minimal trading leagues, you had better keep up with all the free agents. You can be too active. But an inactive owner is one not looking to win.

Furthermore, I would argue that the most important parts of the fantasy season are BEFORE the season–i.e. the NFL draft and when NFL free agency opens, and AFTER the season is over. After the season is over is a key time to review your league and figure out what happened. Why did the winner of your league win? Was it a key trade or did the winner crush the draft? What happened to some of the usual contenders–did they suffer crippling injuries? Dissect the ins and outs so you help create a winning strategy for next season, even if you were your league winner.

And I think you can understand why focusing on the before part is just as important as the draft. Does a team have a new offensive coordinator? What is his preferred style of play? Knowing that will impact your draft picks, not the other way around. Who did a team draft or acquire? Are they ready to move on from their greybearded stud?

When folks like to perpetuate this one of the ten myths of fantasy football, they do so because they are usually trying to sell you on their draft strategy or picks. Don’t buy them.

“You must have a strategy and keep to it”

Fantasy football analysts love debating and creating various draft strategies to use for the upcoming season. Best Player Available; Zero RB-Theory, Late Round QB Theory, Hero RB theory, etc… They all have their strengths and weaknesses. And if a particular strategy works for you, use it. But not every strategy works for every person in every league.

In fact, one of the flaws of many of the well-known strategies is that if everyone in your league is using that theory, for most using that strategy it will backfire. I know a few very strong fantasy football players who don’t even go into a draft with a strategy. They know the players they are hoping to get, but instead of drafting a strategy, they “read the room”. They are figuring out the other owners’ strategies so they can easily run counter-intelligence. And should it be an in-person draft, it is even easier as they can read body language and know if an owner’s strategy is working for them.

And just like the owners above who are two steps ahead, you as an owner need to be flexible. If you are married to a strategy, it could end up in a messy divorce. Like Kenny Rogers used to sing, “Know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em”. Things will happen during your draft that you don’t expect. I’ve never had a draft where I picked every pick right. No one will. And sometimes it’s not a bad thing that the unpredictable happens. It’s an opportunity. But you need to be able to recognize that opportunity and pivot. Speaking of adjusting, here’s another myth that needs to be pivoted away from:

“Always Take a Kicker in the Last Round”

This one frustrates me to no end. I agree with the general sentiment behind it. Taking a kicker in most leagues in say the 9th round is just dumb. But the word “ALWAYS” is far too absolute and just not true.

For example, suppose you are in the last 15 picks or so of your draft and no kickers have been taken because everyone is following said myth. Well, I promise you that grabbing for example a Justin Tucker and letting others have the 11th or 12th best kicker and waiting to pick your final sleeper to the last round is not such a bad bet.

And if you’re in a keeper league for example where the keeper cost is based upon the round you took the player in, I’d definitely keep some sleepers at QB/RB/WR/TE for the end of the draft and grab my kicker a few rounds earlier than I would in a standard redraft.

“You Never Know When Injury Will Strike”

Football, despite some of the more recent rules, is a violent game. Any contact sport is. So by nature, yes, there’s some randomness as to which players will get injured and when. But that’s not 100% true either.

For one, there are whole manifestos written, like the “Rule of 370” that help predict when injuries are more likely to occur. And it’s no secret that the older you get, the more susceptible you are to injury. That’s simply a medical fact. Yes, there are plenty of exceptions for players who are relatively injury-free deep into their 40s. However, give me 10 random 35-year-old players and 10 random 25-year-old players, and I promise you the first group will have more time missed due to injury this season.

“The Smaller the League, the Less Skill it Takes”

Now, I know if you’ve followed me for years, you might get the impression this is how I feel. I am always a supporter of DEEP leagues where you need to know about 400 players. And that is true. Because that’s my preference. It fits my strengths and covers my weaknesses. I am particularly good at finding that proverbial diamond in the rough. But that’s often because I have to. Because like I always say, it’s Sx4–“Strausberg Suck at Selecting Studs.” I am wrong with my first-round pick decisions more often than not. Therefore, in the small leagues, that’s where I struggle because those early picks are soooooo much more important.

“You Play To Win the Game”

Most of you have probably seen the clip above. And I get where Herm Edwards is coming from. But when it comes to fantasy football, is that really true?

First off, many play to win the season, not any single game. To play to win the game (say against say your buddy or rival?) is myopic. In fact, far too often owners get too caught up in “avoiding bye week issues” and won’t take two stud receivers even though they have the same bye week. Truth is that’s one way the sharks devour the fishes in your league–they know bye weeks don’t mean squat until you actually get there. Trades, injuries, free agents, the way your league schedule unfolds….all of these things impact bye weeks. Don’t overfocus on them.

But you could argue my focus on winning “the game” part is semantics, and I won’t argue with you. But even playing to win the season can be short-sighted as well. For example, if you are in a dynasty league, you might not even be playing to win the season. Sometimes you have to punt the season in order to help your chances of long-term success.

Yet even in redraft leagues, I know that myself and many others are not playing just to win the game. They’re playing because of the camaraderie. Or perhaps they don’t want to miss out on the “water cooler discussions at work”. Perhaps it is the gambler’s creed and playing fantasy football “makes the games more interesting.” Or maybe folks are simply checking out fantasy football to see what all the hubbub is about. There are so many reasons to play fantasy football. Let’s not pretend that everyone is playing to win.

And that’s related to that another myth you often hear.

“Don’t Be a Homer”

Sure, picking players from your favorite team time and time again is going to be a losing strategy long term. But suppose you were a Philly homer last year and took Jalen Hurts, AJ Brown, Devonta Smith, Dallas Goedert, Miles Sanders, Jake Elliott, and the Philly D. Maybe a team like that doesn’t win your league’s SB, but I promise you it didn’t suck. So maybe the lesson is don’t be a homer if you’re a Houston Texans fan.

While that has been true for most of Houston’s time in the league, the NFL is cyclical. Every dynasty dies eventually and every joke of a team eventually becomes one you have to take seriously. Thus, “Don’t be a homer” is a silly mantra to follow. And here’s the thing, if you really like a player on your favorite team, grab him. If it’s gonna make you miserable to see him thrive on someone else’s team, don’t let that happen.

And yes, said player could get injured. And there are all kinds of scenarios where being a homer (more than less actually) is a foolhardy strategy. Know that taking just your favorite players is not usually a recipe for success. But it’s YOUR team. Do with it as you wish and don’t let someone else calling you a homer prevent you from enjoying your fantasy team.

“Anybody Can Play Fantasy Football.”

This might be one of the dumber myths out there, but the industry likes to promote this myth to, go figure, help grow the industry. Just like nearly any other hobby–knitting, darts, painting, baking….it’s something you can pick up pretty quickly. Whether you are 12 years old or 112 years old, you can play. Male or female and yes, even Non-Binary can play. Hundred percent perfect physical specimens or overweight, under tall folks who lack the physical endurance to make their local electronic gaming team can play.

But what if you are in the middle of an ocean with no internet access every weekend? That’s very few people, but what if you hate any kind of competition? What if you have early childhood trauma related to football and just the thought of it makes you uncomfortable? Let’s make it even more basic–what if you are in a coma? Coma patients are obviously people and therefore anybody, but they are going to make horrible fantasy football players…especially if they are first-time players. So no, not “anybody” can play.

But mostly anybody can play fantasy football and for those that do, let’s try to debunk any of the rest of these ten myths of fantasy football.

Got other examples of myths in fantasy football? Hit me up on Twitter (@MarkStrausberg) with your thoughts.