NEW YORK – Do you play fantasy football? Are you a Giants fan? If you answered yes to both of these questions and feel like you are a mediocre fantasy player or novice, then you have come to the right place. I am going to offer some nygreporter fantasy football advice and include my projections for Giants players. Other NFL players will be included, simply because they are tops their respective value lists. We are now heading into week three of the NFL regular season and this is the week where you begin to panic about certain players, my advice is don’t panic. Plan for the future and check your bye weeks. Check the waiver lists but do not panic.

If you are an experienced fantasy football player and find some of this information remedial to you, please feel free to add any fantasy advice you may have for our readers in the comment section below. We are always open to hearing opinions or strategies because this is after all for the fantasy football team owners. Plus, even I love to learn anything new or fresh about the fantasy sports world. In fact, I will leave a TIP area open for your fantasy football tip and the best one will get edited in and you will get credit for it. Simply leave a comment below, you do not need to be a member to leave a comment.

If you feel like you still have some fantasy related questions, please feel free to leave a comment and we would be happy to give you our opinion. Fantasy football and fantasy sports in general can become addicting. You have been warned. Enjoy the season!

Let’s take a look at some nygreporter fantasy tips.

TIP: What do I love more then anything during week five of the NFL season? Picking up players who had their bye week in week four. This way, the bye week is over and you won’t be concerned with having to monitor this player or defense for the rest of the season. You can pretty much forget about that player unless he has an injury and getting a good defense when the bye week has passed, allows you to stick with one defense for the rest of the year, opening up an extra roster space for another skill position.

TIP: If you want to win, then get a routine. This is a simple step but mostly overlooked. There are some users who play fantasy sports who don’t rally care about the outcome. Other get into a routine where they do all the research to give themselves a better chance at winning. The routine is the key. You must make a checklist of things that need to be checked every weekend. That includes bye week status, injuries, opposing offense or defense rankings, home team, checking your lineup and so forth. You get the idea.

TIP: Checking fantasy players for dummies. This is like the cliff notes for doing a proper player search for the novice. Use the “percent owned” option, this will list the players based upon the amount of total fantasy users. That means if a player is owned by 90% of fantasy players, there is a solid chance that the fantasy community as a whole, know what they are talking about. There are millions of fantasy players using these games and 90% of them agreeing on a players value is priceless.

TIP: Every single Sunday at noon, you must watch the pre game shows and check your fantasy football rosters. You watch those pre game shows because that is when the injury report comes out, usually within an hour of the 1 o’clock kickoffs. Most fantasy football sites allow you to change your roster up to 5 minutes before kick off.

TIP: Your drafts are more then likely already completed. For those of you who are joining your leagues late, here is some draft advice. Be sure to check the settings for your league before you draft. Now that users can make custom leagues, players have to be sure they are getting into a league they will like. Head to Head is always the easiest and most fun IMO. Rotisserie is another option but much more stressful and annoying, not for the faint of heart either. Always que players prior to the actual draft and do a customized player ranking. This is a fail safe in case you cannot get out of work and miss a LIVE draft. I prefer to do the LIVE drafts over the automated ones. If you do an automated draft, be sure to immediately check the waiver wire for players using the “percentage owned” option.

TIP: I do not recommend anyone playing fantasy football for money until at least one season being tutored by an experienced player. There are many websites where you can legally play for money. CBS Sports was the first to do so but others have now emerged that are poised to change the fantasy sports world forever. Websites, like the brand new FantaZ fantasy sports site are the future of online gaming for real money and a ton of fun. You can play for free on the FantaZ site if you like to learn the game or play for money. Sign up early for the expected October launch date.

TIP: Talking trash in good clean fun is part of the game. There are some who get carried away though and allow themselves to become belligerent. Do not be this guy/girl. You may find yourself invited to private leagues and make some friends who sign up each and every year because of the atmosphere of the league. Yes, leagues have atmospheres. You may hear of a “dead” league. This is a place where no one trades or talks or uses the boards. These are the leagues that you check once per week and thats it. The “fun” league is self explanatory. Cursing and acting like an idiot has no place in fantasy where kids can be playing for fun.

TIP: BEST Fantasy Football TIP From Reader Comment GOES HERE!!!

NEW YORK GIANTS TOP 5 FANTASY PLAYER PROJECTIONS (UPDATED):

1. QB Eli Manning – I expect QB Eli Manning to improve on his career year in 2009. He should be good for 250 yards and 2 TD’s 1 INT per game average IMO. I am only adding the 1 INT because of all the tipped and dropped balls by the WR group so far this year. I have already been quoted as saying, I believe Eli Manning will make the 2010 pro bowl, I stand by what I said and know that I am looking at a calm, cool and collected veteran quarterback. My top 3 fantasy QB’s – Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Tom Brady

2. WR Hakeem Nicks – Hakeem Nicks has become the favorite target for Easy Eli. He has 4 TD’s so far this year in two games and seems to be on the cusp of stardom. Nicks could end up averaging 2 TD’s per game the rest of the season if he stays healthy. His enormous hands like frying pans and strong build make him a perfect candidate to join the elite WR’s one day, if not this season. I also see Nicks as a record setter for Big Blue. He can easily end up with the single season TD record and yards and YAC records. My top 3 fantasy WR’s – Andre Johnson, Reggie Wayne, Larry Fitzgerald

3. WR Steve Smith – Smith has been quiet so far this year and you know what, that is just the way he likes it. Smith could easily end up with the most receptions for Big Blue in 2010. 7-8 catches per game for 90-100 yards. I gave Steve Smith the nickname “The Silent Assassin” a long time ago for this very reason. He comes out of nowhere with clutch grabs and when the game is over, the defenses are scratching their heads. My top 3 fantasy WR’s – Andre Johnson, Reggie Wayne, Larry Fitzgerald

4. RB Ahmad Bradshaw – Somewhere along the road, the Giants became a passing offense. Bradshaw has worked to become the starting RB and I expect him to average 100 yards and a TD every single game. He is a dynamic running back that can be very elusive on the field. If he can stay healthy, he may prove to be a huge asset. If RB Brandon Jacobs can be cool with the situation in New York, they will be the dynamic duo again, just inverted. Nothing wrong with tiring out the opposing defense from speed, running and making them chase you, before you wear them out from a physical pounding. My top 3 fantasy RB’s – Chris Johnson, Adrian Peterson, Ray Rice

5. Team Defense – Speaking from a strictly fantasy point perspective, the Giants defense should give their owners a steady amount of positive weekly points. For the season average, I expect them to have 2 sacks, 1 INT, 1 FF per game as an average in 2010. They may give up an average of 18-24 points per game but they will also lay the wood on opposing offenses. The points will come mostly from the extra stats but this defense is more then capable of shutting out a team or two this year as well. My top 3 fantasy defenses – Packers, Ravens, Steelers

How many fantasy football leagues are you in for the 2010 NFL season? You do not need to be a member to leave a comment below.

RD – nygreporter.com

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