Real-life hockey teams with depth are able to withstand enough injuries during the regular season to make the playoffs, a major reason that the Canucks didn't make it in this season. As well, teams that win the Stanley Cup also have the depth to withstand the grind that is the Stanley Cup playoffs with the lengthy overtimes and facing the same opponent again and again.
Fantasy lineups that win championships also need to be solid from top to bottom. Is your lineup strong in all areas? Which areas are your weak points, and how much will they be exposed when facing the top team(s) in a head-to-head matchup? How likely will you be to catching the team ahead of you in a roto category?
Back in October, I referenced one fantasy team that faced eight different injuries at one time (My Fantasy Team Is More Injured Than Your Fantasy Team). In that situation, it is easy to give up on the season or at least get lazy with your team. I didn't give up, and I was rewarded with a championship. But it's not a simple dilemma, and some careful planning and creative thought is needed.
For starters, know how many IR slots are allowed in your league. In this league, I was lucky enough to have an unlimited number, but this is not the case in most other leagues. If you happen to have more injured players than IR slots (or bench slots if there is no IR in your league), keep your injured elite and cut the rest, unless the injured player is only day-to-day. In the end, make sure that you are filling your starting lineup with active players who can contribute positive numbers to your team.
If you own a particular player who has a high propensity for injury, ensure that you have a strong backup on your bench at the ready once the next injury surfaces. If one of your roster weaknesses is positional, perhaps hold two players at that position and start/sit based on matchups (or keep one player at that position each week and continually add/drop at that position.) In regard to the waiver wire (which I wrote about last week), be sure to check if any player on your waiver wire is stronger than the worst player currently on your roster (or at that position). By repeating these moves over time, you are continually improving the value of your team.
Also, if you are in a salary cap league, always have some money left over to add players from your waiver wire. I'll discuss this at greater length in my next blog post, but it's those waiver-wire finds that far surpass expectations that can provide your roster with the much-needed depth to win.
In the end, it might be wise not to judge your fantasy team on who your best players are, but instead who your worst players are.
