Three Fantasy Football Lessons I Learned the Hard Way in 2025
2025 was my first year as an official fantasy football manager. However, I already knew a fair amount going into it. I had spent years getting private tutoring from Andy, Mike, and Jason, thanks to my boyfriend, who turned us both into avid listeners of the Fantasy Footballers podcast. But this was the year we both decided I was finally ready to step up to the plate and run my own team.
Not in the casual, “Oh, I’ll just join my office league. It’ll be fun, and a good bonding experience with my co-workers” kind of way.
No, this was serious.
Roster construction, waiver wire pickups, weekly lineup decisions- I wanted all of it. I was no longer the first mate just offering suggestions. I was the captain, responsible for every decision, and I was fully prepared to win. The move from the kids’ table to the adult table was not as smooth as I had imagined. I read articles; actually, I studied articles, but mistakes were still made. Some unforeseeable, the kind of chaos that humbles even the most seasoned of managers. Others were, how do I put this, extremely seeable.
But that is the thing about your first season. You don’t know what you don’t know until you absolutely do, and that usually happens on Sunday, right after kickoff. Every fantasy football season teaches us something, but the first one teaches us the most.
My 2025 fantasy season was a masterclass in bad decisions, misplaced loyalty, and at least one moment when I seriously considered throwing my phone at the TV. But instead of burying these memories where they probably belong, I’ve decided to share them. If my suffering can save even one of you from making the same mistakes, then it was all worth it.
Lesson #1: International Games Are Not A Vacation. Set The Alarm. Have A Backup Plan
Jaylen Warren is a good football player. At least that is what I kept telling myself on that fateful morning of the Steelers-Vikings Ireland game.
To be fair, Warren eventually became exactly the player we hoped he would be. After battling through that early-season knee injury, he finished with 1,291 scrimmage yards, eight total TDs, averaged 4.5 yards per carry, and quietly turned in an RB1-caliber fantasy season. He set career highs, proved he could handle a bigger workload, and rewarded the managers who believed in him. I was one of those managers. I did the research. I trusted my gut. I even drafted him over Kaleb Johnson, which turned out to be the right call.
But none of that mattered on the morning of the Steelers-Vikings game in Ireland.
Adam Schefter tweeted that it looked like Jaylen Warren was going to play, so I went to bed confident. At that point I had only a couple weeks of fantasy football team ownership under my belt, and I know my limits when it comes to trusting my gut. I would listen to the professionals (my boyfriend, my dad, Jason Moore, and Adam Schefter). Then I woke up after the game had already started to find out that Warren’s questionable knee had kept him firmly on the sideline, while I was firmly asleep in my bed.
The game was already in the first quarter. No emergency swap. No last-second pivot. Just a zero locked in like a bad tattoo, and the slowly dawning realization that I had absolutely no one to blame but myself. The managers who were awake pivoted to Kenneth Gainwell, who erupted for 31.4 PTS, 18 carries, 99 rushing yards, two TDs, and another 35 receiving yards.
Kenneth Gainwell ignited a running game that desperately needed to get going in the Steelers' 24-21 win over the Vikings at Croke Park.@ChrisHalicke reporting from Dublin, Ireland: https://t.co/3SrojokBVG#DKPS #Steelers #HereWeGo pic.twitter.com/fHAc9ssTi4
— DK Pittsburgh Sports (@DKPghSports) September 29, 2025
If you were one of those managers, then good for you. If you weren’t, here is my tip: Treat international game kickoffs like a flight you absolutely cannot miss. Set three alarms. Know your backup before you go to sleep. And if your entire week depends on a player whose status is “questionable” and whose game starts before most of America has had its coffee, maybe, just maybe, consider starting someone who isn’t questionable to play.
Lesson #2: Know When It’s Time To Let Go. Don’t Let Name Value Trap You.
Let’s talk about Scary Terry McLaurin. Or as I now think of him: the most expensive bench warmer I have ever rooted for.
Heading into 2025, McLaurin felt like a gift. Washington’s WR1. Fresh off a career year with 82 catches, 1,096 receiving yards, 13 TDs, and an overall WR7 finish in PPR leagues. He had just signed a fresh $96 million contract extension, was paired with Jayden Daniels after leading Washington to its first playoff win since 2006, and somehow was still sitting there for me in the fourth round. I was practically smug (what are these guys thinking? This is too easy).
And then the scary stuff happened: the quad, and then the hip, and then the weekly ritual that I can only describe as the Five Stages of the Injury Report:
Denial: “He was limited in practice on Wednesday, that’s fine. He and Jayden are so good together he doesn’t even need to practice.”
Anger: “What do you MEAN he’s questionable to play, AGAIN?”
Bargaining: “Okay, if he’s out there for warmups, I’m going to start him. It’s Terry McLaurin, and Jayden Daniels is playing today.”
Depression: “He caught two balls and had eleven yards. Two. Eleven.”
Acceptance: …still working on this one.
Through the first six weeks, McLaurin averaged just 4.2 PPR points per game, topped 50 receiving yards only once, and seemed to spend almost as much time on the injury report as he did on the field.
However, every week, I considered his ceiling; a guy perfectly capable of putting up 10 catches and two TDs. So I started him over players that were younger, healthier, more available, ready to actually play football that Sunday.
Here is the truth that took me way too long to accept: a roster spot doesn’t have to be a loyalty oath. You do not owe Terry McLaurin anything. He most likely doesn’t know you exist (and in the very unlikely chance that Terry’s best friend is reading this, I am sure that even Terry was encouraging you to trade him)
If your guy has been a ghost for six weeks, it is okay, genuinely okay, to let him go. Yes, he could bounce back, but in Terry McLaurin’s case, the moment he finally reappeared on the field, he got hurt again. Truthfully, the hardest drops are usually the right ones. Stop managing the player you remember and start managing the team in front of you.
Commanders HC Dan Quinn says WR Terry McLaurin (quad) is out for Sunday. pic.twitter.com/RzEqrCu6Dd
— NFL (@NFL) October 29, 2025
Lesson #3: The Best Waiver Move Happens Before You Need It
Get there first. Or at least before your boyfriend does.
It was a Football Sunday in Week 6. I had woken up early and couldn’t fall back asleep, so I did what any reasonable person does at the crack of dawn: I opened my phone and started scrolling through Sleeper.
We already knew Trey Benson had been ruled out after suffering a knee injury in the Cardinals’ loss to the Seahawks earlier that month, landing him on injured reserve and forcing him to miss at least four games. In his absence, Michael Carter had seemingly taken over as Arizona’s lead back, and most of the week’s expectation was that he would once again handle the bulk of the workload.
But early Sunday morning reports started to shift everything. There were whispers, and then increasingly confident updates, that Bam Knight, not Carter, would get the start. I didn’t hesitate. I added Bam Knight to my roster in probably record time. My thumbs were moving before my brain even had a chance to process what was happening.
From the person I was absolutely certain was still asleep next to me, I heard:
“No! You picked up Bam Knight! I was literally JUST about to pick him up.”
The Cardinals reportedly wanted more aggression in their running game and turned to Bam Knight, who provided it with 11 carries for 34 yards and a TD on that football Sunday. So, here is the lesson I learned that day, and I say this as someone who got very lucky: in fantasy football, once something feels fully certain, the opportunity is usually already gone. The edge belongs to the managers who move early, while the news is still messy, word of mouth, and slightly uncomfortable to act on.
KNIGHT TIME 💫pic.twitter.com/XqneSDvD3C
— SleeperCardinals (@SleeperAZCards) October 12, 2025
The waiver wire is where leagues are won. Who you pick up on draft day matters, but championships are often decided by the players who you snag on a random Tuesday when nobody else is paying attention. You are quietly adding the guy who’s about to become the difference-maker.
Final Thoughts
Fantasy football rewards preparation over perfection. However, you will not predict every injury. You will not win every waiver claim. You will, at some point, start a player who was literally spotted warming up on the field, only to get scratched minutes before kickoff on the other side of the world while you are still asleep. But that is just how the pancake flips sometimes. It may not look perfect at first, but with the right amount of butter, chocolate chips, and syrup, what starts out looking like a disaster can end up being your best breakfast yet.
If you can take anything away from my 2025 moments of humbling, frustrating, occasionally triumphant chaos, let it be this:
- Set an alarm for international games, or accept the consequences.
- Let go of injured players before hope turns into sunk cost.
- Trust yourself, and do not be afraid to act early if you think you are right.
And if all else fails, make sure you are the one awake before the whispers start. Your partner may already be beating you to your next waiver win.