What Now? Memorial Day Weekend Edition

It’s the last major holiday before draft season.

While we want to remember what this holiday is truly about and take time to reflect, we also want to turn to fantasy and walk through some helpful reminders for the long weekend.

Many of you will be spending time touching grass with friends, but don’t forget to “G.R.I.L.L..”

🍗 G.R.I.L.L. 🏈

G: Grill your league mates about football

With all the meat flying around this weekend, it’s time to assert your dominance through brute facts. Test your friends with a simple question to see how up-to-date they are on NFL culture.

“Did you hear about Aaron Rodgers?”

How someone responds to this question can tell you a lot about their off-season preparedness. Do they know Rodgers is on the Jets now? Did they hear about his ankle? Grill them relentlessly. Find out what they know and, more importantly, what they don’t.

May 23, 2023; Florham Park, NJ, USA; New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) warms up during OTA s at Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Jones-USA TODAY Sports

This will give you insight into their information sources and how they might value players in the future. If they don’t know about a player’s small injury in the middle of May, they probably won’t be reacting to much of the rookie hype in August.

Adjust your draft and trade strategy accordingly.

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R: Roast previous blunders

To quote Miley Cyrus, who quoted Hannah Montana, “Nobody’s perfect.” Everybody makes mistakes. But forget about yours, I’m talking about your league.

This weekend, while the sun shines down on your glistening burger patties, shine a light on your leagemate’s past. Roast their terrible trades and wasted FAAB.

Ridicule their early-round busts.

But fair warning, once you open up this can of worms, everyone’s gaffes are fair game. This is not for the faint of heart.

I: Ignore the overreactions

With NFL OTAs starting, we are going to see:

Insane plays
ADP adjusting catches
Sexy breakaways
Career-ending drops
Earth-shattering injuries
And more!

Ignore the daily panic and awe. I recently highlighted a frenzy of narratives that didn’t come to fruition in recent years. Small hands, tiny bodies, and dropped passes. All of these can sway ADP, especially when we’ve got no other data points and nothing else to talk about.

Green Bay Packers safety Anthony Johnson Jr. (36) and wide receiver Jayden Reed (11) are shown during organized team activities Tuesday, May 23, 2023 in Green Bay, Wis.

But we’re going to sweat our asses off in the backyard with the boys this weekend and keep our cool.

L: Lie a little

Juuuuust a little bit.

When you’re small talking over burgers and beers, don’t give away your whole strategy. Even though your leaguemates are (hopefully) your friends, it doesn’t mean they have to know what you’re up to. Fantasy football is still a competition, after all.

So when someone asks what you think about Zero RB… lie a little.

Or when a polarizing player’s name comes up (a la Gabe Davis circa 2022)... lie a little.

Maybe you’ll sway them in a different direction. Think about it this way: Do you really want to talk about the WR Dead Zone over Memorial Day Weekend, or would you rather your leaguemates show up in August without a clue?

L: Listen up, buttercup

If you found yourself wondering, “Wait, Rodgers hurt his ankle?” or “What is the WR Dead Zone?” while reading, then you have some catching up to do.

But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

Hop in our community Discord, subscribe to our newsletter, and start catching up on our podcasts. You’ll be a G.R.I.L.L. master before you know it.