Fade
To purposely disregard a player
Example
I don't think Godwin is gonna make a big impact this year returning from his season-ending injury
Agreed, I'm gonna fade him in my draft tonight
Related Slang
FF | Fantasy football |
FFL | Fantasy football league |
Keeper league | Fantasy sports league where you keep your players |
ADP | Average draft position |
Sleeper | A player drafted late but exceeds expectations |
Snake draft | Draft where the last pick in one round is the first in the next |
Auction draft | A fantasy sports draft where owners bid on players |
FNB | Football and beer |
FOMOF | Fear of missing out on football |
Bust | A player who does not perform well |
In fantasy sports, like football and baseball, fade is when you disregard a player on purpose. For example, you may fade a player in a draft when they are projected too high for their value, or you may fade a player out of your lineup when they aren't supposed to score many points in their matchup.
There are various reasons you may fade a player. A common one is when you believe another player will outscore them, even if the player you are fading is projected to outscore them. In this case, you may have a "gut feeling" or take other circumstances into account, such as the playing conditions and the offensive and defensive schemes.
Another common reason for fading a player is if they are returning from an injury. For this reason, fantasy owners may fade players when drafting and setting weekly lineups. For example, if a WR is returning from an ACL injury, you may not trust that they will be back to full health and fade them in your draft approach. When doing this, you may take them in a later round (past their ADP) if they are still available.