This year is definitely an unusual one for football. No preseason games. A special Covid-19 list for players who either tested positive or had contact with someone who did (Matthew Stafford is on it). The league can't even say if fans will be in the stands when the season starts.

But one thing won't change: Coaches will be lying to you all the way up until kickoff. And this year, their lies could cost you a title.

With so little information upon which to make draft or auction decisions, many fantasy players will turn to the guy who should know more about a team than anyone: The head coach. After all, who else can tell you who's ahead in the race for a starting job, how a rookie is coming along, or how a free agent is looking with his new team? Not everything they say will be gospel, but there should be some valuable information in their words, right?

Nope. Not at all. Any good information is either a coincidence, or designed to set up a falsehood later. The last thing they want to do is give accurate intel about their team. Because if you're in the dark, so are their opponents. And that's exactly where they want to keep them.

Let's say Zac Taylor sings Joe Burrow's praises to any reporter who will listen. Is he trying to pump up a rookie's confidence? Make a defensive coordinator a little more leery about stacking the box? Lighting a fire under the receivers to get on the same page? Stir up some interest among beat reporters? Reassure the fan base that the team made the right pick?

Maybe all of those things. You know what's really low on the priority list? Telling people how he really feels about Burrow. Why would he? Teams will have no preseason video to watch. If he looks great, Taylor will want opponents to find out when they hit the field, and not before. In that case, fantasy players are better off listening to what he doesn't say. Fewer words could actually mean a better outlook.

So-and-so looks faster despite being a year older. What's-his-name has added several pounds of muscle and is faster than ever. That running back who can't catch a cold is going to be part of the passing game this year. The coach is going to really try and get a certain receiver the ball more this season. Like, for real this time.

You hear this stuff every year, and every year you ignore it. So why mention it now? Because you can normally ignore it since you have your own methods of getting information. And a lot of those methods are now gone. Everything has been cut back, including your scouting opportunities for fantasy football.

So guess who's there to help you? The media. I know it's trendy to attack the media for everything, but normally they do a pretty good job of covering things we find interesting. If some outlets are biased in what they choose to cover, you can factor that in when you do your homework. But with fewer options, you might be tempted to turn to an interview with a coach, or a spotlight on a player. And that information could hurt you on draft day.

It's even worse with local media. They're not just covering a team. Often they're media partners. A radio station might have a weekly program with the head coach or a player, or they might be the "Official Whatever" of the team. Or they simply want to stay on the team's good side in order to retain access to players and inside sources. Knowing all of that, and also knowing that a local outlet is serving fans of that team who want to hear good news, how reliable is that information?

If you answered "not reliable at all," you've played this game before. So just consider this a friendly reminder to avoid all that "information" you can find in place of game film or detailed workout reports. Because it's little more than disinformation, and you're better off ignoring it. Not only will you avoid getting sidetracked, but you can be sure some of your league mates will do just the opposite. And in a year where any advantage means a lot, having them buy into the hype could be the key to your success in 2020.

Do you ever get anything out of what a coach says, or what you see or hear from local media? What are your best sources of information this season? Share your thoughts below.