Just make sure that playing defensive when you need to doesn't make you cautious when you don't need to be. I'll admit I've sometimes fallen into that trap.
Friends leagues can be both a blessing and a curse - at best you know what you're going to get, at worst you might not like it. If you need to add friends that are not your level then I often look at who are arranging friendlies against my friends and if they are lower level I add them - keeps the active numbers up without the immediate risk of meeting them in leagues.
(You can also look at who's buying players (in box messages) and add as appropriate.)
Good luck![]()