One of the many cool things about fantasy football, unlike its cousins Fantasy NBA and Fantasy MLB, to play does not require you (the manager) to check on your team daily. Since games are only held on Sunday and Monday, with the occasional Thursday contest, someone who has never managed a fantasy team can ease into Fantasy football without falling way behind.
Now that games are managed on sites like Yahoo!, ESPN dotcom and CBS Sports, it is very easy to sign up for free fantasy football, provided that you have a valid e-mail address. Of course there are money contests where managers pay to play for a cash prize or a big screen TV of some sort, but this is not recommended for the beginner or casual player as the managers in these leagues are extremely competitive.
After you have registered a team you will usually enter a draft where you pick the players who will comprise your squad. Some research and study will help you here, especially after the first and second rounds where the picks should be obvious. The 2007-08 NFL season has LaDainian Tomlinson of the San Diego Chargers as the consensus number one pick. His speed and strength and prodigious touchdown-scoring abilities are second-to none at the running back position. Running backs are the most valuable players in this game, which is why this position tends to get filled quickest in drafts, followed by quarterbacks, of whom this year Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts is tops. Don't worry if you cannot get either Manning or LT in the draft, there are plenty of other high-talent players who will score a lot for you.
Most leagues tally points for touchdowns scored, yards gained, passes completed, kicks made and so on for the offensive side. You will select a team to play defense and score points for you, depending on its ability to create turnovers and generally shut down their opponents' offense. Other, more comprehensive, leagues will include things such as defensive players (linemen and defensive backs) as well as other statistical categories like kick return yardage and passes deflected. But make sure you have players on your weekly roster who are actually scheduled to play! Some teams have a week off, called a "bye week" and if you have players from that team on your roster that week, you will receive zero points for them!
You will notice once the season begins also that some players will get injured; this is a big part of football which obviously is a high-impact, contact sport. It is your responsibility to check the waiver wire (players available for pickup) to replace those injured players. If the injury is not too severe you can bench that player until he heals up. Trades are also a big part of the game, as you will find other managers offering you one or more of their players for one or more of their own. These usually benefit one team more then the other, so be cautious in these dealings!
Finally, fantasy football depends a lot of luck. One week you may have a windfall of points coming from your best players, followed by a week of drought because a lot of them had bad games (consider trades to drop the dead weight if they continue to underperform). It helps to read the tips that your game site provides on each player along with watching games and ESPN highlights to see how they perform from wekk to week.
Have fun with your team! It is great to have multiple friends in a league, together, as you can fire off smack and have some pretty funny team names. You will find that you will understand some about football from managing your own fantasy squad!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=A.J._Cabalu
Showing posts with label Fantasy Football. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fantasy Football. Show all posts
Roster football | Different Types of Fantasy Football Leagues
Interest in fantasy football is growing by leaps and bounds. If you are interested in owning a fantasy football team, one of the most important decisions you will need to make will be in regards to the type of league you should join. There are many different types of fantasy football leagues and it is important to make the right decision. Read on for tips to help you understand the different types of teams and decide which one is right for you.
The most popular type of leagues are the standard draft leagues. These types of leagues are begun with teams in which the players are selected in a serpentine style of draft. Lineups can then be selected by the owners on a weekly basis. This is usually based on the number of players per position as allowed by league rules. There are actually two different types of standard draft leagues. These are total points and head to head. The difference between the two is that with a head to head league each team is matched up against a different team each week. The team that receives the most points is recorded as the winning team. Teams with the best records at the end of the season play in playoff games at the end of the season in order for a final champion to be determined. With a total points league, wins and losses are not tracked. Instead, points are accumulated on a continual basis. Standings are then determined according to the total points of the teams. At the end of the regular season, the teams with the highest number of total points meet for playoff games.
The auction draft league can also be comprised of either a total points system or a head to head system. Unlike the standard draft league; however, the auction draft league utilizes owners who have an amount of money that is predetermined that they can bid on for players to complete their rosters.
With the dynasty league, players are on the same roster from one season to the next unless they are released or they are traded. Drafts are held for rookies only after the first season.
Keeper leagues combine some of the features between dynasty leagues and standard draft leagues. A draft is held before the beginning of every regular season in order for many of the players to be drafted; however, owners can keep a select number of players from the prior season.
IDP leagues use defensive players in an individual manner rather than in defensive units. This type of league can be a bit harder to organize for the owners because it means more thought will usually need to be given to filling the other positions.
A survivor leagues uses just about any kind of draft you wish; however, they most commonly use auction or standard style drafts. The main difference between this type of league and all of the other leagues is that each week one team is eliminated based on who scores the least number of points.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joseph_Kenny
The most popular type of leagues are the standard draft leagues. These types of leagues are begun with teams in which the players are selected in a serpentine style of draft. Lineups can then be selected by the owners on a weekly basis. This is usually based on the number of players per position as allowed by league rules. There are actually two different types of standard draft leagues. These are total points and head to head. The difference between the two is that with a head to head league each team is matched up against a different team each week. The team that receives the most points is recorded as the winning team. Teams with the best records at the end of the season play in playoff games at the end of the season in order for a final champion to be determined. With a total points league, wins and losses are not tracked. Instead, points are accumulated on a continual basis. Standings are then determined according to the total points of the teams. At the end of the regular season, the teams with the highest number of total points meet for playoff games.
The auction draft league can also be comprised of either a total points system or a head to head system. Unlike the standard draft league; however, the auction draft league utilizes owners who have an amount of money that is predetermined that they can bid on for players to complete their rosters.
With the dynasty league, players are on the same roster from one season to the next unless they are released or they are traded. Drafts are held for rookies only after the first season.
Keeper leagues combine some of the features between dynasty leagues and standard draft leagues. A draft is held before the beginning of every regular season in order for many of the players to be drafted; however, owners can keep a select number of players from the prior season.
IDP leagues use defensive players in an individual manner rather than in defensive units. This type of league can be a bit harder to organize for the owners because it means more thought will usually need to be given to filling the other positions.
A survivor leagues uses just about any kind of draft you wish; however, they most commonly use auction or standard style drafts. The main difference between this type of league and all of the other leagues is that each week one team is eliminated based on who scores the least number of points.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joseph_Kenny
Roster football | 5 Keys to Ruling Your Fantasy Football League
Are you still placing in the bottom half of your fantasy football league? Want to finally beat the guy in your office who has won your league for the past 10 years? It's time to change your strategy and get out of the fantasy football cellar. If you want to go from being the Raiders to the Steelers here are my keys to winning your league.
Read Moneyball
Okay, you don't have to really go out and read this best selling book about the business of baseball, but it will help you cut through the "expert" nonsense and get to the heart of the matter -scoring points! Every year, you hear pundits say to draft a running back first. Yet, I don't know how many years there has been at least one quarterback (Peyton Manning) that posted more total fantasy points than all but 2 or 3 running backs.
My advice is to take the best possible scorer when your first pick comes around. I'm not telling you to pick a particular position but to look to the previous year's stats. If the top scorer available when your turn comes around is a QB, take him. I know this flies in the face of conventional wisdom, but the stats bear me out. For three years in a row, I managed to pick Peyton Manning as my number one pick and each of those three years he put up more points than any player drafted before him in my league.
I took him because the numbers guided my strategy, -not the experts and not "conventional wisdom." That is the fundamental strategy of Moneyball and it will help you win games.
Prepare for Bye Weeks
Bye weeks can kill you if you have too many guys out on the same week. Suddenly you're forced into picking up somebody's cast off receiver just to fill your roster and maybe having to cut someone you will later need. Make sure you pay close attention as you draft to when your bye weeks happen. Managing your roster can be the difference between winning your league and being this week's punch line.
Pay Attention to the Injury Reports
Sure, you drafted LaDanian Tomlinson and are feeling pretty stoked about the points you're going to rack up this week. Too bad you didn't check the injury report. Come Sunday, LT is posting a donut on your scoreboard and nursing a pulled hammy. Meanwhile, you're getting beat by your wife's cousin Dave -the guy who only drafts players from teams with bird mascots.
The moral: check the injury reports. And I don't mean just see who's out. See who is listed as probable as well. Make sure you've got someone ready to go if your guy is pulled on Saturday night. If you have to pick up a free agent during the week to hedge your bets, look for somebody who has a favorable match-up that week. Don't grab a great running back if he is going up against the run defense in the league that week. Look for the mismatches that favor you.
Avoid the Playoff Rest
This may seem counterintuitive, but don't draft too many players from the odds on favorite to make it to the Super Bowl. Why? The "playoff rest" will bite in weeks fifteen and sixteen -which is usually when your team is in the fantasy playoffs. Please, learn from my past chokes; draft a few players from teams that will be in the hunt, but are unlikely to sew up their division by week fourteen. I've had teams that dominated the regular season, only to get hammered in the playoffs because the players were rested in real life in order to be fresh for the playoffs. How many times have we seen Peyton Manning start a week fifteen or sixteen game, only to give it up to Jim Sorgi after the first quarter.
This scenario has happened to me twice, so I know the pain. Never again!
Check and Check Again
Finally, I can't stress enough to check your roster before the weekly deadline to have your line up set. I'm assuming you know the game and you know the quality players. So will most of the people in your league. The winners are the ones that manage their rosters well. They are on top of injuries, bye weeks, and matchups. Use these tips next season and you can move to the top of your league!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Aaron_Douglas
Read Moneyball
Okay, you don't have to really go out and read this best selling book about the business of baseball, but it will help you cut through the "expert" nonsense and get to the heart of the matter -scoring points! Every year, you hear pundits say to draft a running back first. Yet, I don't know how many years there has been at least one quarterback (Peyton Manning) that posted more total fantasy points than all but 2 or 3 running backs.
My advice is to take the best possible scorer when your first pick comes around. I'm not telling you to pick a particular position but to look to the previous year's stats. If the top scorer available when your turn comes around is a QB, take him. I know this flies in the face of conventional wisdom, but the stats bear me out. For three years in a row, I managed to pick Peyton Manning as my number one pick and each of those three years he put up more points than any player drafted before him in my league.
I took him because the numbers guided my strategy, -not the experts and not "conventional wisdom." That is the fundamental strategy of Moneyball and it will help you win games.
Prepare for Bye Weeks
Bye weeks can kill you if you have too many guys out on the same week. Suddenly you're forced into picking up somebody's cast off receiver just to fill your roster and maybe having to cut someone you will later need. Make sure you pay close attention as you draft to when your bye weeks happen. Managing your roster can be the difference between winning your league and being this week's punch line.
Pay Attention to the Injury Reports
Sure, you drafted LaDanian Tomlinson and are feeling pretty stoked about the points you're going to rack up this week. Too bad you didn't check the injury report. Come Sunday, LT is posting a donut on your scoreboard and nursing a pulled hammy. Meanwhile, you're getting beat by your wife's cousin Dave -the guy who only drafts players from teams with bird mascots.
The moral: check the injury reports. And I don't mean just see who's out. See who is listed as probable as well. Make sure you've got someone ready to go if your guy is pulled on Saturday night. If you have to pick up a free agent during the week to hedge your bets, look for somebody who has a favorable match-up that week. Don't grab a great running back if he is going up against the run defense in the league that week. Look for the mismatches that favor you.
Avoid the Playoff Rest
This may seem counterintuitive, but don't draft too many players from the odds on favorite to make it to the Super Bowl. Why? The "playoff rest" will bite in weeks fifteen and sixteen -which is usually when your team is in the fantasy playoffs. Please, learn from my past chokes; draft a few players from teams that will be in the hunt, but are unlikely to sew up their division by week fourteen. I've had teams that dominated the regular season, only to get hammered in the playoffs because the players were rested in real life in order to be fresh for the playoffs. How many times have we seen Peyton Manning start a week fifteen or sixteen game, only to give it up to Jim Sorgi after the first quarter.
This scenario has happened to me twice, so I know the pain. Never again!
Check and Check Again
Finally, I can't stress enough to check your roster before the weekly deadline to have your line up set. I'm assuming you know the game and you know the quality players. So will most of the people in your league. The winners are the ones that manage their rosters well. They are on top of injuries, bye weeks, and matchups. Use these tips next season and you can move to the top of your league!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Aaron_Douglas
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