Autumn is upon us, and that means one thing for sports enthusiasts: Football season is here. If you want to make your mark, consider playing fantasy football this year. You don’t have to be a pigskin expert to devise your dream team and compete with fellow fans. All it takes is a little know-how to get involved. These fantasy football tips will help you get started!
All About Fantasy Football
First, a little background on how it works. To participate, you select real players to create an artificial team. Points are earned based on how the actual players perform throughout the season. The fake team with the most points at the end of the season wins. Although some people may go into it blindly, it’s best to have at least some understanding of the best players in the league and do some research so that you can put together a winning group.
How to Get Started
Now that you’re schooled on the basics, here’s how to play fantasy football as if you’ve done it for years. Don’t make the mistake of taking your cues from a magazine that claims to have the ultimate draft list. There’s more than enough valuable information out there to help you cull a great team. Before you make any selections, check the many “cheat sheets” available online. Lists of top quarterbacks, running backs, tight ends, wide receivers, kickers, and linemen provide you with everything you need to know. Is someone injured? Any trade speculations? Did someone get suspended? Those factors will affect your choices. Remember that things can change up until the very last minute of the preseason, so keep a close watch on those details.
Get With a League
If you’re new to fantasy football, join a league first! You can ask fellow football fans for an invitation to a league — it’s free, and all you have to do is register, activate your account, and name your team. If you’re more of a go-getter sort, you can even start a league of your own and invite others to join. Both of these steps are simple to accomplish via the National Football League’s (NFL) official site.
Draft a Winning Team
Remember to take it easy on yourself during the draft. Yes, you want to assemble a winning team, but the ultimate goal is to have a blast throughout the process. Make it easy by visiting the homepage for your league and following the guidelines set by your commissioner or the person who set up the league. You can easily use digital tools to line up the players you prefer and select them when it comes time to make your picks. You can even use an auto-select feature if you aren’t around to make choices during draft time. Make sure to factor in bye weeks so you avoid starting players who aren’t even on the real field that week. It’s a common newbie error!
Trade When It’s Necessary
After your team is set, the work doesn’t stop! You need to keep a close eye on the news in advance of the season. Make specific adjustments to your team by trading with other owners as needed. The idea is to improve your chances of winning, so always monitor your team’s real-life standings closely. If someone is in danger of not starting or suffers an injury, then you’ll need to tweak your lineup quickly.
Make It Extra Enjoyable
If you’re naturally competitive, playing fantasy football will keep you fully engaged for the next few months. But you can easily make it even more exciting by shaking things up a little bit. Although it’s normal to award prizes to the top three teams, establish new and unexpected categories, such as “worst team” or “best comeback.” You can also update a blog weekly to keep everyone in the loop about league happenings. At the end of the season, host a party! It’s a fun touch to create a customized football or two for the winners.
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