Fantasy University: Live Draft Tips
Everyone loves getting together with a host of their closest friends to hold live Fantasy draft. But this is also serious business. Make sure you follow these tips in order…
How to Draft a Kicker and Defense
Fantasy Football Expert Matt Brandon offers his advice on drafting kickers and defenses in Fantasy leagues. Patience is the key.
Your Fantasy Team Vs. Your Favorite Team
Ever feel conflicted when your Fantasy players face your favorite NFL team? This is how to separate fandom from Fantasy.
How to be a Fantasy Football Commissioner
A Fantasy Football primer on how to organize and rule your league the right way
How to Lose at Fantasy Football
For most Fantasy owners, you play to win the game. But some people just want to watch the world burn. Learn the best ways to fail at Fantasy Sports in spectacular fashion.
10 Tips For New Fantasy Football Owners
Whether you are a longtime football fan who is finally jumping aboard the Fantasy bandwagon or are new to the sport entirely, there are certain basic strategies that can help you compete right away. Join FullTime Fantasy Sports for top advice in the industry from check-cashing, proven winners! 1. Know The Rules When you join a Fantasy league, you should be able to quickly figure out what it takes to score enough points to beat your adversaries on a weekly basis. Most leagues operate under a basic scoring system that awards running backs, wide receivers and tight ends one Fantasy point per 10 yards gained and six points per touchdown. Quarterbacks typically receive Fantasy points on a slightly lower scale — one point per 25 passing yards and four points per TD pass — because the ball is always in their hands. Kickers and team defenses have their own scoring system as well. Every league is different, so make sure you check your rules and settings, and ask around to see what you’re getting into. 2. Find A Mentor Considering the popularity of this multi-billion dollar industry, it should be easy for you to find a friend or family member who has been playing Fantasy Football for years. These mentors will be invaluable resources as far as explaining strategies, rules and providing advice when you can’t decide which player should be in your starting lineup on Sunday. If you don’t know anyone, it’s easy to connect with experts on Twitter and ask them questions, or simply scour FullTime Fantasy Sports for articles that are filled with solid advice. 3. Go For A Practice Run Maybe you’re not ready to join a league with your friends or co-workers just yet. That’s OK; there are tons of Fantasy leagues that are open to the public either for free or for cash prizes if you want to test how the game works. Of course, you can also go through a mock draft to get a sense of where players are getting drafted, but joining a practice league will give you a better idea of what it takes to manage a team throughout an entire season. 4. Know The NFL This may seem like work to some, but if you want to win a Fantasy Football championship, you’ll have to stay abreast of news across the NFL. Know which players are starting and who are the backups. It’s also vital to be aware of which teams are on the rise and which are vulnerable so that you know which players to start each week. Playing without this knowledge would put you at a serious disadvantage. 5. Work The Waiver Wire Once you get to the middle of the NFL season, players start dropping like flies due to injuries, and the smartest Fantasy owners put themselves in great position by adding their backups off of the waiver wire. Different leagues have different rules for the wire. Some leagues involve a system where competing owners have to bid for the services of an available player. Some leagues take a first-come, first-served approach, and others determine which owner gets that attractive free agent based on a priority number. The simplest way to prepare yourself for this process is to read expert waiver wire articles every Monday and Tuesday during the season and then make the right claim for your team. 6. Balance Your Roster When drafting, it’s usually a good rule of thumb to take the best player available. However, you have to build your roster somewhat logically in order to roll out a quality starting lineup each week. Try to avoid having too many players with the same bye week or from the same team. And don’t mortgage your position on the waiver wire for a player at a position that you don’t need. 7. Manage Your Roster There’s always one owner in a league who completely abandons their team and lets their opponent each week coast to an easy victory by starting inactive players. DON’T BE THAT GUY! At some point before the games begin, you need to make sure that none of the players in your starting lineup are injured or are on a bye week. It might not matter to you, but this is America, and everyone deserves a fair competition. Keep in mind that the NFL now plays at least one game every Thursday, which might impact your roster as well. 8. Draft Strategy This subject is best discussed in a full article, but try to have some sort of plan when you enter a draft. The biggest mistake made by novice Fantasy owners is drafting the “big names” early. For example, famous quarterbacks on good teams may get outperformed by the lesser-known quarterback on a poor team who has to throw the ball until the final whistle. The best early-round draft picks are usually stud RBs, WRs or TEs who will give you a decided advantage over your weekly opponent. 9. Learn How To Stream The reason why most experienced Fantasy owners will avoid choosing a quarterback, a team defense or (obviously) a kicker early is because they plan to “stream” that position on a weekly basis. When you follow the NFL, you learn which matchups are the most favorable for players at each of those positions. Playing the matchups is a cheap and often successful alternative to going all-in on a high-ranking commodity at one of those spots during your draft. This strategy can be especially effective with team defenses as the top team defense nearly always changes from week to week. 10. Have Fun With It Maybe your league doesn’t have a cash prize or a fancy trophy like you see on FX’s “The League,” but you’ll still find a tremendous amount of satisfaction by besting your friends or co-workers in a game of skill. Try to create rivalries. Talk a little trash, and you’ll suddenly feel invested on Sundays. But don’t take it too seriously, because in the end, the results are beyond your control.
Fantasy University: Football Terminology
Have you ever watched a football game and heard the announcers use a word or phrase you don’t understand? Well you’re not alone. Many football fans know the most common terms and even more are likely to tell you they know it all. Well, if you’re like me and watch the game for entertainment and not a vocabulary lesson, here’s a small list of some of the not-so-common lingo. If we’ve missed something, let us know and we’ll be happy to add it to the list. Audible Changing the play at the line of scrimmage using a set of verbal and/or visual signals. An audible is sometimes referred to as a check off. Usually called by the quarterback, it’s a change in the play called in the huddle because of the defensive alignment Balanced Line An offensive formation which has the same number of players on either side of the center. For example: two guards, two tackles and two tight ends line up such that one of each position is on either side of the center. Blind Side The side of the field opposite the way a player is facing. This term is often used when describing offensive tackles. The left tackle is often said to be protecting the quarterback’s blind side. Since most quarterbacks are right handed, they fall back facing the right side of the field, thus the importance of a strong left tackle to protect them from defenders hitting them from behind or the blind side. Bootleg An offensive play where the quarterback fakes a hand off to the running back then heads to the opposite side of the field as the back to pass or run the ball himself. Chop Block Simply put, a chock block occurs when an offensive player drops down and hits the opposing player below the knees. Because this is a dangerous play which can cause career ending injuries, chop blocks are illegal. Chucking A term often used when referencing linemen as one tries to chuck the other. Chuck is an extension of the arms followed by a quick retraction of the arms in an attempt to create space between the players and/or to knock the opposing player off center. Clipping An illegal play where the offending party hits an opposing player from behind. This is often called on kick offs and punts because the receiving team’s players are trying to catch the kicking team from behind, thus hitting the kicking teams player in the back. Coffin Corner This term is used when referring to a punt which lands between the five yard line and goal line from the numbers to the side line. This is called the coffin corner (4 of them in all) because punts landing here are almost never returned, hence being said to be dead in the coffin corner. Cover 2 A zone defense where each defender is assigned an area of field to defend and not a particular player. The field is divided into 7 zones, five low and two high. The 5 lower zones are covered by the corners and linebackers, while the two high zones are covered by the safeties. This defense got its name because of the two deep zones being covered by the safeties. Crackback Block A block made by an offensive player who began the play away from the line of scrimmage. This player comes back towards the ball at the snap and blocks an opponent below the waist or in the back. Because this is a dangerous play, crackback blocks are illegal. Dime Coverage A defensive alignment using six defensive backs, 3 or 4 down linemen and 1 or 2 linebackers. This defense is usually only used in obvious passing situations. The added speed on the field makes it easier for the defense to prevent a long play. Draw An offensive play where the linemen and quarterback drop back as if they called a pass play, but at the last moment the quarterback hands the ball off to the running back for a run play. Drop Kick A free kick where the player drops the ball and kicks it immediately after it hits the ground. The ball must touch the ground to be considered a drop kick. If the player kicks the ball before it hits the ground, it is considered a punt. While rarely attempted in the NFL, a drop kick was recently used by Doug Flute on an extra point attempt in 2006. It was the first time since December 1941. Encroachment A defensive penalty which is called when the defender crosses the neutral zone and makes contact with an offensive player before the ball is snapped. Flanker A term not used too often today, a flanker is nothing more than a player who catches passes (wide receivers). Flea flicker A trick play in which the Player A (typically a QB) hands off the ball (or laterals) to Player B, who takes a few steps and then laterals the ball back to Player A. Player A then attempts a forward pass. Franchise Player A tag assigned to a player by a team to prevent the player from becoming a free agent. If the player does not sign a long term deal before the season begins, he must be paid the average salary of the top five players at his position for the coming season. Hot Read or Hot Receiver The receiver who will have a pass directed his way almost immediately after the snap. This happens when a quarterback comes to the line and believes the defense is going to blitz. In an attempt to get rid of the ball before being sacked, the quarterback will designate one of his receivers as the hot read or hot receiver. I – Formation An offensive set where the two running backs line up directly behind the quarterback. This set is often used in short yardage situations. Illegal Formation An offensive set where not enough players are lined up on the
Fantasy Football University: Beginner’s Guide
What is Fantasy Football? Fantasy Football is a game that allows YOU to be the owner, general manager and coach of a team featuring NFL players! Owners earn points based on the statistical performances of their players in actual NFL games. For example, if you have Marcus Mariota on your team and he throws a touchdown pass, you earn points. In order to decide which NFL players are on your team, you participate in either a draft or an auction. Production on the field earns owners their fantasy points. Each week, you go head-to-head against another team in your league, and the team with the most points wins the game. At the end of the season, the teams atop the standings play against each other in the playoffs to determine a champion! League Types Redraft – This is the most common type of league. Every year, you draft a new team. Keeper – Each owner keeps a certain number of players from his or her previous year’s roster. Let’s say that your league agreed to allow three keepers per team. Prior to your league’s draft, each owner selects three players from their team to hold onto for the upcoming season. Players not designated as keepers become eligible to be drafted by any team. Dynasty – Instead of keeping just a few players for the upcoming season, you keep your entire team. In a Dynasty league, younger players have more value because they have the potential to play many more years than veteran players. League Format Head-to-Head – Two owners play against each other every week. The team with the highest score gets the victory. If there are eight teams in your league, then by Week 15, you will have played every team in your league twice. At the end of the fantasy regular season, the teams with the best records advance to the playoffs. Rotisserie (roto) – Leagues determine a set of statistical categories their teams will use as a scoring system. For example, touchdown passes. If there are 10 teams in a league, the team that leads the league in touchdown passes would score 10 points. The team with the second-most touchdown passes would score 9 points and so on. Every statistical category produces a number of points which are then added up to produce a total score. The team with the most points at the end of the season is the champion. This scoring system is very rarely used in Fantasy Football. Points only – Instead of playing a different team every week, your squad’s overall point total is all that matters. The team with the most points at the end of the season is the champion. This scoring system is almost never used in Fantasy Football. Draft Format Standard (snake or serpentine) – There are multiple rounds in each draft. A drafting order is pre-determined or randomly selected and then each team takes turns picking players for his or her roster. If there are 10 owners in your league, the team picking last in the first round would have the first pick in the second round (1 to 10, 10 to 1, 1 to 10, etc). Auction – Instead of drafting in a set order, each team starts with the same amount of “money” to bid on players. Owners take turns announcing a player to be auctioned. Any owner can bid at any time as long as they have enough money to pay the winning bid. Scoring Variations Standard 25 passing yards: 1 point Passing touchdown: 4 points 10 rushing or receiving yards: 1 point Rushing or receiving touchdown: 6 points Interception or lost fumble: -2 points Extra point: 1 point 0-39-yard field goal: 3 points 40-49-yard field goal: 4 points 50-plus-yard field goal: 5 points Point per reception (PPR) – One reception earns one point. These leagues make receivers, tight ends and pass-catching running backs much more valuable. Bonus points – Many leagues add a certain number of bonus points for milestones reached. For example, if your quarterback throws for more than 300 yards, he gets an extra 3 points. This further rewards and incentivizes what should be considered a “good” game. Note: Fantasy teams can also score points based on defensive performance. In some leagues, you draft team defenses, such as the New York Giants’ defense, while in other leagues, you draft individual defensive players (IDP) from different NFL teams. Team-based defensive scoring awards points based on yards allowed, points allowed and other defensive statistics. IDP scoring is purely based on the statistical performance of each individual defensive player on your fantasy team. There is no standard system for scoring defensive points in IDP leagues. Roster and Starting Lineup Requirements Standard – 1 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE, 1 FLEX, 1 K, 1 TEAM DEFENSE, 7 BENCH 2 QB – Some leagues use two starting quarterbacks instead of one. IDP – As described above, some leagues allow owners to roster individual defensive players instead of an NFL team’s entire defense. These players add fantasy points to your team with tackles, sacks, turnovers, touchdowns and other statistical achievements. This is considered a more advanced league type as it adds a new layer of complexity and increases the available player pool. Waiver Wire Versus Free Agency Waiver wire – If a player is performing poorly or injured, you can drop him and add a player from the free agency pool. In many leagues, the player you dropped cannot be added by another owner until he clears waivers, which usually takes 2-3 days. This is to prevent owners from adding a player simply because they were the first one to see the transaction. The grace period allows all owners to have a shot at acquiring a newly available player without having to check league transactions all day, every day. Owners can then put a claim in for a player on waivers. If multiple owners put a claim in for the same player, the owner with