Fantasy Football For Dummies. Martin A. Schulman
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How much do you know?
When picking a league that’s right for you, you need to know how familiar you really are with the fantasy football world. If you’re like many of the people reading this book, you probably know very little about fantasy football. Or perhaps you’ve played a season or two and really want to get a better grasp of all the strategies that can help elevate your game. Joining a standard snake draft, head-to-head format league would then be the way to go. If the price is right, feel free to join an affordable pay league that you (and your rivals) will be interested in playing even if your team falters.
If you’re more of an advanced player, you may want to experiment with different types of game variations to add some excitement. (If you’re a newbie, feel free to skip the rest of this section.) The tried-and-true formula for fantasy football uses a snake draft (see Chapter 4) to create a league of six or more teams that play each other in head-to-head matchups during the regular NFL season (an 18-week schedule). However, many veterans of the game become bored with this setup after a few years. Even a larger buy-in won’t satisfy their hunger for competition. For these players, many websites have created new variations to spice up their fantasy leagues. By definition, any new variation is harder to play and makes the league more serious, but if you’re ready for a challenge, the variations can be great fun. The following are variations you may want to consider if you’re a bit more advanced:
IDP leagues: For true fantasy geeks, IDP (individual defensive players) may be the way to go. The basic fantasy game focuses on individual offensive players, in addition to a defense that’s represented by an entire NFL team’s defense (known as DEF). In an IDP league, not only can your standard offensive players score points, but also any of the 11 guys on an NFL team’s defense (depending on your draft) can score you fantasy points. (Check Chapter 2 for the typical IDP scoring breakdowns.) Because you have to research both offensive players and a team’s defensive players, the draft process is much longer, the draft prep is harder, and team management takes more time during the week.
Keeper or dynasty leagues: Most basic leagues and beginning players use an annual format, meaning that next season each coach starts fresh at the draft with an empty roster, and the league has the option of changing rules and settings each year. However, in keeper or dynasty leagues, you’re allowed to retain the services of some or all of your players each year. This format is more complicated for many reasons. Foremost, your drafting strategy and team management during the season can’t focus solely on winning today; you have to acquire players that will help you in the future and for years to come. Keeper and dynasty leagues require much more time, energy, and football knowledge than the traditional fantasy game.
Salary cap leagues: Salary cap football is lots of work and research, and it presents a challenge different from basic fantasy football. However, because you have so many options, and you don’t necessarily have to interact with other coaches, salary cap football can be fun for both casual and competitive players. Each team in a salary cap league is given a weekly budget that the manager uses to pick a starting lineup. Unlike standard leagues, every coach can select any players they want as long the total dollar value of the lineup stays under the cap.The website provider assigns a dollar value to each player; like the stock market, a player’s dollar value rises and falls depending on how he plays. Therein lies the challenge of salary cap football. If you spend money on an elite RB, can you still afford three top WRs? Will a $10 QB play as well as a $25 QB, based on his matchup?
Best Ball leagues: One of the latest trends is the “Best Ball” format. One 20-player draft, no trades, no waivers/free agency, and no need to sweat over setting your lineup! The site automatically selects your best players, and your team score is based on your optimal lineup. The winner is determined by who scores the most points over the full season, not weekly and not head-to-head wins and losses. This type of league is all about your draft prep, but super low maintenance during the season, which appeals to lots of busy people!
Uber leagues: Fantasy games cover all sports, not just football, and many football fans also follow other sports. Along the way, someone got the bright idea to try to compete in multiple fantasy sports for one league. In an uber league, you draft teams in multiple sports (usually football, basketball, and baseball), and the site compiles your fantasy stats (also known as rotisserie stats) in each sport for a year. The coach who scores the most combined points wins the uber league. Uber leagues are highly competitive and time consuming, but if you’re a real sports junkie, you may want to consider going uber.
DFS — Daily leagues: These leagues (FanDuel, DraftKings, and so on) are covered in more detail in Part 4.
Why are you playing? For love or money?
If you’re just starting your venture into the world of fantasy football, you may not want to spend any money to play while you learn and gain experience. That’s perfectly fine. Just keep signing up for free leagues and have fun. However, if you’ve been playing for a while, or if you’re a bit adventurous, you may want to (literally) up the ante.
I’ve played in many leagues just for fun, but fun doesn’t look good when placed on my mantle, and pride doesn’t buy me a new iPhone. Something to play for makes fantasy football all the more fun and exciting. Why not go for a little prize money or a trophy to do the bragging for you? If you’re willing to spend a little moolah to play, this section covers what you could win.
Acquiring trophies and other bling
Most fantasy geeks are retired jocks, sports nuts, or coworkers with something to prove, so being able to hoist trophies above their heads after winning it all really is a fantasy come true. A league trophy symbolizes commitment, and committed coaches are what make a league strong and the game of fantasy football more fun to play. (Furthermore, trophies are surprisingly affordable [depending on how huge you want them to be], and adding names to them costs peanuts, so you may suggest this idea to your commissioner.)
Figure 3-1 shows a photo of the championship trophy from my XFL2 League. The award is basic, but it works. I’m a three-time winner of the Golden Football!
Photo by Judy Park
FIGURE 3-1: Victory on your mantel!
You can even contact a ring company that will make championship rings for your league! Anything goes, but no matter what prize you choose, giving awards is a great excuse to get together and party with your buddies when the season is over.
Show me the money!
Many fantasy coaches only want to play for cold, hard cash. The key for money players is to determine a comfortable buy-in amount. Many of these types of leagues charge $10 to $2,000 to play with the prospects of winning a T-shirt or $1,000,000! The fees and prizes can be collected entirely by the site (like in CBS Sports or Yahoo! competitive pay leagues) or by the commissioner, who pays the league provider and then divides the rest of the league dues amongst the winners every season. This is also one of the main draws of Daily Fantasy Football, which is covered in Part 4 of this book.
