#26. Keeping Score
One area it is important to become familiar with is your league’s scoring system. Here are some tips on how a Fantasy scoring system generally works. First off, in the NFL, the team receives six points when a touchdown is scored. This is the case of course no matter which player scores the touchdown.
The quarterback receives four points for scoring a touchdown in Fantasy Football. The Running Back and Wide Receiver positions attain six points for a Fantasy Football touchdown.
There isn’t a universal scoring system applicable to Fantasy Football so the information offered here is more the rule than the exception with regard to scoring. A touchdown that is passed in Fantasy Football is usually worth four points. Receiving and rushing touchdowns are good for six points and defensive scores are generally six points.
It is recommended you ask about the points system before signing up with any Fantasy Football league. Also, it is important you are okay with the point system since this will not only impact your decision-making as far as your draft selections; it is also pertinent as to whom you’ll start or bench weekly.
Also consider play position with respect to points. Let’s say your quarterback receives six points for making a touchdown and one of your other starters receives the same number of points for reaching the end zone. Which do you believe is more valuable to you? Naturally, you’ll answer the quarterback. He is far more likely to make a touchdown than any of the other positions.
All leagues are different and some leagues will offer extra points for lengthy field goals. If such is the case with your Fantasy Football league, you’ll need to acquire a good kicker. Other leagues offer extra points for touchdowns thrown at lengthy distances. If this is the case find a quarterback with a good arm. What is being conveyed here is when your league provides bonuses for certain performance levels, then make certain you have the man in the position that is most likely to deliver for you.
Lastly, even though points vary from league to league the one area that seems to remain consistent across the board is yards. For example, it is one point for each yard received or rushed and generally one point for every twenty-five yards passed. You’ll always find some eccentric variances to this rule; however, the points shown here with respect to yards are fairly common.
#27. League Rules and Point Systems
It is important to understand your league’s point system and regulations. This will be necessary in order to strategize well when playing the game of Fantasy Football. In order to give you a head’s up here is some information relative to leagues’ point systems.
Once you start looking around Fantasy land you are going to find some leagues have put together some crazy way-out point systems. The sensible approach to scoring is always best. For example, a good running back is going to have far less yards during a game than your premium quarterback. In response, the logical way to score is to reward the quarterback for higher yards and the running back for lesser yards.
That said the standard within the majority of leagues is to award the running back one point for every ten yards, while the quarterback is rewarded one point for every twenty yards.
Another point to consider is this: if the league does not have a common point system that makes sense to you and you attain a player who is a lower-level producer, your overall points are going to suffer. The idea in putting together a good points system is to find one where points are rewarded according to the position and what that player may accomplish during a game.
When your point system is in order, the team is ranked on a more even par as far as levels of competition. But if the point system is outrageous this may mean certain premium players who score well may provide automatic wins for the Fantasy Football manager. In order to attain strong competition and fairness weekly, it is very important that the point system is well-balanced and players are not overly compensated point-wise especially if the positions are highly valued. If you don’t make certain the point system makes sense or is categorically logical then you’ll probably burn out early.
Another item the majority of leagues have is what is referred to as roster slots and there are generally fifteen slots. However, some leagues have more than fifteen slots. The newbie will want to sign up for a league that has a fair amount of slots. Also the roster is generally comprised of the quarterback, two running backs, three wide receivers, a tight end, a kicker and the defense. Many persons prefer this roster lineup since it provides them with the best opportunity of winning. Additionally, check to see how trades work and other areas useful to you when rounding out your lineup weekly.
#28. Many Options Exist for Fantasy Football
Fans who enjoy watching NFL games or find the whole concept of Fantasy Football intriguing do not have any excuse not to participate in the fantasy sport. Persons trekking through Fantasy land will find a whole host of options available. Further, participating in Fantasy Football makes watching the game all the more enjoyable.
There are options galore when making the decision where to host your Fantasy Football team. Hosts where Fantasy Football is commonly played include Yahoo Sports and Sporting News among others.
There are several formats with respect to the league you may join. Some leagues require that you pay upfront in order to become part of the league. However, the same league may not charge for players you add during the season which are considered free agents. Additionally the more you pay in the way of a fee in order to initially join the league, the greater is your cash prize if you win your league's playoff.
The second type of league accessible is one wherein you may join for free. However, even though entry is free, you may pay for players you've claimed as free agents or off the waiver wire after the Fantasy Football draft is over. If you trade with another player though within your league, generally you need not worry about paying.
The standard league will let you make up a team of a) one or more than one quarterback; b) one or more running backs; c) At least one wide receiver; and d) at minimum one tight end; along with e)one or greater defense. You may play all your players at one time; or secondly, choose some players as starters and others as backups. The only players that win points for you are the ones that are considered active. The amount your team scores is different from one league to the next.
Prior to the Fantasy Football draft you'll want to rank the true NFL players before play. In order to do so use Fantasy Sports periodicals you pick up at your local bookseller or newsstand. There is also quite a bit of information free of charge on the Internet. If you believe you do not have enough time to research in order to participate in a draft, it is recommended you find a league that allows for an automated draft.
Bye weeks occur throughout the NFL season. The players within the NFL are able to take the week off. However for the Fantasy Football world play continues since player bye weeks are spread across positions. Hopefully you reviewed bye weeks prior to the draft in order to effect the latter scenario. Bye weeks are weeks where an NFL team has the week off in order to regroup.
Also take into consideration, the real players can suffer injuries: In this for-instance you lose in the way of production. However, again, since your team isn't taking time off trades can be made as well as waiver wire actions in order to assure your roster remains favorably strong.
#29. Pick‘em Pools
No one disagrees that Fantasy Football has grown by leaps and bounds over the years. The Fantasy sport began as a way for the more intellectual sports enthusiast to manage his or her own Fantasy team. However, nowadays it is so much more. Those who simply enjoy watching football also participate in Fantasy Football during football season. However, not only is Fantasy Football now popular with individuals who enjoy watching the game, so are the Fantasy pools. The pools just seemed to come about as another way to appreciate the world of NFL sports.
Fans who watch the NFL games as well as the Fantasy Football fanatics are well aware that Fantasy Football is a huge industry. This is evidenced in the way the significant television networks place their own statistics on individual player's level of skills on ticker tapes in an attempt to attain the highest amount of viewers.
This is a smart move because a Fantasy Football participant who needs to know how well one of his or her starters is doing will appreciate the ticker tape showing his updated stats. Certainly, those wishing to win their league's Fantasy Football championship are going to continue watching the game currently playing, knowing they can count on the tape to provide them with these important stats. However, some people believe that Fantasy Football places far too much focus on individual players and not enough on the game. This doesn't seem to deter Fantasy team owners from continuing to engage in the highly popular pastime.
There is more to Fantasy sports than managing your own team. There are also the Fantasy Football pools. The pools tend to be a nice compliment to Fantasy Football participation. There are all kinds of pools - played in different ways - including survivor pools, confidence pools, and pick ‘‘em pools. The pick ‘em pool is the oldest type of Fantasy pool. It is fairly basic and it has been revived quite recently. The person who watches NFL sports and has acquired a great deal of NFL knowledge will do well participating in the pick ‘em pool. It involves the player selecting which team he or she believes will win. You may select the true winner; or choose the winner by means of a point-spread.
If you select the winning team, you are given one point per winner. The person who accumulates the greatest number of points accordant to selected winners is the pool's champion. A basic strategy is to select all the teams that are favored to win. However, this is the most likely strategy of everyone else in the pick ‘em pool. In order to initiate some dissimilarity with respect to the choices of other pool participants you'll need to throw in some upsets.
The second way to participate in the pick ‘em pool is by means of a point spread. With this variant of the pick ‘em pool you are going up against odds. You'll only receive points when you select the team which covered the spread. If you can manage over fifty percent accuracy with respect to your predictions, it is highly likely you stand a very good chance of winning.
Many fantasy websites are now provisioning things so that your pools are managed free of charge. Further, new options are now on the table. There are pick x pools wherein emphasis is placed on your best picks. Double plays are another alternative. Within this pool configuration, a certain number of games are given greater value, the basis being your assuredness of the final outcome. In summary, pick ‘em pools are a good way to stay close to NFL action and remain updated as to what is happening with individual NFL players.
#30. Planning Strategy for the 2013 & the Next Season
One key element in preparing for your Fantasy Football Draft or Auction is to be aware of what NFL teams your players are now playing. Prior to NFL football season, there are many players that get moved back and forth. It is important to understand how these moves may affect you and the way you play Fantasy Football. Why, you may ask, are team shifts so important? Well, quite frankly, it boils down to the other team members. If your quarterback has had a good play history associative with another player on the team, you may view a shift as possibly minimizing your quarterback’s overall performance. The question to ask is: Is this move to a new NFL franchise going to enhance or hinder my quarterback’s level of performance?
With shifts as the one described, it is probably all right to put this guy on your roster, just don’t make him your number one pick; there is just too much going on here that may affect results.
You must analyze shifts and trades prior to making your team selections by again reviewing the premium players who were shifted and how you imagine it may affect their ultimate play as illustrated above. If you believe your player as a result of the move and surrounding circumstance has become a slight liability, then by all means consider the move a grade down for him.
If you think the player going into the new set of circumstances presents a better future for you and him, then next to his name code the move an improvement. Look at each player one by one who’ve made moves and whom you are considering and think about how the move may be beneficial to you as a Fantasy owner.
Also, consider his level of skill relative to your league’s scoring system. If he looks good as far as someone you need on your team, then secondly consider how his recent switch may prove advantageous to you as Fantasy team owner. It is not that you can’t draft him if you believe the move affects his performance somewhat: it is just that you are better off with another player as your top pick as alluded to at the beginning of this page.
#31. Possible Draft Day Mistakes
People engaging in Fantasy Football are wise to realize it is always essential to prepare by reading stats on-line and off-line. You must constantly keep your nose in front of ESPN or in a Fantasy Football periodical to stay up-to-date as to what is going on within the NFL. You don’t want to look foolish by placing your money on someone who has been on the injured list for several weeks.
Here is where you need to be careful. Keep in mind, some of the sites that provide statistics do not always post regularly. In this regard, you are better off always reviewing stats from a trusted source. If you know someone who has been involved in Fantasy Football for quite some time, and preferably has won their league’s playoffs on more than one occasion, then find out where they attain their stats.
People who truly enjoy Fantasy Football and like to win will be more than happy to share information with you. It is always encouraging to show a Fantasy Football rookie the ropes especially for the Fantasy Football fanatic. So if you can find such a person make certain you allow him or her to coach you towards your team’s victories. Also there is a great deal of information to support by way of the Internet. This is encouraging since it provides the person wishing to engage in the game all kinds of angles and strategies to use with respect to the Draft and play in general.
When you are new to Fantasy Football it is natural that you will be a bit intimidated when participating in the Draft. This is why it is best to prepare as much as is possible. Perhaps you could review some mistakes other Fantasy Football newbies have made and in this way you can keep yourself in check and not make the same errors. Then you’ll realize why it is important you become as informed as is possible.
One example of a Draft day error is when a team owner drafts a player who has retired. Remember, you are selecting players from different teams within the NFL; not just players from your favorite NFL team. Before making selections from other teams, make certain you're knowledgeable of those team’s current players. Even some people who follow the NFL games to some degree are apt to make this error in judgment. If you are already organized and have checked to assure a player is not on some injury list; it also makes sense to know who has retired from the NFL several seasons prior.
That brings us to the second mistake persons will make when participating in the Fantasy Football draft and that is drafting a player who is on the injury list (as alluded above). This mistake involves drafting a player that has been injured seriously: If you make this error it is just due to lack of preparation—many persons who now do well playing Fantasy Football have admitted they made this mistake during their first season.
Also, the idea behind Fantasy Football (once again) is to draft each of your players from different NFL teams. Even though some team members know this they will still draft for three different positions from the same NFL franchise. Whatever you do, it is advisable you never make this error: It might not be shouted from the rooftops or even acknowledged in polite conversation that you did this; however, most persons will be thinking: Wow, what is it with this person? (And “this person” means you). So whatever you do, make any other mistake if you must, since most newcom