Standard Leagues

I love fantasy football! You love fantasy football! Or at least you like it because if you didn’t you wouldn’t be reading this article right now. According to ESPN over 30 million people play fantasy football and the numbers grow each year. Fantasy football is a game that you can do for life. You’ll never be too old, too hurt, too tired, or too busy to manage your team. The thing that separates fantasy football from all the other fantasy sports is that you don’t have to dedicate all your time to the game in order to participate and be competitive. The game requires less than an hour of dedication every week in order to check your roster, make additions to your team on Tuesday, and check your score on Monday night. This article will tell you the long history of fantasy football, which pre-dates rotisserie baseball, and the basics of the game that have engulfed the lives of so many people.

HISTORY

Fantasy football was first established in 1962 by a limited partner in the Oakland Raiders named Wilfred “Bill” Winkenbach, a full 19 years before “roto baseball.” This first game was an incentive based system that offered the owners actual money based on their players performance. In 1969 Andy Mousalimas, a sports bar owner, created “fantasy points” and the game as we know it today, began. The game was popular in small pockets of the country as one had to tabulate their own scores each and every week. However, the emergence of the internet changed all that and the industry as we know it today began to take shape. There are a number of websites that offer fantasy sports, almost all free of charge. Find a site that you like and sign up for a league, the game is easy to pick up.

THE GAME

Fantasy football has allowed football fans to answer the age old question, “Who knows more about football?” Admittedly there is luck involved in the game, but usually the person who makes the best decisions is rewarded with a championship at the end of the year. There are many different types of leagues, many of which we will cover over the next two weeks. Today we will look at a standard redraft league. In this league each owner offers a one year commitment to manage his team. Most leagues play a head-to-head scoring system. In head-to-head scoring you play against another manager each week with the person scoring the most points receiving a win for that week. The person with the best record at the end of the year wins or is given the top seed into a single elimination postseason tournament during pre-determined NFL regular season weeks.

Before you start playing you need to create a team. The way teams are created is that the owners hold a draft for players. The draft is held in a serpentine style in which the teams pick in their draft order in odd numbered rounds and the order is inversed in even numbered rounds. You then fill in your roster which may look something like this: 1 QB, 2 RB, 2 or 3 WR, 1 TE, 1 K, 1 DEF, and 5-6 Bench spots. After your draft you are ready to begin the season.

Each week you try to play your best lineup in order to accumulate more points than your opponent. You must navigate your team through bye weeks and injuries all the while dropping ineffective players from your team and adding those surprise players that are available in free agency or the waiver wire.

In order to be successful in fantasy football I recommend immersing yourself in the game. Know the players on your team and on other teams. By identifying the correct time to drop a player or trade for a rising star it will give you a better chance of winning. Enjoy the game, it is recreational. If you are a new player, look at the game as an opportunity to become more knowledgeable about the entire NFL, not just your favorite team. Finally, never give up. Each week try to win, even when the season is coming to a close. The easiest way to dislike fantasy football is by giving up on your team. Enjoy the role of spoiler, because each week you play is one week better that you become. It takes years of playing to truly feel confident in knowing what you are doing in fantasy football. So find the league that is right for you and get out there and join a league. And remember come back here each and every week to receive some great tips for your team, and to show us what you know and win some great prizes. Good luck this season!!