Fantasy Football Explained: The Do's and Don'ts When You Play

Have you ever heard about Fantasy Football?

And have you asked yourself what it is? Or why it’s a thing?

For people who are not familiar with Fantasy Football, these questions might pop-up constantly. If you are reading this article, you might be curious or interested in participating in this game.

But before you start playing, you must understand the game properly. Just like all other games, Fantasy Football has its set of rules too. Read on and understand what Fantasy Football is and its do’s and don’ts.

What is Fantasy Football?

Fantasy Football is where participants, or the “owners,” choose real players to generate fake teams. These fake teams will earn points based on the player’s performance in real life. Let’s say you are an owner, and you drafted real NFL Players on your fake team. Your team will then compete with other fake teams generated by other owners in the Fantasy Football game.

Fantasy Football usually has two leagues. First, the traditional league, a season-long game, and where you keep your drafted players for the whole season. Second is the daily leagues, where you will have to draft your team every week. Here, you can change your entire line-up, or you can retain your current players. You can even retain some and replace some. It’s your choice.

What participants love about Fantasy Football is that real-life football does not affect the result of their fantasy game. The winnings of these owners will depend solely on each player and not on the team.

Here are the do’s and don’ts when playing Fantasy Football.

Do’s

Learn from the game. Use the game as a tool to master the sport. Don’t treat this as a life and death game. Enjoy and have fun. Its purpose, after all, is to give entertainment to people, not anxiety.
Remember that what you need on your team is a consistent best player. If you notice a player lagging, or is not consistent, drop them off the team.
Always choose your player based on the priority. Focus on the skills needed in each position, whether the player is ranked high or low. There are fake teams created with low ranking players and won the game in the end.
Remind yourself all the time that rookies can be a risk to your team. But they can also make or break it. This is why it is important to always remember the next thing you should do.
Do your homework seriously. Watch every game and not only your favorite team. Study every player’s performance, including rookies, and take note of the players who performed spectacularly.
Update your line-up if necessary. Most team managers become content with their starting roster and tend to keep their focus on building up their bench. Though there is nothing wrong with that, it is highly recommended that the owner focuses on both. The waiver wire is available every week, and you have to check it regularly to have a good look at your team’s standings. With it, you can decide whether to update your list or keep it as is.

Don’ts

Do not draft too soon. Wait for the right moment to draft your players and create your fake team. As a rule of thumb, never start drafting before August. For Fantasy Football, the later, the better. It is not the game of who drafted first. It’s a game of who drafted the best.
Avoid comparing previous results to the present. What worked last year may not work now, which means that you may not be as fortunate this season if you are successful in the previous season.
Don’t draft players from your favorite team. This always doesn’t work. You are the team manager, and you have the power to pick any players you think can help your team win the game. It’s what Fantasy Football is all about, having control over these fake teams and winning the game with your own decision.
Do not take your defense for granted. You might end up getting occupied with strengthening your offense that you forget about your defensive side. Although it is just a fake football game, it is still important to balance the team’s strength to have a better chance of winning.
Don’t hesitate to ask for help if needed. Many individuals are willing to help you out if you ask for it. If you are offered, and you know well that you badly need that help, take it without hesitation. Accept a trade if given or use the waiver wire to replace players who are injured.

Takeaway

Fantasy Football has become very famous nowadays that it already has millions of players all over the country. Despite its popularity, there are still countless participants who do not know what they are doing and end up losing the game.