So… You finally decided to get off the sidelines and start playing the game that has all your friends and co-workers buzzing. The only problem is you have no idea what fantasy football is and how to participate. So how do you play fantasy football? Your friends at Fantasy Couch have the answer! We’re here to explain the basic rules and strategies that will get you in position to compete in your first league.
How does fantasy football work
For starters, fantasy football is much like the real game, only you are the owner of a team of players who you draft in order to play other team owners in your league. You can draft any player from any NFL team as long as another owner didn’t draft him already. Leagues are usually comprised of 8-16 teams, but you can also play in weekly leagues where you draft a new team every week. We recommend not playing in daily or weekly leagues if it’s your first time.
There are several options to choose from when it comes to playing fantasy football, with the most popular platforms being ESPN, Yahoo, and NFL.com, which all have a mobile app you can play on as well. You have the option of joining a public league where anyone can join, or be invited to a private league where you can compete against your friends, family and co-workers will be especially fierce. You can play for free and have fun learning the game, or you can ramp up the stakes and play for hundreds or thousands of dollars. Either way, the goal is to become a your league’s champ and win an awesome fantasy football championship belt at the end of the season.
Before drafting your fantasy team, which can be done online or in an always exciting live draft, it is imperative that you put in time to do research on players who are rookies, may be injured or are on the cusp of having a breakout season (also known as sleepers). There are several resources you can use (cough cough you’re on one right now) that will help you prepare, which you should use to pre-rank players to your preference. You should also be aware of your league’s scoring system, which can have a huge impact on the game if you are playing PPR (point per reception) or getting additional points for stats on the defensive side of the ball in IDP (Individual Defensive Player) leagues.
Once you a have a grasp on how the scoring will be set, it is time to draft your players! The draft order should be set by the league commissioner prior to the draft, and will usually unfold in a snake format. The settings and rules will vary from league to league. If you are drafting online, there is typically going to be one to three minutes between picks, so you should carefully be assessing which players may fall to you during this time. While drafting, keep in mind the roster settings which indicates how many players of each position you need. Some leagues require a starting flex player and some even allow you to start two quarterbacks every week. You should also take note if there will be slots open to stash an injured player, known as the Injured Reserve.
Once your team is drafted, it is time to compete against other teams in your league in a head-to-head format. As the real players in the NFL play their games, their stats are accumulated over the course of the week and converted into fantasy points by your league platform. The fantasy team that scores the most points wins the game for the week. The goal is to win as many games as possible during the regular season in order to make the playoffs in your league. The regular season in a fantasy league usually ends during Week 13, so that the playoffs will start in Week 14 while actual regular season NFL games are still being played.
During the fantasy league season, you as a team owner are in total control of your destiny. If your players aren’t performing up to par, you have the option of dropping them from your team and replacing them with free agents off the waiver wire. The waiver wire is a pool of players who are not designated to any fantasy team, and are free to pick up once the waiver wire period is cleared, usually a day after the final scores for the week have been posted. This period varies from league to league. Usually the order of waivers goes by reverse order of the league’s standings. For example, if you are in last place in your league, you will have the first crack at selecting a top player off of the waiver wire.
Of course, playing fantasy football wouldn’t be nearly as fun without the possibility of a blockbuster trade. You should always be on the lookout for opportunities to improve your team by selling a player who has been hot while you can get maximum value for them. Or by trading a player at a position you are deep in (wide receiver) for a player who could shore up your shallow running back situation. Knowing which positions other league owners are weak in will go a long way when it comes to offering potential trades.
If you make enough good moves and avoid injuries, there is a strong chance you will make the playoffs in your league. The playoffs are typically a single-elimination tournament which will decide who wins the league and lay claim as a fantasy football champion. If you have any additional questions on how to play fantasy football, feel free to ask us on Twitter @FantasyCouch and follow us for more tips, videos and giveaways! If you enjoyed this introductory guide on how to play fantasy football and want to know the next steps to becoming a champ, download our free ebook: The 10 Commandments of Drafting.
