From James Alder,Your Guide to Football.FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!
Fantasy football is generally a season-long competition played by football fans in which participants draft their own team and compete with teams built by others. Individual game winners are determined by points accumulated by players based on their real-life performance in a game on the same day.
Leagues A fantasy league is usually comprised of 8, 10, 12, 14 or 16 fantasy teams, each drafted and operated by a different contestant. Each contestant (owner) takes turns selecting players until all predetermined roster slots are filled. Team owners are responsible for choosing a starting lineup for each game, signing replacement players, and making trades if they choose to do so. At the end of the fantasy season, generally the final weeks of the NFL's regular season, a playoff tournament will determine the league champion. The number of teams qualifying for the playoffs is determined before the season begins.
Team Roster The number of players on a fantasy football team varies from league to league, but generally includes at least two quarterbacks, three running backs, three wide receivers, two tight ends, one kicker and two defensive units.
Lineups Each week, owners submit a starting lineup taking into consideration injuries, match-ups, and players on bye weeks. Lineup changes must be made prior to the start of each game in which the players in question are involved. If an owner fails to make adjustments in his starting lineup, it will remain the same as the previous week. The number of players on a team's active lineup varies from league to league. One of the more commonly used combinations of players includes one quarterback, two running backs, two wide receivers, one tight end, one kicker, and one defensive unit.
Scoring There are variations in scoring systems, but many use the following system or something close to it: A touchdown results in six points for the scoring player. If the touchdown is the result of a passing play, the quarterback is also awarded the same.Field goals count as three points for the kicker. Some leagues offer more points as the field goals get longer. Generally, anything more than 40 yards counts as four points and anything more than 50 yards is awarded five points.Kickers also receive one point for extra points after touchdowns, and a player scoring on a two-point conversion receives two points.Offensive players can also pick up points based on receiving, passing, and rushing yardage. One of the more common formulas awards one point for every ten yards rushing, one point for every ten yards receiving, and one point for every 25 yards passing. Offensive players can also lose points by throwing an interception (-2) or fumbling the ball (-1).On defense, a team's score is based on how many points they give up, combined with bonus points for sacks, turnovers, and defensive touchdowns scored. There are a number of variations in scoring based on the number of points given up. Sacks generally add one point each to that score while turnovers provide two points each.A safety results in a two-point bonus for the defense.Some leagues include special teams play in the defensive score while many do not.
Trading Players Teams are allowed to trade players as long as the deal is submitted before a predetermined trading deadline. Most leagues offer a system that allows other owners to protest trades that are too lopsided in one team's favor to prevent team owners from working together to build one super team.
Waivers and Free Agency Any player that remains undrafted is classified as a free agent and can be signed by any team on a first-come, first-serve basis. However, if the addition puts a team over the roster limit, the owner must release one of the players on his roster.A player who is released is then put on waivers, generally for a period of three to four days. Until a player passes through waivers, he can be claimed by any other team in the league. If a player on waivers is claimed by more than one team by the time the waiver period ends, he is awarded to the team sitting the lowest in the standings at the time the claim was made.
Playoffs A playoff tournament is generally held the final two or three weeks of the regular NFL season, depending on how many teams are in the playoff field. Scoring is determined exactly as it is during the regular season with the winner of the contest moving on to the next round while the loser is eliminated.The league championship is held when the playoff field has been narrowed to two teams, with the winner being crowned as league champions.
If you have any comments or more info please leave comments now.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Fantasy Football Dos and Don'ts
From James Alder,Your Guide to Football.FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!
Tips To Successfully Manage Your Fantasy Football Team
About Football has compiled some key tips to properly managing your fantasy football squad before, during, and after your fantasy draft. These fantasy tips should point you in the right direction and possibly give you a bit of an advantage over your opponents.
Do...
• ...use cheat sheets to prepare for your draft. Whether you make your own, use the ones here at About Football, or a combination of both, you need some kind of a plan on draft day. Drafting by the seat of your pants is not usually a formula for success in fantasy football.
• …participate in fantasy mock drafts in chat rooms or football forums. About Football has a special folder set up on the forum for doing just that.
• …build around your running backs
Generally, running backs are the most important position in fantasy football with the potential to put the most fantasy points on your scoreboard, so the best are usually the first players off the board.
• …make sure you know the basics of fantasy football,
the rules of the league, and system of scoring thoroughly before drafting your team. Different systems could lead you to draft differently.
• …pay attention to bye weeks when drafting your backups. It doesn’t make much sense to draft a backup quarterback who has the same bye week as your starter, now does it?
• …pay attention to the teams a player will face come playoff time. The object of the game is to win your league, not just make the playoffs, so to gain an edge on your opponents when the fantasy playoffs roll around – generally the last few weeks of the NFL’s regular season – it's important to know who they face and could be the deciding factor on draft day. Drafting a running back or quarterback who is facing notoriously weak defenses during those fantasy playoff weeks could give your team a huge advantage in the playoffs.
• …upgrade your starters when the opportunity arises. I know this seems like a no-brainer, but some players feel it is important to keep quality depth. However, in my opinion, any time you have the opportunity to improve the quality of your starting squad, it’s worth giving up the depth that will only help you during bye weeks and injury situations.
• …get lineup and trade advice from others not in your league. It always helps to get a second or third opinion before you pull the trigger on a trade or decide who to insert into your lineup. Again., About Football has a special folder set up on the forum for doing just that.
Don’t...
• …forget to update your lineup every week. One of the worst things you can do is to forget to update your lineup for the upcoming week. You could have an injured player in your lineup, or suppose your starting quarterback is on a bye week. Being short just one player can cost you a game, and that one loss could be the difference between making or missing the playoffs.
• …share your list of sleepers with other owners before the draft. If you want to be able to grab your sleepers at a time when they are a great bargain, don’t share your thoughts on who the rising stars at the various positions are.
• …draft your sleepers too early. They’re called sleepers for a reason. Make a projection of where you think you can reasonably expect to get them in the draft, and stick to it.
• …take strength of schedule into consideration when drafting a player. With the level of parity in the NFL, what looks to be a tough schedule at the beginning of the season often ends up not being the case, so don't knock yourself out trying to determine who has the favorable matchups.
• …trade star players while they are in a slump or off to a slow start. If you panic and start trading away players who are under-performing, you are not likely to get good value in return.
• …open trade negotiations with your best offer. As with any type of negotiation, you never start by making your best offer. Leave yourself some room to negotiate, and who knows, maybe you’ll get lucky and have to give up less than you expected. If you start with your best offer, you’ll never know how cheaply you might have picked up a particular player.
• …abandon your team under any circumstances. In my opinion, this is one of the biggest sins you can commit when it comes to fantasy football. Don’t be a poor loser and abandon your team simply because they aren’t living up to your expectations. By not continually keeping your best squad on the field every week, you can adversely affect the playoff race by giving one of the teams in contention an easy victory.
Tips To Successfully Manage Your Fantasy Football Team
About Football has compiled some key tips to properly managing your fantasy football squad before, during, and after your fantasy draft. These fantasy tips should point you in the right direction and possibly give you a bit of an advantage over your opponents.
Do...
• ...use cheat sheets to prepare for your draft. Whether you make your own, use the ones here at About Football, or a combination of both, you need some kind of a plan on draft day. Drafting by the seat of your pants is not usually a formula for success in fantasy football.
• …participate in fantasy mock drafts in chat rooms or football forums. About Football has a special folder set up on the forum for doing just that.
• …build around your running backs
Generally, running backs are the most important position in fantasy football with the potential to put the most fantasy points on your scoreboard, so the best are usually the first players off the board.
• …make sure you know the basics of fantasy football,
the rules of the league, and system of scoring thoroughly before drafting your team. Different systems could lead you to draft differently.
• …pay attention to bye weeks when drafting your backups. It doesn’t make much sense to draft a backup quarterback who has the same bye week as your starter, now does it?
• …pay attention to the teams a player will face come playoff time. The object of the game is to win your league, not just make the playoffs, so to gain an edge on your opponents when the fantasy playoffs roll around – generally the last few weeks of the NFL’s regular season – it's important to know who they face and could be the deciding factor on draft day. Drafting a running back or quarterback who is facing notoriously weak defenses during those fantasy playoff weeks could give your team a huge advantage in the playoffs.
• …upgrade your starters when the opportunity arises. I know this seems like a no-brainer, but some players feel it is important to keep quality depth. However, in my opinion, any time you have the opportunity to improve the quality of your starting squad, it’s worth giving up the depth that will only help you during bye weeks and injury situations.
• …get lineup and trade advice from others not in your league. It always helps to get a second or third opinion before you pull the trigger on a trade or decide who to insert into your lineup. Again., About Football has a special folder set up on the forum for doing just that.
Don’t...
• …forget to update your lineup every week. One of the worst things you can do is to forget to update your lineup for the upcoming week. You could have an injured player in your lineup, or suppose your starting quarterback is on a bye week. Being short just one player can cost you a game, and that one loss could be the difference between making or missing the playoffs.
• …share your list of sleepers with other owners before the draft. If you want to be able to grab your sleepers at a time when they are a great bargain, don’t share your thoughts on who the rising stars at the various positions are.
• …draft your sleepers too early. They’re called sleepers for a reason. Make a projection of where you think you can reasonably expect to get them in the draft, and stick to it.
• …take strength of schedule into consideration when drafting a player. With the level of parity in the NFL, what looks to be a tough schedule at the beginning of the season often ends up not being the case, so don't knock yourself out trying to determine who has the favorable matchups.
• …trade star players while they are in a slump or off to a slow start. If you panic and start trading away players who are under-performing, you are not likely to get good value in return.
• …open trade negotiations with your best offer. As with any type of negotiation, you never start by making your best offer. Leave yourself some room to negotiate, and who knows, maybe you’ll get lucky and have to give up less than you expected. If you start with your best offer, you’ll never know how cheaply you might have picked up a particular player.
• …abandon your team under any circumstances. In my opinion, this is one of the biggest sins you can commit when it comes to fantasy football. Don’t be a poor loser and abandon your team simply because they aren’t living up to your expectations. By not continually keeping your best squad on the field every week, you can adversely affect the playoff race by giving one of the teams in contention an easy victory.
Vick Pleads Guilty
From James Alder,Your Guide to Football.FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!
Vick Pleads Guilty, Apologizes
As expected, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick pleaded guilty to federal charges related to dogfighting Monday, and now faces from one to five years in prison. He also stood in front of the media following the hearing a contrite, more humble figure than the man who just months ago declared publicly that he never goes to the Surry County property that was the focus of this investigation. Regardless of whether or not Vick's words are sincere, there will be those who believe his statements are nothing more than a man posturing for a second chance somewhere down the road. And there will be others who take him at face value and see a man who had to hit rock bottom before finally seeing the light. Good for him if it's true, although it's easy to be skeptical of conversions that take place at such convenient points. The following statement does nothing to calm the skeptic in me. It's interesting that Michael brings this up since the terms of his agreement require him to point the finger at others. And it's convenient that he has forgotten this comment he made back on April 27, shortly after the dogfighting case hit the media
"I left the house with my family members and my cousin. They just haven't been doing the right thing."
I'm not sure how that's not pointing the finger, but whatever. Vick goes on to say:
"But in a sense, I think it will help, you know, me as a person. I got a lot to think about in the next year or so."
Coincidently, as luck might have it, it looks like he's going to have plenty of thinking time over the next year or two.
IF YOU HAVE ANY THOUGHTS OR COMMENTS ON THIS SUBJECT POST YOUR COMMENT NOW.
Vick Pleads Guilty, Apologizes
As expected, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick pleaded guilty to federal charges related to dogfighting Monday, and now faces from one to five years in prison. He also stood in front of the media following the hearing a contrite, more humble figure than the man who just months ago declared publicly that he never goes to the Surry County property that was the focus of this investigation. Regardless of whether or not Vick's words are sincere, there will be those who believe his statements are nothing more than a man posturing for a second chance somewhere down the road. And there will be others who take him at face value and see a man who had to hit rock bottom before finally seeing the light. Good for him if it's true, although it's easy to be skeptical of conversions that take place at such convenient points. The following statement does nothing to calm the skeptic in me. It's interesting that Michael brings this up since the terms of his agreement require him to point the finger at others. And it's convenient that he has forgotten this comment he made back on April 27, shortly after the dogfighting case hit the media
"I left the house with my family members and my cousin. They just haven't been doing the right thing."
I'm not sure how that's not pointing the finger, but whatever. Vick goes on to say:
"But in a sense, I think it will help, you know, me as a person. I got a lot to think about in the next year or so."
Coincidently, as luck might have it, it looks like he's going to have plenty of thinking time over the next year or two.
IF YOU HAVE ANY THOUGHTS OR COMMENTS ON THIS SUBJECT POST YOUR COMMENT NOW.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
From James Alder,Your Guide to Football.FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!
Indianapolis Colts 2007 Preview
With no noteworthy veteran acquisitions and numerous free-agent defections of their own, the Indianapolis Colts face an uphill battle in defending their NFL championship.
With the game's best quarterback in Peyton Manning running things on offense, however, the Colts are sure to be in the running again. But will they have the defense to get over the hump in the playoffs again this season? Gone is linebacker Cato June, along with both starting cornerbacks, Jason David and Nick Harper.
So who's going to fill the gaps, who else is no longer around, and are the mighty Colts suddenly vulnerable?
Indianapolis Colts 2007 Preview
With no noteworthy veteran acquisitions and numerous free-agent defections of their own, the Indianapolis Colts face an uphill battle in defending their NFL championship.
With the game's best quarterback in Peyton Manning running things on offense, however, the Colts are sure to be in the running again. But will they have the defense to get over the hump in the playoffs again this season? Gone is linebacker Cato June, along with both starting cornerbacks, Jason David and Nick Harper.
So who's going to fill the gaps, who else is no longer around, and are the mighty Colts suddenly vulnerable?
TENNESSEE TITANS
From James Alder,Your Guide to Football.FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!
Tennessee Titans 2007 Preview
We round out our trip through the AFC South with a report on the Tennessee Titans, whose miraculous turnaround over the second half of the 2006 season has expectations high this year for a potential playoff run. Much of that anticipation is because of quarterback Vince Young, who played surprisingly well in the clutch during his rookie season.
Heading into the offseason, the idea was to get Young more weapons to work with, but on paper, it looks like the team is worse off than last year. Gone are starting running back Travis Henry and leading receiver Drew Bennett. And not much in the way of veteran help was brought in to fill the needs created by their losses.
So what are the Titans going to do this year, and can Young continue to work his magic despite the losses? And just how much will Pacman Jones' suspension hurt?
Tennessee Titans 2007 Preview
We round out our trip through the AFC South with a report on the Tennessee Titans, whose miraculous turnaround over the second half of the 2006 season has expectations high this year for a potential playoff run. Much of that anticipation is because of quarterback Vince Young, who played surprisingly well in the clutch during his rookie season.
Heading into the offseason, the idea was to get Young more weapons to work with, but on paper, it looks like the team is worse off than last year. Gone are starting running back Travis Henry and leading receiver Drew Bennett. And not much in the way of veteran help was brought in to fill the needs created by their losses.
So what are the Titans going to do this year, and can Young continue to work his magic despite the losses? And just how much will Pacman Jones' suspension hurt?
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