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Double your Pleasure
The How and Why of Fantasy Football
Every year the ranks of Fantasy Football owners increase by entire battalions of football fans, and yet the number of people enjoying this entertainment cannot compare to the corps of football followers who have never even engaged in the pastime. That majority of people who don't play don't know what they are missing.
Picture for a moment something that is very satisfying in your life…and then twofold the gratification. That is what playing Fantasy Football does to someone who is already a die-hard NFL aficionado. Watching football without being in a fantasy league is like using dial-up to access the Internet -- the experience just isn't the same.
Once you are ready to accept the conversion from football fan to full-fledged Fantasy Football fanatic, it is time to promptly educate yourself, so that you can reap the rewards of your passion that much more quickly. At its base, Fantasy Football enables you to manage a roster of stars in an attempt to win enough that you can get to the championship game.
First, figure out what type of league is right for you. There are four main types of fantasy league to participate in, and though all are exciting they each offer a very different theme and require a different set of strategies.
Redraft -- This is the standard type of league. You will pick players based on how you believe they will perform in the current season, attempting to construct the best collection of players possible. Redraft leagues are popular because there is no long-term commitment. If you do well, you enjoy your success. If you perform poorly, you can always try your luck again next season, with entirely different players if you wish.
Keeper League -- In this type of league, owners generally expect the league to exist for a predetermined amount of time and draft accordingly. Typically, a keeper league may last for 3-5 years, though many keeper leagues continue indefinitely. In these leagues, you get to retain some players on your roster beyond the first season. Usually owners in these leagues keep 3-5 players. This means that you must draft initially with more than one season in mind, and it also means that first round picks in subsequent drafts are not as valuable as in the initial draft. For example, if everyone in a 12-team league keeps three players after year one, then the person with the first pick in the league's second year essentially has the 37th pick in the draft.
Dynasty League -- A dynasty league requires owners to make a commitment for a number of years. Every player an owner drafts is retained on his or her team from year to year, unless that player is traded, dropped, or retires. This hard-core league demands long-term planning to be successful, as owners can truly construct a dynasty if they trade and draft well. On the other hand, poor trades and draft picks could spell disaster for a fantasy team for more than one season. In these leagues, owners only have a rookie draft each year to create roster turnover.
Survivor League -- As on the reality show, owners in this league are competing to be the last team left standing. Each week, the team whose players accumulate the fewest points gets booted from the league. This is not a head to head competition, so one bad week can do you in. It is therefore important to draft both steady and streaky players. You need the steady guys to get you through the early part of the year, but the streaky players can help eliminate tougher competition later on. The owner with the highest point total each week gets "immunity" the following week, and cannot be booted until it comes down to the final two owners.
The easiest thing to do is join an established league or a contest as a random entrant. If you are interested in creating your own league here are the things to deliberate when constructing it:
1. Who will be the league commissioner? This is the person who runs the draft and provides the final judgment concerning all rule queries or disagreements during the season.
2. How will you choose to draft? You could choose to hold the draft with all of the members present physically in one place. Or, you can hold a live draft in an online chat room. Many sites are built specifically for this purpose. It is also possible to engage in an email draft. In this manner, owners are able to select their picks at their convenience.
The other component of how to draft involves choosing a method of selecting the
players. The two main modes of player dispersal are serpentine and auction drafting. The commissioner will randomly draw a draft order for a serpentine draft. Using the same 12-owner league example, everyone would pick when it is his or her turn, in order, from one to twelve. Then, the twelfth owner would select again at pick number 13, and so on, with the original draft order in odd rounds and the reverse in even rounds.
An auction allows every owner the chance to acquire every player, provided they have the means necessary. Each owner starts out with the same salary cap, and must fill out a roster with the funds available. Players are nominated, and then the bidding ensues. The highest bidder for a particular player wins that player.
3. What are your league regulations? It is crucial to determine beforehand some ground rules so that everyone knows how to play and most arguments are avoided.
Take time to figure out the following: What the starting lineup will require, when starting lineups are to be posted, how owners can add and drop players, how owners can trade players, whether you will have an injured reserve option, how match-ups are scored, how playoff teams are ascertained, what the league schedule will be, and what fees and prizes will be required and bestowed, respectively.
The Right Rivalry
After deciding on a league, seek out an appropriate level of competition. Because a lot of the fun in Fantasy Football comes from ribbing someone after your team has beaten theirs, many people play Fantasy Football with family or friends. You might compete against your cousins, or strive to throttle your fellow fraternity or sorority members. The group doesn't matter, it's the relationships you foster that do. Fantasy Football alone is often the glue that keeps you in touch with people you would like to relate to but might otherwise fail to make the time for.
Online or office leagues are a little less personal, but can be more competitive. The people playing in these leagues want to win. Nobody here will forget to enter a starting lineup. These leagues are where you can hone your skills if you want to try your hand at the third level of competition.
A recent Fantasy Football phenomenon is the high stakes league. Similar to poker tournaments, owners must ante up a considerable amount of cash for the opportunity to win vast sums of money in these competitions. This type of league is a gambler's paradise but makes Fantasy Football as much about money as fun.
Preparation Pays
Before your draft, study the information available for free on many Fantasy Football websites. The articles offered there can provide valuable inseason strategies and drafting techniques. Pay attention to the preseason. Training camps offer clues about who might morph into a fantastic fantasy player. Don't put too much stock into the actual preseason games though. They are used by coaches as tune-ups, meant to evaluate depth.
Purchase a few of the better Fantasy Football magazines that appear on the newsstands from May to August. You can tell which ones will benefit you by counting the number of thoughtful and articulate articles they display. Pay particular attention to expert mock drafts, especially ones where the experts involved explain why they drafted a certain player when they did. The analysis can confirm your own thoughts regarding a player, or give you pause to reconsider.
The Inside Scoop
To truly excel in Fantasy Football, it helps to know the lingo owners use to discuss players and make deals. As in any field, understanding the jargon will enable you to be more successful, faster.
Basic Scoring -- A scoring system that rewards fantasy owners with points based upon the actual points scored in pro football: 6 points for touchdowns, 3 points for field goals, 2 pts for a safety or 2-point conversion, and 1 point for an extra point.
Breakout Year -- This term is used to predict or review when a player will or did significantly increase his statistics from one season to the next. It often describes players who are entering their second or third year in the league and who have gained the necessary experience to allow their natural talent to equal production.
Bust -- a football player who fails to live up to his preseason statistical expectations.
Contract Year -- A term used to explain that a particular player is in the last year of his current NFL contract, and will probably play harder to earn more money. It is expected that he will then also do better statistically.
Flex Players -- An extra or alternate roster spot in a starting lineup. Instead of requiring the slot to be filled by a specific position, the owner can choose which position to use -- usually a running back, wide receiver, or tight end. This option allows owners more creativity and flexibility when determining their starting lineups.
Handcuffing -- When an owner selects a backup player later in a draft as insurance against injury for his or her high-profile fantasy starter. Usually, only running backs and quarterbacks are handcuffed. Often, other owners draft these backups to break up a handcuff opportunity and create potential trade bait for themselves. A good example of a handcuff player this year would be Rams running back Stephen Jackson, a talented player on the depth chart behind oft-injured star Marshall Faulk.
Individual Defensive Players (IDP's) -- Starting fantasy player slots on the defensive side of the ball, including defensive linemen, linebackers, and defensive backs. Usually used instead of defensive teams.
Performance Scoring -- a scoring system that gives points for yardage and sometimes bonus points for hitting a particular statistical benchmark, in addition to basic scoring.
Possession Receiver -- In Fantasy Football terms, this means a player who can move the chains by consistently grabbing shorter passes underneath coverage but who is not considered a game-breaker on the fantasy scene.
Sleeper -- Any player who is selected much lower in a draft, or sold much lower in an auction, than the value he actually brings to a fantasy team.
Stud Running Back Theory -- A drafting strategy that suggests drafting running backs before all other positions in a draft, due to perceived scarcity.
Trade Bait -- When an unused fantasy player suddenly becomes a valuable commodity to be used in a trade to upgrade the owner's current starters.
Value Based Drafting (VBD) -- A draft system which espouses drafting players based not only on a comparison of their fantasy value relative to others at their own position but compared to all positions.
If you are truly addicted to football, as opposed to being a gridiron weekend warrior, then Fantasy Football should be your fix of choice. This game within a game puts ego and knowledge on the line all the time.
Joe Levit, based in Boston, writes Fantasy Football columns for SI.com and thehuddle.com and articles for fantasysportsjunkies.com. He has published articles in Grogan's, Fantasy Index, Fantasy Sports and Fantasy Football Pro Forecast magazines. He is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and a devoted Detroit Lions fan who can be reached at joelevit_writer@yahoo.com
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Our latest Cheat Sheets updated constantly through September.
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class="headline" onClick="expanddiv('tr1')" style="cursor:hand; cursor:pointer" onmouseover="window.status=' ';return true">Percy Harvin Will Be Used In A Variety Of Ways
(5/24 12:13 AM PT)
The Facts:
Since OC Darrell Bevell has experience coaching Harvin in Minnesota, it's fair to expect Seattle to line up Harvin in similar ways. Which means every way possible. "I'll be moving around -- pretty much all around," Harvin said Wednesday. "There'll be a little bit of running back coming up. But right now, we're just trying to get the foundation set, just running the base plays, and we'll see where it goes from there."
Diehards Line:
As NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal suggests, this is not a surprise. Harvin will primarily play in the slot, but the Seahawks wouldn't acquire him to just leave him in one spot. He can play well in the backfield and on the outside. "Very explosive," HC Pete Carroll said. "He took the ball and turned it up a couple of times today, and he's just lightning-fast. You can see why he's such a factor catching it and running it and in the kicking game." Russell Wilson added: "His talent level is unbelievable, off the charts. ..." Rosenthal further noted that Harvin can run with surprising power inside the tackles when asked. The team isn't going to ask Harvin to turn into Marshawn Lynch, but the threat of Harvin taking a handful of handoffs every game makes Seattle that much tougher to defend.
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class="headline" onClick="expanddiv('tr2')" style="cursor:hand; cursor:pointer" onmouseover="window.status=' ';return true">Guess What? Robert Griffin III Won't Be Rushed; Who Knew?
(5/24 12:11 AM PT)
The Facts:
Following up on a previous item. ... After his appearance at Redskins' OTA practice on Thursday, Griffin said he has "only" two hurdles left in his recovery from a torn ACL: (1) clearance for "explosive" sprinting; and (2) clearance to cut. Those are both fairly significant hurdles. As to these obstacles, perhaps the most important maneuver for an athlete with a new ACL, a source with knowledge of the situation tells PFT that there is no timetable for said clearance. "It is still a ways off," the source said. "No one is going to rush anything."
Diehards Line:
As PFT's Mike Florio noted, that's the most important thing for Griffin, the Redskins, the media, and the fans to remember. Griffin got into this mess because not enough attention was being paid to his health. It's safe to say the cautious approach will continue right up through Week 1. So, again: The outlook is optimistic. But nothing will be determined until much closer to September.
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class="headline" onClick="expanddiv('tr3')" style="cursor:hand; cursor:pointer" onmouseover="window.status=' ';return true">Rodgers: Randall Cobb Could Be A 100-Catch WR
(5/24 12:09 AM PT)
The Facts:
Cobb set a franchise record and led the NFL with 2,342 all-purpose yards last season. If not for a late-season ankle injury, he might have become the first player in NFL history with 1,000 yards apiece receiving and returning kickoffs. The expectations are even higher this year with Greg Jennings and Donald Driver out of the picture. HC Mike McCarthy's preference is to remove Cobb from the kick-return game to increase his role on offense. Aaron Rodgers is counting on Cobb to replace Jennings as his go-to receiver. "I think Randall Cobb is a guy who could be a 100-plus catch guy every year," Rodgers said Wednesday.
Diehards Line:
As NFL.com's Chris Wesseling suggests, it's no surprise that Rodgers is singing Cobb's praises. After calling him a "star in the making" and a "big-time" player last October, Rodgers told WAUK-AM that Cobb would likely go down as "one of the best picks in Ted Thompson's career, if not the best." Cobb led the Packers in targets (104) and receptions (80) last season despite playing 416 fewer snaps than James Jones. This year, McCarthy will make an even more conscious effort to emphasize Cobb this season because "playmakers need the ball in their hands. ..." So as Wesseling summed up: "Fantasy leaguers take note: Cobb is not just a darkhorse candidate, but a legitimate threat to lead the NFL in receptions this season."
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class="headline" onClick="expanddiv('tr4')" style="cursor:hand; cursor:pointer" onmouseover="window.status=' ';return true">Pierre Garcon's Surgery Was To Repair A Torn Labrum
(5/24 12:07 AM PT)
The Facts:
Following up on a previous item. ... Garcon escaped surgery on the foot injury that bothered him throughout the 2012 NFL season, but he ended up going under the knife in January to repair a torn labrum.
Diehards Line:
The injury occurred during the Washington Redskins' playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks. HC Mike Shanahan described the surgery as a chest procedure, though Garcon clarified on ESPN's "NFL Live" on Thursday that it was to his labrum. "It was a small surgery," Garcon told ESPN. It wasn't nothing major." Garcon will miss the entirety of the offseason program, but the Redskins expect him back on the field for training camp. ... Again, we'll be following his progress closely in coming weeks. Stay tuned.
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class="headline" onClick="expanddiv('tr5')" style="cursor:hand; cursor:pointer" onmouseover="window.status=' ';return true">Roethlisberger Has No Doubt Heath Miller Will Be Ready For Week 1
(5/24 12:03 AM PT)
The Facts:
Earlier this week, Miller said there was a "chance" he'd be able to play the entire 2013 season after tearing his ACL late last season but admitted there's no timetable yet for his return to full activity. Miller's QB has a more optimistic take on the tight end's recovery. During an appearance on WDVE on Thursday, Ben Roethlisberger said that he had "no doubt" that Miller would be on the field for the first week of the season and that his bigger concern is keeping Miller from doing too much too fast as he gets ready for the games to begin.
Diehards Line:
"The biggest thing is going to be trying to hold Heath back because I think he's gonna want to get out there too soon," Roethlisberger said. "I'm gonna fight to say 'Heath, don't play in any preseason games. Just get out there for the regular season. ...'" As PFT suggested, the Steelers seem to be approaching things the same way as Roethlisberger. They didn't draft a tight end in April and their only move of note at the position in free agency was bringing back Matt Spaeth, who has stuck in the NFL the last six years because of his skills as a blocker. Again, however, Miller sounds much less certain about Week 1. "Yeah, I think it's a little too early to say anything like that. It's a long time before training camp, so that's a long time to make gains positively or maybe even for something to happen negatively," Miller said, via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "So, I'm just taking one day at a time, and I hope to get better every day. ..." Stay tuned.
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class="headline" onClick="expanddiv('tr6')" style="cursor:hand; cursor:pointer" onmouseover="window.status=' ';return true">Bills Optimistic About Scott Chandler
(5/24 12:00 AM PT)
The Facts:
Chandler is looking good already in his recovery from major knee surgery. That's a big deal for the Buffalo Bills' offense, which needs all of the proven weapons it can get. "I feel good, and I'm excited for the season," Chandler said. "The injury is different than it used to be. The doctors are better. And I have to attribute some of this - I'm a Christian guy. God is the ultimate healer. Just put your faith in him and see how it goes." Can he be ready for the start of training camp? "I feel it's realistic," he said.
Diehards Line:
Chandler tore a knee ligament last Dec. 23 at Miami and had surgery on Jan. 9, only 4 1-2 months ago. However, he is running around well at the Bills' spring practices. Chandler started running pass routes three weeks ago. This week, he's running routes and catching the ball. According to News staffer Mark Gaughan, Chandler was running well. The 6-7 Chandler caught 43 passes last season, tied for the second most on the team. He has six touchdown catches each of the past two seasons. There was a lot of speculation about the Bills pursuing a proven tight end in free agency, but they did not. They did take a tight end in the draft, but not until the seventh round, picking Arkansas' Chris Gragg.
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class="headline" onClick="expanddiv('tr7')" style="cursor:hand; cursor:pointer" onmouseover="window.status=' ';return true">Richardson, Cameron Being Held Out Of Browns OTAs
(5/23 2:52 PM PT)
The Facts:
A pair of Browns were held out of Thursday’s OTA session as a precaution a team spokesman said. RB Trent Richardson and TE Jordan Cameron did not participate due to minor injuries and will miss additional time HC Rob Chudzinski said after practice. “It’s precautionary, we’re holding [Richardson] out,” Chudzinski said. “We’ve got minicamp in a week and a half, he may miss that. I’m not sure we’ll just play it day by day.”
Diehards Line:
Richardson has a lower leg strain – more specifically a pulled muscle in his shin. Cameron has a groin injury. “Same thing,” Chudzinski said of the Browns tight end. “We’re being more precautionary with these type of things and we’ll wait and see. ...” Doesn't sound especially worrisome at this point, but we'll watch for more and follow up as needed.
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class="headline" onClick="expanddiv('tr8')" style="cursor:hand; cursor:pointer" onmouseover="window.status=' ';return true">Pierre Garcon Coming Off Previously Undisclosed Chest Surgery
(5/23 1:17 PM PT)
The Facts:
Garcon had surgery after all. But it wasn’t to repair a right foot injury that hampered him during the 2012 season. Instead, the receiver is working his way back from what HC Mike Shanahan called “chest” surgery after something went wrong in the team’s only playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks.
Diehards Line:
Garcon caught passes from Robert Griffin III at OTAs Thursday, apart from the rest of the group that was going through practice. Shanahan expects the 26-year-old to be ready for training camp. “I think Pierre, his rehab has been unbelievable,” Shanahan said. “Anytime you get operated on like he did and you’re able to come back as quickly as he has, I was watching him this morning in the weight room and he was lifting weights that he shouldn’t be able to lift. And he feels very comfortable, and it’s been a slow process. But he’s in excellent shape, so I’ll be surprised if he’s not full-speed, ready to go once we go to training camp. ...” Garcon wasn’t shy during the season and immediately afterward in saying he wanted to avoid foot surgery. He did not need that, but Shanahan said something “came out” in the Seahawks game requiring the chest surgery. ... We'll follow up as needed.
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class="headline" onClick="expanddiv('tr9')" style="cursor:hand; cursor:pointer" onmouseover="window.status=' ';return true">Giants Re-Sign WR Ramses Barden
(5/23 1:16 PM PT)
The Facts:
The Giants brought back a familiar face as they strive to improve their depth at wide receiver. Barden, who spent the previous four seasons with the team, was re-signed and joined his teammates on the field for the latter part of Thursday’s organized team activity. “I’m happy to be back,” Barden said. “This is where I wanted to be and now I’m here. I was out there listening to the calls, getting back into the rhythm of the cadence, enjoying the camaraderie and absorbing everything. I remember everything; I’ve had four years to soak it all up. I’m happy to be back on the field. I feel great. I expect the best.”
Diehards Line:
Barden, 6-4 and 224 pounds, was a 2009 third-round draft choice from Cal-Poly. In four seasons, he played in 29 games with one start caught 29 passes for 394 yards (13.6-yard avg.) with a long reception of 31 yards and no touchdowns. In 2012, Barden played in 12 games and made his only career start in a victory at Carolina on Sept. 20. He had nine catches for 138 yards, both game and career-high totals, including a 31-yarder. Barden finished the season with 14 receptions for 221 yards (15.7-yard avg.). ... Plenty of unfulfilled promise to date and barring an injury or other issues on the depth chart above him, expect more of the same.
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class="headline" onClick="expanddiv('tr10')" style="cursor:hand; cursor:pointer" onmouseover="window.status=' ';return true">Robert Griffin III Is On The Field For OTAs; Say Knee Feels Great
(5/23 12:12 PM PT)
The Facts:
Griffin III said after taking the field at Organized Team Activities that everything is positive with his surgically repaired knee. “The knee feels great,” Griffin said. “I’m able to do all the stuff out there without any hesitation, so that’s the best part about it. I’m excited about that. It’s all about having that confidence, and if you put the work in you’ll have that confidence when you get back out there on the field. It’s about playing like you were never injured.”
Diehards Line:
Griffin said he talked to coach Mike Shanahan prior to OTAs and said he wanted to do as much on-field work as he could, and that Shanahan allowed him to join other players who are rehabbing from injuries to do some limited on-field drills. Griffin said he expects to be able to sprint within the next couple of weeks and to cut within a couple weeks after he starts sprinting. “There’s two phases left, explosive sprinting and cutting. Those are the only two things left. Being at four and a half months out, I am a little bit ahead,” Griffin said. “My goal is to be out there for training camp. ..." As PFT's Michael David Smith notes, Griffin hastened to add that he is being smart about not pushing himself so hard that he has any setbacks. While none of this should be taken as a certain indication Griffin will be ready to go Week 1, it's yet another in a long series of positive developments in his return from reconstructive surgery. Of course, we're still three full months plus away from Week 1. So stay tuned.
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