What is fantasy football?
Fantasy is a game based on the performances of real NFL players. Each week, you start with players of different positions depending on the rules of your league. The roster usually includes players from the following positions: a quarterback, two running backs, two receivers, a tight end, a kicker and a defense, as well as a flex player, that is, another running back or receiver of your choice. There are also leagues where you can put a quarterback or a tight end in a flex position.
After that, the players play matches in real life, and you score points based on their performances, that is, gained yards, touchdowns and other indicators. All these data are summed up, and thus your team scores points. Every week you play against a different member of your league. Get more points – you win. In total, the team will have 15 players, so those not included in the starting lineup will be on the bench. Substitutes will also score points, but these points will not count towards your team’s overall score for the week.
This is how game weeks pass during the fantasy regular season. The season lasts until the 14th or 15th week of the current season. This is done so that the outcomes of the key matches of the fantasy season are not decided in the NFL games that have lost their tournament significance. Teams with the best record of wins and losses go to the playoffs, the winner of the playoffs becomes the champion of the fantasy league.
Game Week in Fantasy
Let’s say you understand the basic principles. The regular season starts on September 9 with a match between Dallas and Tampa Bay. What does this mean for your fantasy team?
First, you need to remember to set up your line-up at least five minutes before the start of this match. Any participants in the match after the start will be blocked in their position within your team. This goes for every week, so it’s important not to overlook matches on Thursdays.
Otherwise, the composition can be changed until Sunday, when the players will again take their final positions before the end of the game week. It is during the period between Thursday and Sunday that it is more convenient to study player ratings or strategy materials.
Work on wavers
Game Week 1 will end after the match on Monday. After that, and before the start of the new week, one of the key moments of the entire fantasy football season will take place – the battle for players on the waver. Waver is a kind of market for free agents, that is, players who are not listed on any of the teams. You can apply to “sign” this player and get him to your place. If it turns out that several users applied for one player at once, then the final owner of the player will be determined by a special algorithm.
Plus, don’t forget that your squad is limited, so with the signing of a player on the waver, you may have to get rid of one of the existing performers. The less often you use the waver, the higher your position in the list of priority contenders will be. Sometimes the right waver tactics can allow you to pick up a player who suddenly starts to show a great game or suddenly finds himself in a winning situation within his team roster.
Waiver requests are processed on Wednesdays, so on this day you can say goodbye to a player who, for example, was injured.
Some leagues are introducing a budget for free agents. In this case, each attempt to pick up the player you like costs a certain amount. Players blindly place bets on players, which equalizes the chances of getting a top-level player.
Rest weeks
Every NFL team has a week off, called a “buy-wick”. Teams do not play regular season matches during these weeks, so players from these clubs will not score points for your fantasy team.
Weeks of rest must be closely monitored so that there is no player in the starting lineup who will not bring any benefit. It also makes sense to pay attention in advance to whether the buy wick will fold at the same time, for example, for both available quarterbacks.
Exchanges
If you really want to get a specific player, or if you are not satisfied with the results of your draft, then you can figure out the exchange. Transactions do not have to be carried out by exchanging one player for another. It happens that in pursuit of an elite player, users are ready to give away several performers at once.
Fantasy exchanges are a whole science that takes time and patience. Plus, it’s good to know who you’re negotiating the exchange with. Plus, most of them have a deadline for exchanges, that is, such transactions cannot be carried out after a certain date. In the standard league on the official NFL website, the deadline for trades falls on November 26th.