If you love football, think about playing fantasy football. It’s a fun hobby that could become a career. In fantasy football, you make mathematical computations based on real NFL players. You select your “roster” of your favorite players and then win points depending on how your players do that week. The one with the highest points wins.
Bill Asher is the Founder & CEO at Monkey Knife Fight. He stresses that the way you manage your roster, not only by choosing players but trading them later on, will impact how well you score. Here are some tips for learning how to play fantasy football.
Build Your Team of Players
First, you’ll need to find your team of players. You’ll need to learn the statistics of all the available players to make sure you choose the right ones. Fantasy football is part enjoyment and part geek. If you enjoy statistics, you’ll love this game. You’ll need to have your team selected before the kickoff of the first game. Then keep track of your players for the rest of the week.
Be Ready to Add Other Players
At the end of that first week, those players who aren’t on the rosters of anyone else in your league are up for grabs. These players are known as free agents, and you can make a claim for them depending on your ranking. If you do add a new player, you’ll have to drop one of your other players.
This is where strategy comes in because you might not want to claim a new player unless one of your current players gets injured. Plus, you have to be careful to choose the right one for your team.
Watch Out for Rest Times
Just like in real football, your team will have a rest week so your fantasy players have time off to recover. In NFL, these are called “bye weeks” and every player has a different one. A smart move would be to add a free agent during the time one of your players is taking a break.
Practice Trading
Fantasy football is a time of socializing and preparation and that’s especially true at trading time. Add players to your fantasy team by trading with others in your league. Just like in real football, not all players are treated equally. Some are so valuable that they’re worth two others. Expect to make a few mistakes when trading as a newbie, since mastering the trade takes finesse. Also, there’s a deadline for completing trades, so know the players you want and work out a deal before time runs out.
Most important of all, take time to enjoy the game. If it causes you stress, find another hobby. It takes practice to master fantasy football, but as long as you enjoy the process, you won’t mind making a few mistakes as you improve your skills.
Playing fantasy football is a great way to take the enjoyment of professional football to the next level as you manage your own fantasy team.