Welcome to Fantasy Football! Your WW Complete Guide
Welcome to westermansweek.com's all things Fantasy Football. This area of ww.com is here to give you resources to understand fantasy football, set up a league, and help you maximize your team's performance. There are many ways to play, and many different opinions on how to manage your team. My hope is that you can find something in these pages to help you understand the game better and assist you to become not only a successful commissioner, but also your league champion.
Fantasy Football, explained These pages are dedicated to Fantasy Football novices and experts alike. I have participated in fantasy football for over 30 years. I have won the championship one year, and then finished in last place the next year. That is the beauty of the game, as there are both elements of skill, and luck. But like most things, you get out of it what you put into it, and the better players generally finish the season above the teams that didn't put in the work. Fantasy Football is hugely popular, and if you are a football fan, or even if you aren't (it can make you one) it makes the NFL (National Football League) season much more fun, and makes any game important if you have "players" in it. If you have ever heard someone yell out "That's my guy!", then you have probably just witnessed a happy fantasy football player. Welcome to my Fantasy Football Page, so lets get into it.
What is Fantasy Football?
Fantasy football is one of the math-based fantasy games that can be played within many sports leagues (baseball, hockey, basketball, golf, soccer, e.g.). Basically, you are in a "league" with people that you may know, online with unknown participants, or a combination of the two. Leagues usually contain between eight and sixteen "teams". Each member of the league is the "manager" or "owner" of their "team". Your team is formed from real life athletes that you select through a draft process, that score points through actual production on the field of play. For example, one of your players in might be quarterback Tom Brady. If he throws a touchdown pass during a game, then your team may get six points for that. If he throws an interception, your team may lose a point.
Your scoring roster for the week is composed of players that are "active". Your bench player's points do not count that week, and consist of extra players that can be inserted into your lineup in the event of an injury, bye week, or poor performance from one of your active ("starting") players. NFL "weeks" usually start on Thursday night, and end on the following Monday night. This year, the NFL went to 18 weeks, with each team having one bye week, therefore each team will play 17 games (previously 16), not including the 3 pre-season games (previously 4) that do not count and are used to evaluate players, especially the new ones trying to make the team.
Your active players are a set amount of players that you will receive points from that week. A typical NFL fantasy roster may consist of:
Active:
1 Quarterback (QB)
2 Running Backs (RB)
3 Wide Receivers (WR)
1 Tight End (TE)
1 Place Kicker (K)
1 Defense/Special Teams (D/ST)
Inactive:
4-6 Bench Players (usually no restriction as to what position they play)
Many leagues also play "Flex" or "Superflex", where they will have these positions on their rosters that can incorporate more than one position. For example a Flex position could be a Running Back, Wide Receiver or a Tight End. In Superflex, this position could be any offensive position (QB, RB, WR, TE). Also, some leagues will play with two quarterbacks on their rosters, or may not roster a Special Teams/Defense or Kicker positions. There are many, many ways to set up league rosters in other non-standard formats.
Every owner in your league has a unique and set amount of players on their team. Teams are formed before the season during a "draft", whereat you take turns selecting players from all 32 NFL teams. Players on your roster can also be added and subtracted during the NFL season through trades with another league member, or from the waiver wire (most common) containing available players. Most leagues are run through an online host such as Yahoo!, ESPN, NFL.com, CBS, etc. The beauty of an online host is that they are free, facilitate the draft, keep track of your roster and scoring, and offer other tips and information. They are the only way to go (I know as I used to use the local newspaper and an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of the scoring).
I only have experience with the Yahoo! fantasy football host, which I am very happy with, so I can't really comment on the other ones out there. There are also online daily fantasy football leagues that are discussed in the League Types section.
To be discussed in detail later, your team scores points throughout each week of the season, and at the end, a champion is crowned either by a head to head playoff, or through the most accumulated points. Each section on this site will explain and/or help guide you through some of the intricacies of playing fantasy football.
Generally, most leagues have "dues" and some also charge for mid-season trades or waiver wire pick-ups. These fees can go towards the prize fund or trophy and banquet costs. Many people also play in free leagues. It is up to you. Check with your state and local laws concerning the legality of your cash league.
So, that is Fantasy Football in a nutshell. Consider yourself lucky if you are part of league that includes friends, family, or online acquaintances. There is a special camaraderie amongst fantasy football players, as we can all relate to the trials and tribulations of any particular season. There are good weeks and bad. There are catastrophic injuries to your star player(s). There are genius waiver wire pickups of up and coming players that bolster your mid-season roster. There is the thrill of winning the championship, and the agony and misery of your cellar dweller under-performing team, with the next year being your only hope of redemption. Good natured teasing and smack talking other league members is encouraged, and should be part of the game.
If you haven't already played fantasy football, I encourage you to join a league, as it makes every Sunday of the NFL season meaningful, exciting, and fun. If you do not know anybody that has availability to include you in their league, there are is a nearly infinite amount of free online leagues that you can join (see online hosts mentioned above).
How I run my YaaHoo_Cats! league can be found by clicking here.
There is also a Fantasy Football blog page on this site that you can follow the Blue Rhinos and the YaaHoo_Cats!