What's up everyone? I'm here today to teach you everything you need to know about playing fantasy football. I will warn you, if you've read my stories previously, seen me on NFL Fantasy Live or blown me up on social media when I told you to draft David Montgomery last year – this isn't for you. I appreciate the click. I would ask that you skim all the way down to the bottom to help out my author stats. But what I'm really looking for here is the newbies. The rookies. Those of you out there who have NEVER played fantasy football, but really wanted to learn how. Or maybe one of your friends, family members or colleagues has sent this to you. Let me say, welcome!
Fantasy football can be really intimidating. It's kind of like another one of my passions, Star Wars. Where the truly hardcore fan can be kind of a turnoff. I get that. But I'm here to assure you, it's a lot of fun. It's easier than you think. Let me show you how.
GETTING STARTED
The first thing you need to do is download the NFL Fantasy App and create an account. Thankfully you can follow this link right here.
I know, that is super helpful. Make sure you create an NFL account. Now, you can either be a team in somebody else's league (a friend invites you or you join a free league) or you can start your own. Which is what I would recommend. There you can be the commissioner, which makes you in charge of your own league. Give the league a name. Give it a password. And let's say you're a Bears fan and you are playing with a lot of Packers fans (which I wouldn't recommend). You can have some fun here by making the password, "AaronRodgersIsOverrated" or something. I've done it. And it makes me laugh every time. After you do all of that, you set a draft day. Most leagues draft as close to the season opener as possible to give you a chance to look at position battles, injury reports and get as much clarity as possible to make your selections.
Most fantasy leagues are typically 10 to 12 managers. Start with 10, it's probably easier for you to wrangle nine of your friends or co-workers to join the league. Or even your enemies. Doesn't matter, you need bodies. Once you do that, name your team and create your league.
And again, I would suggest you use some creativity to create your team name. Most people can do something simple like using your name. I still have a team where I'm Team Rank from a league I created back in the early 2000s. I also have a team that's simply Team 2, mostly because it bugs my commissioner in a league. Or if you want to make some puns off player names, that's highly encouraged. Things like "Mahomes Alone" playing off Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Lamar-vel Cinematic Universe. Tua Legit to Quit. I could sit here and do this all day. But have some fun with it.
STARTING LINEUP
You have your team set and ready to go. There will be a draft, and we'll have other pieces related to the draft. But let me give you the basics here. Each week you select players to fill your starting lineup. Once that player starts playing in his NFL game, he's locked into your lineup. If you accidentally leave him on the bench or forget he has a game that day, he's stuck. Don't worry, that happens to everyone. Well, not me. But my job is to play fantasy for a living. Still, it happens. Don't worry, though. You can move your players after the week and make sure you don't make that mistake again. It's important to remember you will only get points from your starting lineup each week, not the bench. Those points don't count.
SCORING
You get points for almost every stat the player gains in the game. If somebody is having a big game in real life, they are also having a big performance for your fantasy team. I can break that down a little bit for you.
Baby Got Dak! Sorry, just thought of another cool name. But let's move on to scoring.
Your quarterback throws a touchdown pass. Hey, that's four points! And you your players catch or rush for a touchdown. That's six points! You also earn points for the yards your player accumulate. Each quarterback gets one point for every 25 yards passing, and all of your players get one point for every 10 yards rushing or receiving. PPR leagues reward one point per reception. Hence the phrase, PPR. So, a player catches a pass, that's a point. Kickers also get points every time they score. One point for a PAT. Three points for a field goal. Five points for field goals 50-yards and longer. Team defenses also earn points. Anytime they make a play like an interception, a sack, or recover a fumble they get a two points. They score a touchdown? That's six points. Players can lose points, too. Anytime your quarterback throws a pick, that's negative two points. If they lose a point, that's also negative two points.
I know this is a lot of information to throw at you. But that's the basics. You're ready to go. I would ask that you follow us on social media, download the NFL Fantasy Show podcast and watch NFL Fantasy Live to continue your education.
