You can make money by playing football. Yes, you heard that right: fantasy football, to be exact.
Although you may not end up making as much as Patrick Mahomes, fantasy football can be a fun and profitable hobby. To discover the joys of playing fantasy football, check out this guide.
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Living Your Fantasy Football Dream
Before you get into the game, you have to know how it works. Like the real-world version, fantasy football is all about points and production. The more points your fantasy football team’s players score, the better off you’ll be.
Also like the real-world National Football League, your fantasy league has a draft in which you’ll select players for your roster.
Generally speaking, your roster will consist of two running backs, a quarterback, two wide receivers, a kicker, a tight end, a team’s defense, and a FLEX player. Your starting players’ stats will affect their point total. Add all those total up for your weekly score.
If you outscore your opponent (in your league) that week, you win. Pretty simple, right?
You’ll also have around five bench players on your roster. Although they earn points, they don’t count toward your overall score.
The typical fantasy season lasts until week 13 or 14 of the NFL season. Then the playoffs occur in weeks 15 and 16. After week 16, a winner is crowned.
Competing on the Fantasy Gridiron
Let’s dive into the ins-and-outs of this beautiful game.
First is knowing where to play it. Try using Yahoo’s or NFL’s sites to play. They’re flexible and provide advanced features.
There’s also My Fantasy League, which – while slightly older – provides more customizability. Use it for a dynasty or keeper league.
To ensure that you’re fully-prepared for week 1, fill all of your starting positions with the best players possible. Do so well before game time.
When the games begin, watch them and enjoy them even more with the additional investment you now have in some teams and players you had never before cared about.
After the Monday Night Football game, it’s time to look at the waiver wire. That’s how you acquire your league’s free agents. Pick up players who had a strong previous week and look like they’ll keep it up.
That being said, don’t get too caught up in a player’s hype. Many supposedly top talents end up being one-week wonders. Choose free agents carefully.
Just like in the NFL, fantasy leagues have bye weeks and trades.
As to the former, ensure that not all of your players have the same bye week. As to the latter, keep in mind that you should never give up too much talent in a trade.
Win your trades and you may very well be the winner for your league.
This Is What Dreams Are Made of
“We all got dreams and we all star reachin’,” Drake once sang. You, too, can realize your dreams as a fantasy football player. Even though not all fantasy leagues have cash pay-outs, that’s not why you play, right? You probably do it for the love.
For more guides on how to do all the hobbies you love, head to the Gaming section of our site.
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