Fantasy football for beginners: drafts, scoring formats, waivers and trades

TUREFF• •0

Fantasy football is a season-long game in which you pick real NFL players for an imaginary team and score points based on how they perform each week. It is one of the best ways to learn the league, because you start caring about players on every team rather than just your own. This guide covers how to start, using free leagues played for fun with friends, family or colleagues.

How a league works

A league usually has 8 to 14 managers, ten or twelve being common.
Each manager drafts a roster of NFL players before the season.
Each week you set a starting line-up, and your starters score points from their real games.
You play one other manager each week. The higher score wins.
After the fantasy regular season, the best teams meet in fantasy playoffs, usually finishing before the final week of the NFL season.

Major platforms such as ESPN, Yahoo, Sleeper and the NFL's own app offer free leagues. You can join a public league with strangers or create a private one and invite people.

A typical line-up

Settings vary, but a common starting line-up is:

1 quarterback
2 running backs
2 wide receivers
1 tight end
1 flex, which can be a running back, wide receiver or tight end
1 kicker
1 team defence and special teams unit

Plus several bench spots for injuries, bye weeks and hunches. Some leagues drop kickers or add a second quarterback slot, known as superflex.

Scoring formats

Points come from real statistics. Common default settings award six points for a touchdown, a point for every ten rushing or receiving yards, and a point for every 25 passing yards, with deductions for interceptions and lost fumbles. Check your league's settings, because they change player values.

Standard: no points for receptions. Running backs who score touchdowns are valuable.
PPR, points per reception: one point for every catch. Pass-catching backs and receivers rise in value.
Half PPR: half a point per catch, a popular compromise.

The draft

There are two main types:

Snake draft: managers pick in order, then the order reverses each round, so the person with the last pick in round one gets the first pick in round two.
Auction draft: each manager has an equal pretend budget and bids on players. More strategic, but takes longer.

Tips for a first draft:

Use the platform's mock drafts to practise.
Follow a rankings list but watch for runs on a position.
Prioritise running backs and receivers early; wait on kickers and defences until the final rounds.
Note bye weeks so you do not end up with every starter off in the same week.
Most platforms offer autodraft if you cannot attend live.

The waiver wire

After the draft, undrafted players sit in a free agent pool. Claiming them is how you replace injured players and catch breakout stars.

Many leagues use waiver priority, where the manager with the worst record claims first.
Others use FAAB, a free-agent budget: each manager bids pretend money from a season budget, and the highest blind bid wins.

Check waivers every week, usually after Monday night's game.

Trades

You can trade players with other managers.

Look for trades that help both sides, such as swapping depth at one position for need at another.
Most leagues have a review period so others can object to lopsided deals, and a commissioner can step in.
A trade deadline usually falls a few weeks before the fantasy playoffs.

Weekly habits

Check injury reports before kick-off, especially for Thursday games.
Never start a player on his bye week.
Watch for players listed as questionable or out.
Lock in your line-up before the first game in which any of your starters plays.

Keep it a game

Fantasy football is at its best as a social game: group chats, rivalries and a trophy or a silly punishment for last place. You never need to put money in to enjoy it, and free leagues are the easiest way to start. Are you joining your first league this season? Share your draft questions or tips in the comments.