Fantasy Football Research and Preparation

Introduction

In Part 1 of this article series on starting a fantasy football league, we covered high-level goals of starting your first league.  In this article we discuss the importance of establishing a solid foundation for your fantasy football league. Fantasy football has changed over the years, but researching the basics and preparing for the challenges you'll face are still the key to creating a successful league. If you are already a fantasy football veteran, feel free to skip forward to Part 3 of this series, recruiting fantasy football league owners.

Fantasy Football 101

Fantasy football is a billion-dollar industry with websites offering huge prizes to participants who can outscore hundreds of other teams. However, I believe fantasy football in its truest form is played in small leagues where participants know each other. After all, what good is victory if you can’t rub it in your opponents' faces from time to time? There isn't much joy in beating the tar out of someone you don't know, and playing in what amounts to the fantasy lottery isn't my idea of competitiveness.

As if fantasy football wasn't already a big-enough business, it is beginning to attract people who aren’t entirely familiar with American football itself. Think about that: People worldwide are now being introduced to NFL football through fantasy football. This is a very interesting trend and I’m sure the NFL isn’t complaining. If you are a newcomer to American football in general, you should probably start by educating yourself on the basics of American football.

Fantasy football is largely a game of statistics so it is critical that you have a firm grasp of the most important fantasy football statistics. Fantasy football is also a game of strategy, so learning the intricacies of American football will help to increase your fantasy IQ. When you have a firm grasp on American football basics, the rules governing fantasy football will make much more sense.  If you are new to fantasy football, repare for the challenge ahead by researching fantasy football basics, fantasy football draft strategy, and the standard fantasy football scoring system.

Fantasy Football Trends

As American football has evolved, fantasy football has followed suit. When NFL teams moved away from single, workhorse running backs toward more RBBCs, fantasy football enthusiasts took notice. In recent years, as defensive and special teams scoring started to soar, fantasy gurus adjusted their draft strategies accordingly.  Strategies that may have worked for you last year may need to be tweaked moving forward.  The best fantasy footballers are those owners who recognize football trends and factor those changes in their own fantasy football strategy.

To stay on top of our game we all need to keep our skills and knowledge current while recognizing and adapting to the latest trends.  Admittedly, luck plays a nominal role in fantasy football, but over time the most skilled players will rise to the top and claim more championships. 

Conclusion

In this article we discussed the evolution of fantasy football over the last decade and mentioned some resources that a fantasy football novice might find useful.  In Part 3 of this article series, we'll discuss the right way to recruit fantasy football league members. You'll have to interact with these knuckleheads for more than 5 months each year so take some time to consider the qualities of great fantasy football league member.