Fantasy football is a great way to put your football knowledge to the test. But just like the NFL, fantasy football comes with its own jargon, abbreviations, and slang.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This newfangled language can be intimidating to newcomers. And truth be told, it sometimes befuddles fantasy veterans!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I have decided to create this fantasy football glossary to clear-up much of the confusion. But unlike other dictionary-type pages, we\u2019re going to go a bit deeper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can use this glossary to look up any fantasy football terms<\/strong> or abbrevaitions that you haven’t come across. Or, just read through the entire glossary to expand your fantasy football vocabulary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The following is a pseudo-dictionary of every fantasy football term I could conjure up. You could think of it as a fantasy football glossary<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you think I missed any terms, or you feel you have a better definition for one of these terms, tell me about it in the comments section.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The 3rd Year Wide Receiver rule<\/strong> is a popular theory that wide receivers start to reach their full potential<\/em> during his third year in the NFL.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Add\/Drop<\/strong> is a common name for the processes of adding a free agent<\/a> or player from the waiver wire<\/a> and dropping<\/a> a player from your fantasy football team. The pool of available players is often called the add\/drop list<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An auction draft<\/strong> is a style of fantasy football draft<\/a> where team owners bid on the players they covet (based on perceived auction values<\/a>), with the player ultimately going to the owner<\/a> that places the highest bid. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Whereas in a snake draft<\/a> owners pick any desired player in a pre-determined order, auction draft owners are given an auction budget that they can use to place bids on any player they choose<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An automated draft<\/strong> involves allowing a computer to select the players for your team. The automated draft algorithm is often triggered by draft software<\/a> when a player does not show up for their online draft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The basic scoring system<\/strong> is another name for the standard scoring system<\/a> in fantasy football.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bench players<\/strong> are those players that are on your roster<\/a> but that you are not starting in a given week. You do not receive any points from your bench players.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bonus scoring<\/strong> is a customized scoring system<\/a> that rewards players for reaching certain statistical benchmarks. This can include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Boom-or-bust<\/strong> describes players that usually have either very successful or extremely unproductive weeks (or seasons), but few in between. This fantasy football term is often used to describe big-play<\/em> receivers that do not get many total catches or short-yardage running backs whose value is dependent on them scoring touchdowns on few carries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The breakout<\/strong> term is used to describe players when they initially achieve fantasy relevance. Breakouts can include bench players<\/a> that are promoted to a starting position, players whose usage increases dramatically, or players that have improved to the point that they start putting up significant numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A bust<\/strong> is a fantasy player who’s point output is significantly lower than their projected numbers. Fantasy owners attempt to predict fantasy football busts<\/a> so that they can avoid drafting them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bylaws<\/strong> are individual rules that govern your league. Bylaws can include specific structural rules such as scoring, playoffs, and prizes. Or they can dictate off-field guidelines like appropriate language or what to do in cases of suspected collusion<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The ceiling<\/strong> is the upper limit of a fantasy player\u2019s projected point output. It estimates how many fantasy points they would score under ideal circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A fantasy football cheat sheet<\/strong> is a ranked list of players used to assist in making selections during a fantasy football draft<\/a>. These custom fantasy football rankings<\/a> make it easy to evaluate the top players across all positions and make an informed draft pick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Collusion<\/strong> refers to the act of fantasy owners conspiring unethically to gain an unfair advantage. It is often done through via trades, throwing games, or other practices that would give one owner<\/a> an unfair advantage over an easy win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The commissioner<\/strong> is an owner<\/a> or third-party officiant that is in charged with administering the league and enforcing the bylaws. Commissioner duties include setting up the league, finalizing draft<\/a> dates, and arbitrating disputes between owners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A custom scoring system<\/strong> is any configuration that doesn’t use one of the common scoring systems (for instance, standard scoring or PPR). Leagues that implement custom scoring might incorporate bonus scoring, adjusted quarterback scoring, TD-only leagues, or any other derivations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cut<\/strong> is the act of dropping<\/a> a player from your roster<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A deep league<\/strong> features more than 12 teams. More players are rostered in these leagues forcing owners<\/a> to look deeper into the player pool than they would in smaller leagues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A depth chart<\/strong> is an ordering of players at a specific position, with the players highest on the depth chart earning more playing time than lower players.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The draft<\/strong> is a process of selecting players for your team. The fantasy football draft<\/a> is typically the inaugural event of every season. Owner<\/a>s put on their finest fantasy football gear<\/a> and build their team over a 2-3 hour draft session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A draft board<\/strong> is a printed grid that tracks draft picks during a fantasy football draft. A fantasy draft board<\/a> can come in several varieties:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Draft dasher<\/strong> is a derogatory term for an owner<\/a> that drafts a fantasy team, then abandons it at some point before or during the season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Draft leagues<\/a> conduct a standard fantasy draft<\/a> to determine team rosters<\/a>. The vast majority of fantasy football leagues are draft leagues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To drop<\/strong> a player is to remove them from your roster<\/a>, resulting in them becoming a free agent<\/a> or going on waiver wire<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A dynasty league<\/strong> is a type of league where owners<\/a> keep most (or all) of their players from season to season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Exempt<\/strong> is a seldom-used roster designation, usually applied in the case of significant off-field issues. It means that a player is not on a team\u2019s active roster<\/a>. For fantasy purposes, it means that they will not be playing that week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A fire sale<\/strong> is a situation where a struggling team attempt to trade any and all of Fleecing<\/strong> occurs in fantasy football when a trade is particularly one-sided. The team on the losing side of the trade is said to have been fleeced<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Flex<\/strong> is a type of roster position in fantasy football. It is wild card position on your roster<\/a> that can be filled with either a wide receiver, running back, or tight end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A flier<\/strong> is a low-risk gamble on picking up a player that may or may not pan out. For example, if you took a flier (or flyer) on Patrick Mahomes before the 2018 season, you were handsomely rewarded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A floor<\/strong> represents the lowest fantasy point output that you could reasonably expect for a player. The opposite of their ceiling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A free agent<\/strong> is a player that can be immediate added to any fantasy football roster<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Game-time decision<\/strong> is a player injury designation typical of a player who is dealing with an injury and may or may not play during that week\u2019s game. These are often the most difficult designation to plan for in fantasy football because the decision will not be made until just before kickoff (the same time that rosters<\/a> become locked<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n In fantasy football, the A ghost ship<\/strong> is a fantasy football team that has been abandoned mid-season by their owner<\/a>. It drifts aimlessly through the season without a captain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A handcuff<\/strong> refers to a player that is targetted because they are the backup to a high-value player. This term almost always refers to a backup running back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n IDP fantasy football leagues<\/strong> require owners<\/a> to draft individual defensive players versus the standard DST position. These IDPs accumulate points for statistics like tackles, sacks, and interceptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Head-to-head<\/strong> refers to a type of fantasy football league that pits individual teams against each other, with the highest score winning the game<\/em>. Head-to-head is an alternative to the rotisserie-style fantasy football league.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A keeper league<\/strong> permits owners<\/a> to retain a set number of players (usually 1-3) on their roster<\/a> from season to season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lame duck<\/strong> refers to a fantasy football team that is not being adequately managed. Incomplete lineups, starting injured players, and unresponsive A league<\/strong> is a collection of 8-14 fantasy owners<\/a> who manage teams and compete against each other over the course of a fantasy football season. There are many types of fantasy football leagues<\/a> with varying scoring rules based on owner preferences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A league almanac<\/strong> documents the history of a fantasy football league, including past champions, scoring records, and other data from past seasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Similar to a league commissioner, a league manager<\/strong> is in charge of configuring the league and ensuring that it runs smoothly. Like the commissioner’s duties, this can include vetoing unfair trades, deciding what to do with ghost ships, and removing owners<\/a> found to be colluding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n League settings<\/strong> refer to the configuration options that govern how a league functions. Fantasy football league settings<\/a> include the scoring format, playoff structure, tiebreaker rules, and all other configurable settings available through your league host.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A linear draft<\/strong> is a drafting style where draft pick selection follows the same order each round. This is in contrast to a snake or serpentine draft<\/a> where selection order reverses between rounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A Line<\/strong> is another way of describing a player\u2019s statistical performance in a given week. For example, a wide receiver\u2019s final line could include their total catches, yards, and touchdowns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lineup<\/strong> refers to the players that a fantasy owner<\/a> has selected to start in a given week. Typically this would include a quarterback, two running backs, 2-3 wide receivers, a tight end, kicker, and team defense<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A mock draft<\/strong> is a type of practice draft performed before the season starts. Players draft a team against either computer-based (or randomly chosen) opponents without the pressure of having to use these players through the season. Mock drafts<\/a> help you prepare by learning where certain players are likely to be drafted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An online draft<\/strong> is a fantasy football draft with a web-based interface. It allows owners<\/a> to draft remotely instead of requiring them to attend a live draft at the same location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An owner<\/strong> is another name for a fantasy football league member. In fantasy sports, the term owner is often used instead of player<\/em> (since we reserve that term for actual NFL players) or team<\/em> (which represents the roster<\/a> of players that we draft and manage throughout the year).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Performance scoring<\/strong> encompasses all alternatives to touchdown-only based scoring systems. Performance scoring rewards achievements like yardage or catches. 99% of fantasy football leagues utilize performance scoring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To pickup<\/strong> a player is to add them to your team from the waiver wire<\/a> or free agent<\/a> pool; an alternative to a player that was drafted or acquired via trade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Player rankings<\/strong> are an ordered list of players by their expected fantasy football point output. Fantasy experts create NFL player rankings<\/a> as a way of organizing players, either collectively or for a specific position, so that you can leverage the rankings to help make draft selections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A fantasy football playoff league<\/a> is a type of league whose duration lasts from the beginning to the end of the NFL postseason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A private league<\/strong> is an invite-only league that doesn\u2019t accept random team owners<\/a>. This is the opposite of a public fantasy football league<\/a> that is open to the public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A fantasy football prize league<\/strong> is any league that presents an award to the league champion (and possibly other owners). The best fantasy football prizes<\/a> can include a cool fantasy football trophy<\/a>, a fantasy championship belt<\/a>, a fantasy football champion ring<\/a>, or cash. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Last place fantasy football trophies<\/a> are also common.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Projections<\/strong> are estimations about a player\u2019s future fantasy football statistical performance. They come from a variety of sources:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Projections can be a helpful A public league<\/strong> is a type of fantasy football league that anyone can enter. Contrast this with a private fantasy league<\/a> that is invite-only.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reserve<\/strong> is a roster designation that refers to a player on your fantasy football roster<\/a> that is not in the starting lineup (i.e. on the bench<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n A roster<\/strong> is the set of players that comprise a fantasy football team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Roster limit<\/strong> refers to the total number of players (usually in the context of a single<\/em> position) that you are allowed to own at any given time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A rotisserie league<\/strong> is a type of fantasy football league where teams accumulate points based categories. For instance, the team with the highest wide receiver point output may get 12 points, the second highest would get 11 points, etc. Teams accumulate points in this manner over the entire season and the team with the most points at the end of the year is crowned the champion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A serpentine draft<\/strong> (or snake draft<\/strong> as it’s sometimes called) reverses the draft order at the end of each round. For example, if in round one the player selection process moves from team 1 to team 12, then round 2 will go from team 12 to team 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A sleeper<\/strong> is a player that someone thinks will significantly out-perform their current, projected point output.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Standard scoring<\/strong> is the most common type of scoring system in fantasy football. Also known as the standard fantasy football system<\/a>, it is a baseline scoring configuration that is battle-tested and promotes balance scoring across all fantasy football positions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To stream<\/strong> is to utilize different free agent<\/a> options every week for a given position on your roster<\/a>. If you don\u2019t have one reliable player at a position you may, streaming<\/em> the best free agent players you can acquire may be a good strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A stud<\/strong> is a fantasy football player that you count on for production week in and week out, regardless of matchups. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Superflex<\/strong> is a roster<\/a> position that extends the flex position by adding quarterback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Team defense<\/strong> is a fantasy football roster position that earns points based on the performance of a team\u2019s entire defensive unit. This includes points for stats like sacks, interceptions, touchdowns, and total points allowed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A third-year wide receiver<\/strong> is just what it means, a wide receiver who is in his third year in the NFL. In fantasy football this has special meaning, so check out the 3rd Year WR Rule for more information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tiers<\/strong> are a way of organizing players that Fantasy football tools<\/a> use advanced analytics to help you research the best players, execute a smart draft, and build a championship-caliber team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Touchdown-only leagues<\/strong> utilize a custom scoring configuration whereby you only earn points for players who score, you guess it, touchdowns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A trade<\/strong> is an exchange of players that is agreed to by both team owners<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trade bait<\/strong> is a player that an owner is interested in trading. This is typically a high value player that can be dangled in front of another owner in the hope that they bite<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The trade deadline<\/strong> is the final date when teams are allowed to make trades. It is usually some time between week ten and week twelve. Trade deadlines are meant to prevent teams from making lop-sided trades late in the season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A transaction<\/strong> is any alteration to your team\u2019s roster<\/a>, including adding, dropping<\/a>, or trading a player.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A transaction deadline<\/strong> is Undroppable<\/strong> refers to a player that, once on a team’s roster<\/a>, cannot be dropped<\/a> except in extreme circumstances (like the player goes on IR). is Most leagues make it so that owners are not allowed to drop<\/a> any of the top 50 players in the league. This is done In order to avoid Value-based drafting<\/strong> is a fantasy football draft strategy. It promotes the idea that a player isn\u2019t worth how many points he scores total, but rather how many points he scores versus other players at his position. This is why running backs and wide receivers tend to be drafted above quarterbacks, despite the fact that most quarterbacks will tend to score more points overall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A vulture back<\/strong> is a running back that scores a significant amount of touchdowns in near the goal-line. The thought is that these players are A Popular Fantasy Football Terms and Definitions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
3rd Year WR Rule<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Add\/Drop<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Auction Draft<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Automated Draft<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Basic Scoring System<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Bench Players<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Bonus Scoring<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Boom-Or-Bust<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Breakout<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Bust<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Bylaws<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Ceiling<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Cheat Sheet<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Collusion<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Commissioner<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Custom-Scoring System<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Cut<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Deep League<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Depth Chart<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Draft<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Draft Board<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Draft Dasher<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Draft League<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Drop<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Dynasty League<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Exempt<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Fire Sale<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Fleecing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Flex<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Flier or flyer<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Floor<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Free Agent<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Game-Time Decision<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
General Manager<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Ghost Ship<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Handcuff<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
IDP (Individual Defensive Player) Leagues<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Head-to-head<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Keeper League<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Lame Duck<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
League<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
League Almanac<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
League Manager<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
League Settings<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Linear Draft<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Line<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Lineup<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Mock Draft<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Online Draft<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Owner<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Performance Scoring<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Pickup<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Player Rankings<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Playoff League<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Private League<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Prize League<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Projections<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Public League<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Reserve<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Roster<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Roster Limit<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Serpentine Draft Or Snake Draft<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Sleeper<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Standard Scoring<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Stream<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Stud<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Superflex<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Team Defense<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Third-Year Wide Receiver<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Tiers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Tools<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Touchdown-Only Leagues<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Trade<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Trade Bait<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Trade Deadline<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Transaction<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Transaction Deadline<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Undroppable<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Value-Based Drafting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Vulture Back<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Waiver Hawk<\/h3>\n\n\n\n