If you are a newbie to the world of NFL fantasy football, first of all, welcome aboard. It took me a while to get into it and now I am glad I did. It makes the games better, which was hard for me to believe, since I already loved the NFL. Competition keeps us on our toes and gives us incentive to pay closer attention to the games. It is one thing to cheer for your favorite team each week, but having your fantasy team destroy your opponent makes each Sunday a little better.
If this is your first season playing fantasy football, there are a few things to keep in mind to prevent people in your league from loathing you. These are not mandatory rules, just some friendly guidelines to keep you from being ‘that guy’ or ‘that girl’. There are just a few unwritten rules about playing fantasy football that will help you avoid being left off the invite list next season. So I am going to write them down for you now.
7. Don’t offer ridiculous trades that you are hoping someone is dumb enough or drunk enough to fall for. It won’t work, for one. And as a bonus you will be remembered as the annoying guy who thinks he is playing with a bunch of idiots who would fall for such a trade.
6. Try to communicate with your league members at least some during the season. Text messages, emails, or message board posts show you’re engaged in the fantasy season.
5. Do not forget to set your line-up! This is vital to you getting invited back next season to the same league. There is nothing worse than seeing your fantasy opponent’s lineup include two or three guys who are injured or on bye weeks. That shows them that you do not care about the league at all. And even worse, is if you luck up and beat them on weeks you forget to set your line-up. Death threats could ensue in this scenario.
4. Joining a couple of NFL fantasy football leagues is fine. I would say three is enough though. Anymore and there is no way all these leagues can hold your attention….unless you have no job, no family to spend time with, and no need to ever leave your house. I am sure there are some folks who can juggle seven or more fantasy teams, but that would take more time than running a real NFL team.
3. This one won’t make your league members mad at you, it will just make your playing experience less fun. Make time to do a live draft. Setting the auto picks is just not the same. Draft night is the best part of fantasy football in my opinion. I know everyone is super busy these days, but you can carve out an hour or two for draft night.
2. When you are drafting your team, you don’t need to use the entire clock to make your selection every time. I can see using every second to decide between Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers. However, you should have a good idea mapped out about the players you want and not just wing it each round.
1. Don’t name your team the Falcons or the Bears. Try to be original and do a catchy name, as that is part of the fun as well. These may lead you in the right direction: Megatron’s Johnson, Revis and Butthead, and InGorious Staffords.