Fantasy Sports

....

Monday, November 21, 2011

Steps in Playing Fantasy NBA

Together with the internet rapid grow and popularity, the fantasy sports have become well-known too, and these include the fantasy basketball or also known as fantasy NBA.

With fantasy NBA game you can be able to organize your own team of real NBA player onto a team. A winner is determined by how you control your own team against the other fantasy teams. There are easy steps to play fantasy NBA

First, learn the format for NBA fantasy basketball. A fantasy league is made up of "owners" who draft real NBA players onto their teams, track the real life stats of the players on those teams and manage those teams during the season.

Second, since there are many fantasy NBA leagues to choose from find one that intrigues you.

Third, study the player stats, who plays where, what players have changed teams and how that will impact their statistics.

Next is to do the draft. Rank your players for the draft.

Fifth step is to pay close attention to the NBA; know how your players are performing, work to improve your team all season, make trades with other teams, claim players that are on waivers or are free agents.

Lastly, enjoy every game. Learn how you can improve every year.

In a fantasy NBA, you also have to learn the different categories to be used for your league. An assigned commissioner is the one who chooses the categories to be used; it is important that it was chosen carefully to maintain a fair weight for all positions.

A Fantasy NBA leagues usually track 3 to 11 categories which are as follows:

• For fantasy NBA league with 3 categories it is typically involves NBA statics for points, rebounds and assists.
• For fantasy NBA league with 5 categories it usually consists of points, rebounds, assists, block and steals.
• For fantasy NBA league with 8 categories it involves points, rebounds, assists, blocks, steals, free throws, 3 point field goals or goal percentages
• For fantasy NBA league with 9 categories it includes points, rebounds, assists, blocks, steals, free throw, 3 point field goals or goal percentages and the additional turnovers category.
• There are some sites that accept the foul statics as a category but this is very rarely. On the other hand, there are also leagues that focuses more on rebounds, then break it into two types: defensive rebound and the offensive rebound

Among these categories, most leagues use the eight statistical categories in compiling their league rankings. Why it needs to determine what categories your league uses? This is to be able to totally stats for your team’s point total. For example, in a 10-team league, 10 points would be awarded to the manager who has the highest number in a specific category, down to one point to the manager with the lowest number in that category. The steps are repeated for other statistical categories to give each manager a total number of points. Those points determine the fantasy league's overall standings.




Kinds of Fantasy Sports League

There are actually so many fantasy sports contest around the globe that you can participate to. In fact, there are now over 20 million Americans playing nationwide in this growing industry, and many people still wants to join a fantasy league. Interested now? Well, there are so many sports site where you can join but prior joining it is important that you know first the kind of fantasy sports league you are joining, and here the most common of them:

The first and most recommended fantasy sports kind, I believe, is the Single-Season Fantasy League or also mentioned to as a "single-year" league. The good thing about this kind of league is that, it refreshes every year. Every year new drafts are being held prior to upcoming seasons, no teams, rosters or any information from the past is carry over. These traditional leagues follow a single-year format only and are the most common type league in fantasy sports today. If you would like to start fresh every year with entirely new group of players, this is just so right for you.

Dynasty Fantasy League or also referred to as a "total-keeper" league. A kind of league that is most suitable for serious owners only. Why? Because most of the owners of these leagues are fantasy sports fanatics; owners that loves and enjoy managing their teams both during off-season and regular season. The mechanics for this kind of league is different from the first one. After the season has end, each team's entire roster is carried over through the off-season. However, they can still do swapping of teams or acquired new players as well during a series of off-season draft rounds, but a large number of the team is kept in place from year to year.

Another kind of fantasy sports league is the Rollover Fantasy League or also known as “partial- keeper”. From the word itself, each team can keep a set number of players at the end of each season to be on their roster for next year. This is just so perfect for the owners who enjoy the draft part of fantasy sports, but wants to keep a nucleus of players from year to year. Also, for owner that wants to start out slowly to see if he/she enjoys keeping some of their players on a year to year.

The newest type of fantasy sports league, the one day Fantasy League, is another enjoyable and enticing kind of league. You can win prizes everyday in this kind of league. No season long commitment, no bars. This is where starter can enjoy fantasy sports.

You can try whatever kind of fantasy sports league you prefer. But if you are new, better start with the Single-Season Fantasy League. But if you do decide to join a dynasty or rollover league, just be prepared enough for your initial draft as these are players you are likely to have on your roster for several years.



Are You Prepared for Your Fantasy NBA Draft?

You’ve been keeping tabs on every big moves in the nba sports world so that when you finally draft your fantasy team, you are confident that you know which players to pick. If you are prepared then you won’t have a hard time when draft day comes. You’ll be calm and confident but this isn’t the reality for most people unfortunately. There are those who fail in their preparation and in the long run lose the game.

As the NBA preseason kicks off, many of you will be preparing for your fantasy NBA drafts. Most of you will be doing live and auto-pick drafts online, while a few will be participating in the coveted offline draft. No matter what format you play, you will need a strategy so you can be successful against the ever-improving “average fantasy player.”

Rank the players
The first thing to do is to establish your personal player rankings. Create a top 10 list to make it easy for Point Guards, Shooting Guards, Small Forwards, Power Forwards and Centers as well as the next-best players list and guys to not sleep on for each position. Try to add a sleepers list from all teams too.

In rankings, use the previous stats of players from last season or last year, lines from their entire career, their averages and also evaluating how much untapped potential the player has. You should also look at their injury history. Does the player misses games each year or he has a nagging injury? How easy is it for the player to come back from injury? This will definitely give you a better picture of the player. Do not choose a player because he is your favorite, intuition and favoritism are one of the plagues that will weigh you down on your victory. A technique here is to not look at the names of players when looking at their stats, some fantasy managers would solely look at stats of a player and they would ignore the name. You can try that one too.

In fantasy NBA, most players are allowed to play multiple positions so don’t worry that you wound up with a team of small forwards since some of them can play shooting guards and some can also play power forward. You should concern yourself more with the talents of each player. Rank your players position in order to give you a broader scope. There is also trading if in case you wind up overstocked at one position.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

How to Join a Fantasy Sports Betting League

In recent years fantasy sports betting has been rapidly growing and is now on the verge of slowly taking over the world as well. More and more Americans are now hopping to the side of fantasy sports betting. Today, there are many websites that offer fantasy sports ranging from the free ones to the ones where a player has to pay fees for membership.
These websites also offer great prizes for the winners. For people who don’t have the knowledge yet, there are several ways where one can join a league, here are great and easy examples for noobies.

Organize One!
The league doesn’t have to be big and players can also organize one from friends or colleagues.
You can do this too if you are just getting started with fantasy sports betting. Getting your first fantasy football league ready doesn’t mean you have to follow any fixed standards as the idea primarily is to have loads of fun. There are no rights or wrongs out there when fun and unlimited excitement is what is aimed at. You just need to get people at least 8 of them and you can expand to 16 people at most.
You can ask your friends who know the basic about it and ask them to teach you how it goes as well.

Depending on the number of teams in your fantasy football league, determines how many divisions are needed. For many, a total of 3 divisions is great and works well according to their requirement. For the success of your league and excellence in the game, you need to be very choosy while picking a commissioner. The choice of a commissioner can stand between success and failure in fantasy football. It is also among the most important fantasy football tips offered to people before they join up.

Go online!
There are many websites out there that offers free membership and can hook you up easily with joining a league. Just make sure that the site you joined in is legal and has a good feedback from people. You can try using third party wallet accounts like paypal instead of putting in your credit card information.
There are also tips online about fantasy sports betting where you can spend a good amount of time reading. Online websites have their own rules so reading them is a strict requirement so you can understand well of what you are dealing with.

Having Fun in Fantasy Sports Betting

It is truly enjoyable to be an avid sports fan. Being one gives you something to look forward to like the games you can watch after going home from school or after a long day from work. It is a fantastic way to relax, take away the stress we get from our daily activities and have fun. Rooting for your favorite team and player gives you a good sense of excitement every time they’re up for a game. Of course, there is a more heightened sense of excitement and fun in playing fantasy sports betting. It is just like betting on real sports and the difference is you can bet on your own fantasy team that you own or bet on other teams to win. This gives you more control on who will win, which eventually gets you hooked.

One of the popular sports that attract millions of sports fans across the globe is American football. This is considered one, if not THE most popular sports in the US. Famous football players started their journey to reach their dreams when they were still young. They trained and practiced until they are fit to qualify and face the physical, mental and emotional demands of this highly competitive sport.

Because we are not blessed with the all the necessary skills and the superior physique needed to play the game, many are happy to just be in the sidelines to watch the game, participate in sports betting, join fantasy leagues or do a combination of both—fantasy sports betting. This endeavor, however, requires serious talent and keen analytical thinking to become successful.

The first thing you have to do is familiarize yourself thoroughly with the game and how it works. Know and understand the rules, terms and game jargons both commonly and rarely used. When that has been done, learn the rules of its variations. It could be a bit difficult to decide and strategize at first, but constant practice and participation would give you the hang of it.

So when you need assistance in your Super Bowl spread, fantasy football players, and many other concerns, the Internet is a goldmine. It is a good source of information when it comes to football betting and fantasy contests.

Take your love of football a notch higher by taking part in fantasy sports betting. Enjoy and take pleasure in it while learning new and exciting things about the world of football! See you and your fantasy team online, and let’s start betting on which team will win.

Great Reasons to Participate in Fantasy Sports Betting!

People who love sports betting are looking at fantasy sports betting and most of them are hopping in on the wagon. A lot of people argue that the grass is greener when it comes to fantasy sports betting, well it can’t be any better. So why don’t we get on the low down why fantasy sports betting is a good sport to participate in?

*It’s fun!
Of course it’s fun and relieves stress for people who work hours on end. The online community of fantasy sports betting is filled with likeminded creatures like you who love to joke around the message boards, share tips and meet new friends. The challenging way of playing can add spice to your fantasy sports betting activity and you can even win some cash aside from bragging rights.

*There are thousands of players if not by the millions
Players are definitely coming in huge numbers, you can play heads up with someone or play against hundreds of players. Either way, it’s not going to be boring.

*It’s legal
You are not doing something against the law when playing fantasy sports betting so go ahead and play without a worry. You don’t need to hide anything and feel free to play in the open and even get to share it with friends.

*A chance to win big!
There are official fantasy betting contests or competitions that are held where you can get a chance to win $500,000. Of course you must have the talents and skills in order to win such a huge amount.

*Great array of contests
There are a lot of contests that you can join so you wouldn’t get bored easily. There are seasonal ones but these could tie your money up for the whole duration so if you’re looking for short commitments in fantasy sports betting, daily and weekly contests are also available. Pick whatever suits you best and which one is more convenient for you. You don’t have to participate in the seasonal ones if you think you can’t commit to such a lengthy course of contest. On the other hand, if you like the excitement and adrenaline rush that long contests produce then by all means, join it and have fun.

*Easy Payment System
Most fantasy sports betting sites accept paypal or credit cards so you don’t have to go through annoying processes that plagued the payment system before and withdrawal are also easy. Just make sure the site that you joined is legal, has a good customer service and can be trusted.

Getting You Started with Fantasy Betting

There are many hardcore sports devotees who are good with sports facts and their numbers aching to try out fantasy betting. After all, with a nice grasp on sports statistics and handicapping it should be easy to win, right? Oddsmakers set betting lines based on what the uninformed betting public knows. How hard can it be to pick winners better than the betting public?

Sadly, getting a positive outcome in sports betting is not that easy. All it takes is one person who is a lot better informed than you do and you’re up for a difficult climb. Not only is the best handicapper likely to be betting the maximum amount allowable at any sportsbook they frequent, but differences in the odds from one sportsbook to another are quickly eliminated as line shoppers arbitrage away any significant differences.

If you are an expert in sports analysis and want to earn a profit from this knowledge, is there an easy way to do this? Yes, there is, and this new legal form that just came out recently has started to create a buzz in the sorts betting world. A good number of daily fantasy betting sites have emerged, and they all share a number of advantages over traditional sports betting.

Here are a few things about fantasy betting to help you get started.

• Fantasy betting is legal. It has been specifically excluded from laws that prohibit sports betting, making it entirely legal.
• Transactions can be done through credit cards or via PayPal, and money is easily withdrawn via check. There are no hassles and uncertainties when doing money transactions from gambling sites.
• Because the games are based on the performance of individual players, a larger variety of games are available.

However, don’t get the wrong idea because these are not like your traditional fantasy games. Rather than having your money tied up for a full season, most of these games last just for one day. You pick a team for the day, and results are based on the performance of your players that same day. The games can range from heads up (two players) up to 100 players or more. The sites that host the contests have the look, feel, and the business model of online poker sites.

Here are some features that set apart the different fantasy betting sites.

• A wide range of user interfaces.
• Salary cap format games. Some sites also offer live draft games where player selection follows a traditional fantasy sports draft.
• Different rake values, from as high as 20% to less than 10%.
• A variety of sports available. Most sites offer baseball, football, and basketball. Some also offer hockey and NASCAR racing.
• Chat features that give some fantasy betting sites more of a communal feel than others.

From Traditional to Fantasy Betting

If you have ever purchased a sports betting ticket, you will understand why pro football has got to be the most fiendish invention ever created. It doesn’t matter if you are up-to-date with all the stats or if you receive the most valuable tips, because there is a very fine line between winning and losing, and you are never guaranteed a win even if it is a sure thing to happen.

A good example is last season’s NFL wildcard weekend between the defending champions New Orleans Saints versus the horrid Seattle Seahawks (8-9). If you asked anybody that time, they all agreed it was a sure thing, and statistics show that the Seahawks are the first team to come into the playoffs with a record below .500.

So if the fabled “sure thing” in sports existed, this definitely had to be it.

However, Seattle scored a late fourth quarter touchdown, putting them up by 11 points. This effectively ruined the bet, and essentially destroyed the mythical “sure thing” in sports gambling.

This is the lure of sports betting. When you come close to winning, you get sucked into the black hole of betting the week after. Betting on football each week can’t be called an addiction, but it may be habit-forming. That’s why I decided to stop wasting my money away on gambling and start putting money into fantasy betting!

Fantasy betting on football involves some of the same principles as traditional sports gambling. Instead of placing your bets on which teams will win each week, you draft a team of players you expect will perform well. You get to select the players you want in your lineup and those in your bench. You then match your fictional team against someone else’s lineup on a weekly basis throughout the entire football season.

If your players do well, you should win games, amass a respectable win-loss record, make the playoffs and earn your payoff by taking the league championship. If you make a huge mistake in your lineup one week, it’s not going to cost you any money in the short term. I am not saying you won’t get screwed over in fantasy betting by the unpredictable nature of sports—because you will—but at least when it happens you’ve got some very specific targets to vent your frustrations on: the players who failed you and the opponent who beat you.

Fantasy football can be played for free because you’re not required to put any money down to join an online league. However, when your money does become involved, think of it as a long term investment—made over the course of an entire season—requiring you to make weekly “micro-gambles” on the stats players will put up every week.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Choosing a Fantasy Football League

For beginners, it may be a bit overwhelming to choose a league, let alone intimidating. I know a lot of owners out there who joined several leagues and if you’re not good enough it could swamp you. The trick is to choose the fantasy football league that suits you best, a league may work well for another player but not for you. It takes time and patience but you’ll get to choosing that league that will work like a charm for you.

When it comes to picking up a real fantasy football league with real fantasy competition, you should know as much as you can about the other fantasy football owners, When someone is recruiting you to their league and you hear a series of statements, here are the things you should be giving a thought:
See if the Price is Right
Study a few Anecdotes and learn from it
Check out a list of champions
Get a copy of the full scoring system
Get a list of rules
Have a talk with the commissioner

The first question that a person wishing to play in this fantasy sport is “How much is the Entry fee if there’s any and how much is the Prize Money?”
There’s a league that has ‘winner-takes-all’ while on the other hand there are leagues that have prize money for the top 3 finishers in a 50-30-20 split. Other leagues that offer weekly prizes for top points or single-play top points also exist. There are a lot of options to choose from but the most important thing is to make sure that the league won’t overwhelm you, the prize money is right and is handed fairly, whatever fits as fair for you and it’s on time. We’re talking about money here, of course we want it on time and that it won’t be delayed.

It won’t hurt to listen to stories about the league. Draw some stories from the league members or those who invited you to join. A lot of fantasy football owners love to talk about the past so it shouldn’t be hard for you. You’ll hear great picks and trades that were pulled off greatly and other rueful stories from others.

You should also learn who wins each year. Seeing a number of league champions would of course give you a good picture about the league. It shows how competitive they are and you can also learn a thing or two from them.

Cheat Sheets and Trading with Fantasy Football Drafting

Drafting is a serious business for fantasy football managers and if this is your game then it should be your business where you can be good at, being bad is not an option.

Once you have prepared everything that you need for drafting and have drafted the best player available and not drafting them by any sort of order then pulling out your cheat sheet is just in time!

When drafting with Fantasy Football, keep your beloved cheat sheet to yourself. It doesn’t do you a lot of good to “share” your cheat sheet with anyone else, trust me I learned the hard way. You may also commit the same mistake of sharing it with another manager like I did and he ended up with a better record than I did. So remember to keep the cheat sheet dear to you alone.

If you are over 21 years old then you can bring the beer but don’t be tempted to drink it. It is of course common sense that beer is a sort of agent that can poison the functioning of the brain momentarily and be able to use your brain power at 100% here is essential if you want to make a good record. By bringing beer, you can even give it to the others and you will be helping yourself since your opponents won’t be at full speed while under the influence.

You should also observe quietly your opponents since watching other drafters can give you a good idea what you should be doing and there are also bad examples of drafters that you shouldn’t be following.

When you are in between picks it’s also a good time to give trading a thought. Maybe you’re sure your big sleeper is going to be picked before your next turn, so try trading your next two picks for a higher pick. If you think you have created a mistake about your picks then now is the time to correct it. Come out ahead with trading, you should also check out a draft pick calculator which is available in websites online.

Remember that your last few draft picks should be on some long shots. Never waste your time with these old picks on veteran players that have consistently scored a couple of points per game. Why not take a chance on rookie quarterbacks or a backup running back with a big upscale.

Building a Fantasy Football Dynasty

I love playing in fantasy football dynasty leagues and I think I’m pretty good at playing in them. This gives me the privilege to pass along a few very useful tips that may help those who are currently playing in one and for those who are considering playing in one. With some luck and skill and hopefully the use of these tips, you as well can enjoy building a dominant dynasty team.

• The Initial Draft

The most common mistake during a fantasy football dynasty draft is either drafting too young or too old. To achieve a competitive team that will not burn out on you, you need to draft a quality mix of both the young and the veterans. Don’t make the mistake of passing on the established veteran who can give you 2-3 more years of solid quality starts over the unproven rookie. The ideal veteran to draft is a player that, if everything goes smoothly, has 3-4 years left in the tank and can still produce at a high level. Once you get some value out of him, you can then look to deal him while he still holds decent value and can get you something in return. Watching your former stud decline or even retire on you is a bad place to be in. When getting rookies only invest a top draft pick on the truly elite—the guys everyone just knows will be true studs in fantasy terms are who you should take the risk on.

• In-Season Play

For the most part, in-season play is the same as your regular redraft leagues. I feel there is a little more importance in doing the little things in a dynasty league compared to a redraft league. A mistake or a missed opportunity can affect your dynasty team for years to come instead of a single season.

Don’t burn a top waiver wire priority. Be patient, don’t panic and make sure you get a player of value instead of just filling a minor need. Instead, use your lower waiver priority. Don’t be afraid to use that 9th to 12th priority over and over again. You have nothing to lose so you might as well take a chance. Most dynasties have deeper rosters than a redraft league allowing you some room for adding and dropping players. You have nothing to lose and you may be rewarded with a player who can contribute for years to come for your dynasty team.

• Trading

Trading is essential and you are more likely to see more blockbuster deals in fantasy football dynasty leagues. Draft picks get involved, and sometimes future picks as far ahead as a couple of years can be thrown into deals, making you think even harder about whether a deal will work for you. There are generally three common kinds of trades. The first is the simple deal, which is more of a straight up trade. There’s also the playoff run, where an owner is willing to sacrifice some of his young players to bone up his roster. Finally, there are trades for the team that just needs to rebuilt, dealing away veterans for younger players or draft picks. The last two are what you can really take advantage of to improve your team.

For an owner that is missing that one piece they feel is needed to make a playoff run, they will overpay. If you have that piece, make them pay. And if you are in a position of power, push the limits to see how much you can get. Look over his roster, choose who you want and go get them. Quite often you will get them for a reasonable price, sometimes even cheaper then you thought. Despair is your friend when making deals in fantasy football.

An Overview on the Basic Strategy of Daily Fantasy Baseball

Daily fantasy baseball games are a great test of skill as the playing field is completely leveled each day, and you only need to handicap a single game or match-up for your team. You simply figure out which players will put up the most daily fantasy baseball points for the day and use your salary cap as effectively as possible to get those essential players on your team. It sounds pretty simple, but there are tons of things to consider when putting together a competitive daily fantasy baseball team. I will try to cover some of the basics here.

In the real estate industry, there is principle they follow called location/location/location. In the fantasy baseball world, as well as in real baseball in general, its counterpart should go pitching/pitching/pitching. Pitching is as important in daily fantasy baseball as location is in real estate. A daily fantasy team is basically a baseball team you put together for a single game. If you need to win a single game, what do you do? You send your ace pitcher to the mound. In real baseball, the starting pitcher is a very important factor in winning a game. If your starter throws a shutout, you will need very little hitting to win. If your starter gets shelled and sent to the bench in the third inning, it is unlikely you will get enough hitting to overcome this. Pitching counts for about 1/2 of your chances of winning, and as such counts for about 1/2 of your team's fantasy score. Your selection of starting pitcher is as important as it gets.

Ranking Cap Games

For a ranking cap game in fantasy baseball, you will spend ten times the average fantasy points scored per game for that player. A pitcher who costs 220 points puts up 22 points on average this season. For pitching, a minimum cap value of 140 is used and a maximum cap value of 250 is used. Selecting a stud pitcher with a 250-point value will leave you very little for your offensive players, while selecting a 140-point cap pitcher will leave you quite a bankroll for your position players. Position players have a maximum of 45 and a minimum of 10 points for their caps.

Salary Cap Games

While ranking cap values are based on performance, salary cap games are based on pay. If pay was equal to performance in baseball, we would have identical systems. Fortunately, that is not the case. The salaries for starting pitchers are their 2008 salary divided by 32, which is the average number of starts. For position players, it is per game salary for 2008. 150K is the minimum salary for a pitcher, 420K is the maximum. Position players use a minimum of 10K and do not have a maximum. What is nice about the salary cap is the values do not change during the year. For salary cap games, you will go through the same process as above, and will end up selecting a rookie or young underpaid pitcher with the minimum or close to the minimum salary. The top-paid pitchers are not better than these types of pitchers to justify blowing most of your cap on them. Once you find the best cheap pitcher available, you draft your position players. You will use the same thought process as above, except you would also want to tend to pick players from the top of the list that is sorted by rank cap value. If a player with a 10K cap is at the top of the list, you simply take them. You will blow your cap on a couple of key performers after gobbling up all of the bargains.

No Cap Contests

For these, you have no salary constraints. You consider the items above and select whoever you think will put up the most fantasy points for each position. Since the lists are sorted by ranking cap value, you are best off selecting from the top or near the top of the list for each position.

An Essential Daily Fantasy Football Draft Guide

Want to become really good in playing daily fantasy football? Here is an essential guide to follow to be a successful daily fantasy football player.

1. Be prepared when you face the drafting circle.

What You Should Do: Get a copy of the rulebook of your daily fantasy football league. Know the scoring system and scoring method. Be aware of the prize disbursement in the league. Make a cheat sheet that you can always look at during drafting time. Do your research, especially on NFL players who you think are sleepers in the game.

2. Make sure you have your drafting equipment.

What You Should Do: Know what you need before you step out of the league. Bring the money you need when you get there. Always have your cheat sheet with you. You worked hard to make that list so you better bring it. Bring resources like NFL magazines and what not that you can use. Bring a pen or a pencil, whichever you prefer. Bring a highlighter. Bring two different colors so you can highlight the name of the players you have in one color, and the players that are not available in another color. Feel like a real NFL team owner or, at the very least, a coach by bringing a clip board. You cannot write on the floor or on your knees for two hours right? It’s torture. Have a cover or folder so that you can keep your sheet private and no one will be able to see your picks. Get a blank draft roster grid.

3. Encourage your commissioner to become more innovative in the league’s gameplay and drafting session.

4. Be quiet and try to observe.

What You Should Do: You should be able to pay attention to what other players in your fantasy football league have chosen. Focus on what others have picked because if people have four running backs while your roster only says two, you have had a bad drafting session. When you keep a low profile, people will not give you a bad label or be wary of you. When you sit down, be quiet and just observe. You will notice a lot about other people and you can learn from the tricks they have and the things that should be avoided.

5. Be very wary about the bye weeks.

What You Should Do: Never draft a backup quarterback when at the same time as the bye week of your starter. The action kind of defeats the purpose of drafting that quarterback.

Ark ADP of Fantasy Football

What is ADP you ask? Well my little fantasy football rookie, it means Average Draft Position and this is very important when dealing with fantasy football if you wish to be a manager of a fantasy team. Websites compile an archive of the results of the internet drafts that took place. Programs are used to take the sum total of the drafts and come up with an independent statistics for where players are being drafted in this year’s draft.
These are real drafts with real fantasy owners, so you’re getting the closest thing you can have this time of year to a picture of what your drafts are going to look like.
This is a good tool to take certain information from.

Some leagues don’t really follow the script entirely according to what the average drafter is doing. More often than not, a few number of those people listed are going to be off the board, but that means a handful of players who are drafted on average by 3.4 spot are going to be available. ADP is not really a science but it does show you the possibilities. It gives owners the reassurance that by looking at a mock draft tells them that they are going to get a player of a certain tier or caliber at a spot.

Owners make use of mock drafts but these are different from an ADP since it is entirely in the realm of fantasy. These are draft projections of what you think your draft is going to look like if you are playing.
You can make a mock draft of your own if you have been playing in a league for at least 5 years with the same owners. This will give you enough experience with them and have the knowledge of the other owners’ tendencies, likes, and dislikes involving other players. Taking what you know about the prevailing mood of fantasy football owners in a particular year through ADP lists, together with what you’ve seen from fantasy expert’s mock drafts can help you create a reliable mock draft of your own.

Mock drafts can help you set up a full draft strategy once you have understood the game and ADPs well. These will help you get an idea what your starting lineup will look like and helps you be prepared. You can ask your friends in a league to help you make one if you are having trouble.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Daily Fantasy Hockey - A Whole New Game

While the NHL may be slow to change, the world of fantasy hockey has been evolving quickly. Just a few years back it seemed your only option was a rotisserie based league, which grew into head to head, auction drafts, etc. Just recently, I've started to get hooked on a new way of playing fantasy hockey: Daily Leagues. While it's no replacement for the grind, planning, trash talking, and ultimate reward of a season-long league, it does offer a great alternative with immediate benefit.

Here's how it tends to work: you go head to head with one opponent, or a room of opponents and draft a salary-based roster for one night's action. At the end of the day, stats are totaled and winner takes all. That's it. Immediate gratification.

There are a number of sites popping up that offer daily fantasy hockey. For me the best is Fantasy Factor. Most of these sites offer a few different options for hockey, along with NFL, NBA, and MLB. Perhaps the best part of sites like Fantasy Factor is that you can actually win cash every night, or play for free. When you sign up for a game, you pick what level you want to play at and who you want to play against.

As daily fantasy hockey continues to grow in popularity, fantasy players will have to change their mindset a bit when it comes to strategy. With this format, you no longer need to concern yourself with particulars, like whether Marty Turco will lose his starting job by February. All that matters is that you know who's starting tonight and who is likely to get hot.

The first strategy you need to master is identifying value in players. With a salary-based budget, it's critical to identify players who are undervalued, so you can free up cap space to spend on a guy like Malkin or Stamkos. In this format, defensemen are of little relative value, so your best bet is to spend the absolute minimum possible on this position. To start the season, guys like John Carlsson and P.K. Subban were very cheap. Their price tag is starting to rise, so you have to be watching for new cheaper options to pop up. On the forward end, some of the Flyer forwards will give a lot of value for little cost. Guys like Leino, Giroux, and Van Riemsdyk are currently undervalued.

Next, identify the 2 cheapest defensemen that have any hope of getting you points. In general, defensemen produce 1/2 as much in points as forwards, so you're wasting your money buy placing a mid to top level defenseman on your roster. One thing to look for at defense is penalty minutes. While points from the D are hard to predict, penalty minutes are more predictable.

After filling your crease and blueline, it's time to spend your money where it matters most, on offense. Start from the bottom up and identify one or two players you can tolerate at a lower pricetag. Next, add a couple of top end forwards to the mix. Finally, play around with the last couple of spots with what you have left. Once you've filled your roster, check how much cap space you have remaining. Take a look at your cheaper options one by one and see how much of an upgrade you make with what you have left.

Daily Fantasy Football Team - How To Build Them

Every year, thousands upon thousands of people embark on the annual pilgrimage known as "The Fantasy Football Draft". Whether it is daily fantasy football or season long football, the most important part of it is the drafting. You get to be the coach, general manager, and team owner all by yourself. There are many thoughts and viewpoints about how to go about selecting a successful fantasy football team, but I want to give you some tips to maximize your success.

1. One of the most important measures is to start off by studying pre-draft guides which are better known as "Strategy guides or Cheat Sheets". Cheat sheets will assist you to break down the approaching draft beforehand and set up your picks in advance. They also make it easier to prevent you from "spontaneity" selections. Begin your research long before the draft. There are a multitudes of online resources to read, and beginning your research ahead of time will save you the difficulty of getting bombarded with the irritating preseason/ pre-draft hoopla that often blows up about unproven or rookie players during the days running up to most fantasy drafts.

2. You would be well advised to participate in Mock Drafts. Almost all fantasy sports sites have mock drafts. Make use of it well and learn from your mistakes and success.

3. An additional suggestion is to build your team around a solid core of running backs. RB’s are thought to be the most crucial position in daily fantasy football, and generally gain the majority of points for a fantasy football league team. The majority of the expert Fantasy Football players believe that taking running backs first is the most important point in drafting a great team. Most successful team owners love to draft at least three starting RB. The reasoning behind the this idea is that basically a star running back frequently supplies a great deal more worth during the course of a season than a mid-level running back, particularly when compared against other popular positions.

4. Refrain from taking quarterbacks too quickly in your fantasy football draft. Take them in the midway portion of your selected draft and save the kickers and defensive units for the final few rounds of a typical draft. Keep from choosing your sleepers (players who fly under the radar prior to the draft) too quickly. Sleeper picks are usually a good bet in the middle to late rounds.

5. Another good idea is to use a player "handcuff". The basic idea of "a player handcuff" is the selection of the top two players from the same team at a given position that serves to protect the fantasy investment with the starting player. Running backs provide a lot of upside, but are probably the most injury-prone position in football, so it might be wise to enlist the substitute to this player in the late rounds.

6. Please try not to be a "fairweather" owner and quit halfway through a season. I have seen this happen way too many times. By no longer maintaining you team on the playing field each week, it's possible to adversely impact your Fantasy League's season by altering the balance of teams and games played. If you stick to the guidelines presented, you will have an advantage over most of your opponents and will likely enjoy a lot of success in your Fantasy Football League.

Fantasy Football Hidden Life Lessons You Will Learn In It

For anyone that is a parent, you realize there are an enormous amount of books and literature telling you just how to raise your kids so they grow up smart and successful. Well, that got me thinking. Many times I am amused by just how helpful being in a fantasy league is in our personal lives. You don't believe me? Well let's try on a few examples and many of them come from real life scenarios with names omitted to protect the guilty.

Relationships: We know pleasant ones are a lot better than bickering ones. Why? Because they make it easier to communicate and we tend to like people that make our lives easier. When you are comfortable, you let your guard down and have a better dialogue without worrying. In relationships, we want to be with people that compliment us and help us to grow. Well what does that have to do with Fantasy? In a word, EVERYTHING. You see, I know in my 15 years of league, the same groups of people always tend to keep putting deals together each year and they do this because, they have "worked" together before and they are comfortable in their relationship prior to any talks of this player for that one. Relationships are the tonic for making things happen and allow you to get to your point quickly without the dance of getting to know a stranger like the time you had your first date with your spouse and you had spinach in your teeth the whole night. Now that is what a relationship is built on!

Money or Business: In business, who would you rather buy from, a stranger you never met or someone who has treated you well in the past and has a track record that you appreciate and makes you feel good when you walk out of the store? I think we would all choose the latter. When we negotiate, we all come into the situation knowing that I am probably not going to walk away from this interaction entirely satisfied. Both sides realize there is a give and take in a business transaction. You may need to give up your backup RB if you really want to get the QB you need. You realize this and are thus happy to throw him in the deal. That is no different than telling the car salesman that you are ready to sign for the car but only if he throws in the satellite radio and a sunroof or the deal is off. Leverage and timing are important aspects in business. He who has the leverage wins! Fantasy has taught you to negotiate a hard bargain and hold out for the best deal possible, especially when you have the leverage. I bet you are counting all those dollars you saved over the years right now because of the skills you learned in fantasy!

Happiness: This is just about life in general. Your status for example can make you happy or sad. The friends and family you have, your education, experiences, travel, hobbies, etc. Yet all of these are essentially negotiations too. Are you going to take that expensive vacation this year to Bora Bora or are you going to put that money towards the kids college fund (including your winnings from this year's daily fantasy football)? Life is about tradeoffs and negotiations. Take it or leave it we tell the travel agent, which is the same thing we said to The Marauders at the trading deadline last year when they were trying to decide at the eleventh hour if they should take auction cash for next season to trade their less than stellar Michael Turner? Something is better than nothing right? Ultimately, getting the things we work towards in life makes us happy, at least temporarily and that is taught every time in fantasy football.

The Fun of Fantasy Betting

It is fun to be a sports fan. Being one enables you to have something to look forward to after a long day in school or the office. It is a great way to relax, unwind and escape from the stress and pressure of your daily routine. Having a team to root for or a player to idolize gives you a different sense of excitement every time they are scheduled to play a game. And of course I would never forget the excitement that fantasy betting gives me. It is like betting on real sports, but here I bet on my fantasy team or I bet on someone else team. So I have more control on who will win. That is why I was hook at it fast.

One of the sports that has lured millions of followers across the globe is American football. In the US, this sport is considered to be the most popular among them all. Some of the most popular professional football players we have now started building their NFL dreams as early as pre-adolescence. They trained and practiced until they were fit enough to qualify for the mental, emotional and physical demands of this sport.

Because not all of us are blessed with the appropriate skill set for a football player, many are just contented to sit back and watch the game, and participate in fantasy football leagues and sports betting or a combination of both – fantasy betting. These activities, however, will still require some serious talent and keen sense from anybody who decides to dive into these.

Of course, you should familiarize yourself with how actual football works. Know and understand the rules, terms and jargons commonly and rarely used. When that has been done, learn the rules of its variations. It could be a bit difficult to decide and strategize at first, but constant practice and participation would give you the hang of it.

So when you need assistance in your Super Bowl spread, fantasy football players, and many more, the internet has loads to offer. It is a good source of information when it comes to football betting and fantasy games.

Take your being a football fan a step higher than usual by being part of this kind of activities. Enjoy and take pleasure in it while learning new and exciting things about the world of football! See you and your fantasy team. And let’s bet on who will win.

Sunday, May 29, 2011

The World of Fantasy Football

The world of fantasy football is a whole new world of excitement and fun. That is why it conquered the US in no time. People from all ages had already heard about fantasy football and had played it too. The power to manage your dream football team with all your favorite stars in it, plus the bragging rights you will get when you defeated your friends is the best part of fantasy football. Not to mention huge cash prizes offer by some fantasy sports site. Are you a fantasy football player? If you are, come and learn more about our favorite past time. If you aren’t, come discover the world of fantasy football and learn how to play and enjoy it.

So just how does fantasy football work? Scoring in fantasy football is done through player achievements by means of stats. The essence of fantasy football is your team is comprised of pro football players playing for you against other players drafted by someone else. If your team’s points add up higher than your opponent’s points, you win the matchup and your game for the week. At the end of the season, the team’s with the best records will advance to the playoffs to play for the championship.

The scoring settings change depending on how your commissioner makes the rules, but some typically scoring settings are +6 points for any touchdown, +1 point for every 10 receiving or rushing yards, +1 point for every 25 passing yards, -2 points for an interception (by the quarterback), +3 points for field goals made, +1 point for a sack by the defense, and so on.

These are not absolute and it is highly recommended that you study your point settings closely before drafting your team. The reason is because your picks should depend on how your league scoring settings are. For example, if your league counts only +4 points for a quarterback touchdown but +6 points for every other touchdown, you should lower your relative value of quarterbacks in comparison to other positions.

How to win at fantasy football?
As you can see, your ability to predict which players will do well before the season starts will create a winning team. In fantasy football, the top stars are often called “fantasy football studs.” Your goal should be to have a team loaded with as many studs as you can get. These top stars are usually drafted in the first round, but as I mentioned earlier, you can sometimes find stars late in the draft. These fantasy football sleepers often make the difference between being a winner and just mediocre.

I hope that by now, you have a clearer idea on how fantasy football works. If you are a beginner, I strongly advice to try fantasy football on a free site. Build your first fantasy football team without any fear that you will lose your hard earned money so that you can focus on your first game. Practice makes perfect. So make sure to practice first before really going on to the fight.

Fantasy Football league – Knowing How To Join In

With the rapid growth of fantasy football in the US in recent years (and slowly taking over the whole world too), many Americans now want to join the fun and be involved in fantasy football league. There are many websites that offers fantasy sports (some are free and some are not) that you can join. There are also websites that offers huge prizes for winners. Many fantasy players always begin in joining a small fantasy football league to get a taste of the fun and excitement while also practicing to get the big prizes later on.

You can join and organize a league taking anyone you like from friends, relatives to even co-workers. Getting your first fantasy football league ready doesn’t mean you have to follow any fixed standards as the idea primarily is to have loads of fun. There are no rights or wrongs out there when fun and unlimited excitement is what is aimed at.

You need to get together a team for a league and they could comprise of 8 to 16. Depending on the resources in your locality you should get a team done. But you should also keep in mind that the intensity of the competition and the fun would get scaled down with too few teams. Owners in that case would find it hard to get top level players or get enough competition going. Your aim would be to keep the number of your teams as equal as possible.

Depending on the number of teams in your fantasy football league, the number of divisions would be determined. For many, a total of 3 divisions is great and works well according to their requirement. For the success of your league and excellence in the game, you need to be very choosy while picking a commissioner. The choice of a commissioner can stand between success and failure in fantasy football. It is also among the most important fantasy football tips offered to people before they join up.

Commissioners require to be trusted by all the other owners and under his or her watch rest the fantasy football drafts, games scoring and the league set up. It can be the most tedious of tasks and to help the commissioner along, an assistant is also roped in. It would require an extra position in fantasy football. For every season you should get together a plan of at least thirteen games that would exclude playoffs lasting for 3 weeks. Your nfl fantasy football season should not be lasting more than an actual NFL season in real terms. These are basically the rules followed in fantasy league football.

Fantasy football drafts would depend on the league you set up. There are many leagues that just hold one draft at the initial stages during the league set up and after that, it is for the rookies. For selecting fantasy football players you got to have a draft during the league set up stage.

You can go for an auction where very owner would be given a salary cap depending on a pre-determined amount. At least 15 players from each team will need to fill up the roster. One tight end, defense, quarterback and place kicker, 2 running backs and wide receivers are among the fantasy football picks.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Fantasy Sports Basic Starters

Fantasy sports has become increasingly popular in today's society, as people enjoy living vicariously through their favorite players and teams. Fantasy sports can help fans feel like they are part of the action, as they root for their "teams" to do well each night. Internet access has allowed the fantasy world to expand by leaps and bounds as people have access to vast quantities of statistical information. Here are a few thoughts on how people can get started with it

Find a league. Plenty of websites such as ESPN, Yahoo, and Fantasy Factor run free fantasy leagues. For the more daring player, pay leagues can also be found. Oftentimes, friends and co-workers are good people to play with and leagues can be easily set up. If no one else creates a league, a person can easily set up their own league and invite people to play.

Learn the rules. The next step in fantasy play is learning the rules of that particular league. Various leagues have different rules for scoring, substitutions, and player-to-player competitions. It is important to understand these details so that people pick players accordingly.

Do your homework. After understanding league rules, it is time to do homework on players. This is where people have to decide how serious they want to be. Also, people have to distinguish between "stars" and people who pile up stats. The two do not always go together.

Read your history. Looking at players should also include at least a cursory look at previous seasons. Sometimes players were hurt or in different playing situations, which can make their current statistics a bit deceiving. Looking at past seasons can help in finding players that may have been forgotten because they are no longer on people's "radar."

Pre-ranks and flexibility. Typically fantasy sports will have some sort of draft. Sometimes this draft is "live" and other times people put in their selections and the computer picks for them. What is important in this stage of the process is to have some sort of plan. People should rank their players so that when it is their turn, they have some idea of what to do. Usually in a live draft people will have limited time to pick. If they don't plan ahead, they may have to make a snap judgment, which may or may not end well.

Leave your heart at the door. Finally, people have to remember that winning fantasy sports is about setting aside sentimentality. A person's favorite players may not be the best statistical choices, so if people want to win, they may have to leave their favorite players off of their "team." Other than that, fantasy sports should be enjoyed for what it is. Some people can get a bit obsessed, so people should make sure they can let it go before getting involved.

Have fun. Most of all, people have to remember that fantasy basketball is about having fun. If people are getting all stressed out, then perhaps they should take a year off and re-evaluate. Getting started in fantasy basketball can certainly be an enjoyable diversion for some, but the result should not be concern and stress. If that is the case, people should look to get started with another hobby.

Monday, May 2, 2011

Try Fantasy Sports at A Young Age

Long ago, it was a decision on whether to trade a piece of cardboard bearing one name for another. Baseball trading cards were the tools by which youngsters placed value on players. Today, children are able to use those same techniques in building and running a major league baseball franchise, a professional basketball team or its pro basketball equivalent. The children, acting as owners, attempt to make the same moves a general manager might make in hopes of strengthening a team. With the advent of the Internet, more and more children are finding their way into the virtual front offices of professional sports franchises. And the benefits are many. Here are some:

1. Youngsters develop a plan in building their own team. They choose a team name and in some online leagues can decide on a team uniform color and logos. They must decide how to put the pieces of the team together.

2. Most leagues begin with a player draft. This requires youngsters to again develop a plan, this one involving researching players and those players' chances of achieving success in the next season. This could be based on past performance, a different situation for a player such as a move to a new team, or just a gut feeling.

3. Next, the children will watch how their teams perform early in the season. They'll find out quickly if their plan is working and which, if any, strategies they'll need to change. It's a lesson on problem-solving skills young people will find few other places.

4. Since the fantasy games are based on statistics, children are constantly analyzing numbers, some without even realizing it. It's worth the effort, they soon find out, because the results of those numbers determine where the child stands in comparison with other teams in his league.

5. Even with online leagues where children could compete against total strangers - overseen by an adult, of course - there is a social aspect to fantasy leagues. Most virtual leagues allow team owners to discuss with each other their teams and their strategies. They're likely to talk over possible trades, where they can learn that the best trades are those that benefit both parties. While school is in session, students can form fantasy football leagues and spend some of their idle school time discussing their teams and chances for a league title.

Fantasy sports provide an avenue for those kids who haven't become the sports stars they thought they would already be. It gives a child a chance to compete in a virtual world when his physical means to gain that success doesn't measure up.

Perhaps the best lesson fantasy sports teaches children is that putting together a solid plan and implementing that plan requires critical thinking skills. This allows a child to see a problem, visualize it, then break it down and begin finding solutions to the problem. So what are you waiting for? Try fantasy sports at a young age or let your child do it. It’s definitely a good recreational activity for youngsters.

Giving Up Fantasy Sports Player

Now, this is where most people fall off. The registration, the talking it up, and the draft are exciting, but the actual game play can seem rather boring. Basically, your team gets points based on how well each player on your team does in comparison to how well players on other teams do. This brings out the big difference on whether you’ll win or not: The adjustment of your fantasy team players.

It doesn't take long to adjust your roster for each game; you just need to click the player you want to trade in, and their gone. But it would be hard to give them up or exchange them for other players, especially if they are your favorite players on the real world. Your loyalty to them will be gone. But such adjustment and changes on your fantasy sports is needed if you really like to win. Speaking of giving up fantasy sports players, here are two reasons why people give up their fantasy sports players.

1. The Change to Fight. You change and trade players because even though you are losing, you still want to fight. You look for good trades and important players that would bring you on top. If you want to do this, then I really salute you. Just remember these few tips. In baseball, once the player has begun their game for that day, they are locked in their position for that day and cannot be moved until the following day. With football, you only have to adjust it once a week. Since some games have been on Thursdays the past few years, those players will lock then, but the rest will wait until Sunday or Monday, depending on when they play. If you are not able to check it every day, or week, you can plan ahead, adjusting your roster for the upcoming games rather than trusting yourself to check it prior to each one.

2. Tanking. Giving up on a once-promising season once you've realized there is no hope to capture the championship. Letting your team fade away into the darkness, and in doing so, possibly compromising the integrity of the league.

Everyone that's played fantasy sports has had a team that on draft day looked unstoppable, only to be riddled with injuries and sub-par performance leaving you, the owner/GM, scraping the bottom of the league's barrel. I have a football team right now, in fact, that is consistently inconsistent and frustrating me week in and week out. After a loss this past week, my 4th in a row, I have mathematically been eliminated from playoff contention. It's disappointing, I can't lie. Then this is what happens, tell me if you've seen this scenario before. An owner in your league, whose team currently resides in last place with no chance of a comeback, proposes a trade to a team close to the top of the standings. Looking at the trade offer, you immediately sense something fishy going on. The team in last place has offered up their best 3 players to the team in contention for a handful of injured backups. Obviously the last place team has given up and instead of just disregarding his team, he has elected to help a team with playoff possibilities by giving them his best players and therefore creating one super team that is virtually unstoppable. This affects the league in the same way as giving up because it unfairly creates a dominant team leaving the rest of the league fighting for second place.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Fantasy Sports From The Eyes Of A Fan

You are old. You’re knees go bad or wrinkles pop up. You’re gaining weight. And most importantly, you’re a nerd. These are the signs of somebody who is absolutely hook up with Fantasy Sports. Just Kidding!!

This is just the common misconception about Fantasy sports player. But I assure you that I am a normal looking individual without any of that signs but I have been playing fantasy sports. I've been an official fantasy player for the last three years and I don't see myself giving it up soon. I just love it. Before all these loving, I was against the concept of playing fantasy sports for years. I always ignored those who ask me to participate and always questioned them. "Why would I fantasize about sports?" and "Why would I need fantasy sports when I can watch the real ones?" But then I realize the fun of playing fantasy sports, managing your dream team and of course winning the championship.

Fantasy sports are basically individual teams made up of real players from various sports. Each participant in the league manages his/her team. In hockey, for example, every NHL player is available for use. The same with the other sports. It makes no difference which actual teams the players are with in real life. Statistics, scores, standings, and everything else is based on each player's performance in the real-life games. Fantasy sports managers obviously strive to get the strongest-performing players on their lineups.

Fantasy baseball is my favorite fantasy sports (Fantasy Basketball comes close in second). The intense of fantasy baseball is more like the real thing. I always can play it at Fantasy Factor because here there are no long term season commitment unlike other Fantasy sports site. Every week or every day you’ll get to win prizes and cash. In addition with this, the site’s interface is totally impressive and is easy to use.

I've spent so much time checking on different players that I can answer the toughest questions. Who do I need to keep on the bench during road games? Who can hit lefties? The difference between Mark Sweeney and Mike Sweeney? All of this I already know. I'm not just playing fantasy sports. I'm winning leagues here. One of my baseball teams (yes, I was in more than one baseball league) won first place last year. After going through all the stats, making trades and picking up players through free agency, my team came in first place out of 12 teams. Ryan Howard of the Philadelphia Phillies was my stud player.

And my big reward? A little cash prize (depends though on how much did you invest to put in your team), a small trophy that appeared on my fantasy home page and the extra bragging rights to my other fantasy sports player friends.

Twitter Delicious Facebook Digg Stumbleupon Favorites More

 
Design by Fantasy Sports