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Fantasy Sports
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8:07 PM
John Ray
1 comment
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.
8:07 PM
John Ray
No comments
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.
8:07 PM
John Ray
1 comment
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.
8:06 PM
John Ray
No comments
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.
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.
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