Football 101 For Fun – Fantasy Football

August 25, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; A NFL replacement official catches a football during the first half of a preseason game between the New Orleans Saints and the Houston Texansat the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

Are you constantly being asked by people to join their fantasy football league but hesitate to join because you are not sure where to start.  Well, start here, my friend and enjoy football season on a whole new level.  Here are some things that will help you become a new team owner.  Yep, you own the team, so come up with a creative team name (ie, Super Bowl Bound Chargers, Chargers Rock or even We are gonna win!) and the rest is easy!

Know your league – You need to know what type of league you are in and who you are playing with (aka, the other owners).  League types can get complicated, just make sure you trust your commissioner and don’t worry.  I like to play with friends and family.  This makes the taunting and gloating that much more enjoyable.  If you decide to play in a work league make sure you know who all of the owners are.  You don’t want to be all “in your face” with your boss.

Rank your players – Every website will have their own ranking of players. I recommend that you take the time to at least look over the rankings and make adjustments as you see necessary. If there are players you don’t like for whatever reason  then make sure you mark that down. There may also be players you really like.  Also, looking at the rankings will help you get comfortable with who’s who. There is nothing worse than getting to the late rounds and have no clue who you should take and you ended up taking a player who has retired or a Raider!  Yuck!  Think about the whole team, you will be drafting a defense and a kicker too.

Draft your team – You will be attending a draft!  Yay!  This will be one of your first chances to get to know other owners and make sure you get all your favorite players.  Don’t miss the draft.   If you miss it, the computer will draft for you and you might end up with some crap (i.e.  Raiders).  If you want to  control your team, here is where you start. Have fun with it and make sure you get your absolute #1 right out of the gate.  There will be a draft order handed down by your commissioner, hopefully, you are up high.  Hint:  Most leagues have a mock draft, go in and play it before the live draft to get the hang of it.

Manage your team – Have fun, be bold and do not forget to set your roster every week.  Nothing stinks more then checking in on Monday and seeing half your guys benched due to bye weeks and injuries!

Ask questions – Your commissioner is there to help.  Make sure you ask “what’s in it for me?”.  Besides having fun, and gaining a new understanding of the game there will be bragging rights (this is the only time girls get to beat boys at football!).  Some leagues also have money or prizes, so make sure you know what you are getting into up front.

Your first season might seem a little overwhelming, but you will be hooked.  Nothing says football like owning your own team and controlling who starts each game, who stays and who gets traded away.  Hint:  Beware bogus trades!   If another owner offers up a trade do your homework.  Some unsavory owners have been known to trade away injured players.

Good luck and Boltup!

ChargerGirl Cindi