By now I hope you know from my nagging ads that Politics Plus has a fantasy football league at NFL.com, Lefty Blog Friends. The online live draft is this coming Sunday at 11 AM Pacific, 12 N Mountain, 1 PM Central and 2 PM Eastern Daylight Savings Time. I promised a bit of help for newbies, so here it is.
Your first experience will be the draft. Read the help files at the league, but the best thing you can do, especially if you have never participated in an online draft before is go to the league and join a mock draft or three. They have one every few minutes and it’s just like a real draft, except that it does not count. Then you can come to the real one knowing exactly how it’s done.
The common wisdom is to draft running back first then wide receivers, then quarterbacks, and then tight ends, kickers and defenses. Personally, I try to draft the best player available in the first three groups until I have one quarterback. three running backs, and three wide receivers. Then I go for a backup quarterback, a fourth running back, two tight ends, two kickers and two Defenses.
During the draft pay particular attention to players’ bye weeks. Every NFL team has a week off during the season, and you want to make sure you always have enough players to complete your lineup. Having more than one player at any position with the same bye week can make that quite difficult.
During the season, keep the NFL schedule in mind. At times they play Thursday and Saturday games in addition to Sunday, Sunday night and Monday. Make sure your lineup for the week is set before the first game, because it’s very embarrassing to learn that your injured player’s team already played, and you got no points for that position.
As to the league itself, this morning I removed a player that has not set his lineup in almost two years. I opened the league to the public, hoping to fill the last two slots. If they have not filled by Saturday morning, I will change the league size and we will play with eight teams.
So this is your last chance to join! It is a load of fun, and a needed break from battling the brain-dead minions of InsaniTEA. Join NFL.com and email me using the address you used to join. There’s a Contact Me link on the left. Or send me message at Care2 that includes the email address you used to join. Or reply to this thread on this site using the email address you used to join. Unless the last two spots have been filled, I will email your invitation from within the league.
Good luck to everyone! That’s about it, except…
I’m so bad, you all might as well give up now! 
10 Responses to “Fantasy Football Tips”
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
After attempting to follow your instructions, I have resigned myself to the fact that I will get all the worst players and will always end up short of felding a full team. My, my!
Patty, what did you try to do, and what happened?
I tried to understand your instructions. I didn't do a thing. Just commenting on how terrible I am at stuff like this.
TGry a mock draft or three, Patty.
I haven't had the time yet to consider the directions. After reading them quickly, I thought "OMG!!! What did I get into?" This is not my touch football scrum! I don't even know any of the players of the CFL, let alone the NFL. Patty, I think you'll have a softer landing as I'll be below you.
In the draft, Lynn, they are ranked by position fcor you. They do a pretty good job. Of course, other experts disagree with their rankings The big thing to remember is that you need 2 quarterbacks, 4 running backs, 4 wide receivers, 2 tight ends, 3 Kickers, and 2 Defences trying to avoig having any two at the same position with the same bye week.
During weekly play, each player in your roster has their record and projection displayed th help you set your starting lineup.
So knowing that players isn't that important.
Hi fellow Lefty Blog friends! This will be my first fantasy football league experience where I have not used autodraft, so have a little anxiety about the process too. Also never played nfl.com before. But trying to remember this is all for fun, right? And Tom, I understand your strategy for the draft, but sometimes I play with my heart and not my head to get players I like but who may not be the best pick. Many of them end up on the DL anyway! If things don't go well in the draft, there is always the opportunity to pick up players down the road. So, looking forward to the draft and having a fine losing season. Gotta love it!
Welcome Judy. 🙂
I hear that and have drafted Broncos above their rank myself. After a couple moch drafts you should feel quite comfortable with it.
Picking up players later is one of my better shills, because of the affinity my plaqers always seem to have for Injured Reserve.
I'd better stay with skiing and table tennis but, I do like Boston teams… :smile;
I would have lobed having you, Richard… for lunch! 😉