Here are some tips and tricks to making sure this fantasy football season is a good one
Fantasy football is a competition that many participate in each year. Once a league is created, participants draft their teams consisting of NFL players. After that, two teams in the fantasy league match up against each other each week and try to score more points based on players’ performances in the NFL. Whichever team rounds up the most points in a week gets a win!
The National Football League (NFL) season is just around the corner with its first game on Sept. 5, and with that comes the start of millions of fantasy football leagues. While some leagues are more competitive than others, having a good plan heading into your fantasy football will make the experience much more enjoyable. Here are my top tips for the 2024-25 season.
Prepare before you draft
Doing research before your fantasy football league’s draft might make the difference between being excluded from playoffs and heading to the championship in January.
Looking at your league’s settings is a good place to start understanding what a fantasy football league consists of. Knowing which plays will score you more points will help you choose the best players for your fantasy team.
Once you have an idea of how points work, do a mock draft. This will allow you to become familiar with the player pool available to you and will give you a considerable advantage on the real draft day.
Lastly, make a list of each position, in the order you want to prioritize, with at least three options of players in case your top choice gets taken. This will make it less stressful once you’re on the clock at the live draft.
Making selections on draft day
Now that you’ve done your research, it’s time to make your selections. I recommend not overthinking your selections during the draft. It’s difficult to predict whether a player will get injured, have a down year, or even exceed their performance from last year— so it’s okay to pick players that you feel confident about. After all, fantasy football is supposed to be fun!
That being said, I would shy away from taking a full “underdog” approach to your team. Targeting consistent players who are in the prime of their career is the safest approach to put up good numbers in fantasy football.
Using the “sort by” filters in your league’s website will allow you to make quality selections on the fly. Filtering available players by “points scored in 2023-24”, for example, is a good way to get an idea of the talent you have at your disposal.
Stay active during the season
Your fantasy football lineup is now ready! Whether or not you’re satisfied with your roster, none of it will matter if you aren’t active during the season. Setting your lineups each week will be essential to winning your matchups on a consistent basis. Keep an eye on when your players have their bye weeks — weeks during which they do not have a game — as these are players you can put on your bench and not worry about putting up any points.
I would also recommend looking at the team that your players are going up against in a given week. For example, if by the middle of the season, a player faces a team with zero wins, you may benefit from starting that player in hopes they will put up higher point totals than they would against a team that has eight wins. Keep this in mind as the season progresses.
And just like that, you’re ready for your fantasy football season. Whether or not it’s a successful one, the top tip I can give is: just to enjoy the season!
