Читать книгу Fantasy Football For Dummies - Martin A. Schulman - Страница 59

When determining what type of league you want to play in (private versus public; check out the previous section), you have to choose a specific type of game. Every league has variables that affect how tough it is to play the game and how tough it will be to defeat your foes. These different considerations can make a game more competitive or more casual. What do you want from your fantasy experience? Keep these other considerations in mind as you decide:

 Draft type: Most fantasy leagues utilize either a snake draft or a salary cap draft. For more info on each type, check out Chapter 4. If you’re new to fantasy football, I suggest that you join a league that operates in the traditional, casual snake format. However, if you’re a bit more experienced with fantasy and want a league more competitive, consider signing up for a league with a salary cap draft.

 Pay versus free: The previous sections discuss some pros and cons of pay and free leagues. When you’re looking to make your choice, remember that pay leagues are more competitive while free leagues are more casual. If you just want to keep your fantasy games casual, avoid betting on yourself and play for fun. It’s all about the Benjamins for the more serious fantasy players. Remember that when people pay, they tend to take it more seriously, and the higher the entry fee, the more competitive a league tends to be. Sometimes, an entry fee just covers the costs of a premium league service, which offers more helpful tools for casual players to manage their teams. Higher league dues, on the other hand, means that money goes to the victor or is used to buy trophies. (Check out the “Why are you playing? For love or money?” section later in this chapter.)

 Number of coaches (also known as level of competitiveness): The bottom line is that the more competition you have (the number of coaches in the league), the less casual your league will be. So if you want a relaxed casual experience, look for a smaller league. If you want your league to be more cutthroat, go with a larger league. An eight or ten-team league, for instance, is always easier, because you’ll have more great players to choose from in the first ten rounds of the draft. In a twelve-team league, the stars will get snatched up quickly, so you’ll need a deep understanding of all the NFL rosters in order to build a competitive team. Anything more enters the “deep league” domain, where the best players will go quickly and you’ll need to dig deeper to fill your roster.

 Size and configuration of league rosters: Many leagues have different team requirements, ranging from simple to complex. For example, the basic Yahoo! league features nine starters and eight bench players — a manageable number, even for a beginner. If your roster requirement is smaller, team management is easier and the draft is shorter. If your roster is 20 players or more, team management becomes more challenging and the draft takes longer. The starting position requirements also vary from league to league. If your league requires you to start two or more QBs, three or more RBs/WRs, and one or two FLEX spots, you’re playing in an unusually complex league. Hope you have some free time! Most fantasy football providers use default roster configurations that first-time players can easily use. Be sure to read your league’s rules and settings page before signing up, if possible. If your league has a commissioner, email them to find out if the league has any wrinkles that you need to be aware of.