Posts Tagged ‘Fantasy’

Introduction to Fantasy Football – The History and Basics of Fantasy Football

Article by Fantasy Football Riches

Whether you are new to fantasy football or seasoned veteran, this guidebook will help you take control of your leagues and mash your competition. The Expert Guide to Fantasy Football is the “best practice” manual, produced from several sources over the years, on precisely how to develop a powerful team that no one wants to confront. This fantasy football strategy guide is not just for the laid back player. Inside this book are comprehensively reviewed theories, grounded in dependable mathematics and statistical analysis, designed especially for people looking to mash the competition.

Let’s be honest, even if you are only in a fantasy football league to have fun, it’s more exciting to WIN! This guide will begin with the basics, for the first year player, and will progress all the way through highly developed team building strategy implementing statistical analysis. We demonstrate the very best strategies to assemble a team that maximizes consistency and captures explosive burst potential at each and every position.

Fantasy Football Beginnings

Fantasy Football’s roots are traced back to the Oakland Raiders in the 1962 season when part-owner, Wilfred Winkenbach combined with two columnists for a local newspaper commissioned the very first 8-team league. Due to the degree of work required to determine the information every week, the game never truly caught on until the internet boom in the mid-90′s. Since then, fantasy football has been improving by leaps and bounds every single year.

The level of popularity is easy to understand. Most people will never have an opportunity to play general manager/coach for their favorite NFL team. You get that opportunity, though, with fantasy football! You are in charge of making all the player personnel judgements and uncovering that next “breakout” star. The intention is to assemble a team that dominates all of your buddies in the league in route to taking home the championship. We will go over how scoring works in the following sections, but you basically receive points for the real things your players do throughout an actual NFL game such as touchdowns, yards gained, and field goals. It sounds simple but there are a enormous number of league modifications, rules, and techniques used to maximize success in this game. We will present all the talents needed to reign over your league and have a blast doing it!

Regardless of whether you are a laid-back or diehard football enthusiast, fantasy football is a fantastic supplement to simply just paying attention to the games and following your team. With a fantasy team, you now have a vested interest in more or less every NFL game played, whether you have a player on your team or a player you’re up against. This specific rooting interest will help to make the games CONSIDERABLY more interesting as virtually every fantasy matchup comes down to the Sunday and Monday night games to figure out the ultimate winner. Many instances it will come down to a running back on your team seeking 80 yards and a touchdown for your team to win, or a receiver on the other team needing to have less than 90 yards and it will keep you glued to the contest, even if the game is between two teams with lousy records and a blowout score. In addition, it is a very good way to keep in touch with distant friends or even make new ones. A number of leagues are comprised of old friends that now live hundreds of miles apart, but via the internet they are all able to stay connected and have fun. Once you play once, you will be addicted for life!

Daily Fantasy Formats Are A Great Alternative To Tedious H2H Fantasy Baseball Season

Another Major League Baseball season is in full swing.  Jason Heyward appears to be every bit the player many thought he could be and the Cincinnati Reds are the surprise of the young season.  All should be well for baseball diehards, but something is not quite right…your Fantasy Baseball team is a mess!

 

The H2H Fantasy Baseball season can be a long and tedious one –especially if your team spends the better part of six months in the cellar.  Without a doubt, baseball is the Fantasy sport requiring the most attention, expertise and patience.

 

The slightest draft misstep can leave your team with no hope of ever getting to the top of your league.  Injuries at key sports can also bring ruin upon your once promising season.

 

I know the feeling of hopelessness all too well after delving into the H2H Fantasy Baseball realm just a few years ago.  I figured the success I had in H2H Fantasy Football and basketball would easily translate into success in baseball.  Boy was I in for a rude awakening!

 

Of the three major sports, baseball is the one I’m least knowledgeable in.  Football and basketball had easily become my sports of choice.  Sure, I would watch a MLB game from time to time and even keep up with the stars around the league.  As far as the intimate knowledge of the game needed to succeed in H2H Fantasy Baseball though, I was lost and my finish in the league reflected it.  I just couldn’t compete with guys who could give you the vital stats of every halfway decent AA Baseball prospect.

 

Well, thankfully for me, I discovered an alternative to the seemingly never-ending Fantasy Baseball season.  Daily Fantasy Baseball formats allowed me the opportunity to compete in H2H Fantasy Baseball without the season long commitment and in depth MLB knowledge necessary to compete successfully.

 

In Daily Fantasy Baseball formats, you draft, play and win daily.  No need to keep up with a roster or injury reports since you are drafting a team and competing just for a day.  These daily formats have exploded in popularity in the past few years and provide an excellent alternative to traditional H2H Fantasy Baseball seasons.

How to Win Your Fantasy Baseball League

Pittsburgh – Its editors describe it as: “so close to the action you might get spit on.” And, from the first read, I can see why that’s absolutely true.

FantasyBaseballDugout.com, a new fantasy baseball tips site owned by Saint Davids, Pennsylvania-based Olympic SEO, is the brainchild of Bob “BallparkBob” Bentz and his nephew Jonathan “BatBoy BeeZee” Bentz. The two men share a love for fantasy baseball and, quite frankly, got bored with winning their respective leagues each season.

BallparkBob, who started playing fantasy baseball in college in 1980 when it was still called “Rotisserie Baseball,” claims to have won his fantasy baseball league 19 of the past 28 seasons, including nine in a row at one stretch. BallparkBob, who is often mistaken for Cleveland Indians’ pitcher Paul Byrd, said that his goal is to spread the word about winning fantasy baseball leagues. “There’s a lot of bad fantasy baseball players out there,” said BallparkBob, “but, it’s the ones who do the research that should win. That’s where Fantasy Baseball Dugout comes in.”

BatBoy BeeZee has similar ideas for Fantasy Baseball Dugout. “A lot of fantasy baseball websites are overwhelming for first time players, because the game is very driven by statistics.” Every website has injury information, statistics, mock drafts and trade analysis, “but our site has news and research players with all levels of experience can use.”

When I first reviewed Fantasy Baseball Dugout, I was impressed by the amount of information that they had on the site in such a short amount of time. The site is also not just a statistics-laden one, but offers player profiles and player projections. It offers inside information that is far more topical than what you’ll find in the fantasy baseball preview magazines. It’s a site that a pure baseball fan would also enjoy reading and learning about the MLB.

“A lot of websites also fail to pay attention to fantasy baseball players who use auction formats for drafts, but we haven’t forgotten about them, either,” said BeeZee.

Fantasy Baseball Dugout offers free fantasy baseball advice, but it does hope to capitalize on its baseball fan traffic by selling advertising. The site already has secured advertising from a discount baseball equipment company, a ticket broker, and even a dating site promoting sexy women. Hey, I guess fantasy baseball nerds need love too.

When asked what are the most important fantasy baseball tip that he could give me, BallparkBob responded by saying: “draft more closers than your competition—saves is the easiest category to win. Don’t ever pick a player just because he’s on your favorite team or is one of your favorite players. And, don’t ever go to a game and tell a major leaguer during BP that he’s on your fantasy baseball team. He doesn’t care.”

“Hey Pat Burrell, you’re on my fantasy team!”

Fantasy Hockey – How to Pick Your Draft This Year

Fantasy Hockey: How to Pick Your Draft This Year

It is the time of the year when you get that beer chilled, kick back in your couch and wear your National Hockey League fantasy hockey general manager’s hat. Yes friend, it is once again time to do your fantasy hockey league draft. Be prepared in selecting your players in the fantasy hockey draft by considering the following:

Fantasy Hockey Draft Pick Tip #1: Know the league setting you are joining.

Research on what kind of settings your league gives importance to. What are the statics being counted by your team the most? Each fantasy hockey league is different from each other so make sure that you can tailor fit your draft to the guidelines of the hockey fantasy league.

Fantasy Hockey Draft Pick Tip #2: Check you hockey player’s history.

Do your homework and do it well. Read up on each player in the NHL and research as to whether he can be an asset to your fantasy hockey team. Answer questions, such as what is this player’s point of production like in the past year? Is he a consistent performing NHL athlete? If you draft that player, can he help your team? Do you really need him? What injury has occurred to the skater?

Fantasy Hockey Draft Pick Tip #3: This is a number’s game baby!

Don’t get too emotional when you pick a fantasy hockey team. We know, you are a hardcore fan of such and such player since he began his career, but is he good for your team? You favorite player may not be the player that will let you win that fantasy hockey league. It is a numbers game after all. The numbers to watch for are assists, points, games played, goals, power play goals, penalty shots, plus/minus.

Fantasy Hockey Draft Pick Tip #4: Avoid picking your player from just one team.

The phrase “spread your investment” applies here. So in picking your draft spread, pick from different strong hockey teams.

Fantasy Hockey Draft Pick Tip #5: Make sure you draft positions of your NFL picks evenly.

Balance is key, which means all of your players must be balanced in strength and performance.

Fantasy Hockey Draft Pick Tip #6: Net out is great strategy.

Why don’t you start picking your fantasy hockey draft from the net out. Pick goaltenders first as these guys can help you garner bigger number of points (which will of course depend on the fantasy hockey league you are in). In the NHL, there are no more reliable, golden athletes like Brodeur.

Fantasy Hockey Draft Pick Tip #7: Don’t sweat over pre-draft rankings

The fantasy leagues and the NHL itself is unpredictable so do not be stiff about your draft choices. Your players may have good pre-rank points, but a lot can change in a season.

Fantasy Baseball 101 – How to Play Rotisserie League Scoring System

Fantasy Baseball 101: How to Play Rotisserie League Scoring System

Are you a beginner in this fantasy baseball game? Let us give you a short introduction to fantasy baseball with our rotisserie league baseball guide.

Rotisserie scoring, also called “roto,” is the most popular and most common fantasy baseball scoring system. Fantasy baseball became progressive and entered mainstream media when the system of Rotisserie League Baseball was developed in the 80s. The credit for inventing Rotisserie League Baseball was given to writer and editor Daniel Okrent.

Daniel Okrent was the person to come up with the concept of Rotisserie League Baseball and he was able to come up with the idea on a flight to Texas. He then presented his vision of this fantasy baseball game to his pals who, at first, were not at all interested in the Rotisserie League Baseball game. Okrent went back to New York and found himself another group to collaborate with and soon enough, Okrent and his friends were naming it La Rotisserie Fran軋ise.

In this early stages of fantasy baseball, the Rotisserie League Baseball had owners who would pick or draft teams from a list of active players in Major League Baseball. Okrent and his friend also used real statistics taken from the ongoing season to consolidate their scores. This was a major shift in the time line of fantasy baseball as the earlier games were based on statistics of the season that passed. With Rotisserie League Baseball it was like the fantasy baseball players were real baseball team owners who would have to make similar predictions about players and their performances to determine which players are best to pick in a draft. As Okrent was part of the media club, it was journalists and other reporters who were first introduced to the game.

Rotisserie league baseball became a full on hobby and a extremely popular game, especially as it hit the 1980s. When USA Today featured the Rotisserie League Baseball, the whole game became even more popular and mainstream which has spurred what you know as fantasy football, and even fantasy sports, today.

A special paper was also created specifically for it and was developed just for the fantasy baseball rotisserie league.

The advent of digital technology and the evolution of the Internet has turned the fantasy baseball game into a multi-million dollar industry with thousand of participants all over the world. It has also made fantasy football statistics done in a precise and speedy manner by computer. Different fantasy baseball leagues today develop a scoring system that is innately their own and the computations of their statistics are very accurate.

Fantasy baseball is exciting precisely because it is some sort of real time stimulation of the major leagues. It encourages fans of baseball to not only be spectators of the game but be participants.

Fantasy Hockey Beginner’s Guide

If you are a fan of the National Hockey League (NHL), the only way to heighten the experience is to join the fantasy hockey community. There are hundreds of people playing <a rel=”nofollow” onclick=”javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackPageview', '/outgoing/article_exit_link']);” href=”http://fantasyfactor.com”><b>fantasy hockey</b></a> and if you want to be one of them, here are some tips we can share with you to introduce you to fantasy hockey.

First, fantasy hockey is another form of the hugely popular world of fantasy sports, a world in which a player can build his fantasy team and compete with other fantasy teams. The scoring will be based on the statistics and real time data of that particular sport; in this case, hockey.

The National Hockey League (NHL) is the basis of the data used by fantasy hockey leagues and the players drafted in the team are National Hockey League players.

An average fantasy hockey league (which can also be called hockey pool) is composed of eight to twelve teams. Otherfantasy hockey leagues can have as much as twenty. When a league has a huge number of teams, it may dilute the average of the combined talents of the players, which can be less fun or more depending on the league you are joining. However,this represents the NHL – the closest to the National Hockey League which now has around 30 teams.

There is a type of fantasy hockey league which allows an unlimited number of teams and which uses the same NHL players, so you will find the owners of this type of hockey fantasy team drafting the same players. These types of NHL fantasyhockey leagues restrict the times of trading, in which a player will be exchanged for another NHL player, usually of thesame position.

The typical way of picking an NHL player in a fantasy hockey team is through the process of drafting which can take place over the various Internet sites for fantasy sports or fantasy hockey. One can also draft players to their fantasy hockey team in person.

The methods used in drafting range from the easy “pick your comparable players” which are conveniently grouped in boxes to the harder, more complicated auction style in which owners are given cash and the chance to auction their NFL picks.

Fantasy Hockey Team Structure

The structure of most hockey pools which usually takes place on the Internet or in offices is easy. Choose 12, 15 or 20 hockey players and the most points win. <a rel=”nofollow” onclick=”javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackPageview', '/outgoing/article_exit_link']);” href=”http://fantasyfactor.com”><b>Fantasy Hockey</b></a> leagues are more complicated and follows the real process of NFL drafting. A fantasy hockey league is really more like the actual NHL team, which makes it appealing to the joining the game.

The typical fantasy team is picked rotisserie style. These are the following positions filled:

NHL teams

2 left wings (forward), 2 right wings (forward), 2 centers (forward), 2 goalies, 4 defensemen, 4 bench players and 2 reserves.

The common point scoring in fantasy hockey is typically based on the following:

Plus/Minus (+/-), penalty minute, assists, power play points, goals, game winning goals, points, penalty minute, shots on goals, faceoffs, wins of the goalie, hat tricks, goalie shutouts, the goalie’s goals against average.

The most common gauge of a fantasy hockey team’s performance are the points, which are basically goals plus assists.

Tips for Fantasy Football Management: How to Plan Your Strategy for the 2009 NFL Season

Fantasy football is a hobby for some and an obsession for others.  If you are a sports fanatic, fantasy sports in general offers an interactive format for where your expert knowledge of any game can be put to use and even lead to cash prizes. Fantasy football is the most popular fantasy sport online to date and fantasy football diehards often engage in multiple fantasy football leagues.  Management of multiple fantasy football teams can be a lot of work when each team requires its own strategy and each fantasy sports web site requires attention and involvement. Here are some tips for putting a fantasy football management plan in place.  The more intentional and organized you are the more likely you are to win in the end.

Fantasy Football Management Tips: Kick Butt This Season!

Tip 1: Choose the Fantasy Football Web Sites You Enjoy the Most

There are many options when it comes to playing fantasy football.  Free and paid fantasy football web sites offer specific advantages and disadvantages. Most fantasy football fanatics are members of multiple fantasy football web sites, which can be overwhelming. Make a list of the web sites you enjoy most and focus on them this year.  If your goal is to win big then choose sites with hefty cash prizes. If you play fantasy football for the love of the game then choose a site that provides member benefits you believe are valuable and has a format that includes plenty of NFL news and player information.

If you are really serious about fantasy football, enjoy strategizing and like to win then choose at least one paid fantasy football web site with a tough, competitive challenge.  At the end of the day you can play in as many leagues and on as many web sites as you like, but most seasoned players know paid fantasy football sites are where the high stakes, thrill of the game and difficult competition are. Free sites are recommended as a complement to paid adventures and great introductions for any fantasy football newbies.

Tip 2: Don’t Split Your Football Loyalty

Oftentimes, for the seasoned fantasy football diehard, it can be difficult when your favorite football team is playing, while, at the same time your fantasy football team is competing for hard cash. Don’t split your loyalty! Decide from the beginning what your top priorities are. If being number 1 in fantasy football is a top priority then root for your fantasy team and hopefully you will end up celebrating your success. If you know your heart lies with a team you have followed since childhood, then simply take a break and focus on watching your favorite team.

Tip 3: Invite More Friends to Join You in Your Fantasy Football Efforts

Fantasy sports of all kinds get more interesting and more challenging when you play alongside other people. Invite your family members, close friends, work colleagues and anyone else that loves sports to take a chance at fantasy football. If they are already involved in a league ask them to join a site with you or consider joining theirs.

Tip 4: Keep Up to Date on NFL News and Expert Opinions from Varying Sources

Every fantasy football diehard has a favorite news source and commentator.  Whether it is TV, radio, the Internet or a magazine, credible resources are valuable and should be consulted. However, it is important to listen to varying opinions.  Sports, like life, can often surprise you. Stay up to date on all of the latest rumors and news through fantasy football forums, blogs and podcasts. This way your fantasy football strategies are based on your well-rounded, carefully developed opinions. The more you know, the more of a chance there is that you will achieve great fantasy football success.

Tip 5: To Win Big Trust Your Fantasy Football Expertise and Instincts

Regardless of how knowledgeable or experienced you are, there are no guarantees in fantasy football. The best way to execute fantasy football strategies is to combine your intelligence with your instincts. Expertise mixed with gut instinct is what you need to prove you are the best! Trust your mind and heart to help you put together the strongest fantasy football team and win.

If you follow these basic fantasy football management tips you will see your game improve as well as your fantasy football experience. Don’t just play fantasy football, live it!

How to Win Your Fantasy Baseball League

Pittsburgh – Its editors describe it as: “so close to the action you might get spit on.” And, from the first read, I can see why that’s absolutely true.

FantasyBaseballDugout.com, a new fantasy baseball tips site owned by Saint Davids, Pennsylvania-based Olympic SEO, is the brainchild of Bob “BallparkBob” Bentz and his nephew Jonathan “BatBoy BeeZee” Bentz. The two men share a love for fantasy baseball and, quite frankly, got bored with winning their respective leagues each season.

BallparkBob, who started playing fantasy baseball in college in 1980 when it was still called “Rotisserie Baseball,” claims to have won his fantasy baseball league 19 of the past 28 seasons, including nine in a row at one stretch. BallparkBob, who is often mistaken for Cleveland Indians’ pitcher Paul Byrd, said that his goal is to spread the word about winning fantasy baseball leagues. “There’s a lot of bad fantasy baseball players out there,” said BallparkBob, “but, it’s the ones who do the research that should win. That’s where Fantasy Baseball Dugout comes in.”

BatBoy BeeZee has similar ideas for Fantasy Baseball Dugout. “A lot of fantasy baseball websites are overwhelming for first time players, because the game is very driven by statistics.” Every website has injury information, statistics, mock drafts and trade analysis, “but our site has news and research players with all levels of experience can use.”

When I first reviewed Fantasy Baseball Dugout, I was impressed by the amount of information that they had on the site in such a short amount of time. The site is also not just a statistics-laden one, but offers player profiles and player projections. It offers inside information that is far more topical than what you’ll find in the fantasy baseball preview magazines. It’s a site that a pure baseball fan would also enjoy reading and learning about the MLB.

“A lot of websites also fail to pay attention to fantasy baseball players who use auction formats for drafts, but we haven’t forgotten about them, either,” said BeeZee.

Fantasy Baseball Dugout offers free fantasy baseball advice, but it does hope to capitalize on its baseball fan traffic by selling advertising. The site already has secured advertising from a discount baseball equipment company, a ticket broker, and even a dating site promoting sexy women. Hey, I guess fantasy baseball nerds need love too.

When asked what are the most important fantasy baseball tip that he could give me, BallparkBob responded by saying: “draft more closers than your competition—saves is the easiest category to win. Don’t ever pick a player just because he’s on your favorite team or is one of your favorite players. And, don’t ever go to a game and tell a major leaguer during BP that he’s on your fantasy baseball team. He doesn’t care.”

“Hey Pat Burrell, you’re on my fantasy team!”

8 Tips for Your 2008 Fantasy Football Draft – Fantasy Football Draft Tips