An introduction to fantasy football
Wes Mayle
Issue date: 9/15/09 Section: Sports
Fantasy sports has become a behemoth. Some estimates show that fantasy sports have an economic impact of between $3-4 Billion annually to the sports industry. The Fantasy Sports Trade Association estimated that in 2007 alone, 29.9 million people in the U.S. and Canada over the age of 12 played fantasy sports.
With those kinds of numbers, you would expect a sort of cultural accreditation. Not really. Normally, odds are that if you play them, you love them, and if you don't, you look at the popularity of fantasy sports and cast a doubt on the future of America. Some probably equate fantasy sports to a Star Trek convention.
This, however, is not what fantasy sports is about. If you love sports, you can follow real sports through your fantasy team, and your players will help you win only if they perform on the field.
Fantasy football has officially begun, and before we bombard readers with a regular fantasy football column, I want to go over the basics.
Every fantasy football league begins with either a draft or an auction. I am a huge draft proponent because of the luck that is involved in the way your team is shaped. It works like a normal amateur player draft in every professional sport, with one key exception: The person with the last pick of the first round picks first in the second round. That way by the end of each draft, if every team has drafted wisely, the teams will all look balanced on paper.
The "snake" or "serpentine" draft (as it is called) is a very important part of both strategy and success in a fantasy football league. Say for example I get the first pick (note: the leagues I play randomly decide the draft order about an hour before the draft starts). This year, to me at least, it is obvious: I would take the best running back (RB) in the league, Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings. Sure, I have a stud as my first pick to build my team around. But, by the time it gets to my second round pick, 18 players have been selected off the board. I also get the first pick of the third round, but still, a lot of talent diminishes between picks.
With those kinds of numbers, you would expect a sort of cultural accreditation. Not really. Normally, odds are that if you play them, you love them, and if you don't, you look at the popularity of fantasy sports and cast a doubt on the future of America. Some probably equate fantasy sports to a Star Trek convention.
This, however, is not what fantasy sports is about. If you love sports, you can follow real sports through your fantasy team, and your players will help you win only if they perform on the field.
Fantasy football has officially begun, and before we bombard readers with a regular fantasy football column, I want to go over the basics.
Every fantasy football league begins with either a draft or an auction. I am a huge draft proponent because of the luck that is involved in the way your team is shaped. It works like a normal amateur player draft in every professional sport, with one key exception: The person with the last pick of the first round picks first in the second round. That way by the end of each draft, if every team has drafted wisely, the teams will all look balanced on paper.
The "snake" or "serpentine" draft (as it is called) is a very important part of both strategy and success in a fantasy football league. Say for example I get the first pick (note: the leagues I play randomly decide the draft order about an hour before the draft starts). This year, to me at least, it is obvious: I would take the best running back (RB) in the league, Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings. Sure, I have a stud as my first pick to build my team around. But, by the time it gets to my second round pick, 18 players have been selected off the board. I also get the first pick of the third round, but still, a lot of talent diminishes between picks.
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