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Fantasy Football University
Chapter 1
What is Fantasy Football?
Fantasy Football puts you in charge and gives you the opportunity to become the coach,
owner, and general manager of your own personal football franchise. You'll draft a team
of pro football players and compete against other team owners for your league's
championship. The game and its rules are designed to mimic pro football as much as
possible, so you'll live the same thrills and disappointments that go along with a football
season. And your goal is simple: build a complete football team, dominate the
competition and win your league's championship.
Why should you be playing Fantasy Football?
The game is easy to learn and fun to play. You'll become more knowledgeable about
football than ever before. It does not take a huge commitment to be competitive and
requires only as much time as you'd like to invest. And you don't have to be a die-hard
fan to enjoy playing. In fact, most people who are trying Fantasy Football for the first
time are casual fans.
Chapter 2
Team & League
Team name: The first step to getting started is creating a name for your new team. This
is how you and your team will be identified throughout the season so get creative and
have a little fun.
Join or create a league: Your competition will be made up of the other owners in your
league. The number of teams in a Fantasy Football league can vary but should always be
an even number. You can play with as few as six teams or have as many as 20, or more
but the most common league size is 12 teams. You have the ability to choose who the
other team owners will be so recruit friends, family, and co-workers to join your league.
Or, you can also join a league run by CBSSports.com.
Team Rosters
While leagues differ in their roster sizes and limits, teams are typically allowed a set
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number of players. The number of players allowed is usually more than the total
number of starters, so teams can have reserve players as well. For example, your Fantasy
Football team may be allowed to have 14 players on your roster, but only eight players
can start each week. The other 6 are considered reserves on your roster but do not earn
points for that particular week.
Additionally, most Fantasy Football leagues use the "team defensive" concept. This
means that individual defensive players are not drafted; rather, you will draft and earn
points based on an NFL team's entire defensive/special teams unit.
TYPICAL FANTASY FOOTBALL ROSTER
Position Starting Lineup
*
Auto Draft
**
Live Draft
***
Quarterback (QB) 1 2 1 or 2
Running Back (RB) 2 3 2, 3, 4, or 5
Wide Receiver (WR) 3 4 3, 4, or 5
Tight End (TE) 1 2 1 or 2
Kicker (K) 1 1 1 or 2
Defensive Team (DST) 1 2 1 or 2
All Positions **** 9 14 14
The Fantasy Football Draft
You and the other members of your league will take turns selecting from a pool of
available players until all rosters are full.
There are three draft options to choose from:
• Live offline draft – The most popular way to draft is to gather all league members
together in one location and hold a draft party.
• Live online draft – If the members of your league are spread around the country, it’s
probably not possible to get everyone together. If you’d still like to experience the
thrill of drafting live, you can draft online. This is possible in every league on
CBSSports.com.
• Automated draft – This draft process is conducted by each team pre-ranking players
in the order in which the owner would prefer they be drafted. Players are then
assigned to teams based on each team’s draft rankings.
Basic Fantasy Football Scoring
Each week of the season, your squad will go head-to-head with another team in your
league. The team that scores the most points will win that particular game. While not all
leagues are the same, this is an example of how a "typical" Fantasy Football league might
award points:
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OFFENSIVE STATISTIC QB, WR, RB, TE, K
Passing, Rushing or Receiving Touchdown (PaTD, RuTD,ReTD)
6 points
Passing Yards(PaYD) 1 point for every 25 yards
Rushing Yards(RuYD) 1 point for every 10 yards
Receiving Yards(ReYD) 1 point for every 10 yards
2 point conversion(Pa2P, Ru2P, Re2P) 2 points
Passing Interception(PaInt) -2 points
Fumble Lost, including ST plays (FL) -2 points
Field Goal(FG) 0-49 yards = 3 points
50+ yards = 5 points
Extra Point(XP) 1 point
DEFENSIVE STATISTIC DEFENSE
Total Defensive/ Special Teams Touchdown (DTD)
6 points
Safety(STY) 2 points
Interception(Int) 2 points
Defensive/ST Fumble Recovered (DFR) 2 points
Sack(SACK) 1 point
Points Against, Total Points Scored (PA) 0-6 = 8 points
7-13 = 6 points
14-20 = 4 points
21-27 = 2 points
28+ = 0 points
Yards Allowed(YDS) 0-49 = 12 points
50-99 = 10 points
100-149 = 8 points
150-199 = 6 points
200-249 = 4 points
250-299 = 2 points
300+ = 0 points
Chapter 3
Games and Lineups
To prepare for a game, you'll need to set your lineup for that week before the first NFL
game is played. One of the keys to winning in Fantasy Football is preparation. When
setting your lineup, be aware of which players on your roster have favorable -- and
unfavorable -- matchups.
Free Agents
Any player who is not currently on a team's roster is considered a free agent.
The key to improving your team during the course of the season is keeping an eye on
available free agents and under-performing players on your roster. As the season
progresses, you'll want to stay current with news, statistics and developments from
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around the league. You must find and sign those players before your competition does.
Make room for those new players on your roster by dropping the disappointing players
who get hurt or fail to live up to preseason expectations.
There is no limit to the number of add/drops that can be made and you may claim free
agents at any time during the week. For most Fantasy Football leagues, the deadline for
picking up a free agent and having that player eligible for the current week's games is
five minutes before the start time of the first game of the week.
Waivers
Most leagues use a "waivers process" to allow all teams an equal opportunity to add
players to their roster that are new to the free agent pool or who were free agents at the
start of that week's NFL games.
Waiver Rank
When a waiver process runs, pending transactions are processed in an order determined
by each team's waiver rank. The team with a waiver rank of 1, considered the highest,
will get its first requested player. After the transaction is executed, the team's waiver
rank is moved to the bottom of the list and all other teams move up one. If a team's
highest pending transaction becomes invalid because another team received the
requested player, the transaction gets deleted and the team's next waiver request, if one
exists, becomes that team's highest. If a team doesn't have any pending transactions
because all players requested were taken by other teams, or the owner simply didn't
request any players, they will simply move up in the waiver ranking for the next waiver
process above all other teams that did execute waiver claims.
Most Fantasy Football leagues reset the waiver ranks following the week's set of games,
after standings are updated on Monday night/Tuesday morning. The waiver reset is
based on team records. The last-place team (based on win/loss record) is given the
waiver rank of 1, down to the first-place team, which gets the lowest waiver rank.
Trading In Fantasy Football
The concept of trading players is the same as it is in the NFL: deal players from positions
where your team is strongest to improve positions where you are weaker. There are
some basic rules to trading to prevent teams from making unfair deals.
Trade deadlines
Most leagues have a trading deadline near the end of the season to keep the integrity of
the league. This prevents a team that is already eliminated from playoff contention from
trading away its best players.
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Trade approval process
In an effort to prevent collusion among owners, leagues typically use a trade approval
process. After two owners agree to a trade, it will be put in a pending status for at least
24 hours and presented to the other owners in the league for a vote. If a predetermined
number of owners in your league object to the trade, it will not be executed, but will go
to the league commissioner for evaluation. He or she must then decide if the trade
should be approved.
Fantasy Football Playoffs
Typically, the top four or six teams with the best records in a league go on to compete in
the postseason. Most leagues start their playoffs around the 14th or 15th week of the
NFL season and play single elimination games to determine the league champion.
Chapter 4
Your choices
Your Guide to Fantasy Football Options on CBSSports.com
Here’s what you need to know about the various Fantasy Football games that are
available on CBSSports.com. We have specifically tailored our games to meet the needs
of players of all experience levels; everyone from the Fantasy rookie to the experienced
veteran will find the game that is right for them.
Your Choice
Once you've decided to play, you will have two "game formats" to choose from. Both are
fun and exciting ways to enjoy Fantasy Football but there is one basic difference between
the two: commissioner control.
Every league needs a commissioner. The commissioner is the person who is ultimately
responsible for league issues: determining rules, approving trades and settling any
disputes that might arise. Commissioner duties are relatively easy. Once a league is up
and running there is usually not much need for the commissioner to be involved on a
daily basis.
Two Options
• Fantasy Football Commissioner -- A unique and powerful "league manager"
product that allows you to play with friends, while being able to run the league
with your own rules and scoring. You or another team owner acts as
commissioner and has total control over the league.
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• Fantasy Football leagues -- Same great game, but you and the other team owners
will only have control of your own team. League rules and commissioner duties
are handled by CBSSports.com.
Run your own league with Fantasy Football Commissioner
Fantasy Football Commissioner puts league control into your hands. It's a complete
solution that makes running your fantasy league easy. Your league will have a private
website which team owners can access from any computer with Internet access. You
have control to customize rules, scoring, trade deadlines, waiver policies, playoff dates,
etc. Once you've got your league set up, Fantasy Football Commissioner takes care of all
the work. Team and player stats, game scores and standings are compiled automatically.
If you are new to Fantasy Football and not sure you're prepared to set custom scoring
options for your league, don't worry. By default, the league rules and scoring are set for
the most popular options so you won't need to change a thing. Simply invite your
friends, hold your draft and then enjoy the season!
Play in a league run by CBSSports.com
CBSSports.com has leagues set up and ready for you to join. We do all the work, acting
as commissioner and running the league for you.
You'll be competing against sports fans from around the world. We have six different
levels of Fantasy Football for you to choose from. So whether you are new to Fantasy or
have been playing for years, CBSSports.com is sure to have the game that's right for you.
• Free Fantasy Football -- If this is your first time playing, Free Fantasy Football is
where you'll want to get started. It is a free game where you'll have a chance to
learn the ins and outs of Fantasy Football while competing against other players
with similar experience.
• Fantasy Football Silver -- Looking for dedicated players and some competitive
leagues? Then Fantasy Football Silver is the game you want to play. $14.95 is a
small price to pay for 17 weeks of pure Fantasy Football action. Draft and run
your team while competing for $50.
• Fantasy Football Gold -- Enjoy highly competitive action at a great price with a
chance to win cash! Your first team is just $39.95. Win your league championship
and you'll take home the $200 league prize.
• Fantasy Football Platinum -- Platinum is the game for budding Fantasy
geniuses. Your first team is $99.95 with a league championship prize of $600.
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• Fantasy Football Diamond -- Sign up for Fantasy Football Diamond and take on
some of the toughest competitors in the game. Your first team is $249.95 and the
league champion takes home the $1,600 cash prize.
• Fantasy Football Double Diamond -- If you're looking for the ultimate in highly
competitive leagues, Double Diamond is the place to find it. Your first team is
$499.95. Win your league and take home the $3,500 league prize.
Ready to play? Go to http://football.cbssports.com and sign up today!
Universal Features
No matter which option you select; here is a sample of the features you'll find in every
league on CBSSports.com:
•
Live scoring -- Live scoring allows you to watch your team's scores and
statistics update in real time on game days. When your players earn points on
the field, you'll see it happen on a live scoreboard with detailed play by play
descriptions.
•
News, analysis, and expert advice -- The latest player news, injury reports,
rumors and developments from around the league to help you make
informed decisions. Timely analysis from a veteran team of Fantasy experts
will keep you informed of not only what happened but why and how it will
affect your team.
•
Sortable stats -- Crunching those important numbers is easy with complete
up-to-date statistical reports always just a click away. Search and sort player
stats virtually any way you choose.
•
Flexible statistical reports -- Get your stats, any way you want them. Save
your favorite statistical searches for easy reference. Statistical reports can
easily be printed, emailed, saved to your hard drive, or opened in a
spreadsheet.
•
Individual detailed report for every player -- Get recent news, historical
stats, key stats, fantasy trends, injury status, player rating, upcoming games,
player-to-player comparisons, and much more for every player.
•
Draft options -- You’ll have the option to draft live online or fill rosters via an
automated draft. In addition, Fantasy Football Commissioner leagues will
also have the option to enter offline results or draft live over an extended
period of days.
•
Draft help and cheat sheets -- Our team of experts work hard compiling all
the pre-draft info you need to build a competitive squad. In-depth player
rankings, statistical projections, draft cheat sheets, player outlooks and
possible sleepers and busts.
•
Message boards -- Each league has a private message board for team owners
to chat, talk trash, and discuss trades.
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•
Post league news -- Post news and stories to the league homepage for all to
read!
•
Logos -- Upload or create your own custom team logo.
•
Trade evaluator -- Get an evaluation of trades before you offer them and
before trades are offered to you. Find out quickly how any proposed deals
may improve or hurt your team.
•
E-mail updates -- Custom e-mail reports delivered daily. You control what
information you would like to receive. Standings, stats, roster warnings,
player news, injuries, transactions, message board postings and more.
•
Wireless updates – Manage your Fantasy Team, accept trade offers, get
Fantasy alerts, check the latest player updates and more, all for free on your
mobile phone. To learn more, log onto http://www.cbssports.com/mobile.
•
All essential league functions are handled automatically -- Standings,
scoring, schedules, lineups, transactions, waivers, etc.
Appendix
Fantasy Football Terms To Know: A-F
Add/Drop - Process of dropping a player from your roster and adding a free agent to
replace him.
Auction Draft - An alternative to the popular "serpentine" drafting method, auction
drafting allows owners to build their roster by bidding dollar amounts on each player.
Each team begins the auction with a set salary cap -- the total amount of money they
may spend. Each player is brought up for auction, with the player being assigned to the
team that bids the most.
Bonus Scoring - Extra points awarded within a league when a player goes over a set
threshold. For example, some leagues award a bonus of 2 points for touchdown runs
over 50 yards.
Bust - A highly sought-after player in the preseason who fails to live up to expectations.
Cheat Sheets - Lists prepared by experts to aid owners in their draft. Players are ranked
by position and desirability based on their expected performance.
Commissioner - The person who runs the league and is ultimately responsible for all
league rules and decisions.
Depth Chart - A list of players, ordered by team and position, listing where they are
ranked on the team. Depth charts are useful in determining who the next option would
be should a team's starter be injured.
Draft - The process, held before the season starts, of taking turns selecting players until
every teams' roster is full.
•
Automated draft - an option that makes it possible to draft teams without
having to physically attend a draft. Each team in the league pre-ranks players
who are then assigned to teams using an automated draft process.
•
Online draft - The process of holding a league's draft live online, usually
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using a custom "draft room"
•
Offline draft - Gathering together all team owners in a single location to draft
FAAB – Term that stands for Free Agent Auction Budget. Leagues may set up a process
whereby owners must spend “FAAB” dollars to pick up free agents.
Free Agents - Any player who is not currently on any teams' roster.
IDP - Short for Individual Defensive Players. As an alternative to the team defense
concept, fantasy teams draft and earn points for individual defensive players.
Injured Reserve - Typically, a player on injured reserve is on a team's roster but not
allowed to be placed in the active lineup.
Injury Report - These reports list player injuries and status for the upcoming game.
Injury reports are useful to team owners when determining who to start and who to
reserve.
Keeper League - A type of league that allows each team to "keep" a set number of
players on their roster from year to year.
League - The group of owners whose teams compete against each other.
Mock Draft - Sample drafts, usually from fantasy experts. Mock drafts give team
owners a good idea of where individual players are typically being drafted.
Owner - Refers to the person in charge of each individual fantasy team.
Player Ranking List - term that describes an owner's draft preparation list of players,
ranked in order of preference.
Projections - Expected statistical performances for a player. For example, to help owners
with the draft preparations, expects "project" the statistics players are expected to
accumulate over the course of the season.
Reserves - Players who are on an owner's roster but are not in the starting lineup.
Roster Limit - Teams are limited to a set number of "spots" on their roster.
Scoring System - The "system" your league uses to determine how players earn points.
Serpentine Draft - The most commonly used draft. For example, in a 10-team league,
the team that has the first pick in the first round would pick tenth in the second round
and first in the third round.
Sleeper - A player who can be selected late in the draft or picked up as a free agent who
has the potential to have a good season.
Starters - The lineup of players that an owner fields for the week's game.
Team Defense - Scoring concept used by most leagues whereby entire teams' defenses
are drafted and earn points.
Team QB - A concept used by some fantasy leagues whereby owners draft and earn
points via a team's QB position instead of individual quarterbacks.
Trade - In Fantasy Football terms, considered the act of exchanging players and/or draft
picks between teams.
Trade Deadline - A point towards the end of the season when trades are no longer
allowed.
Undroppable Players - Some leagues maintain a set of "undroppable players" - a list
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consisting of the best players in the league that teams cannot drop from their roster for
any reason. This is done to prevent teams out of contention from dropping stars from
their roster and giving other teams an unfair advantage.
Waivers - Process used in some leagues to make all free agents equally available to
every team. When a player is dropped from one team, he does not immediately become
available. Instead, the player is placed on waivers for a set amount of time. The team
with the highest waiver order who puts in a claim for that player will have the chance to
add him to their roster.
Waiver Order - The ranking of teams with priority on waiver claims. Typically, from
week to week, waiver order is reset to reflect team records.
