How do you play fantasy football?

So you want to know how to play fantasy football – you’ve come to the right place! If you've been invited to join an NFL fantasy football league or just want to see what all of the fuss is about, this article will inform you what to expect.

What is fantasy football?

In a nutshell, fantasy football is an online gaming experience that allows you to manage your own team of real NFL players. The players you draft and add to your team during the season will compete on your team each week, and the fantasy points they accrue are based off real-world stats.

How do fantasy sports work?

Leagues vary in size and are usually comprised of 4-24 owners. After an initial fantasy draft is held, league members continuously update their roster with the goal of to building the most talented and winning team.

What do I do first?

You will start by building a roster by drafting players from actual professional teams. Your commissioner will determine the date, time and format of the draft. The draft may be online (“live draft”), offline (“in person draft”) or a slow draft (“email draft”).

What does a commissioner do?

The commissioner is the person whose league you’re joining - typically the person who started the league or has taken over the commish duties. That person is responsible for customizing league rules, communicating and enforcing the rules, and setting up the draft.

What does a standard league consist of?

Leagues can vary in size from 4 to 24 teams. The default roster requirements include:

  • 1 quarterback (QB)
  • 1 running back (RB)
  • 2 wide receivers (WR)
  • 1 tight end (TE)
  • 1 running back/wide receiver/tight end flex position (RB/WR/TE)
  • 1 kicker (K)
  • 1 defense/special teams (D/ST)

In addition, the default bench will have 7 spots to rest back-ups, place players on bye weeks or sit those out due to injury. (Fleaflicker commissioners also have the options to add sections for Injured Reserve and Taxi Squads which will give owners additional spots to place eligible injured players or rookies still in development.)

How does the fantasy football draft work?

In a new redraft league where everyone starts from scratch each season, the default draft order is what is referred to as a snake draft. A random order will be determined, and picks will go in that order for the first round and then in reverse order for the next round. In this scenario, the person with the last pick in the round will have the first pick in the next round as well.

In a dynasty fantasy football league (also referred to as a keeper league), teams will have a configurable number of players that can be kept (retained) on a roster during a draft. In those leagues, the draft order typically snakes starting at round three. If it’s a returning league, the order will be based on how the previous season ended.

Your commissioner will determine the date, time and format of the draft. The draft may be online (“live draft”), offline (“in person draft”) or a slow draft (“email draft”).

If you are looking for 2020 fantasy football rankings (including dynasty fantasy football rankings), Fleaflicker offers a free fantasy football rankings cheat sheet to help provide owners with insights on which players to draft as well as the ability to run a mock fantasy football draft. During the fantasy football league season, Fleaflicker will also keep you updated with all of the fantasy football news you need to stay updated on your fantasy players.

Here are some next steps if you are ready to get started to play Fantasy Football 2020:

In addition to free fantasy football, Fleaflicker offers baseball, basketball and hockey leagues.