Fantasy Football Terms You Need to Know
Like the rest of the sports world, fantasy football has a lingo all its own. The slang terms are all fairly easy to grasp and fun to use, so don’t be scared off! The following list will help you get a good feel for these fantasy football terms before you start playing:
Breakout: When a player goes from average to great.
Bye week: Every NFL team is inactive once during the regular season; an NFL team’s off week is its bye week.
Cheat sheets: The lists of pre-ranked players — overall and by position.
Collusion: Two coaches working together to win a league.
Damaged goods: When a player involved in a trade is hurt.
Elite: The highest ranked players at their positions.
Fantasy formula: A simple way to evaluate a player’s potential: skill plus opportunity equals success.
Fantasy worthy: He plays enough to make a fantasy impact.
Fleecing: Taking advantage of a bad coach in a lopsided trade.
Game-time decision: Waiting to see if a hurt player will start.
Handcuffing: Drafting a backup and a starter from the same NFL team.
Keeper league: Coaches retain a certain amount of players from one season to the next.
League settings: The league rules and stat modifiers that determine fantasy point values.
Pre-rankings: How NFL players are rated before the draft.
Private league: A league you can join by invitation only and that’s controlled by a commissioner.
Public league: A league where anyone can sign up and play.
Sleeper: A little-known player who’s ready to awaken and be great.
Stud: A top-rated fantasy starter.
Trade bait: Good players who you can offer to other coaches.
Trading deadline: Last day of the season to make trades.
Vulture back: A running back who steals goal-line carries from the starter.
Waiver wire: Dropped players are here before they become free agents.
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ACC
The Atlantic Coast Conference of college football teams.
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AFC
An acronym for the American Football Conference.
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AFL
An acronym for the American Football League.
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BCS
An acronym for the Bowl Championship Series.
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Big Ten
A college athletic conference whose eleven-member institutions are located mainly in the Midwestern United States.
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bye week
A week during which an NFL team doesn’t play; every NFL team has one week of the season off.
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center
The player who snaps the ball to the quarterback. A center handles the ball on every play.
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DEF
An acronym for Team Defense.
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fullback
A player who’s responsible for blocking for the running back and also for pass-blocking to protect the quarterback. Fullbacks, who are generally bigger than running backs, are short-yardage runners.
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kicker; placekicker
The member of the special team who is responsible for field goal and extra point attempts.
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NCAA
An acronym for the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
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NFC
An acronym for the National Football Conference.
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NFL
An acronym for the National Football League.
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Pac-10
The Pacific-10 Conference is a college athletic conference that operates in the western United States.
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Punt
A kick to the opponent without the use of a tee.
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quarterback
The leader of the team. The quarterback calls the plays in the huddle, yells the signals at the line of scrimmage, and then receives the ball from the center. Then he hands off the ball to a running back, throws it to a receiver, or runs with it.
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running back; tailback; halfback; wingback
A player who runs with the football.
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SEC
The Southeastern Conference of college football teams.
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snake draft
A draft in which each fantasy coach has one pick in each round. Each team makes its first-round pick based on a predetermined order.
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ST
An acronym for Special Teams.
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stud
A top-rated fantasy football starter.
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tight end
A player who serves as a receiver and also as a blocker. The tight end lines up beside the offensive tackle to the right or the left of the quarterback.
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waivers
A situation where a player is dropped from a team roster; the player goes on waivers for a limited time before becoming a free agent. All coaches then have a set amount of time (usually two days) to decide whether to add him to their teams.
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wide receiver
A player who uses his speed to elude defenders and catch the football. Teams use as many as two to four wide receivers on every play.
