Martin L. Schulman

Article / Updated 09-21-2023

Fantasy football lets you try your skills as a fantasy team owner. After you join a league, you scout for and draft players, compete against other fantasy owners, and use all your skills to win the championship. Learning how to play fantasy football is easy; conquering your competitors and becoming a champion is a different story. Fantasy Football 101: Here's what happens in a fantasy football season. You join a league. You can join a public league, where anyone can sign up for a spot, or a private league, where you need an invitation to play. Some people, typically beginners, play just for fun and some play for money (in some cases, serious coin). Be sure to understand the type of league you join, along with its rules. League selection is an important factor, so don't take it lightly. You prepare for your league draft by scouting players. Before choosing your fantasy team, you need to research all the available players so you can pre-rank them according to your personal preference. Understanding your league’s scoring system and roster setup is critical to creating a bulletproof draft strategy. You build your fantasy football team via the draft. The draft is the most fun and exciting day of the fantasy season. During the draft, each fantasy owner selects on NFL player at a time until the rosters are complete. Fantasy football drafts can take place online, but some leagues — typically friends or co-workers — will conduct the draft in person. Remember to draft all of the correct positions, so that you can have a full team roster. Your team competes against another team every week. During the NFL season, the real teams face each other and so do the fantasy teams in your league. The players' real-time stats are converted into fantasy points by your league provider, and the fantasy team that scores the most points wins the game for the week. The goal is to win as many games as possible to make the playoffs. You make moves to improve your team. As a fantasy owner, you're in total control. You can drop players you think aren't good enough and replace them with free agents. If one of your starters gets injured, you can bench him and start a healthy player instead. You may even make a trade offer to another owner. Your team (hopefully) makes the playoffs and wins your league. Only the strong survive, and at the end of the fantasy season, the top teams square off in a single-elimination tournament to decide the league champion. The last team standing may win a trophy, a cash prize, or just honor; but make no mistake, there will be only one winner.

Article / Updated 09-12-2023

To win in fantasy football, your team needs to score more points than any other team in your league. A fantasy football team scores points based on each player’s performance and personal stats, in addition to the standard NFL point system for touchdowns, field goals, safeties, and extra points; fantasy scoring is not affected by the NFL teams’ win-loss records. As a result, the stud offensive players who can run, catch, and pass for big yards and not just score are the elite players in the fantasy world. In essence, fantasy rewards a player for playing a good game even if he doesn’t score lots of touchdowns. Scoring touchdowns isn’t easy in the NFL, and just because an offensive player can’t reach the end zone doesn’t mean he’s having a bad game. Fantasy football also awards points to kickers who kick field goals and extra points and to team defenses that can score fantasy points by not giving up points and creating turnovers, in addition to scoring touchdowns and safeties. Basically, anything from fumble recoveries to receptions to field goal distance can add up for your fantasy team. Every league provider has a default setting for the stats that will convert to fantasy scoring, but any NFL stat can translate into fantasy points — only your league commissioner can make the decision to change any defaults. To know your league’s scoring default, make sure you check out your league’s scoring system when preparing for your season. The scoring rules of your league may affect your draft strategy and will affect the outcome of each game during the season. Fantasy football simulates the real deal by using a performance-based scoring system. A touchdown is worth 6 points for an NFL team and 6 fantasy points for a player on a fantasy team (in most leagues). Fantasy players are also awarded points for yardage gained, such as 1 point for every 10 yards gained rushing or receiving. Bad NFL plays often count as negative fantasy points; sacks can be worth –1 or interceptions worth –2. In general, every statistic can be used to rate a player’s achievements, good and bad, depending on your fantasy league. Your fantasy team’s final score each week is the sum of all your starting players’ fantasy points. The following table shows an example of fantasy scoring for one week in a league with fractional and negative points. Don’t worry about having to calculate all this each week. Your league provider does the math for you. A Good Week for Your Fantasy Team Position Actual Performance Fantasy Points Scored Fantasy Point Total Quarterback 240 yds passing 2 touchdowns 1 interception 240 ÷ 20 = 12 2 x 6 = 12 1 x –2 = –2 22 Wide receiver 110 yds receiving 1 touchdown 110 ÷ 10 = 11 1 x 6 = 6 17 Wide receiver 85 yds receiving 85 ÷ 10 = 8.5 8.5 Wide receiver 40 yds receiving 1 lost fumble 40 ÷ 10 = 4 1 x –2 = –2 2 Running back 140 yds rushing 35 yds receiving 3 touchdowns 140 ÷ 10 = 14 35 ÷ 10 = 3.5 3 x 6 = 18 35.5 Running back 80 yds rushing 75 yds receiving 1 touchdown 2 lost fumbles 80 ÷ 10 = 8 75 ÷ 10 = 7.5 1 x 6 = 6 2 x –2 = –4 17.5 Tight end 0 yds 0 0 Kicker 2 field goals 2 extra points 2 x 3 = 6 2 x 1 = 2 8 Team defense 14 points allowed 2 sacks 1 fumble recovered 1 interception 14 points = 1 2 x 2 = 4 1 x 2 = 2 1 x 2 = 2 9 _____________ _____________ _____________ 119.5 To know your fantasy football league’s scoring default, make sure you check out your league’s scoring system when preparing for your season. The scoring rules of your league may affect your draft strategy and will affect the outcome of each game during the season.

Article / Updated 08-28-2023

After you draft your fantasy football roster, you have to be proactive and manage your team each week. Learning how to manage your fantasy football team is critical if you want to win your league. The most important responsibility a fantasy coach has is to field the best possible team every week. The easiest way to stay in the game and in the championship picture is to make sure you have a complete and competitive lineup before the NFL games begin each week. Here are some common reasons why you need to change your starting lineup each week to stay competitive: Injuries: Injuries happen in the NFL often; they're part of what makes fantasy football challenging. If your best player gets knocked out for the season, you'll be hard pressed to find a worthy replacement. However, with a little research and by counting on your draft depth, you can insert capable players into your lineup each week. Credit: ©iStockphoto.com/majorosl 2008 Follow the injury report. The NFL teams designate injured players with a P (probably) or greater than 75 percent chance of playing, Q (questionable) or 50 percent chance of playing or D (doubtful or less than 25 percent.) Typically, a player designated “P” is started without worry and a player with a “D” designation will probably not play or see much action if played so they should be avoided. The “Q” players are the worrisome ones because they can go either way. Watch for injury reports and pay special attention to pregame news so you don’t get stuck with a player who is listed as inactive at the last minute. If you have a player labeled “Q,” and he is playing in the late games or night games, you should be very careful. Most of the time you won’t know if that player is going to play until after the early games have started so a lot of your bench may already be locked. In that case, look to play one of your bench players instead to avoid taking a zero. Some leagues put all players on automatic waivers come the start of games on Sunday (and any players who may have played in the Thursday night game on that day). Make sure you make any add/drops prior to that happening. Other than the Thursday players, a good rule of thumb is to have your lineup pretty well set on Saturday and leave Sunday for the last second injury substitutions. Matchups: Each fantasy team has a core of stud players that must start every week when healthy. But when making choices at your other lineup positions, you need to consider each NFL game and which of those matchups are more likely to give your fantasy players the best chance to produce. When setting your weekly lineup, there is one rule that should govern all: PLAY YOUR STUDS! Often times fantasy owners will out-think themselves by trying to play the matchup or avoid a player competing in a bad weather situation. You drafted a player with a high draft pick . . . play him that way. A team is not always filled with stud players. In that case, matchup, weather, and injury factors will need to be taken into consideration when choosing among some players. Do your research before the game and be aware that many things can change hours even minutes before a game can start. Bye weeks: During the season, each NFL team has a bye week, during which you need to bench the team's players. If you prepare for your draft correctly, these open dates won't come as a surprise, and your bench players will be ready to contribute. Performance: Athletes tend to play in streaks, either hot or cold. When making the tougher lineup decisions, you can check the stats for the last few games and see who's playing well and who needs to take a seat on your bench. Be patient with your stud players. Every player will have a bad week or two. Try not to make any rash moves with your core group of players. Every league provider has different rules governing player movement. Always know your league rules and settings before you draft your team and play the game. Know when your lineup locks. Many leagues lock the individual players once their games start. Some leagues lock the entire lineup on the start time of the first game. And in some instances that can be Thursday evening. Make sure your line up is set when it has to be. During the season, you can add or drop players to replace injured players or to upgrade at positions of need in one of three ways: The free agency pool: In Yahoo! default leagues, all undrafted fantasy players begin the season as free agents, which means they're available to be added to your roster at any time. Many free agent pickups will surprise you and become staples in your lineup. The waiver wire: If another team drops a player, 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. This allows for fair acquisition players that are dropped based on the waiver priority system and not just who can get to the computer fastest. To add a player on waivers, you must drop a player from your roster. If you have the highest waiver priority — set in reverse order of your draft at the start of the season — you're awarded that player. After a claim is awarded, your waiver priority drops to the lowest number. If no owner puts a claim in for a player that is on waivers, and the waiver period has ended, that player will become a free agent, and any team can pick that player up at any time. Trading with other owners: If free agency doesn't help, it may be time to make a trade offer. Of course, making a good trade is easier said than done because you have to give up someone good in order to get someone good. Trading is often difficult for novices as many will want to acquire a stud player but be very hesitant to give one of his or her core players. If you are determined to make a trade, you should strive for equity in your early negotiations. Identify where you are either lacking or have depth and try to utilize that to your advantage. For example, you have three quality starting RBs (running backs) but only one quality WR (wide receiver.) You could try to find a team in the opposite situation and trade a RB for a WR; both teams win. A more advanced scenario might be that you have three quality RBs and very little bench depth, and you have many players going on a bye soon. You can take that one quality RB and trade him for two or three lesser quality players to give you some help during the bye weeks. Of course, if you acquire three players for one, you would need to drop some players to meet the roster requirements. A good fantasy owner is making moves often. Maybe not every week, and maybe the starting lineup doesn’t change much, but active owners are always looking for better bench players, speculative pickups that could reap future rewards, or potential trades that could better position themselves for playoff push. Remember: this is YOUR team, you make the calls. You can get advice from every expert or check every ranking, but make your own call. If your gut is telling you to play someone, then do it.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 08-24-2023

Fantasy football is a fun, competitive, and addictive hobby. Get your fantasy season started by drafting players to build a solid team and using coaching tips to keep your team going strong. If you need to improve on a position, try some strategies for trading players and acquiring free agents. Keep a guide handy of important league dates so you don’t miss anything exciting or an opportunity to improve your fantasy football team.

Article / Updated 06-21-2022

Football is the ultimate team game, and you need to motivate your players to work as a team. Although the sport allows individuals in some positions (such as quarterbacks, who can elude defenders and scramble downfield) to create plays on their own, you and your team are much better off if you can get everyone to work together as a cohesive unit on the field. Finding a surefire route to teaching the essence of teamwork among your players is difficult. Try getting the players to begin seeing the enormous benefits that accompany working as a team (rather than as a bunch of individuals) with the following pointers: Praise team efforts in practices and after the game. Recognize the efforts of the team whenever possible. If you're conducting a passing drill and the offensive unit scores a touchdown, you may tend to acknowledge the youngster who caught the touchdown pass or the quarterback who delivered the ball. But what about the other players involved? How about the blocking by the offensive line? How about the wide receiver on the other side of the field who ran such a good pattern that they lured the safety over to cover them, providing an easier target for the quarterback on the other side? When you spread your praise among all the players who play a role in scoring, players begin to understand that each of them plays a very important role on the team. Get the kids to praise one another. Encourage the kids who score touchdowns to acknowledge the teammates who helped get them to the end zone. Getting kids in the habit of giving one another high fives or telling each other "great pass" or "nice block" forges bonds and strengthens team unity. Promote sideline support. Encourage players who aren't in the game to stay involved by cheering and supporting their teammates. This role keeps them involved in the action instead of glancing over to see what their parents are doing or what kind of food their friends are buying at the concession stand. Hearing teammates' cheers also provides extra encouragement for the players on the field. Allow individual freedom — at times. Although you should sometimes give players individual freedom to create plays on their own, you need to do so within the team setting. At some point during the game, you may want to give your quarterback a chance to run the ball after dropping back to pass, and calling these types of plays are part of the game. But when that player ignores an open teammate they could have passed to because they want to run, they threaten team chemistry. Remind that player that they have teammates for a reason and to be sure to look out for them. Avoid the captain syndrome. Continually relying on two or three players to serve as team captains throughout the season elevates them above the rest of the squad. Instead, giving every player the opportunity to lead warm-ups in practice or head a drill infuses the team with the sense that everyone's equal. In most youth football programs, "official" team captains usually aren't required until around the age of 14. Naming temporary captains is just another tool you can use to build kids' self-esteem and make them feel like valued team members. Here are a few general tips you can employ to help spur your players on to become the best they can be after they buckle the chin straps: Love what you're doing. If you have a sincere passion for football and for teaching it to children, your excitement and enthusiasm will rub off on the team, and they'll respond accordingly. Set attainable goals for youngsters. Forget about trying to win every game or having the league's highest-scoring offense. Those aren't realistic goals for kids, some of whom are just learning how to properly put on all the safety equipment. If a child senses that your expectations are far-fetched, they wonder what's the point of even trying, and their play on the field suffers. This negatively impacts the entire team. Recognize the good things happening on the field. Stop practice to point out when a player does something really well, not just when a player makes a mistake. Being positive is simply one of the best motivational tools around. Don't motivate through fear or threats. Making a child run a lap for failing to perform at an expected level has no place in youth football. Kids are there to learn and to learn from their mistakes, not be humiliated or punished for them. This motivation-through-fear tactic is likely to chase members of your team away from the sport in the years to come. If they're giving everything they've got and it's just not clicking for some reason, find another method or take a different approach to teach the skill.

Article / Updated 05-04-2022

Part of your responsibility when coaching football is knowing and understanding what to expect — both physically and emotionally — from youngsters who play the game at a particular age level. Coaching kids ages 6 and under Children in this age bracket have probably never played football before, and this season may very well be their first experience in an organized team setting. Your job is simply to introduce them to some of football's most basic elements and whet their appetite for future participation. Children at this age generally aren't concerned about how their football skills compare to those of others on the team. These kids are primarily interested in being with friends and having fun learning and playing the sport. Football players between ages 7–9 Youngsters at this age become interested in mastering some of the basics of the sport. They crave feedback from coaches and parents on how they perform certain skills and how they're progressing with new ones. They begin noticing their teammates' abilities and skill levels. When coaches verbally recognize one of their peers for properly executing a skill, they want to earn that same feedback. The desire to compete carries much more prominence for some youngsters in this age range than for others. Children who have older siblings may be particularly competitive, because they've watched their brothers compete in football or other sports, and the younger siblings are finally getting their turn to display their skills. Playing football at ages 10–12 More than likely, these children have had some experience playing football in the past and are continuing because it's piqued their interest. Keep the positive momentum going by adding to their foundation of skills. Fuel their desire to continue playing by conducting practices that are both challenging and fun. Quite often, sports take on added importance at this juncture in kids' lives, and some of them really want to do well. As children hit this age range, many become more competitive. They begin embracing the challenge of putting their skills to the test and enjoy competing against others their age. When they're able to help the team prevail, these players feel immense satisfaction accompanied by a unique feeling of accomplishment that's specific to the wonderful world of football. Coaching youngsters between ages 13–14 Welcome to the challenging world of the teenager! These kids have already developed many of the basic skills needed to play the sport and now want to improve them. Be aware that children at this age are typically searching for their personal identity, so try getting to know them on a personal level by asking who their favorite football players or football teams are. Of course, this tip is great for building good coach-player bonds with kids of all ages. Reaching players who are ages 15 and above Gaining the respect of your players is always important to your coaching success, and that's particularly true when coaching kids ages 15 and older. These teens have developed a real passion for the sport. They attend football camps, perhaps lift weights year-round in preparation for the season, and in some cases, may actually be more knowledgeable in some areas of the sport than you are. If you volunteer or get recruited to coach this age group, don't panic! Instead, welcome the chance to enhance your coaching abilities and embrace the opportunity to coach these kids, who have a deep-rooted love for the game. Be sure to let them know that you value their opinions, suggestions, and input regarding the team. A youngster's passion for football is wonderful, and that enthusiasm actually helps make your job easier.

Article / Updated 10-29-2019

When draft day arrives, all the owners in a fantasy football league gather at a central location or log into the specified web service’s draft utility and meet virtually. The goal for each owner is to draft a team roster of 15 to 18 players. How many players to draft at each position is up to you, but the traditional combination of players to draft: two quarterbacks, four running backs, four wide receivers, two tight ends, two kickers, and two defense/special teams (punt and kickoff return) units. Each owner selects one player at a time. Generally, the online service randomly chooses the order or, if drafting offline, the commissioner draws numbers out of a hat to determine the draft order. The owners make their picks in order for the first round. Then they reverse this order for the second round, what's called a snake draft. Credit: ©iStockphoto.com/spxChrome 2009 For example, in an eight-person league, Owners 1 through 8 make the first eight selections in order, completing the first round. Then as the second round starts Owner 8 gets the ninth pick, Owner 7 gets the tenth pick, and so on down to Owner 1, who makes the sixteenth and seventeenth picks, and so on until all owners fill their rosters. Before the draft, designate two people to record all the player selections. Accurate records can help resolve conflicts that may arise later. Alternatively, your fantasy football rosters can be updated online, in Excel charts, or even on a community draft board. A draft board can help every owner see each person’s team as it's being selected, which is extremely useful for live drafts. Fantasy football starting lineups Each week, you enter a starting lineup made up of the following players: one quarterback, two running backs, two wide receivers, one flex position (can be an RB, WR, or TE), one tight end, one kicker, and one defense/special teams (punt and kickoff return) unit. You draft an entire team’s defense and special teams. If your team’s defense or special teams unit scores a touchdown, records a safety, or performs various defensive feats like an interception, a fumble recovery or records a sack you get points. Fantasy football bench players The remaining players are reserves. These players’ statistics don’t count while the players sit on your bench; instead, reserves serve as backups for your starting lineup. Here’s why reserves are important: They replace poor-performing starters: If your quarterback, for example, plays poorly, you can replace him in your starting lineup the following week with your backup quarterback. They replace injured starters: If your star running back breaks his leg (gasp!), you simply start your backup running back the following week. They replace players on bye weeks: Each NFL team has one bye week. Because of bye weeks, you need to insert backup players for your starters whose teams aren’t playing that week. It’s important to choose all your drafts carefully in fantasy football, including your reserves. Although reserve players’ statistics don’t count while the players sit on your reserve squad, they are important because they replace poor-performing starters, they replace injured starters, and they replace players on bye weeks. Maintaining a strong fantasy football team roster filled with potential stars, role players, and backups is critical to performing well throughout the whole season.

Article / Updated 10-29-2019

Fantasy football offers two basic types of drafts: the snake draft and the auction draft. If you're new to fantasy football or don't want to make a huge time commitment, you should play in a snake draft league. If you're an experienced player or just a rabid football fan, you may welcome the challenge of an auction draft. What is a snake draft? The snake draft is divided into rounds — one round for every available roster spot on each team. For example, if your league has 15-man rosters, your draft will have 15 rounds. ESPN offers the following Snake Draft Demo screenshot: Fantasy football snake draft strategy In a snake draft, each fantasy coach has one pick in each round. Each team makes its first-round pick based on a predetermined order. When the first round is over, the team that picked last in the first round picks first in the second round — in other words, the draft snakes back on itself. The team that had the first pick in the first round now has the last pick in the second round and the first pick in the third round. Fantasy football snake drafts are commonly used because they allow for a fair and balanced draft. It would be unfair if the team with the first overall pick was allowed to choose first in each and every round! The key to building a good team in a snake draft is preparing based on your draft position. If you get an earlier pick, you get the chance to draft one of the biggest studs in the NFL. If you have a later pick, you'll land two top-15 overall players rather than just the one elite player. Either way, you can win a fantasy league by drafting well, regardless of your draft position. Also, understanding your draft pick number is invaluable to your draft strategy. If you draft at the beginning or end of each round, you will have consecutive picks. This means you need to understand what players and positions are most valuable, because your next pick won’t be for a long time! If you have a pick in the middle of the draft, your picks are more evenly spread out. The following shows what picks you would have in a snake draft with 12 teams and 15 rounds. Note there would be 180 total picks in that draft. Notice how Team 12 picks last in the first round, but first in the second round. This is how the snake draft is conducted. If you know your draft pick number and are in a 12 team league, the table above will tell you the exact pick numbers you have throughout the first 15 rounds. For example, Team 1 would have the following picks: 1, 24, 25, 48, 49, 72, 73, 96, 97, 120, 121, 144, 145, 168, and 169. What is an auction draft? A fantasy auction draft works a lot like an auction on eBay, except that you bid on NFL players rather than antiques or gadgets. In an auction draft, each NFL player is assigned a unit value, and every fantasy team has a unit budget; each team must fill its roster requirements without going over budget. Fantasy football auction draft strategy You can bid as much as you want for a player, as long as you still have enough units left to complete the rest of your roster. For example, if you have a 20-player roster to fill and a budget of 200 units, the most you could bid for your first player is 181 units, which would leave you with 1 unit per player for the remaining 19 slots. However, doing so would also leave your fantasy team in a lot of trouble! An auction draft still has rounds — the number of rounds mirrors the number of roster spots — but instead of drafting a player when it's your turn in a round, you place a player on the auction block and start the bidding at an amount of your choice. If no other team outbids you, the player you put up is yours. If another team makes a bid, the bidding continues until no team surpasses the highest current offer; the player is awarded to the highest bidder. Each coach can nominate one player per round; this process continues until all the rosters are filled. Understanding the right value of each player is critical to your auction draft strategy. You also have to be able to predict how other coaches value players. It’s about budgeting. What are you willing to spend to acquire a sleeper who you think has high value? Can you get that player at a cheaper price? All of these questions and considerations need to be thought out so you can build the best team with your unit budget!

Article / Updated 10-29-2019

When you decide to play fantasy football, you can join either a public or a private league. Which type you join depends on your skills and experience as a fantasy football coach as well as the number of friends and family you wish to play with. How to join a fantasy football public league A public league is one that's open to anyone who signs up. Essentially, anyone can join a public league for free, until all of the team roster slots are taken. If you choose to join a public league on Yahoo!, follow these steps to get started: Go to Yahoo!. Select the Sports tab from the list of services Yahoo! provides. Select the Fantasy tab on the Sports page. Scroll down to the Fantasy Football box and click on the Sign Up Now link. Select the Join a Basic League link after you get to the sign-up page. This box is opposite the more prominently featured Football Plus box, which is Yahoo!’s pay product. Yahoo! asks you to make two choices; after you make these choices, you’re placed in a league with open spots and with the options you’ve selected: Casual versus competitive: If you just want to play fantasy football to add a little action to your Sunday football viewing, join a casual league. If, however, you’re possessed by the burning desire to crush your opponents and bask in the misery of their defeat, a competitive league is for you. Autodraft versus live online draft: The autodraft feature enables the Yahoo! engine to automatically select the best available player in a random snake draft for your league. Yahoo! has its own pre-ranking system that it uses for this. In a live online draft, each owner goes online at a designated time and all the coaches select players together. Choose your league: A list of open leagues appears, and you can select either a small league or a large one; larger leagues are more challenging. Credit: www.yahoo.com Team up with a fantasy football private league If you’re invited to join a friend’s league, you’ve probably received an e-mail with a link to the sign-up page. Just click on the link, accept your spot, pick a team name and logo, and start talking smack with your pals! If your friend’s league is being set up by invitation only, that makes it a private league. Coaches can join only if they have the league info and password. This type of league works exactly like a public league when the season begins, but the league’s commissioner can customize the setup. Yahoo! has a certain set of standard defaults for roster requirements, scoring, free agency, and so on. The commissioner can decide to alter many of those defaults based on feedback from the other coaches. Credit: www.foxsports.com Some custom leagues have membership requirements or advanced league settings and generally aren’t recommended for beginners. If you have some experience and are looking for a challenge, this is a good way to try out different rules and formats — such as individual defensive player leagues, or auction drafts — that most leagues don’t normally use. When joining a custom league or private league, make sure you know the league make up. Eight to twelve team owners is a good balance talent distribution. Too few owners, and the talent is not distributed enough, and owners will rarely change their lineups. Too many owners, and the good players are spread so thin that basic NFL knowledge will not be enough to evaluate the players you will have to use. The more owners in a league, the more challenging all aspects of the season will be. Also, when joining a private league, make sure everyone in the league is committed to playing for the full season. Nothing can destroy a fantasy league quicker than inactivity. This is an unavoidable risk when joining public leagues as you won’t know the other owners. Some private leagues also have multiyear commitments. “Keeper” style leagues will carry over all or part of a roster from year to year. If you are trying fantasy football for the first time and not sure if you have the passion for it, you may want to steer clear of these style leagues to start with.

Step by Step / Updated 03-27-2016

If you're new to fantasy football, you run the risk of making rookie mistakes, such as auto-selecting your lineup or ignoring the NFL schedule. Here are some top missteps novice fantasy football coaches make and how to avoid them.