Fantasy Football Articles

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

So, you want to join a keeper league but you are not quite sure about how it works, the keeper league rules, or if it's for you? If this sounds about right, keep reading. Keeper leagues offer fantasy football owners the opportunity to keep a certain amount of players from year to year. Retaining players helps maintain continuity with each team and offers a new interesting dynamic for fantasy football. Keeper leagues bring new and exciting gameplay and lets owners "build" a team over the course of many seasons. If you play your cards right, you can create a winning tradition and become a dynasty in your league for years to come. Sometimes the season may not go as you planned, and keeper leagues open up a new dimension to strategy that traditional leagues simply do not offer. If it becomes clear that your team is not going to be competing for trophies, the best you could do in a traditional league is be a good sport and try to play the spoiler role, or win your consolation playoffs. In keeper leagues, you could instead focus on how to make your team better for future seasons. You could trade off one of your older, more productive veterans to teams competing for the playoffs, for one of their younger rising stars. There are many different ways to approach and be successful in a keeper league; keeping both the present and future in mind is always important. How keeper leagues work Keeper leagues work virtually the same as a normal fantasy league, except that each team gets to keep a certain number of players from year to year. Each fantasy owner will get to select which players they get to keep, and teams will keep the same number of players in most cases. In the first season, the draft is performed as any other fantasy draft would be. Depending on the league rules, typically five to ten players are kept from each team, and all other available players, plus any rookies, will be available for the next available draft. In the extreme, dynasty leagues offer a chance for fantasy owners to keep all of the players from last season, and only rookies are drafted. There are many different ways to implement keeper leagues — and no single correct way. Discuss the idea with your fellow league members, and decide what works best for you. Common keeper league rules In addition to keeping players from year to year, fantasy football keeper leagues can offer a wide array of other options and rules. Stipulations on keeping a player are commonly based on his tenure, total team tenure, draft position, or player salary, among other criteria in certain leagues. Player tenure is a concept that means a player can only be kept for a fixed number of seasons before he has to be released back into the free agent pool to be redrafted. For example, a league might have rules that simply state "All teams can keep up to five players, but no player can be kept for more than four seasons in a row." Team tenure is a concept that increases cost the longer a certain player is on the team. Instead of being allowed a fixed number of players, a team is allowed a fixed number of seasons during which they could keep any combination of players. For example, if the fixed number was ten seasons, you could keep one player ten years in a row, or ten players for one year, or any combination in between. Draft position is a way of associating cost with the player whom is being kept. Generally, if you keep a player who was drafted in the first round of last season, you will have to give up your first-round pick of this seasons draft. Some leagues even stipulate that certain top-tier rounds cannot be kept, or have a high cost associated with them in auction leagues, particularly for keeping a highly drafted player year after year. Player salary, for these purposes, has to do with a player's auction value, not his actual personal salary. The cost may continue to rise for every season an individual player is kept without being released back into free agency. If a player is purchased for $5, that cost might double every season he is kept, making it impractical to keep players for several years. In addition to these concepts, leagues may want to implement certain guidelines and rules for trading players. At times, teams may have wildly different goals, some trying to win now, some trying to build for the future, and this all must be kept in mind when regulating trades. Some leagues may have some form of a salary cap, preventing teams from having too many protected, high-value players simultaneously. However, auction leagues might simply rise the cost associated with these players. Other leagues might discourage giving up on the current season by having a draft lottery, making it not guaranteed you will get a high pick next season if your team performed badly in the previous season. Some leagues may be more forgiving and offer the lowest ranked competitors the highest draft picks the following season. Tips/strategy for managing a keeper team League rules can be among the most important factors in deciding strategy for your fantasy football keeper league. How many players start at each position, scoring modifications, and rules for keeping players are some of the more important factors in managing your keeper league season after season. You should get to know your leagues rules and any scoring modifications, so you can make wise choices on which players to pick up and which to drop for the long haul of a keeper league. You'll also want to keep players from year to year based on their past performances and projected performances for future seasons. A young star running back could be the mainstay of your team for several years, but if you see production or opportunity drop, along with rising age, the value for keeping that particular player may not be there after many years. You will have to weigh your options among your returning players and decide which ones are most important to you. To help strengthen your team, you could always try initiating trades with other members in your league. There are many situations where a trade can help both teams in keeper leagues. One side might benefit in the current season, while the other may be in better shape for the future. Some fantasy owners might even intentionally pick up mostly younger players in the hopes that they culminate into a squad of fantasy superstars one day. Others may value experience and opportunity more, and attempt to be competitive every year. The choice is yours.

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.

Video / Updated 07-14-2023

A lot of information is crammed into this short video to help you minimize risk and maximize gain when playing Fantasy Football. You get tips to follow during the entire season from when to pick your key players during the draft, when to concentrate on coaching and bye weeks, and when to use the waiver wire and online trade calculators.

Article / Updated 11-15-2019

Football offenses, whether in high school, college, or professional games, uses a certain set of running plays. Here are some basic running plays used in all of football: Blast or dive: The simplest of carries. Usually led by a blocking fullback, the running back takes a quick handoff from the quarterback and hits a hole between an offensive guard and a tackle. The offense calls this run when it needs a yard or two for a first down. The runner lowers his head and hopes to move the pile before the middle linebacker tackles him. Counter: An intentional misdirection run on the part of the offense. The quarterback fakes a lateral toss to one back who’s heading right, running parallel to the line of scrimmage. The quarterback then turns and hands off to the remaining runner in the backfield, generally a fullback, who runs toward the middle of the line, hoping to find an opening between either guard and the center. Draw: A disguised run, which means it initially looks like a pass play. The offensive linemen draw back like they’re going to pass-protect for the quarterback (QB). The quarterback then drops back and, instead of setting up to pass, he turns and hands the ball to the runner. The goal of every draw play is to get the defensive linemen charging at the quarterback, only to be pushed aside by the offensive linemen at the last second. To fool the defense with this run, a team must have an above-average passing game. Off-tackle: A strong-side run, meaning the halfback (HB) heads toward the end of the line where the tight end, the extra blocker, lines up. The runner wants to take advantage of the hole supplied by the tackle, tight end, and his running mate, the fullback (FB). He can take the ball either around the tight end, as shown in the following figure, or outside the tackle. He hopes that the fullback will block the outside linebacker. Pitch: The quarterback (QB) takes the snap and fakes a handoff to the first back (HB), who’s heading directly toward the line of scrimmage; he then tosses (or pitches) the ball laterally to the other runner (FB), who has begun to move to the outside. The runner can either take the pitch outside or cut back toward the inside. Pitch plays can be designed to go in either direction. Reverse: The halfback (HB) receives the handoff from the quarterback (QB) and then runs laterally behind the line of scrimmage. (The play can be designed for the back to run in either direction.) The ball carrier meets up with a wide receiver (WR) or flanker running toward him and then hands the ball to that receiver or flanker. The offensive line blocks as if the ball were intended for the halfback so that the defensive players follow him. After the receiver is in motion and has the ball, he runs in the opposite direction, or against the flow of his own blockers. Slant: This run is exactly like it sounds. Instead of running straight toward the line of scrimmage, the runner (HB) slants his angle outside after he receives the ball. A slant is used to take advantage of defenses that overpursue, allowing offensive linemen to be more effective by pushing the defenders to one side. Sweep: Begins with two or more offensive linemen (which in this figure are labeled as LG and RG) leaving their stances and running toward the outside of the line of scrimmage. The ball carrier (HB) takes a handoff from the quarterback (QB) and runs parallel to the line of scrimmage, waiting for his blockers to lead the way around the end. The run is designed to attack the defensive end, outside linebacker, and cornerback on a specific side. Trap: Teams don’t use this run very often because it requires quick and agile offensive linemen, and most teams use big blockers these days. On the trap, a guard (LG in the following figure) vacates his normal area, allowing the defensive player to cross the line of scrimmage and have a clear lane into the backfield. The guard from the opposite side then moves across the line and blocks the defender. This action by the guard is called pulling, hence the term pulling guard. The trap play has to be well-timed, and after the ball carrier receives the ball, he must quickly dart through the hole behind the trap block. Veer: A quick-hitting run in which the ball can be handed to either running back, whose routes are determined by the slant or charge of the defensive linemen. The term veer comes from the back veering away from the defense. The quarterback (QB) hands off to the halfback (HB), who veers to the right behind his blockers. College teams run this play more often than pro teams do because it generally requires a quarterback who’s quick-footed and an excellent ball-handler — in other words, a quarterback who can run if he has to.

Article / Updated 11-15-2019

Whether on an offensive or defensive line, each player in a football lineup has a specific job to do. Each player/position has a specific role to play. The offensive positions are shown in the lower half of the following figure, and the defensive positions are shown in the upper half. The offense and defense face each other across the line of scrimmage. The line of scrimmage is simply the spot on the field from which the football is hiked. The figure shows the 4-3 defense (a four down linemen and three linebacker scheme) lined up against a strong-side-right offense. These lineups are common in the NFL, as well as at other levels of football. Football offensive positions The offense's primary job, as a team, is to move the ball down the field and score — either by touchdown or kicking a field goal. There are other ways to score as well, but those are primarily left to special teams. Within the offense, the functions are divided among these key positions: QB = quarterback: The leader of the team. He 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. C = center: The player who snaps the ball to the quarterback. He handles the ball on every play. RB = running back: A player who runs with the football. Running backs also are referred to as tailbacks, halfbacks, and wingbacks. FB = 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. WR = wide receiver: A player who uses his speed and quickness to elude defenders and catch the football. Teams use as many as two to four wide receivers on every play. TE = tight end: A player who serves as a receiver and also as a blocker. This player lines up beside the offensive tackle to the right or the left of the quarterback. LG and RG = left guard and right guard: The inner two members of the offensive line, whose jobs are to block for and protect the quarterback and ball carriers. LT and RT = left tackle and right tackle: The outer two members of the offensive line. Football defensive positions The defense's primary job, as a team, is to keep the offense from scoring — by tackling members of the offense, intercepting the ball, and generally preventing the offense from moving the ball close enough to their goal to create a scoring opportunity. Within the defense, the functions are divided among these key positions: DT = defensive tackle: The inner two members of the defensive line, whose jobs are to maintain their positions in order to stop a running play or to run through a gap in the offensive line to pressure the quarterback or disrupt the backfield formation. DE = defensive end: The outer two members of the defensive line. Generally, their jobs are to overcome offensive blocking and to meet in the backfield, where they combine to tackle the quarterback or ball carrier. On running plays to the outside, they’re responsible for forcing the ball carrier either out of bounds or toward (into) the pursuit of their defensive teammates. LB = linebacker: The players who line up behind the defensive linemen and generally are regarded as the team’s best tacklers. Depending on the formation, most teams employ either three or four linebackers on every play. Linebackers often have the dual role of defending the run and the pass. S = safety: The players who line up the deepest in the secondary — the last line of defense. There are free safeties and strong safeties, and they must defend the deep pass and also the run. CB = cornerback: The players who line up on the wide parts of the field, generally opposite the offensive receivers.

Article / Updated 11-15-2019

In American football, the quarterback relays to his teammates in the huddle what play the coach has called. The football play is a mental blueprint or diagram for every player on the field. Quarterbacks are also allowed to audibilize, or change the play at the line of scrimmage. A changed play is called an audible. Quarterbacks usually audibilize when they discover that the defense has guessed correctly and is properly aligned to stop the play. Everything the quarterback says in the huddle refers specifically to the assignments of his receivers, running backs, offensive linemen, and center. For example, the quarterback may say “686 Pump F-Stop on two.” Here’s how that breaks down: 686: The first three numbers are the passing routes that the receivers — known as X, Y, and Z — should take. Every team numbers its pass routes and patterns, giving receivers an immediate signal of what routes to run. On this play, the X receiver runs a 6 route, the Y receiver an 8 route, and the Z receiver another 6 route. F-Stop: Refers to the fullback’s pass route. Two: Refers to the count on which the quarterback wants the ball snapped to him. In other words, the center will snap the ball on the second sound. Most teams snap the ball on the first, second, or third count unless they’re purposely attempting to draw the opposition offside by using an extra-long count. For example, if the quarterback has been asking for the ball on the count of two throughout the game, he may ask for the ball on the count of three, hoping that someone on the defense will move prematurely. After the quarterback reaches the line of scrimmage and puts his hands under the center, he says “Set” (at which point the linemen drop into their stances) and then something like “Green 80, Green 80, Hut-Hut.” The center snaps the ball on the second “Hut.” “Green 80” means absolutely nothing in this case. However, sometimes the quarterback’s remarks at the line of scrimmage prior to the snap count inform his offensive teammates of how the play will be changed. The offensive linemen also know that the play is a pass because of the numbering system mentioned at the beginning of the called play. Teams give their plays all sorts of odd monikers, such as Quick Ace, Scat, Zoom, and Buzz. These names refer to specific actions within the play; they’re meant for the ears of the running backs and receivers. Each name (and every team has its own terms) means something, depending on the play that’s called. A quarterback may also use an offensive strategy known as check with me, in which he instructs his teammates to listen carefully at the line of scrimmage because he may call another play, or his call at the line of scrimmage will be the play. To help his teammates easily understand, the play may simply change colors — from Green to Red, for example.

Article / Updated 11-15-2019

To understand and enjoy American football, get familiar with key terms and what they mean. Until you grasp basic football lingo, listening to announcers call an NFL football game can be like listening to monkey gibberish. The following list fills you in on the basic American football terms you need to know: Backfield: The group of offensive players — the running backs and quarterback — who line up behind the line of scrimmage. Down: A period of action that starts when the ball is put into play and ends when the ball is ruled dead (meaning the play is completed). The offense gets four downs to advance the ball 10 yards. If it fails to do so, it must surrender the ball to the opponent, usually by punting on the fourth down. Drive: The series of plays when the offense has the football, until it punts or scores and the other team gets possession of the ball. End zone: A 10-yard-long area at each end of the field. You score a touchdown when you enter the end zone in control of the football. If you're tackled in your own end zone while in possession of the football, the other team gets a safety. Extra point: A kick, worth one point, that's typically attempted after every touchdown (it's also known as the point after touchdown, or PAT). The ball is placed on either the 2-yard line (in the NFL) or the 3-yard line (in college and high school) and is generally kicked from inside the 10-yard line after being snapped to the holder. It must sail between the uprights and above the crossbar of the goalpost to be considered good. Fair catch: When the player returning a punt waves his extended arm from side to side over his head. After signaling for a fair catch, a player can't run with the ball, and those attempting to tackle him can't touch him. Field goal: A kick, worth three points, that can be attempted from anywhere on the field but is usually attempted within 40 yards of the goalpost. Like an extra point, a kick must sail above the crossbar and between the uprights of the goalpost to be ruled good. Fumble: The act of losing possession of the ball while running with it or being tackled. Members of the offense and defense can recover a fumble. If the defense recovers the fumble, the fumble is called a turnover. Handoff: The act of giving the ball to another player. Handoffs usually occur between the quarterback and a running back. Hash marks: The lines on the center of the field that signify 1 yard on the field. Before every play, the ball is spotted between the hash marks or on the hash marks, depending on where the ball carrier was tackled on the preceding play. Huddle: When the 11 players on the field come together to discuss strategy between plays. On offense, the quarterback relays the plays in the huddle. Incompletion: A forward pass that falls to the ground because no receiver could catch it, or a pass that a receiver dropped or caught out of bounds. Interception: A pass that's caught by a defensive player, ending the offense's possession of the ball. Kickoff: A free kick (meaning the receiving team can't make an attempt to block it) that puts the ball into play. A kickoff is used at the start of the first and third quarters and after every touchdown and successful field goal. Line of scrimmage: An imaginary line that extends from where the football is placed at the end of a play to both sides of the field. Neither the offense nor the defense can cross the line until the football is put in play again. Offensive line: The human wall of five men who block for and protect the quarterback and ball carriers. Every line has a center (who snaps the ball), two guards, and two tackles. Punt: A kick made when a player drops the ball and kicks it while it falls toward his foot. A punt is usually made on a fourth down when the offense must surrender possession of the ball to the defense because it couldn't advance 10 yards. Red zone: The unofficial area from the 20-yard line to the opponent's goal line. Holding an opponent to a field goal in this area is considered a moral victory for the defense. Return: The act of receiving a kick or punt and running toward the opponent's goal line with the intent of scoring or gaining significant yardage. Rushing: To advance the ball by running, not passing. A running back is sometimes called a rusher. Sack: When a defensive player tackles the quarterback behind the line of scrimmage for a loss of yardage. Safety: A score, worth two points, that the defense earns by tackling an offensive player in possession of the ball in his own end zone. Secondary: The four defensive players who defend against the pass and line up behind the linebackers and wide on the corners of the field opposite the receivers. Snap: The action in which the ball is hiked (tossed between the legs) by the center to the quarterback, to the holder on a kick attempt, or to the punter. When the snap occurs, the ball is officially in play and action begins. Special teams: The 22 players who are on the field during kicks and punts. These units have special players who return punts and kicks, as well as players who are experts at covering kicks and punts. Touchdown: A score, worth six points, that occurs when a player in possession of the ball crosses the plane of the opponent's goal line, when a player catches the ball while in the opponent's end zone, or when a defensive player recovers a loose ball in the opponent's end zone.