Fantasy Football Beginners: How to find success even as a rookie

Tip #3: Read the Roster

The other area fantasy football beginners need to understand before entering their draft is what their league’s roster requirements are. Again, leagues vary widely and are totally customizable.  The important thing to know is what are the positions you have to have, and how many of each.

Standard leagues have a starting lineup of one quarterback (QB), two running backs (RB), two receivers (WR), a flex position (usually a RB or WR), a tight end, a kicker, and a team defense. Your league may have variations on this format, though, and catching those variations is key to your draft strategy.

You want to make sure you’re strong in the starting positions before spending too much time on your bench since players on your bench don’t get you points that actually matter. The exceptions to that are at kicker and team defense.  Those are usually picked in the last two rounds (more on that later).

The early rounds of your draft should be focused on getting starters for QB, RB, WR, and maybe TE. If you’re league requires two QB’s you’ll want to make sure to get two solid options, but you can wait a little bit to draft a backup if it only requires one. Some leagues require a tight end while others have a flex spot that allows for a tight end but lets you include players from other positions too.

Like with scoring, you don’t have to understand all the different variations out there, just know what your league is doing so you have your lineup stocked up in the positions that matter.

Next: Tip #4