As the NFL prepares to kick off the regular season on September 5, fans are already rejoicing with the return of one of the season’s favorite pastimes: fantasy.
According to the Fantasy Sports and Gaming Association, 79% of fantasy players are involved in fantasy football, and the total number of fantasy sports players across the US and Canada in 2022 totaled upward of 60 million.
As fans draft their fantasy squads for the 2024 season, Business Insider spoke with Fantasy Football Advice founder Nick Zylak and ESPN fantasy sports analyst Liz Loza to learn the top tips for building a fantasy football team.
Whether you’re a beginner or your league’s reigning champion, here’s everything you need to know.
Before you think about players, remember to consider your league’s scoring format.
“A lot of people don’t pay full attention to the scoring format, and if their league is different from normal,” Zylak said.
A common league scoring format is PPR, which stands for “point per reception.” In this type of league, each player in your starting lineup receives 1 point for every catch they make, as well as points for other factors like yardage (0.1 points per yard) and touchdowns.
For example, if Christian McCaffrey were to catch 5 passes for 42 yards and rush for 80 yards, his total fantasy points in a PPR league would be equivalent to 5 (PPR points) + 4.2 + 8, so 17.2 points.
Other league scoring formats include half-PPR (which awards 0.5 points per reception) and Standard/non-PPR (which doesn’t award any points for receptions).
Each league has specific rules and point allotments for things like scoring, fumbles, interceptions, etc. so make sure to research your league’s rules to understand what players will best maximize your point potential.
Then make a draft strategy.
Zylak told BI that the best teams this year are taking running backs early and wide receivers in the middle rounds of the draft.
“And then, ideally, you probably want a top seven tight end, because there’s a really good group of tight ends,” he added. “It doesn’t really matter which one you get, just getting one of them, and then probably a top 11 quarterback.”
While you don’t have to stick to a formula, it’s helpful to at least have a plan. That way, you’re not overwhelmed with choices when you’re on the clock.
When determining your draft strategy, Loza also recommended considering who you’re drafting with.
“Is there a person who’s a giant Buffalo Bills fan? If so, then you should probably anticipate that Josh Allen is going to get drafted earlier than the ADP, which stands for average draft position, right? Or [drafted] ahead of the rankings, the ESPN consensus rankings that one may be using as a guide,” Loza said.
This way, you can set more realistic expectations and strategies for both positions and players before your draft.
While drafting, don’t be afraid to hit the upside early.
The NFL has an incredible amount of depth, particularly on offense, so Loza recommends using that to your advantage by going for players with high ceilings during the first half of your draft.
One high-ceiling player she said to look out for is Anthony Richardson.
The 22-year-old quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts didn’t play much during his rookie season due to injuries.
“However, his upside, the potential that he could produce, is wild,” Loza said. “So, I often get like, ‘Why would you want to take Anthony Richardson?’ And my answer is like, well, there is a 100% injury rate in the NFL, but not 100% of the players in the NFL present with Richardson’s ceiling.”
She continued, “He averaged 18 fantasy points per game and 49% of those points came via his legs. And in fantasy, rushing, mobile quarterbacks are great because of the numbers they put up.”
So, you can afford to take a risk on a high-ceiling player in the beginning, knowing that the league’s incredible depth will provide you with more tried-and-true, dependable players in the later rounds.
Remember volume is king.
“The more times a player touches the ball, the more opportunities that player has to put up points. So volume is always king,” Loza said.
This is particularly relevant for running backs — those with higher fantasy value are the players who consistently get an opportunity to run the ball, which is why you’ll see them go in the first round of the draft.
However, she cautioned that the worry is if one of those players gets hurt, finding a replacement of equal value becomes much harder.
Don’t stack pass catchers from the same team.
Traditionally, “stacking” refers to taking a quarterback and a pass catcher from the same team, like a Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce duo, so you can maximize your points.
What you want to avoid, though, is stacking two pass catchers from the same team, analysts told BI.
“I don’t like to take two pass catchers from the same team because I think again, the volume is dipped,” Loza said, offering the Houston Texans as an example.
With Nico Collins, Stefon Diggs, Tank Dell, and Joe Mixon all competing for touches, Loza said it’s an offense “you want a piece of,” but if you were to take Tank Dell and Nico Collins, you could miss out “on a receiver who might not be part of as efficient an offense, but would see more targets.”
“The targets don’t always have to be pretty to be productive,” she added.
Defenses don’t win championships in fantasy — and neither do kickers.
Both Zylak and Loza said you shouldn’t pick a defense and a kicker until the last two rounds of the draft. Otherwise, you’re just wasting valuable picks.
Speaking of value, focus on what’s in front of you and remember not to panic.
Starting a positional run is always better than ending one, according to Loza.
“So if quarterbacks start coming off the board, do not panic and say like, ‘Oh my god, if I don’t take a quarterback now, the one I want is gonna be gone,’” she said. “He may be, but also, you want to zig when everyone else is zagging because you want to take full advantage of the value in front of you at every time.”
Context is key, so don’t focus too much on what happened in previous seasons.
Take a look at Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London. At first glance, the 23-year-old may not seem like an obvious choice. He averaged 6.1 fantasy points per game last season, and just 5.8 the season prior, according to CBS Sports.
However, one could argue that London was undervalued in former head coach Arthur Smith’s run-heavy system. But now that the Falcons are being led by Raheem Morris and veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins, London’s chances of becoming a breakout star have significantly increased. He’s the 14th-ranked wide receiver in ESPN’s current fantasy rankings compared to the 30th-ranked choice a year ago.
Not all changes are as big as a coaching change, though.
“There are little wrinkles, and you’re like, ‘Hmm, how much is this fourth-round rookie really going to affect this offense?’” Loza said, adding, “You kind of have to gauge it.”
You don’t have to be super focused on statistics if you don’t want to be. Instead, you can use existing rankings to help judge the strength of your choices.
“Don’t let the weeds of the stats bring you down,” Loza said. “You’re allowed to just root for the players that you’re excited about.”
So if there’s a player that’s amazing strategically, but isn’t someone you feel like rooting for every week, just don’t draft them — that’s the benefit of the league having such depth.
And with all those options, Loza encourages everyone to use the rankings available. “Me and my colleagues do not spend all of this time to make rankings so that you can’t use ’em,” she said.
So, if someone has caught your eye, check the rankings to ensure you draft them at an appropriate time.
“If you are someone who’s like, ‘Oh, I know Player X is a really good player and they’re fun and I’m into them,’ then look where they are on the rankings, like maybe they’re wide receiver 30, and then see who else in that range is going and circle them,” Loza said. “Just be like, ‘OK, when we get to this general part of the draft, I’m going to get that guy.’”
This way, you won’t pass up on valuable talent in an effort to pick them.
Don’t give up if your season starts off slow — and remember to have fun.
Building a fantasy team extends beyond the initial draft, so Zylak advises players not to feel discouraged if they don’t start the season with a winning record.
“Like, really, all you have to do is make the playoffs. It doesn’t really matter what your seeding is,” he said. “And in most leagues, either half or like 40% of people make playoffs, so as long as you can squeak in — even if you start one and four — like look for trades, look for the waiver wire, because you just got to squeak into the playoffs, then anything can happen.”
And as cheesy as it may sound, remember to have fun.
“This is a secondary experience that only enriches the primary experience of watching football on Sundays,” Loza said.
The post 10 tips for building a fantasy football team in 2024, according to analysts appeared first on Business Insider.
