How To Create A Private League On Fantasy Football

Free Fantasy Football Advice #1 – Public or Private League?

Unless you have an invitation to a private league, it's usually not easy to get into one. You could start your own private league, however, and invite people you know to play. Public leagues are easily accessible since anyone can join, which makes it easier to get into a league. If you look around you can find custom leagues that are both public and private leagues as well.

Free Fantasy Football Advice #2-Type of Draft (Snake or Auction)

Personally, I prefer the traditional snake draft. It gives you a chance to show your ranking skills off among other players. An auction draft is not only more time consuming, because the bidding will not stop until someone finally wins the player, but the teams are usually not as competitive either as there are only so many quality players you can bid on before you run out of money. Spending more on one player means having to spend less on the rest of your players. A regular live draft just seems to be more fun and the process is much easier. For those who like more complicated games, an auction draft may be more to your liking.

Free Fantasy Football Advice #3-Pay vs. Free

Free leagues are great because they not only give you a chance to learn the game while also providing competition, but can also help your standing in the fantasy football community by dominating your league. Let's face it though, there's nothing like winning a little money for your efforts either. There are many fantasy football leagues across the Internet that offer paid fantasy leagues for all budgets. Some offer prizes like trophies and plaques, while others offer cash prizes. As I have stated before, prior to joining any league, be sure to check the rules. There are both paid and free fantasy football leagues that will charge a fee for transactions such as picking up players as free agents or on waivers. Since transactions are the basis of building your team throughout the year, it is recommended to find a league with no fees or very low ones.

Free Fantasy Football Advice #4 – Number of Owners

Personally, I prefer the traditional 10 team league, but I also like 12 team leagues as well. Anything less than 10 teams usually leads to too many free agents being available which could lead to a league with a number of strong teams. A 10 team league means there will be some free agents that may have some value, but the draft will be a big part of your team, which is the way fantasy football should be. Even 12 team leagues aren't bad, as they can also showcase your drafting skills at an even higher level, and there will still be a decent free agent pool. I never play in leagues with more than 12 teams, however.

Here is my thinking. There are only 32 teams in the NFL. If every team has 2 starting RB's and two starting WR's, that's 24 of each position being taken off of each roster, and this is just for your starters. Factor in the fact that most leagues also require a flex player, which takes another 12 players off the board that are either WR's or RB's. That's already 60 RB's and WR's off the board, and you haven't even begun to build your bench. Even with these numbers, with the proper knowledge and skills I think everyone has the chance to draft a team that could potentially be a winner. Any more teams than this, however, and things start to get a bit shaky.

Remember, chances are you are going to be doing a snake draft. This can mean a big disadvantage to the people who have the first few picks, because if there are more than 12 teams, the number one pick is going to have to wait until at least pick no. 26 and 27 to pick again, and this is going to happen every other round. Since there are only a limited number of players on the board who can really present a decent fantasy value, the more teams there are, the less likely that a number of teams are going to have any depth, and the less likely the league is going to be very competitive. Teams with middle to late round picks will likely have a big advantage over teams with lower draft picks.

Free Fantasy Football Advice #5 Size and configuration of team rosters

This is a huge consideration, but switching things up can also make things more interesting and fun. The size of your roster will determine much of your draft strategy. The scoring rules will also be a big factor, but the size of your roster is also a critical decision for determining who you will draft. In leagues with the traditional 1 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE, 1 FLEX, 1 K, AND 1 D/ST starting roster, running backs are very critical as they usually score more and handle the ball more than any WR or TE. In leagues that require 3 WR's, you will have to consider moving your receivers up a few notches in the rankings in order to build a good starting team. In PPR leagues, receivers may also have an upper hand on many running backs due to getting one point for each reception.

No matter what size roster you are playing with, one thing that is important to consider is the bye weeks of the players you are drafting. Making sure your starters at one position don't have the same bye can be important but not deadly. Being sure your bench players don't have the same bye week as your starters can be even more important. If you have four running backs on your roster and three of them have the same bye week, you're going to need pick up a running back to fill your starting roster for the week. This means not only do you have to pick someone up, but to do that you will need to cut someone. This means if you have a solid bench you may have to sacrifice one of these players and take the chance of losing them on waivers just to fill your starting lineup for the week. This is why taking the size and configuration of your roster into consideration is such an important aspect of fantasy football.

Free Fantasy Football Advice #6-Your Level of Commitment

Are you playing to win a championship, or are you playing just for something to do? Are you playing because you like competition, or do you want to play with a bunch of rookies and dominate your league? Are you going to follow the roster moves of NFL teams as well as the injury reports and update your rankings, or are you just going to use the same rankings all year and take your chances? These are all level of commitment questions you should ask yourself before joining any league. There are many public leagues in which people of all levels of commitment are allowed to play.

There are also public leagues and private leagues that you can join in which only champions from previous seasons are allowed to join, providing a league that is very competitive. Most custom leagues will also have a requirement that you must manage your team for the entire season or risk getting kicked out of the league. This means making sure you adjust your starting lineup on a weekly basis and responding to trade proposals. Deciding what your level of commitment is will determine what type of league you should participate in.

Free Fantasy Football Advice #7-What you know

I have been successful in fantasy football because I know everything there is to know about the NFL. I know who is playing every position for all 32 teams, right down to every offensive lineman. I follow the injury reports and have a good idea of how long players are going to be out for, as well as who will be replacing them. I know who the backups are for every position on every team, even on defense. I know who is suspended, who's retiring, and who's getting benched for poor performance. This is how I have the ability to make up my own rankings and not rely on anyone else for my draft information. People barely knew Maurice Jones-Drew existed at the beginning of his rookie season, but I drafted him on every one of my teams because I did my homework. The more you know, the better you are going to be, whether it is fantasy football or any other facet of life. I'm not saying you have to be a football maniac like me to win your league, but knowing more than everyone else sure does help.

Free Fantasy Football Advice #8- Why are you playing?

Why you are playing the game will be something you will have to consider to join the fantasy football league that will best suit your needs. If you are playing simply because you love the game and the competition, a free league can suffice. If you want the same satisfaction along with the chance to win some money, you will want to join a paid league. Joining a paid league will depend on the amount you want to win as well as the size of your wallet. If you want to spend $1000 for a chance to win $6000 or more, or spend $10 to win $25 or more, there are paid leagues of all denominations for your choosing. Why you are playing will be a determining factor in the league you join.

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