The advent of online weekly fantasy football contests is still a fairly new phenomenon. While it is probably two early to come up with some definitive guidelines for winning fantasy football contests on a consistent basis, there are some common sense steps managers can take to improve their chances of winning. It should be noted that the following steps are intended for use in head-to-head contests only, as the big-dollar mega contests tend to be more of a shot in the dark.
Step 1 – Gather Statistical Information – There is a good reason why professional gamblers and successful fantasy managers use statistical data. The reason is it makes a difference. If a manager doesn’t want to collect data, they should restrict their participation to the mega contests with affordable entry fees. In head-to-head competition, there is very little room for error and statistics help remove some of the guess work about how certain players might perform. There are mounds of stats available for free online. If a manager has the resources, there is a few subscription sites that provide data and some useful analysis to boot.
Step 2 – Scout the Competition – It is important for beginners and novice players to understand there is a significant number of serious head-to-head players who are looking to take advantage of inexperienced souls. Some of the more prominent weekly fantasy sports sites provide user stats (wins/losses/money won) to help managers size each other up. In £5-£10 match ups, it is not as big an issue. It’s those £20-£500 contests that have the professionals trolling for suckers. If user data is available, it should be used. While there is nothing wrong with seeking good competition, the goal is still winning, and managers should avoid other managers that rank significantly higher than themselves. By the way, it’s okay to be the manager taking advantage of new participants.
Step 3 – Develop Money Management Guidelines – While some people consider playing weekly fantasy football to be a game of skill, it’s still a form of gambling that warrants responsible behavior. Each week, it is incumbent on the manager to determine how much they can realistically afford to lose. Affordability should be defined as money that is leftover after the bills are paid and savings has been increased. Any net winnings should be allocated between the next week’s bankroll and the savings account.
Step 4 – Enter Multiple contests – Regardless of how big a bankroll a manager has available each week, the odds say the money should be allocated to several separate contests with equal entry fees. The last thing a manager wants to do is go all in against a hot competitor and lose everything. It’s far better idea to allocate funds over several contests in hopes that at least half of them come back with favorable results. The good weeks will come when a manager gets hot and makes good decisions.
Step 5 – Player Selection – Prior to building one’s roster, the manager needs to read the scoring guidelines as they may vary from one site to the next. The process of selecting players should be done using stats. The best rule of thumb is to focus on offensive players going up against bad defenses while avoiding players going up against the best defenses. Other rules to follow would include looking for streaking players and avoid those is a slump, and be sure to use every dime of the salary cap when possible. While waiting for your weekly fantasy results, you might want to take advantage of some best free bet offers being made by top online sportsbooks. Your free bets can be used to play some of the top matches on the schedule. The best free bet offers are the ones that allow free bets on any sport and type of wager with a low rollover requirement.