The Idiots Guide To Fantasy Football - Basic Tips
Understand The Rules
Before you pick a team it is useful that you read the rules, which in many cases are unique for the particular game. Typical variables include simply the number of players to be selected (11 man or squad game), how many transfers are permitted and whether captains are used or not. In addition, there are also many other factors to consider including how many players are you allowed to pick from each team and what formations are permitted.
How Many Teams To Enter
Work out how much time you will have to spend on each game and whether you are prepared to invest that commitment. To be in with a chance of winning you cannot afford to take your eye off the ball, so don’t have more teams than you can handle or you will end up losing interest and most enviably perform poorly in most if not all of them. Games like the Sun’s Dream team is relatively low maintenance with only three transfer windows to change the team while many squad based games require a much greater level of involvement.
Finding The Right Balance
The first stage is to work out which positions will score the most points, but also take the price into account as all players need to prove to be value for money. The secret is to spend more heavily on areas of the team where you are going to earn more points, these players will also be likely candidates for captaincy. On the other hand it is important not to leave yourself in the position where you are left selecting several of the games cheapest players just to make up the numbers.
Player Misclassification
Since the very first Fantasy Football management games to hit the UK, many player’s positions have been misclassified for a number of reasons. Players who are classified as defenders but clearly play further up the pitch in midfield roles are more likely to gain valuable assist and goal points, whilst still gaining the benefit of collecting an occasional clean sheet bonus. The same principle applies to midfielders classed as strikers and so on.
Player Price Comparisons
Players prices are different depending on the game whether that be the Sun Dream Team, Telegraph or Daily Mail version. It is sometimes useful to crosscheck player prices as some players will prove to be much better value for money in some game rather than others.
Player Disciplinary
One thing that never changes in Fantasy Football is that players who receive bookings and red cards are penalised by losing points. In addition to the lost points, players with a less-than-exemplary disciplinary records are penalised with suspensions. The FA operates a totting-up policy whereby a player receives an automatic bans as they receive 5, 10 and 15 bookings throughout the season.
Player Transfers
Many Fantasy Football game have their own unique rules relating to player transfers. Some games allow many changes to be made throughout the season whilst others have adopted the transfer window system. If you are playing such a game and you find one of your players is out for the season, do not switch him until you really need to make a change immediately prior to the next match. There is nothing more frustrating than bringing someone in four days before he is next in action and then finding out he has been injured in training and is now sidelined. Likewise if a player has a serious injury on a Saturday match and the game rules permit changes over the weekend it can be a smart move to make the change before Sunday’s matches therefore gaining valuable points.
Latest Player and Team News
Will the majority of Fantasy Football games, it is necessary to keep up to date with player injuries suspensions and international call ups.