Posted 6/29 by Chris Smith, Exclusive to Footballguys.com
“By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail.” — Benjamin Franklin
This section will give you a rundown on the different types of fantasy leagues that one can participate in. From a standard redraft league to a full-fledged dynasty league to an IDP league, there are many styles of leagues that all offer various challenges and enjoyments to the fantasy footballer.
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Standard Redraft Leagues (Head to Head)
The standard redraft leagues are by far the most common fantasy leagues. The league has a draft that is usually serpentine in nature (first pick overall in round one will pick last in round two, the last pick in round one will pick first in round two, etc.). The owners will pick out a starting lineup each week depending on the regulations of the league and match up against a different owner each week. Scoring more points than your opponent results in a win whereas scoring fewer points will result in a loss. The best win/loss records meet in the playoffs. Each new season, all of the NFL players go back into the pool and can be drafted all over again.
Example of Head to Head Competition
Team One – winners |
Team Two – losers |
||||
QB |
Donovan McNabb |
23 |
QB |
Peyton Manning |
18 |
RB |
Brandon Jacobs |
17 |
RB |
Brian Westbrook |
6 |
RB |
Willie Parker |
14 |
RB |
Warrick Dunn |
6 |
WR |
Chad Johnson |
16 |
WR |
Plaxico Burress |
10 |
WR |
Darrell Jackson |
14 |
WR |
Derrick Mason |
11 |
WR |
Joe Jurevicius |
8 |
WR |
Marvin Harrison |
22 |
TE |
Alge Crumpler |
7 |
TE |
Todd Heap |
5 |
PK |
Mike Vanderjagt |
7 |
PK |
Jason Elam |
6 |
DT |
Baltimore Ravens |
7 |
DT |
Chicago Bears |
10 |
Starters’ Total Points |
113 |
Starters’ Total Points |
94 |
Standard Redraft Leagues (Total Points)
These leagues start off the same as head-to-head leagues. Once the draft is finished however the ultimate goal is to finish with the most points overall instead of the most wins. There is no weekly head-to-head schedule and it is simply a matter of building up as many points as possible. Over the last decade or so, the total points’ leagues have become less popular.
Example of Total Points League
Franchise |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
14 |
15 |
16 |
17 |
Tot |
Charitable Donation |
82 |
103 |
87 |
104 |
113 |
108 |
94 |
143 |
108 |
114 |
80 |
100 |
119 |
89 |
136 |
103 |
110 |
1794 |
Chris Smith’s Goons |
81 |
102 |
74 |
122 |
133 |
107 |
94 |
112 |
98 |
95 |
99 |
103 |
107 |
132 |
108 |
102 |
92 |
1759 |
Unlucky’s Bass Turds |
112 |
78 |
113 |
98 |
94 |
127 |
85 |
111 |
76 |
137 |
82 |
90 |
89 |
136 |
130 |
98 |
67 |
1724 |
Stuart’s Ships |
107 |
104 |
70 |
67 |
67 |
83 |
98 |
75 |
133 |
122 |
128 |
97 |
115 |
100 |
88 |
110 |
77 |
1641 |
Harrisville |
61 |
94 |
78 |
83 |
92 |
72 |
112 |
103 |
84 |
116 |
64 |
97 |
88 |
110 |
108 |
102 |
119 |
1584 |
Hollywood Funk |
71 |
102 |
78 |
88 |
79 |
100 |
102 |
99 |
80 |
84 |
77 |
111 |
105 |
84 |
77 |
128 |
93 |
1527 |
Hocking Valley Egos |
64 |
115 |
82 |
58 |
96 |
92 |
68 |
99 |
88 |
44 |
99 |
106 |
138 |
127 |
95 |
91 |
57 |
1520 |
The Assassin |
90 |
98 |
81 |
95 |
81 |
81 |
87 |
74 |
82 |
56 |
119 |
106 |
93 |
67 |
118 |
68 |
80 |
1476 |
Joe T Carney Men |
68 |
88 |
74 |
144 |
105 |
82 |
101 |
107 |
98 |
62 |
87 |
77 |
97 |
58 |
90 |
56 |
73 |
1468 |
Spartans Rule |
125 |
117 |
102 |
76 |
79 |
73 |
97 |
91 |
77 |
93 |
59 |
80 |
82 |
72 |
64 |
92 |
87 |
1465 |
Longboards |
94 |
87 |
78 |
92 |
82 |
97 |
81 |
83 |
86 |
71 |
138 |
75 |
68 |
103 |
92 |
80 |
53 |
1463 |
Baptist Breakers |
84 |
90 |
61 |
74 |
87 |
45 |
119 |
55 |
74 |
83 |
107 |
99 |
77 |
110 |
95 |
91 |
39 |
1390 |
Auction Draft Leagues
Auction drafts are a relatively new type of fantasy league to the casual fantasy gamer. These drafts can be a ton of fun and offer unique challenges but it also takes up a lot more time on average than a standard draft. As an owner in an auction draft, make sure to devote a block of six to ten hours in order to complete your draft. Each owner in this kind of league gets a sum of play money in which they will use in order to build their fantasy roster. Each owner can bid on any player on the auction block as long as he/she has enough money remaining to win the bid. The best part of an auction draft is simply that every player in the league is available to a fantasy owner. If an owner wants to build a squad featuring Shaun Alexander, Steven Jackson, Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison as part of their starting unit, they can do so (although he won’t have much, if any, money left to add other strong players).
Example of the first six bids of an Auction Draft
Pos |
Player |
Team |
Drafted By |
Cost |
QB |
Peyton Manning |
Ind |
Team One |
$34 |
RB |
LaDainian Tomlinson |
SD |
Team Four |
$75 |
WR |
Marvin Harrison |
Ind |
Team Seven |
$25 |
RB |
Willie Parker |
Pit |
Team Four |
$44 |
WR |
Torry Holt |
StL |
Team Ten |
$29 |
TE |
Tony Gonzalez |
KC |
Team One |
$14 |
“Thus those skilled in war subdue the enemy’s army without battle …. They conquer by strategy.” – Sun Tzu ‘Art of War’
Keeper Leagues
Very similar to the leagues above. The difference being that the owner can keep a predetermined number of players from his draft in the previous season to carry forward into the new campaign. In some leagues you can keep one player, in others three and in others five or more. Sometimes it costs an owner a draft pick to keep a player from the previous season and sometimes no penalty is paid. It really depends on the leagues rules.
Example of a four-player keeper league (the teams will keep the players in blue)
Team One |
Team Two |
||||
QB |
Donovan McNabb |
Phi |
QB |
Marc Bulger |
StL |
QB |
Byron Leftwich |
Jac |
QB |
Trent Green |
Mia |
QB |
Kyle Boller |
Bal |
QB |
Kurt Warner |
Ari |
RB |
Warrick Dunn |
Atl |
RB |
Jamal Lewis |
Cle |
RB |
Edgerrin James |
Ari |
WR |
Steven Jackson |
StL |
RB |
Marion Barber III |
Dal |
RB |
Cedric Houston |
NYJ |
RB |
Michael Pittman |
TB |
RB |
Marcel Shipp |
Ari |
WR |
Marty Booker |
Mia |
WR |
Isaac Bruce |
StL |
WR |
Plaxico Burress |
NYG |
WR |
Laveranues Coles |
NYJ |
WR |
Randy Moss |
NE |
WR |
Andre Johnson |
Hou |
WR |
Bobby Wade |
Min |
WR |
Steve Smith |
Car |
TE |
Daniel Graham |
Den |
WR |
Michael Clayton |
TB |
TE |
Ben Watson |
NE |
TE |
Jim Kleinsasser |
Min |
PK |
Matt Stover |
Bal |
TE |
Jeremy Shockey |
NYG |
DT |
Dallas Cowboys |
Dal |
PK |
Jeff Wilkins |
StL |
DT |
St. Louis Rams |
StL |
DT |
Atlanta Falcons |
Atl |
DT |
New Orleans Saints |
NO |
DT |
Pittsburgh Steelers |
Pit |
Dynasty Leagues
A dynasty league is similar to a keeper league but each team can keep their entire roster of players from one year to the next. After the inaugural draft in year one, the players will stay on the team they are drafted to unless they are traded away or released. Each offseason a rookie draft will take place in which the owners can add talent to their rosters. These leagues can be really challenges to rebuild a poor roster as it may take years of wise trading and shrewd drafting in order to rise to the top. Great leagues if you want to challenge yourself.
Survivor Draft Leagues
These leagues can use either the auction draft or the standard draft. Once the rosters have been filled out however the rules are much different. Similar to the television show, Survivor, in this style of league, the team with the fewest points scored in a week is booted out for the season. It is very important in this kind of league to build a well-rounded squad that can withstand the perils of injuries, bye weeks and other similar challenges. Usually in this kind of league, no free agent pickups or trades are allowed. Because of the format, there is possibly a higher degree of luck involved as you can have one back week and be kicked out of the league.
IDP Leagues
These leagues use defensive players as well as offensive players. This is only for the diehard fantasy player as it takes a lot more research, knowledge and experience to know not only what defensive players to draft but when.