Fantasy football offers us a way to stay involved in what’s going on in the NFL while providing a strategic as well as exciting competitive gameplay.
Picking the perfect squad of players that will provide the right amount of points to help our opponents fall, that’s what Sunday is all about. The trash talk that followed for a week until the next online battle was just the icing on the cake.
For those who have never given fantasy football a chance, entering a fantasy soccer league may seem like a pointless endeavor. Who cares about a fantasy team when it’s really about the favorite team or the home team? Well, my friends, it’s time to be enlightened about the joys of assembling a team of fantasy gridiron warriors and how to go about it.
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How to join online virtual soccer tournament
Joining a fantasy soccer league takes commitment. Sunday is no longer a holy day. Well, at least not in the traditional sense. Once decided to join a tournament, football becomes a religion. It is a religion where prayer is performed on the altar of our television, kneeling to pray takes place only for an effort to fulfill a much-needed goal, never the flag, and the Hail Mary takes on a whole new meaning.
There are two versions of the tournament for members – Public or Private – both of which come with their own set of rules.
Public Tournaments available to anyone to join. Just visit a website, sign up for an account, then sign up for the next draft. Once the slots allocated to the membership fill, the draft will begin. Not much for it at all.
Private tournaments will ask the tournament owner to send an invitation. After receiving the invitation, a key or link will grant access.
At the start, the Private tournament is similar to the Public tournament with minor differences. Draft times are usually set and determined by the tournament owner, as are most of the rules. Members can have their opinion if the owner decides to accept it but ultimately the course is up to them.
Some Private leagues can last more than one season, with the option to rotate from season to season at the discretion of coaches and owners. These tournaments are called Dynasty Tournaments or Goalkeeper Awardand there will be an even bigger commitment because bragging rights for the whole year are still in balance.
The best sites for fantasy football leagues
There are many different websites that offer Fantasy Football League subscriptions, most of which will require less than an account to start playing.
The hosting sites below are what we feel are the best for both beginners and fantasy football experts.
Yahoo! was one of the first mainstream websites to offer fantasy football. It has an easy-to-use interface, real-time stats tracking and internal fantasy analysis, which has many fans returning season after season.
When we think of American sports, we think of ESPN. ESPN provides comprehensive analysis across multiple media including web content, podcasts, and specific Sunday morning fantasy pre-game shows. For a single fantasy football site, ESPN is one of the best.
It’s hard to talk about American football without thinking about the NFL. NFL.com has come a long way in treating fantasy sports as a key component of the league’s popularity. The organization offers many integrations with fantasy football including fantasy statistics displayed at the stadiums and hosting the official fantasy football service on the website.
CBS is the perfect place for more detail-oriented fantasy football fans. Lots of game time analysis, injury reports and drafts help come up with the perfect lineup week in, week out.
Another familiar name in American sports would have to be Fox Sports. Committed to fostering the growth of fantasy sports, Fox Sports offers a detailed fantasy service with a variety of weekly set-up online content, including the ability to participate in a fantasy soccer league.
This site is a lesser known fantasy hosting site, with a paid service that boasts an incredible amount of tournaments and interface customization. It has won numerous industry awards and is the place to take our fantasy football skills to the next level.
Old-School DIY League
Some leagues forego the fancy convenience of a do-it-all website and prefer the pencil drafting and statistical calculation method over paper. Former players focus on deals and lineups throughout the week and meet in person or dial in their changes over the phone.
These tournaments also tend to be Keeper tournaments and are great for friendly encounters and can also offer a bit of competitive fun.
Grow our list
Choosing which players to add to the roster during draft time and beyond requires a bit of foresight, research and know-how. It may also depend on the draft format the tournament is running in.
Standard draft – This is the most common choice, use zigzag style. This means that the draft order of each round will swap from first to last, then back to the beginning with last to first.
The tournament itself will usually be set up as either Confrontation, means the winner is determined by positions in one formation relative to positions in the opposing squad, or Total score, where the winner is chosen by adding all the points earned by all players on a formation with the total score of the opponent.
Draft auction This type of bill of exchange is similar to an auction bill of exchange. Each player is given a predetermined amount of fantasy cash to bet on certain players that pop up in the draft. The highest bidder by the end of the time wins that player for their squad.
There are many other types of draft and tournament formats, but these are the most notable ones.
Research tools
After entering a fantasy soccer league, the statistical analysis provided by the hosting website will be available for use. They tend to provide detailed information on weekly deals and top players to look for. However, to truly become an expert in fantasy, there are other tools and websites that can help you compete.
PFF, fictitious advantages, 4for4and Defensive line just a small part of what’s out there. Each offers in-depth player analysis, predictions, draft help, and weekly leaderboards covering all or most tournament formats. Some will even offer a mobile app so we can make a decision on the best second final line-up.
There are tons of different websites and tools for you to use but these are the ones that really stood out to us. Virtual soccer has grown in popularity pretty quickly over the years and it doesn’t look like it’s going to slow down any time soon. Try these out and let us know what you think.
