Moms Playing Fantasy Football

“What? Did I hear you right? There are Moms playing Fantasy Football?” Yes! This phenomenon started 7 years ago for me. I headed into my first online Fantasy Football draft while nursing my daughter. My team, Mom's Army, had some success, and that is how the obsession started!

In my league, I was the only woman, and even though I knew a thing or two about football, I wasn’t sure a fantasy team was something I could pull off! So- I made my picks for Team Mom’s Army, and headed into battle against 11 other players.

I wasn’t exactly sure how the draft was going to go. I had done some online research, but had done just enough to be dangerous. After the first round was over, I knew I was in trouble because people were picking players for running backs still, and not knowing what I was doing I picked a kicker. I got jeered in the comment box, but I just kept plugging along doing the only thing I knew how. I picked players I had heard of. Now that seems reasonable, doesn't it? The most amazing thing was that the people I picked turned out to be pretty good, and I came in near the top that year!

Each year I have learned a little bit more about fantasy football, but by far the biggest lesson I learned last year, is that research does pay off! This past year I thought I “knew it all” and could wing it at the last minute. You would think after 7 years I would know what to do just off the top of my head. Not SO! That and hampered by my youngest not going to bed on time and continually getting up, set me up for a terrible season!! What I thought I knew about players from last year was not really what was valid that season. So, let me give you a few pointers on how to jump into the fantasy football game, and come out ahead! This should be a lesson that each year you start fresh. Which means that if you are a beginner, the playing field levels a bit year after year, so you can jump in and do well, even if this is your first time.

First off, don’t let it scare you! Just because you have never watched football, or you think you won’t be good, should not be a reason to quit before you try! There is a whole lot of luck in the game! Some of the “best players” could be injured (think Tom Brady) or some nobody could score big points.

Secondly, there are sites to help! There are so many things set up to help you during your draft and throughout the season. I have always been a part of the Yahoo! Fantasy Leagues, because they give you hints each week during play, and good information during the draft! If you don’t know who to pick up for a player, it chooses for you.

Once you have decided on a league to join, start your research. There is a lot of information out there and it can be overwhelming! Just start simple. I will usually use three sites for information to start. My top pick for sites are Yahoo Fantasy, ProFootball Talk, and FF Toolbox. The first place to start is draft central in whatever league you sign up for. See who they have picked as their top players. Click on the links to read a little about why they think each player will do well. This is what I do for my top three sites. Look to see who they have picked for each position. Who are their top Running Backs? Why did they pick those players? Print out their chart of who they would pick and their order of players. This will be your first line of defense during the draft. Use each of these to figure out why one place ranks them as #3 and another as #5. They will probably give reasons, but if not it will give you an idea of who should be your pick based on the experts. Now if this is scaring you already, don’t let it. You don’t have to remember a THING! This is just to get your feet wet. Just remember that if all else fails, sit back and let your fantasy draft pick for you. If you use Yahoo it will do this automatically if you can't make up your mind.

Once you have your list, it is a good idea to go through the first 15-20 players and make sure that there isn’t anything that has happened to them. Let’s say they picked someone like Michael Vick without knowing that he in fact was arrested. This could be a problem! These stories might be a big deal to people into football, but you might not really know anything about it. Check out this site to find the latest information about this. I have not found a better site to get you in the game quickly. Often you will get information there before anyplace else has it! Just reading this site for about a week, will get you "in the know" quickly about what is going on around the league. I have used this site to sound savvy more than once! In fact, it is a good place to go and then use one of their articles to start up a conversation with your husband. (ex. Did you know that the Dolphins are thinking of trading Ronnie Brown?) This type of thing is sure to perk up a husband who thinks they know it all about football. Now- once you give away your ProFootballTalk.com secret, it will be likely those conversations go more like this….”Did you know that the Dolphins are thinking of trading Ronnie Brown?” Husband: “I read that too.” Either way, it is an amazing way to get into the details of the game.

I urge you to start now with your research! Start to get a feel for who the players are, and feel like you are in the mix of things so that by fantasy draft time you are more prepared to get into it!

Go to Yahoo Fantasy Football. Sign up! I will tell you that if you are involved in a fantasy team, you will be more likely to enjoy ALL of the games that are on tv, because you will have players on your team from all over the league! You will want to know what they are doing and how many points you are getting! See what everyone is talking about! Don’t let any of it scare you! If you are involved, football will be better and a TON of fun!

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