The first thing prospective fantasy football players need to do is find or choose a league.
There are several common types of leagues, catering to both beginners and advanced styles of play,
with 5 primary categories. All of these leagues are made up of individual teams which draft rosters
from which weekly lineups are started, according to a set schedule with predefined rules.
performance leagues
The performance league, sometimes referred to as the standard league, is by far the most common
type of fantasy football league. Teams play head to head each week. Points are scored for
touchdowns, yardage, completed passes, and other events, and the team with the greater total
of points against his weekly opponent is the winner of that game. At the end of the regular
season, the teams with the best win/loss record face each other to determine who wins the league.
touchdown only leagues
Touchdown only leagues, similar to performance leagues, score points in head to head matchups,
but points are only scored for touchdowns. Again, at the end of the regular season, the teams
with the best win/loss record face each other to determine who wins the league.
auction leagues
Auction leagues usually play according to the rules of performance, and add on the twist of
giving each team a set budget under which they build their rosters. Every fantasy football
team owner can bid on any available player, and all player salaries are totaled up and used
to keep all team owners under the predetermined salary cap.
keeper leagues
Keeper leagues differ from other leagues in that the team owners are allowed to protect and
therefore retain a portion of their previous season's roster going into the following season's
draft, with all the remaining players being put back into the common pool. Dynasty leagues take
this one step further, allowing team owners to protect their entire lineup, with only rookies
in the draft pool.
survivor leagues
Survivor leagues offer a different way to reach the playoffs - at the end of each week, the
team with the lowest number of points scored according to its scoring system, is eliminated
from the league. Each week the league shrinks in size until there is only one team owner left -
the winner.
